8 Questions for... Ross Barkan
Political Currents by Ross Barkan
is the author of two novels, including Demolition Night,
and a work of nonfiction. His next novel, Glass Century, will be published in May 2025. A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, his reporting and essays have appeared in The Nation, New York Magazine, The Guardian, and elsewhere. He writes the popular Substack newsletter Political Currents.
1. Why Substack?
I started on Substack in May 2020, in the heart of the pandemic. Though I didn't know it then, I was one of the early adapters. I began my Substack as a place for the reporting and writing that wouldn't fit in the other outlets I wrote for. At the time, I was writing a great deal about Covid and New York City, and how Andrew Cuomo, who was governor then, shouldn't have been receiving all the acclaim he was getting from the media. His response to the pandemic was actually lousy.
Over time, my Substack evolved. It became a place for me to write on national politics, as well as culture and literature. I still contribute to mainstream publications but I love writing on Substack the most. I relish the freedom - I feel my voice here is untrammelled. I also think, as a writer, it's become important to cultivate an audience and Substack offers that ability more than any other platform. It's inordinately more valuable for me than Twitter/X. I have a novel coming out next year, Glass Century, that I'm very excited about, and I want to use my Substack to promote it as much as possible.
The community here is tremendous. I've made new friends, both virtual and in real life, and I've forged connections that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. Substack can't solve all of our problems but, as someone who's worked through more than a decade of media tumult, I can say this is the first positive technological development for writers in a very long time.
Finally, I'd add it's crucial for any writer to have an email list. You own it forever. It's a little like real estate - it's an asset that will appreciate over time.
2. How long did it take to find your groove?
About a year. I think my writing on Substack started to get much stronger in 2021, and again in 2022. I started to get comfortable writing longer essays. I became more ambitious. I felt fully in control of my voice.
3. How has it changed you?
I've become a more fearless writer; I'm much more willing to take risks. Some of that comes with age. But I do think having your own newsletter, your own built-in audience, creates the conditions - for me at least - for wanting to improve. I want to prove myself to my audience. I am excited to deliver for them. I am excited, even, to make them a little angry. You have to trust them. Some might quit, but others will come. If you're authentic, you'll succeed.
4. What mistakes have you made?
When I was chasing paid subscriptions, I emailed a few people individually to ask them to subscribe. I had this idea, since I had run for office once, to do these individual solicitations. I should add it wasn't all that individualized - I had a form letter I only tweaked slightly. But while I would recommend mass solicitations to your Substack list asking them to subscribe - these appeals do work - I would not recommend doing it on an individual level. It's a waste of time.
5. To pay or not to pay?
I have a newsletter with a partial paywall. I do not blame anyone who doesn't paywall. I write for a living. I contribute to various publications, I teach a class every fall at NYU, and I Substack. I do not make enough income off my Substack to live in New York City, but it's become a healthy sideline. I encourage anyone who's just started to stay free for a while, build up a list, and start to introduce a paywall eventually. I do not aggressively paywall. I could, but I also enjoy getting as much writing as I can to the wider list. I want to keep growing the free list. In part, that's because I want to promote my books. I also like when a comment section gets big and a bit rowdy. The paid pieces can't quite do that.
Paywalls do work. You won't make money unless you paywall at least some of the time. In addition, it's good to do mass solicitations once in a while, to remind people why it's important to pay for a subscription. I tell my readers this is how I make a living.
6. What artistic and technical choices have you made?
My choice has been to be, as much as I can, my unvarnished writing self. I write about whatever I want. Sometimes, I'll tie my writing to a news cycle, but I don't have to and that's liberating. I'll write 7,000 words on the Beach Boys. I'll write 5,000 words on the disappearing male in the world of literary fiction. I'll publish capsule book reviews of books that few people have heard of. I'll write on arcane New York politics. It's my show! Readers, in the end, appreciate this. They know I'm not curating an image. I'm not straining. I've got ideas and I share them. And I take the writing craft seriously. I try to make my sentences count. I believe in style, in making language distinctive.
7. What’s been the effect on your writing?
The effect has been to make my writing stronger. I just turned 35. I think I am a much better writer now than I was at 25. I honestly think I am a better writer today than I was at 31 or 32. I feel, through writing regularly on Substack, I've been able to produce work I can be proud of, that will stand the test of time. I want my pieces to endure. I am someone who genuinely loves to write. A lot in life is difficult; a lot causes anxiety. Writing, for me, does not. I write a great deal, in general, because there's little else I'd rather do. Substack is that blank canvas I always can paint on. What's better? There's that high you get from finishing an essay, believing in it, and hitting send. There it goes, out to your readers! Will they love it? Hate it? They'll engage. That's what's wonderful.
8. In it for the long haul?
Yes. I want to have as large a list as I can so Glass Century gets a shot at getting into people's hands. Beyond that, I love Substack for its own sake. I want to keep writing. I'll do it as long as I draw breath.
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