This is likely an unpopular opinion but is it possible her audience has been taught to “feel” so much and see where we offend that her audience is more hypersensitive than with other writers coming in? I’ve only listened to a a few episodes but I always get the sense there’s a lot of self-reflection and self as kind of a god. It’s almost as if her devoted followers turned on her using the language and equipping they gleaned from her. I could be wrong! I was not a fan but I think she had every right to be here too.
Does anyone know how the writer of the letter you mention has responded to her departure? Just curious. I read that letter and now can’t recall who the author was.
I admit that when big names are new to any of the platforms I’m on and skyrocket within minutes, envy pokes at me. Only one time have I commented about one of those people, a comment I stand by, but never would I harass or bully or just be plain mean about their arrival. Honestly, big picture—who cares? They are already famous with a large audience, and I’m not. That doesn’t make them better (or worse) than me and vice versa. It is hard to gain attention and readership when you don’t have financial or celebrity privilege and that’s a reality I/we have to accept.
I can understand that. Would have been a good idea to just establish her place first and learn a bit about what people wanted. It's a shame. But, yeah, paywall, no good.
Part of why she went to paywall was to allow for comments only among community. The community she brought with her, the community she would build here. I took it as a way of protecting that community, and sure, why not continue to be a paid writer. It is such crap that this online place, which I often look to as a healthy substitute for Twitter (wow, am I naive) went so fucking crazy about this. Slammed my idea of where you can find safe spaces for building like-minded community. Sheesh.
My reaction to her (or Liz Gilbert or -- could you imagine -- Mel Robbins) coming here when she (they) already has (have) multiple, very successful platforms is Why? Glennon already has a newsletter. A website. A podcast. Probably a YouTube? If she wanted a community (and her current website/newsletter doesn't foster that already), she could set up a membership on her site, and charge as little or as much as she wanted for that. My question remains, Why Substack and why now? To me, this harkened back to Ashton Kutcher rolling onto Twitter like he alone discovered it, jumping the shark while he was at it. It then became a celebrity deathmatch to see who could break the internet with a post, who could come in and gather the most followers in a day. It ruined what was a nice neighborhood for writers and made it more difficult to cultivate communities because of all the noise and traffic. And now look at it. Do we really want Ashton Kutcher here? Is he here? I don't know. Anyway, I jest. I didn't have any animosity toward Glennon. I just blocked her. Like I have Liz. Like I did Moby. I'm not here for celebrities, especially those coming in now. I don't want to go to my home page and see their posts (that's what Instagram's for); I want the algorithm to send me writers I have yet to meet/read/get to know. After Substack Office Hours went away, that's been a little harder to do. More effort is required. But this is all part of a platform growing. Substack wants celebrities here. It's going to happen. It's just nicer if it's not done in such a BFD kind of way. And, when they arrive, I will quietly block them. Less traffic, less noise. More joy. xo
Well, it’s kind of like a dinner party. How do you want to enter that? How do you want to introduce yourself to those already at the table? Maybe read the room. Understand the “culture”, so to speak. The vibe that’s there. It’s the same reason why some of us aren’t thrilled that the N*zis moved in. Sort of not the point of the platform, we thought. But, whenever you build something nice, you know who’s coming next. So, you either move on, build something nice again, only for it to have the same problem, or you stand your ground and speak out about it. Celebrities are more like termites, eating away at what other people built, dining on their hard work. They show up, make a big deal about being here, and slowly do damage. They don’t necessarily intend to. They’re just doing what they do. What’s in their nature. What’s kept them going. Can’t blame them for that. But what they do does erode things to some degree. (See: Ashton Kutcher) Yes, there is room at the table, absolutely. Yet, have you ever been to a dinner party where a couple of people don’t ever stop talking…loudly? And other folks (usually those who have something valuable to contribute) can’t get a word in? It’s a little like that. Unintentional though it may be, it’s fantastically grating. And that may be why some people weren’t excited to see Glennon here. It’s not so much about telling people how to live their lives, but to have an understanding of where they’re at, and be more of a contributor and a collaborator on a new-to-you platform than the loud one entering a party already in progress and needle-scratching the mood. xo
It was just the launch that made me cringe, but I'm sad for us as women that the scarcity mindset is still so prevalent. I hope she comes back. I hope we all learn from this and that every one at every stage of writing feels welcome here.
And then there's this neurodivergent view, so I even take back what I said about the way she showed up. This is why I love Substack! I learn so much from every voice here (even though I'm scared every time I hit "post" or "reply", because ... the internet.
I like Glennon. I was happy "successful" writers want to join in on substack.
My husband and I discussed this and he agreed with me - it's a self sabotage move - to cut down someone else, publicly, just for showing up. It shows that the emotional maturity and security are not there in that person, at least at that time. If we really believed in abundance and like attracting like, we would have been thrilled to welcome someone and celebrate their success 🙌 knowing that her success is our success and raises up everyone to a higher level. ❤️
Yeah. Gross. I saw one of the first letters written directly to Glennon shaming her entry into Substack. My thought initially and still is Glennon can do whatever the fuck she wants.
