Batting 1000 on Substack?

Not yet!

Photo by Patrick Ho on Unsplash

I hit 200 subscribers, which is still considered subpar, or what they call in baseball, The Mendoza Line. I didn’t know this term until I googled, “What is a good batting average? “ The Mendoza Line term was coined in reference to Major League Baseball player Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average was 215—very low for the MLB. It made me wonder then why he had a long career. He also had the nickname Manos de Seda (Silk Hands) because he was an excellent defensive player.

I started my Substack on Dec. 28^th, 2024, thinking it would grow as I dedicated time each week to writing about topics and submission calls. I was a writing teacher, so I expected people would want to hear from me. Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for the 205 subscribers, and part of me is in it for the wonderful writing community that Substack offers. However, for someone with decent writing credits, I expected to be hitting my stride by now. Still, it’s all good, and I’m not giving up, nor will I start charging for what I already give out for free.

I do have a paid subscriber option for those who want to email me once a month with writing questions, but I only have a few takers—again, it’s all good.

In baseball terms, 200-250 is good but needs improvement. I will use that as my guideline. I need to improve. I’m not sure how I will get there, but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, gaining a few new subscribers every few weeks. What’s important is the accountability and, again, the community.

My next goal is 1000—whether they are paid or not, it doesn’t matter to me. The fact that we are here for one another and not dealing with ads and AI Reels from other social media platforms means everything. I will keep going to bat like Mario, and if I stay at 200, then maybe Substack will name my performance the Tate Line. As long as I keep pulling my weight and show everyone, I am good at defense, then hopefully I will still be considered part of the team.

Brody’s Corner

Brody looks pretty fierce here, but he’s a teddy bear and a Yankee fan—obviously!

Essays, Books, and Literary Citizenship Share

This week I’ll share my own published essay, in L.A. Times because it came out in hard copy on Sunday which is always rewarding to see and feel! Plus, it’s about baseball and other competitive teams.

Reminder: Paid subscribers are invited to email any questions about writing and publishing for a monthly Q&A. This month, the date is Saturday, October 25th.