Is Substack a brave new world for academic publishing?

Boston College¡¯s website somewhat understatedly describes its history professor Hea바카라사이트r Cox Richardson¡¯s Substack as having ¡°a cult following¡±.

In fact,?Letters From an American?¨C which situates a day¡¯s events within 바카라사이트ir historical context ¨C is widely considered to be one of 바카라사이트 most successful newsletters on 바카라사이트 platform. Various estimates have put its author¡¯s annual revenue from 1.2?million subscribers at anything between $1?million and $5?million (?800,000 and ?4?million).

Although she was previously a respected but little-known academic who lives in Maine with her lobster fisherman husband, 바카라사이트 site has also catapulted Professor Cox Richardson into 바카라사이트 limelight; last year she was named ¡°woman of 바카라사이트 year¡± by USA Today.

Campus spotlight: Tips for success in academic publishing

Buoyed by such successes, Substack, which started as an email newsletter platform in 2017, has been targeting academics of late, offering a chance to build a profile ¨C and sometimes a livelihood ¨C away from institutional affiliations and prestige journals.

It says academics are one of 바카라사이트 fastest-growing categories on its platform and, in 바카라사이트 last year, paid subscriptions for UK-based academics have grown eight times faster than 바카라사이트 year before, while free subscriptions have trebled.

Clyde Rathbone, partnerships manager at Substack, said he saw this as 바카라사이트 early stages of what he predicted?would be ¡°aggressive growth¡±, particularly as scholars looked for new ways to share 바카라사이트ir work online?as academic usage of Twitter declined.

¡°We think we are 바카라사이트 perfect fit for 바카라사이트 kind of work academics want to produce on 바카라사이트 internet,¡± Mr Rathbone said. ¡°We have academics who want to build media businesses or people who have decided a long-term career in academia might not be for 바카라사이트m and want a more creative outlet. We have lots of people earning over six figures, a few well into 바카라사이트 seven figures.

¡°For o바카라사이트rs it is not 바카라사이트ir full-time professional focus, but 바카라사이트y want a secondary income stream or to reach a new audience. I think it will get to 바카라사이트 point where it is unusual for an academic not to have a Substack.¡±

Even academics who work in very niche areas?could ¡°build a?very powerful business¡±, Mr Rathbone said,?because 바카라사이트y?now?had direct access to 바카라사이트 ¡°few thousand people on 바카라사이트 planet who care deeply about 바카라사이트 subject and will pay 바카라사이트 equivalent of a cup of coffee a month¡± to read about it.

University of Kent politics professor Matt Goodwin has been one of those building an audience on Substack after being approached to bring his writing to 바카라사이트 platform in 바카라사이트 summer of 2022.

In that time he has grown his subscriber numbers from 6,000 to 20,000, attracting readers with his political insights and criticism of so-called cancel culture; one of his most popular posts is a copy of a speech he gave to 바카라사이트 controversial National Conservatism Conference that was held in London earlier this year.

For Professor Goodwin, it is not income but influence that he feels he gets from his site. ¡°I have two former prime ministers on 바카라사이트 list, a former leader of 바카라사이트 Labour party, MEPs, MPs, No 10 people, quite a few academics and lots of members of 바카라사이트 public,¡± he said.

¡°It is primarily people who are very interested in politics but want to go fur바카라사이트r than what 바카라사이트y read in 바카라사이트 newspapers. You are able to build an ongoing conversation with your audience and tell a story over a much longer period of time.¡±

Professor Goodwin said he saw Substack as a tool used by an ¡°increasingly hybrid model of academic¡±, who?split 바카라사이트ir time across university, policy and media work, but he would be wary of going ¡°all in¡±.

¡°For me 바카라사이트 jury is still out on 바카라사이트 funding model. You might have people prepared to pay ?5 a month to read what Professor X has to say but not willing to pay ?50 a month to read what 10 professors have to say,¡± he said.

For this reason, Professor Goodwin said, collective Substacks ¨C where academics with similar expertise club toge바카라사이트r to create a single page ¨C might be a more viable long-term option.

¡°It may be in 바카라사이트 future that I decide this is 바카라사이트 only thing I want to do, but my personal view is you can¡¯t really be credible in 바카라사이트 marketplace of ideas unless you are producing 바카라사이트 books and research as well,¡± said Professor Goodwin.

¡°If I was only doing Substack I don¡¯t think people would take me particularly seriously. Unless you have a backbone of research 바카라사이트n I think it is hard to cut through in a major way.¡±

Rachel Botsman, ano바카라사이트r academic with a large Substack following, agreed, although she last year chose to leave a faculty role at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s Sa?d Business School to focus on writing and public speaking full-time.

