Amal El-Mohtar
Investor Due Diligence Report
by Amal El-Mohtar
ghostCulture
Award-winning writer and critic
1K
~0%
Subscriber count is a platform estimate
Pricing
$5/mo
$50/yr annual option
$442
~100 est. paid subs
$221/mo – $663/mo(±50%)
7.5
0.75%
(comments + likes) / subscribers
Occasional
0.2 posts/week
74/100
Consistent (~43.1d avg)
| Newsletter | Subscribers | Weekly Growth | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexicon Valley | 34K | N/A | Free | substack |
| Beautiful Terrible Things | 29K | N/A | $8/mo | substack |
| Colin Meloy's Machine Shop | 26K | N/A | $6/mo | substack |
| Between the Lines by Tucson Festival of Books | 24K | N/A | $8/mo | substack |
| Month | Subscribers | Est. Revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 2K | $883.33 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 2K | $883.33 | ~0% |
| Apr 2026 | 1.5K | $662.5 | -25.0% |
| May 2026 | 2K | $883.33 | +33.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 1K | $441.67 | -50.0% |
| Jul 2026 | 1K | $441.67 |
Platform Dependency
Uses ghost platform
Publishing Consistency
Regular publishing schedule
Key Person
Single-author publication — key-person dependency
Revenue Model
Active paid subscription tier
Subscriber threshold
1K subscribers — above the 1K category median for first paid tier
Has paid tier
Active paid subscription offering
Peer monetization
56% of 448 similar-size peers in Culture have paid tiers
Pricing position
$5/mo vs $5/mo category median (1990 newsletters)
| Date | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | $5 | $50 |
Disclaimer: This report is generated automatically based on publicly available data and proprietary estimation models. Estimated subscriber counts are derived from engagement patterns and should be verified through direct disclosure. Revenue estimates are based on known pricing and estimated paid subscriber counts. This report is for informational purposes only and should not be the sole basis for investment decisions.
Score based on available components only.
| Component | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Rate | 73/100 | 30% |
| Emily Writes Weekly | 18K | N/A | $8.5/mo | substack |
| ~0% |
| Aug 2026 | 2K | $883.33 | +100.0% |
| Sep 2026 | 1K | $441.67 | -50.0% |
| Oct 2026 | 1K | $441.67 | ~0% |