A quick update on Substack

Hey everyone, The Science of Fiction won’t be publishing a newsletter this week and I wanted to let you know why. It has recently come to light that Substack has been turning a blind eye to the fact that transphobic content is flourishing on the platform while making a bunch of shady business decisions that are exacerbating the problem. You can read all about the issues at hand here and here.

I’m currently re-evaluating this newsletter’s future on Substack and looking into alternative hosting options. The Science of Fiction isn’t going away, but I don’t feel comfortable supporting a platform that dismisses concerns about transphobia and hate speech out of hand while refusing to hold itself accountable for its editorial choices. (Substack takes a 10 percent cut of all subscription revenue.) I’d much rather get to write about science and monsters and aliens without any of that bullshit.

Billing for paid subscribers will be paused while I figure out next steps, and last week’s newsletter has been liberated from the shackles of its subscriber-only paywall. Thanks everyone for your support, and in the immortal words of the Terminator…I’ll be back.

— Maddie