Did you know that a newsletter subscription makes the perfect gift? It’s personal, easy to deliver, and keeps on giving throughout the year. Here’s a selection of Substack newsletters that will give your friends and family the gift of a loving, trusting relationship with a writer. Just like they always wanted.
FOR THE LITERATI
The Browser. “A daily newsletter that recommends writing of lasting value, curated by Robert Cottrell.” $5/month, $49/year. | Top post: A New Theory of Life | gift link
The Shatner Chatner. “Daniel Ortberg presents upsetting absurdist lesbian House Hunters International fan fiction, commercials to be hated right now, and where Sam Neill falls on the Stanley Tucci Gently Avuncular Continuum.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Powerful Medicines, Ranked | gift link
Book Post. “Bite-sized book reviews by distinguished and engaging writers, edited by Ann Kjellberg.” $5.99/month, $45/year. | Top post: Diary: Jamaica Kincaid, The Gardener that I Am Not | gift link
Griefbacon. “Love is the opposite of hygiene. Weekly-ish essays on crying in public and other stuff like that, by Helena Fitzgerald.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Ghost Towns | gift link
FOR THE ICONOCLASTS
The First & 15th. “Culture. Smark. Life. By Tressie McMillan Cottom.” $7/month, $70/year. | Top post: A Bitch is Tired | gift link
Welcome to Hell World. “The world is a terrible place, we might as well watch it burn together. By Luke O’Neil.” $6.66/month, $69/year. | Top post: The Man Whole Bowled a Perfect Game on 9/11 | gift link
Little Throbs. “Irregular notes and almost essays from Australian writer Ellena Savage. Politics, nostalgia, and rude and inappropriate things about bodies and sex.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Prime Real Estate | gift link
The Main Event. “Stacy-Marie Ishmael asks: What do we stand for? What do we decline to fall for?” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Go the Way Your Blood Beats | gift link
Documentally. “Thought provoking social commentary, stories and technological adventures, by Christian Payne.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: An Interest Driven Life | gift link
FOR POP VULTURES
Nicole Knows. “I just feel like I could help your whole deal be a little better. By Nicole Cliffe” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Post-Holiday Reddit | gift link
Two Bossy Dames. “In which Margaret & Sophie boss the internet with impeccable discernment and insouciant charm. Cultural recommendations and commentary every Friday evening.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Shoe Bros, Rosé Petals, & Other Petite Joys | gift link
Numlock. “A morning brief that highlights cool numbers buried in the news and features stories you won’t otherwise find, by Walter Hickey.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Numlock News: December 10, 2018 | gift link
Paper View. “Andrea Long Chu watches TV so you don’t have to.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Jesse. It’s Time to Cuck | gift link
Shan’t We Tell the Vicar. “Thoughts, stories, and titles for imaginary BBC shows from Mara Wilson.” $5/week, $50/year. | Top post: Keep Burbank Weird | gift link
These Are the Best Things. “Popping culture so you don’t have to. Includes extensive recaps of The Bachelor franchise, by Jodi Walker.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: On The Bachelor, If You’re Not First, You’re… Probably Living Happily Ever After | gift link
Dangerous Characters. “Sady Doyle recommends horror.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: The Woman in the Rocker with a Gun: Night of the Hunter | gift link
A Good Movie to Watch. “If you spend money and time on Netflix or Amazon Prime, this newsletter is for you. This is the comeback of nerds in an apocalyptic world ruled by the Algorithm Robots.” Twice a week. $5/month, $30/year. | Top post: What to Watch This Weekend | gift link
FOR POLITICAL POLYGLOTS
Popular Information. “A four-times-weekly newsletter about politics for people who give a damn, by Judd Legum.” $6/month, $50/year. | Top post: Facebook’s Info War | gift link
