Now that Typepad is shutting down, Substack becomes a far better choice for authors
Please, reconnect with our friend Bill Tammeus at Substack
I must start this column with a confession: I’ve never been tempted to set up a Substack account, even after a lot of friends in media jumped on board when Substack began signing up writers back in 2017. My objection was two-fold:
1.) I’m already writing regularly for a half dozen websites and social media platforms. I don’t have the bandwidth for one more!
2.) But, more importantly, I have been annoyed that Substack keeps pestering readers to consider paying for the content. In some cases, that’s the only way to get the content—that is, if high-end writers have set up their Substack account with a high paywall.
Increasingly, though, I’m finding a growing number of savvy authors who are migrating to Substack and setting up their accounts to give readers everything they produce—even if readers select the “Free” option. This has warmed my heart to the Substack business model. Now, I realize that it is possible to set up a very useful author “site” with easy options for posting and free access to curious readers. And, hey, if regular readers feel moved to add a few dollars to the writer’s online account, then that’s actually a nice option. After all, I’ve dedicated my life to the best principles in professional journalism and one of those principles is that professional journalists should earn a living wage.
Yes, I am evolving from a Substack skeptic to a Substack fan—and that’s partly because my longtime friend, Bill Tammeus, is telling me it’s a good place to write these days.
And I’ve learned to respect what Bill tells me! He’s got that kind of stature among American journalists who specialize in writing about religion. He’s always teaching us new things!
So, now, please visit Bill Tammeus’s new Substack home
Bill moved to Substack because his longstanding online home on Tyepad is vanishing on the last day of September, 2025, as reported by UPI and other online news services.
And while you’re there …
You might want to stop by several of our other long-time friends and check out their Substack pages:
Bill Mitchell, who helped to produce the landmark history of the National Catholic Reporter, has a Substack home called HOW TRUE.
Christy Berghoef, author of the best-selling memoir Rooted, writes under the Substack banner Wheat & Willow.
And, Douglas Brouwer, author of The Traveler‘s Path, writes under the simple title Doug’s Substack.
Bill’s very timely memoir is called Love, Loss and Endurance.
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