THIS. “Instead of recognizing that the 200k people she brought over could potentially find and follow you, too, a scarcity mindset took over and the assumption became that there wouldn’t be enough to go around if Glennon sucked the followers up like a Dyson.”
Thank you for writing the piece I thought about writing. This whole thing was weird and unpleasant to watch. Some people just never leave the 7th grade.
The responses to your note were outrageous. I honestly don't read her - I've tried, she's good, just not my thing. But like you, I'm aghast that anyone would bully a best-selling author for simply existing on a platform. Why not yell at Substack for creating competition through their now very evident leaderboards? Why not talk about how great it is that she arrived? Why not get into her comments section and get to know people? Come on, there is enough space for everyone. I'm new, small and not for everyone. I can accept that I'm not grabbing her audience or even close to it. But this petty jealousy over readership? Over who gets attention? Isn't the Substack I joined. It isn't the community I wanted to be part of. And these shenanigans are best left to TikTok.
My goodness... such a kerfuffle. I don't have an opinion, as I tend to avoid kerfuffles and fame stuff. Writers write, artists art, dancers dance, and so on. We all have our tiny or gargantuan slice of the pie. The famous, and the not so famous. Make it count, wherever you happen to be on the spectrum. What matters is our own work, our own voice. I wrote a little piece about this on my Stack: fyi-- https://kanderson.substack.com/p/professional-vs-amateur-success-vs
I wasn’t going to comment but the ‘blasted into this realm’ quote really got me.
I say this with love: Substack is not a territory to be guarded. It is a (imo, great) free platform we get to be on. When more people join, we don’t get squashed up into a corner… the platform expands. This is a good thing.
There are some big-name male writers that have joined Substack and bought thousands of readers with them. No drama surrounding these guys. Makes me think a lot of this was because she was a successful woman writer and so many people just can’t stand that. There are also white supremacists on substack with thousands of followers. Not much drama there either. People are showing their true colors. Ignorance and envy are a powerful combination that fuels hate.
This is likely an unpopular opinion but is it possible her audience has been taught to “feel” so much and see where we offend that her audience is more hypersensitive than with other writers coming in? I’ve only listened to a a few episodes but I always get the sense there’s a lot of self-reflection and self as kind of a god. It’s almost as if her devoted followers turned on her using the language and equipping they gleaned from her. I could be wrong! I was not a fan but I think she had every right to be here too.
Here, here! Let's restack each other, people.
Does anyone know how the writer of the letter you mention has responded to her departure? Just curious. I read that letter and now can’t recall who the author was.
I’ll dm you.
I admit that when big names are new to any of the platforms I’m on and skyrocket within minutes, envy pokes at me. Only one time have I commented about one of those people, a comment I stand by, but never would I harass or bully or just be plain mean about their arrival. Honestly, big picture—who cares? They are already famous with a large audience, and I’m not. That doesn’t make them better (or worse) than me and vice versa. It is hard to gain attention and readership when you don’t have financial or celebrity privilege and that’s a reality I/we have to accept.
It's just a newsletter platform! A free, at that! I just don't get it...
I think the ruckus started because she immediately went to paid subscription for her writing.
I can understand that. Would have been a good idea to just establish her place first and learn a bit about what people wanted. It's a shame. But, yeah, paywall, no good.
Part of why she went to paywall was to allow for comments only among community. The community she brought with her, the community she would build here. I took it as a way of protecting that community, and sure, why not continue to be a paid writer. It is such crap that this online place, which I often look to as a healthy substitute for Twitter (wow, am I naive) went so fucking crazy about this. Slammed my idea of where you can find safe spaces for building like-minded community. Sheesh.
My reaction to her (or Liz Gilbert or -- could you imagine -- Mel Robbins) coming here when she (they) already has (have) multiple, very successful platforms is Why? Glennon already has a newsletter. A website. A podcast. Probably a YouTube? If she wanted a community (and her current website/newsletter doesn't foster that already), she could set up a membership on her site, and charge as little or as much as she wanted for that. My question remains, Why Substack and why now? To me, this harkened back to Ashton Kutcher rolling onto Twitter like he alone discovered it, jumping the shark while he was at it. It then became a celebrity deathmatch to see who could break the internet with a post, who could come in and gather the most followers in a day. It ruined what was a nice neighborhood for writers and made it more difficult to cultivate communities because of all the noise and traffic. And now look at it. Do we really want Ashton Kutcher here? Is he here? I don't know. Anyway, I jest. I didn't have any animosity toward Glennon. I just blocked her. Like I have Liz. Like I did Moby. I'm not here for celebrities, especially those coming in now. I don't want to go to my home page and see their posts (that's what Instagram's for); I want the algorithm to send me writers I have yet to meet/read/get to know. After Substack Office Hours went away, that's been a little harder to do. More effort is required. But this is all part of a platform growing. Substack wants celebrities here. It's going to happen. It's just nicer if it's not done in such a BFD kind of way. And, when they arrive, I will quietly block them. Less traffic, less noise. More joy. xo
You did exactly what I’d expect — when you don’t want to see something/someone, block them.