The Taibbi Report. ”Home to two of Matt Taibbi’s serialized books, Hate Inc.: How, And Why, The Press Makes Us Hate One Another, and The Business Secrets of Drug Dealing: Adventures of the Unidentified Black Male”. $5/month, $40/year. | Top post: The Ten Rules of Hate | gift link
The Newsletter. “Jamelle Bouie delivers links, photos, recipes, and exclusive hot takes, every week.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Hold On, Be Strong | gift link
Roy Edroso Breaks It Down. “Notorious gadfly (formerly of the Village Voice) nips at feebs, dweebs, and other enemies of the Republic.” $7/month, $70/year.| Top post: Art for Fart’s Sake | gift link
(De)regulation Nation. “Journalist and editor Emily J. Gertz tracks environmental news in the Trump era.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: The Farm Bill Could Roll Back Federal Forest Protections | gift link
FOR THE GEOPOLITICAL JUNKIES
Sinocism. “The Presidential Daily Brief for China hands, by Bill Bishop.” $15/month, $168/year. | Top post: Huawei CFO Arrested, Expect Trade Talks to Continue as US-China Tech Strains Intensify | gift link
SupChina. “China in 2 minutes a day, edited by Jeremy Goldkorn.” $8.88/month, $88/year. | Top post: “The Canary in the Belt and Road Coal Mine” | gift link
Dari Mulut ke Mulut. “A weekly round-up of the biggest stories, best coverage and vital analysis from across Southeast Asia, by Erin Cook.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Oh, Najib. How the Mighty Fall! | gift link
African Arguments. “Stay up to date on politics and elections across Africa.” $10/month, $100/year. | Top post: The Insider’s Newsletter #8 | gift link
Syria in Context. “Cross-cutting analysis on the Syrian war and its fallout, by Tobias Schneider and Emma Beals.” $15/month. | Top post: Syria in Context Launch Announcement | gift link
FOR SPORTERS
TrueHoop. “Award-winning hard truths since 2005, brought to you by Henry Abbott and friends.” $10/month, $100/year. | Top post: Prokhorov before the NBA: A Timeline | gift
The Racquet. “Concise and non-clickbait tennis news, stats and analysis (and gifs), by Matt Willis.” $5/month. | Top post: TL;DR Recap: Davis Cup Final | gift link
Half Marathons. “Discover races and places you’ll love running.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: The Power of Little Moments When You’re Training | gift link
The Second Arrangement. “Kelly Dwyer covers the NBA, alongside musical bits and comedy numbers.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: When Denver Lost Dikembe | gift link
FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE RANDOM SELECTION
Bad Astronomy. “The entire Universe – or at least parts of it – as interpreted through the brain of Phil Plait: astronomer, science communicator, and goat herder.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Supporting Science, Haboob Redux, Cruising Star Trek | gift link
Signal Problems. “A newsletter about what the hell is going on with the New York subway.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: Is the Subway Getting Better? | gift link
Petition. “Petition provides analysis and commentary about restructuring and bankruptcy. We discuss disruption, from the vantage point of the disrupted.” $299/year. | Top post: Casual Dining Continues to = a Hot Mess | gift link
The Dry Down. “Heart notes about perfume from Rachel Syme and Helena Fitzgerald.” $5/month, $50/year. | Top post: The Dry Down Six: Aquatics | gift link
FOR THE CRYPTO CONSCIOUS
Off the Chain. “Daily analysis of crypto markets and news by Anthony Pompliano.” $30/month, $300/year. | Top post: Bitcoin’s Fundamentals are Strengthening Despite Price Decline | gift link
Messari’s Unqualified Opinions. “Crypto musings, research, and insights from Messari.” $30/month, $200/year. | Top post: Insights from the ‘States of Crypto’ | gift link
CoinSheet. “Commentary on critical crypto events.” $10/month, $100/year. | Top post: Happy Turkey Day | gift link
The Substack Christmas Gift Guide for 2018 is hereby concluded. Thank you for your attention.
The Substack Christmas Gift Guide