I thought I was out. Then not long ago an opportunity came up that would’ve let me write about crime again, almost exclusively. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t have paid enough to turn down other work to do it. But the enthusiasm I felt until I confronted the issue of pay was real. I kept thinking about it. So now there’s this.
https://truecrimereport.substack.com/
“True Crime Report” was also the name of the (now-defunct and last I checked, offline) site I ran for Village Voice Media for a couple of years — pretty successfully until I realized I was on the verge of a major case of burnout.
Let’s be real: I’m treating both this newsletter and that one like blogs (newsletters ARE blogs, y’all), however, with True Crime Report I’ll be doing more with paid subscriptions in mind. Including — if I can — giving subscribers their money’s worth in content to read. Because I intend to do work I want to do and earn something from that, I’m setting the pricing for True Crime Report lower than Substack’s suggested amounts to encourage paid subscriptions.
My plan, for now, is daily link lists to new or continuing, or resurging crime stories with occasional deeper dives. Past that, I’m not going to announce any concrete plans — okay, yes, probably doing a podcast eventually, too — as I have to leave myself wiggle room since I have other, definitely paid work to do.
Why now? I been asking myself that question. I certainly have attempted restarts before only to almost immediately flag. But to my shock and dismay, the “market” for true crime is getting bigger and people are looking for more variety. They’re also seeking different takes, and I am going to work toward something with True Crime Report that comes from a slightly different angle than you might expect.
So now you know it’s there. Any and all subscriptions are welcome.