Story Club with George Saunders
Investor Due Diligence Report
substackCulture
A place to explore the way the short story works.
Investor Due Diligence Report
A place to explore the way the short story works.
330K
28.1K paid
+0.3%
+0.6%
net growth
Pricing
$6/mo
$50/yr annual option
$119K
28.1K paid subs
$119K/mo – $119K/mo(±0%)
73.8
278.3
0.11%
(comments + likes) / subscribers
~2x per week
1.9 posts/week
79/100
Consistent (~3.9d avg)
| Newsletter | Subscribers | Weekly Growth | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dracula Daily | 228K | -0.2% | $8/mo | substack |
| Freethink Media | 106K | N/A | Free | substack |
| Charles Eisenstein | 83K | -0.6% | $7/mo | substack |
| Sherif M. Awad (Film Critic) | 76K | N/A | $20/mo | substack |
| Month | Subscribers | Est. Revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 327.5K | $118,172.31 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 330K | $119,072.25 | ~0% |
| Apr 2026 | 329.5K | $118,893.96 | ~0% |
| May 2026 | 329K | $118,711.43 | ~0% |
| Jun 2026 | 330K | $119,072.25 | ~0% |
| Jul 2026 |
Platform Dependency
Hosted on substack subdomain
Publishing Consistency
Regular publishing schedule
Key Person
Single-author publication — key-person dependency
Audience Concentration
Hit-driven — top post engagement 3x+ above average
Subscriber threshold
330K subscribers — above the 1K category median for first paid tier
Has paid tier
Active paid subscription offering
Peer monetization
78% of 18 similar-size peers in Culture have paid tiers
Pricing position
$6/mo vs $5/mo category median (2165 newsletters)
| Date | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | $6 | $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.
| Component | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Rate | 77/100 | 30% |
| Paid Subscriber Ratio | 100/100 | 25% |
| Growth Consistency | 16/100 | 15% |
| Publishing Consistency | 63/100 | 10% |
| R.F. Kuang |
| 71K |
| +0.8% |
| Free |
| substack |
| 329K |
| $118,711.43 |
| ~0% |
| Aug 2026 | 330K | $119,072.25 | ~0% |
| Sep 2026 | 328K | $118,350.6 | ~0% |
| Oct 2026 | 329K | $118,711.43 | ~0% |
Revenue Model
Active paid subscription tier