A one-link, once-a-weekday email for writers who want to newsletter better.
Each issue of Read This links to an article, blog, video, or other resource that provides helpful insights into building a better readership using an email newsletter.
There is only one hack
Do it for a decade.
Start right now
A reminder to do that thing you've been wanting/meaning/needing to do.
A cartoonist's review of AI art
Feed yourself, not platforms.
A pretty good maxim for all artists
From the visionary composer Terry Riley.
The #1 newsletter metric to focus on
The art (and science) of getting more replies to your newsletter.
The difference between making a living and making a life
One is for survival. The other is for your soul.
How to build a cult
How to grab attention in a noisy world filled with AI-slop.
Start the next one tomorrow
One piece of timeless wisdom that will help you build your creative life.
A short history of the business card
From Versailles to Microsoft Word.
Progress is a magnitude of consistency
It's simple math.
Resonance over reach
Or: How to ladder down your message.
Social media interactions in decline
... and the bots are coming.
What I learned sending 1,000 weekly newsletters for 20 years
Plus: Dan Blank's reflections on Substack.
Abnormal hobbies (that don’t scale)
Is it possible to normalize doing useless things just for ourselves?
The two types of value
Or: Why we struggle to explain ourselves to others.
The audience shortcut
How the right people paying attentionchanges everything.
Five email newsletter must-haves in 2025
Understanding this key difference.
Algorithmic vs. non-algorithmic marketing
Understanding this key difference.
What if you couldn't reach anyone new?
Growth vs. Retention.
Acceptable artistic compromises?
Thoughts on compromising your art to satisfy the platforms' desires.
Make something heavy
We're creating more than ever, but it weighs nothing.
Build a labyrinth, not a funnel
Kening Zhu on prioritizing process, adventure, and pathways — over metrics and conversions.
Everything I know about self-publishing
Kevin Kelly shares his experience.
The defense against slop and brainrot
What one writer is doing prevent himself from stagnating and rotting.
Things worth measuring
Or: How to find content market fit
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