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This Music is Really Bad
TL; DL
Podcast
Summary & Call to Action (First-Person)
Hey everyone, in this episode of Xero for Hire, I talk about what’s been a pretty hectic week—moving my RV, power washing, and juggling a full work schedule. On top of all that, I’ve been signing up for different online writing platforms like Tapas, Wattpad, and Royal Road, trying to find the right place for my superhero fiction.
The problem? Every genre seems to have some kind of built-in ideological club, and it’s not always what you’d expect. A lot of these platforms are dominated by certain tropes—romance stories disguised as fantasy, activist writing being pushed as mainstream, and a ton of LGBT content. I’m not against people writing what they want, but it makes it hard to figure out where my stories actually fit. I suspect the superhero genre might have the same issue, where it’s not really about superheroes but something else hiding behind that label.
This whole thing reminds me of when I used to go to metal shows, expecting hardcore music, only to end up surrounded by screamo bands with zero structure and weak little dudes in skinny jeans. It was a total bait-and-switch. And I feel like that’s what’s happening in a lot of these writing spaces too—they market one thing, but they’re really about something else entirely.
Final Offer & Call to Action
So here’s what I’m thinking: I’ll be posting new fiction on The Last Day Substack, and I might format it so that only paid subscribers get full access. That way, I can offer free chapters on these other platforms to bring people in, but if they want to read the full stories and support my work, they can subscribe for a few bucks a month and binge everything I’ve got.
What do you think? Would you prefer that setup, or do you have another idea? Let me know! Either way, keep an eye out for new fiction coming soon. Appreciate all of you, and I’ll catch you in the next one.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By J. K. SlaughterTL; DL
Podcast
Summary & Call to Action (First-Person)
Hey everyone, in this episode of Xero for Hire, I talk about what’s been a pretty hectic week—moving my RV, power washing, and juggling a full work schedule. On top of all that, I’ve been signing up for different online writing platforms like Tapas, Wattpad, and Royal Road, trying to find the right place for my superhero fiction.
The problem? Every genre seems to have some kind of built-in ideological club, and it’s not always what you’d expect. A lot of these platforms are dominated by certain tropes—romance stories disguised as fantasy, activist writing being pushed as mainstream, and a ton of LGBT content. I’m not against people writing what they want, but it makes it hard to figure out where my stories actually fit. I suspect the superhero genre might have the same issue, where it’s not really about superheroes but something else hiding behind that label.
This whole thing reminds me of when I used to go to metal shows, expecting hardcore music, only to end up surrounded by screamo bands with zero structure and weak little dudes in skinny jeans. It was a total bait-and-switch. And I feel like that’s what’s happening in a lot of these writing spaces too—they market one thing, but they’re really about something else entirely.
Final Offer & Call to Action
So here’s what I’m thinking: I’ll be posting new fiction on The Last Day Substack, and I might format it so that only paid subscribers get full access. That way, I can offer free chapters on these other platforms to bring people in, but if they want to read the full stories and support my work, they can subscribe for a few bucks a month and binge everything I’ve got.
What do you think? Would you prefer that setup, or do you have another idea? Let me know! Either way, keep an eye out for new fiction coming soon. Appreciate all of you, and I’ll catch you in the next one.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe