I have so much to say about this. I may end up writing a post in a comment reply. Ha.

We make a mistake when we don't call algorithms what they are: Algorithms are censorship. They create a black box of secret, ever-changing conditions that elevate certain information over other information. In this case, Substack can say they're pro-free speech while they are owend by fascist billionaires and change the algorithm to slowly choke information they don't like.

They'll do the same thing every other tech company has done: Blame YOU. The user. "Your content didn't use the right key words. It didn't go up at the right time. You didn't post enough. You didn't use good images. You didn't use video. Your posts don't get enough engagement (even though we control the engagement, sucker.) Your growth rate isn't above a certain threshold (even though we control your growth rate, sucker.) You aren't doing enough LIVEs (even though we don't send timely notifications when you do them, sucker.)" I could go on and on and on and on and on.

I've told this story before, but I'll repeat it: These technofascists can use algorithms to make you disappear. No matter what you do, your information will not reach anyone.

I speak from experience.

In November 2016, I published my novel Hard to Die. It featured Theodosia Burr Alston (of Dear Theodosia "Hamilton" fame, the Tony-award-winning play from 2016) as the protagonist. I had been diagnosed with a chronic illness that summer. It required aggressive chemo. So I hired a PR firm to launch my book, believing they'd come up with a plan, and I focused on surviving chemo and steroids.

In November of 2016, Facebook launched its pay-to-play exposure system. If I wanted anyone to see anything about my books or writing, I had to buy a pay-per-click ad.

That same November of 2016, Amazon launched its ads-for-authors platform. Previously, I had built a small residual income from having a NYT bestselling memoir that showed up as a recommended read on other books. Ads-for-authors converted everything one sees on Amazon - also boughts, recommended reads, other recommendations - to pay-per-click ads.

Those two changes launched the same month sent my income to zero, my book sales off a cliff. Because they don't announce these kinds of massive changes in advance, my novel launch was dead-on-arrival.

These two billionaires had no problem decimating income I'd worked several years to build in one month so they could buy another yacht or build another bunker. No matter what I did, I was never able to resurrect my books. Amazon hosts at least one pirated copy of my memoir. No mentioning it to them makes them take it down. Every income statement from Amazon contains mistakes that go unresolved, because you cannot question their math, even if that math says 2+2= .05.

Understandably, while I was delighted to make some money by writing on Substack, I have never forgotten how fast the rug was pulled out from under me. They are engineering that rug pull now. And they'll gladly share our data with Palantir so we can be sorted into NSPM-7 violators for posts few people ever see because of algorithmic suppression.

I still owe you an email. I'm waiting for one other thing before I send it. Stay tuned.