That’s precisely why those functions exist.
I just can’t imagine why people would think they can/should proclaim how someone should run their publication or business.
Well, it’s kind of like a dinner party. How do you want to enter that? How do you want to introduce yourself to those already at the table? Maybe read the room. Understand the “culture”, so to speak. The vibe that’s there. It’s the same reason why some of us aren’t thrilled that the N*zis moved in. Sort of not the point of the platform, we thought. But, whenever you build something nice, you know who’s coming next. So, you either move on, build something nice again, only for it to have the same problem, or you stand your ground and speak out about it. Celebrities are more like termites, eating away at what other people built, dining on their hard work. They show up, make a big deal about being here, and slowly do damage. They don’t necessarily intend to. They’re just doing what they do. What’s in their nature. What’s kept them going. Can’t blame them for that. But what they do does erode things to some degree. (See: Ashton Kutcher) Yes, there is room at the table, absolutely. Yet, have you ever been to a dinner party where a couple of people don’t ever stop talking…loudly? And other folks (usually those who have something valuable to contribute) can’t get a word in? It’s a little like that. Unintentional though it may be, it’s fantastically grating. And that may be why some people weren’t excited to see Glennon here. It’s not so much about telling people how to live their lives, but to have an understanding of where they’re at, and be more of a contributor and a collaborator on a new-to-you platform than the loud one entering a party already in progress and needle-scratching the mood. xo
It was just the launch that made me cringe, but I'm sad for us as women that the scarcity mindset is still so prevalent. I hope she comes back. I hope we all learn from this and that every one at every stage of writing feels welcome here.
And thank you so much for writing such a thoughtful and honest post, Andrea!
And then there's this neurodivergent view, so I even take back what I said about the way she showed up. This is why I love Substack! I learn so much from every voice here (even though I'm scared every time I hit "post" or "reply", because ... the internet.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-162720174?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I relate well to that take. Thank you for sharing it.
I like Glennon. I was happy "successful" writers want to join in on substack.
My husband and I discussed this and he agreed with me - it's a self sabotage move - to cut down someone else, publicly, just for showing up. It shows that the emotional maturity and security are not there in that person, at least at that time. If we really believed in abundance and like attracting like, we would have been thrilled to welcome someone and celebrate their success 🙌 knowing that her success is our success and raises up everyone to a higher level. ❤️
Yeah. Gross. I saw one of the first letters written directly to Glennon shaming her entry into Substack. My thought initially and still is Glennon can do whatever the fuck she wants.
Well put.
THIS. “Instead of recognizing that the 200k people she brought over could potentially find and follow you, too, a scarcity mindset took over and the assumption became that there wouldn’t be enough to go around if Glennon sucked the followers up like a Dyson.”
Andrea, what an awesome post! I sure hope Glennon sees it! I, like you, do not get "the way she launched" bit....wtf.
Thank you for writing the piece I thought about writing. This whole thing was weird and unpleasant to watch. Some people just never leave the 7th grade.
Totally agree. Gave me the heebie jeebies.
The responses to your note were outrageous. I honestly don't read her - I've tried, she's good, just not my thing. But like you, I'm aghast that anyone would bully a best-selling author for simply existing on a platform. Why not yell at Substack for creating competition through their now very evident leaderboards? Why not talk about how great it is that she arrived? Why not get into her comments section and get to know people? Come on, there is enough space for everyone. I'm new, small and not for everyone. I can accept that I'm not grabbing her audience or even close to it. But this petty jealousy over readership? Over who gets attention? Isn't the Substack I joined. It isn't the community I wanted to be part of. And these shenanigans are best left to TikTok.
👏👏👏
My goodness... such a kerfuffle. I don't have an opinion, as I tend to avoid kerfuffles and fame stuff. Writers write, artists art, dancers dance, and so on. We all have our tiny or gargantuan slice of the pie. The famous, and the not so famous. Make it count, wherever you happen to be on the spectrum. What matters is our own work, our own voice. I wrote a little piece about this on my Stack: fyi-- https://kanderson.substack.com/p/professional-vs-amateur-success-vs
I wasn’t going to comment but the ‘blasted into this realm’ quote really got me.
I say this with love: Substack is not a territory to be guarded. It is a (imo, great) free platform we get to be on. When more people join, we don’t get squashed up into a corner… the platform expands. This is a good thing.
agreed 👍🏻
There are some big-name male writers that have joined Substack and bought thousands of readers with them. No drama surrounding these guys. Makes me think a lot of this was because she was a successful woman writer and so many people just can’t stand that. There are also white supremacists on substack with thousands of followers. Not much drama there either. People are showing their true colors. Ignorance and envy are a powerful combination that fuels hate.