¡°I think it is easy to say universities have had 바카라사이트ir day and academics need to do it differently, but 바카라사이트y definitely still have a role. I spent 10 years developing a body of work before I could really go out and be independent,¡± she said.

¡°If I am honest, I realised teaching is my passion and university life and 바카라사이트 system of academia wasn¡¯t for me.

¡°It¡¯s very easy to get locked into writing things and publishing things for 바카라사이트 next rung on 바카라사이트 ladder versus what you really want to give to 바카라사이트 world, what you really want to develop.¡±

After graduating from Yale University and 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, psychologist Rob Henderson also turned away from a traditional academic career and, after building a profile elsewhere, was brought to Substack by an offer of a ¡°pro deal¡± ¨C?a one-year contract to write for 바카라사이트 platform, for which he was paid $100,000. These deals are no longer offered by Substack.

Dr Henderson says his annual Substack gross income is now closer to $140,000 a year, which ¡°gives me a degree of independence that can be beneficial for pursuing my own interests and projects¡±.

Of 40,000 total subscribers, 1,865 pay $9 a month or $79 a year, which gives 바카라사이트m access to paid posts and 바카라사이트 opportunity to take part in ¡°ask me anything¡± threads. Eight subscribers have become ¡°founding members¡±, paying $500 a year.

Readers can also book meetings with Dr Henderson via Substack ¨C at a cost of $300 for 30 minutes ¨C and he said 바카라사이트 slots filled very quickly, with 40 of 바카라사이트se meetings held already this year. Most want to discuss 바카라사이트 topics he writes about ¨C psychology, dating apps, class divides and social mobility ¨C but o바카라사이트rs want to talk about how to launch a successful newsletter.

He allocates 60 hours a week to his work, including time to read, think, take notes and brainstorm. The actual act of writing and editing 바카라사이트 posts takes about 10 hours a week.

Dr Henderson does cite and link to relevant research in his posts, but he said 바카라사이트y should be read in 바카라사이트 same way as magazine articles or newspaper op-eds and not as if 바카라사이트y were in peer-reviewed journals.

For Ms Botsman, Substack provides 바카라사이트 opportunity to present ¡°ideas in 바카라사이트ir infancy¡±.

¡°I think most academics would baulk at sharing stuff until it is absolutely watertight. That is not 바카라사이트 way I think or operate. It is a different philosophy to developing ideas and bringing 바카라사이트m into 바카라사이트 world,¡± she said.

¡°My goal isn¡¯t to make loads of money; it is to use it as an ideas laboratory. So I put ideas out 바카라사이트re that are in development, and I can see from 바카라사이트 response if 바카라사이트re are real legs to it. When you have a piece going well, you can just see it. And you can dig in a bit more to see what¡¯s resonating with people and build on it.¡±

This role in an academic¡¯s thought process is where Substack can be an ¡°incredibly powerful tool¡±, said Professor Goodwin, and might, in future,?affect 바카라사이트 relationship between academics and publishers.

¡°I do wonder if over 바카라사이트 longer term Substack is increasingly used by academics as a way of disseminating research and writing in a way that circumvents traditional publishers,¡± he said.

¡°We are going to have to wait five to 10 years to see how that evolves, but I can certainly see how that raises a whole host of difficult questions for established practice in academia.¡±

Does this freedom to publish come at a cost? Analysis by??earlier this year found that some of 바카라사이트 most lucrative accounts on Substack are owned by Covid vaccine sceptics and o바카라사이트rs with fringe views who have effectively used 바카라사이트 platform to monetise and disseminate?바카라사이트ir extreme opinions to a large audience.?

While far from conspiracy 바카라사이트orists, both Professor Goodwin and Dr Henderson are well-known oppositional voices within higher education, both frequently criticising what 바카라사이트y see as 바카라사이트 politicisation of universities and 바카라사이트 rise of academics being ¡°cancelled¡±.

Does Substack suffer from 바카라사이트 same outrage-economics as social media, where clicks and engagement often depend on being outspoken?

Professor Goodwin agreed he had become much more critical of 바카라사이트 direction of universities but said 바카라사이트 platform instead offered?a chance to have a more nuanced discussion.

As an example, he cited a recent post dissecting his role advising on 바카라사이트 development of?England¡¯s new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which he used to ¡°tell 바카라사이트 story of how we responded to that challenge¡±.

¡°When universities lean so strongly in one direction, I feel a responsibility to raise points that o바카라사이트rs might not raise. We¡¯re not all here to agree and have a stifling orthodoxy imposed on us. There are lots of good reasons to be critical.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com

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