Athletic, Axios talking merger?

[Hot and Rickety]

I have heard that Molly is no longer with The Athletic.

 

[SoloFlyer]

Something in the works? Scott Burnside out today, too.

 

[SixToe]

Honestly don't know. Do these Athletic writers work on 2- or 3-year contracts? It seems those who depart usually say something like "My three years has been great but time to move on."

I know they're tasked with generating interest and subscriptions. But is it a contract deal like with television anchors?

 

[Sports Barf]

Is she joining Antifa?

 

[Alma]

She'll be fine. Lives in a big media area, above average in the field, and has the right Twitter politics.

 

[Screwball]

Do these Athletic writers work on 2- or 3-year contracts?

Yes. Many writers on expiring contracts have been offered new deals with pay cuts.

 

[JoshBarnett]

 

[goalmouth]

I thought Substack was going to solve all this.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

I wonder if Burnside is going to back to espn since they've got hockey again? He was there forever before they cut everything back

 

[gingerbread]

Interesting move. I'm not at all familiar with Molly's work and while I've read quite a few substack pieces from authors I like, I'm not that familiar with the financial end of it.
Does substack get a percentage of the cut, or do writers/creators pocket all subscription fees? Is it a feasible money maker or more of a vanity project for people who have full-time jobs or don't need them? I can't imagine how it would make financial sense to go from a six-figure job to substack ... someone enlighten me?

 

[The Big Ragu]

Interesting move. I'm not at all familiar with Molly's work and while I've read quite a few substack pieces from authors I like, I'm not that familiar with the financial end of it.
Does substack get a percentage of the cut, or do writers/creators pocket all subscription fees? Is it a feasible money maker or more of a vanity project for people who have full-time jobs or don't need them? I can't imagine how it would make financial sense to go from a six-figure job to substack ... someone enlighten me?

So. ... my understanding is that it is pretty straightforward. You sell subscriptions for your own work. Substack takes 10 percent of revenue, and Stripe, which does the payments takes 3 percent. Where it gets tricky. ... To try to get off the ground, Substack struck different deals with some writers they recruited themselves. ... Glenn Greenwald, Matt Ygelsias were two of them. There were a bunch of others, too. In the cases of those writers, they paid them a good chunk of change up front for the first year, but Substack keeps 85 percent of the subscription revenue. After the first year, the writers become like everyone else. ... they keep 90 percent of revenue, no guaranteed payout. If you are Greenwald or Ygelsias, yeah, you can potentially earn mid 6 figures. But they are the exception, I imagine.

 

[Old Crank]

Interesting move. I'm not at all familiar with Molly's work and while I've read quite a few substack pieces from authors I like, I'm not that familiar with the financial end of it.
Does substack get a percentage of the cut, or do writers/creators pocket all subscription fees? Is it a feasible money maker or more of a vanity project for people who have full-time jobs or don't need them? I can't imagine how it would make financial sense to go from a six-figure job to substack ... someone enlighten me?

I don't think anyone on Substack gives up a good job to go to that platform. A friend of mine just started a newsletter on it because he got the axe from the publication that previously employed him. Ragu's description of the financial arrangement sounds like what my friend told me. My friend is charging 60 bucks a year for his newsletter, which is on one particular sport, and hoping that will provide a living since he's a touch young for retirement.