The Economics of Attention: Building a Business That Lasts

For most of human history, the challenge for creators was distribution. Getting your work in front of people was expensive and difficult. Today, distribution is essentially free. The scarce resource has shifted from distribution to attention — and attention is controlled by a handful of platforms whose interests rarely align with yours.

Owning the Relationship

The most resilient creative businesses today own their relationship with their audience directly. An email list, a membership community, a paid newsletter — these cannot be algorithmically throttled overnight. They represent genuine optionality in a media environment that is otherwise dominated by landlords who can change the terms of your lease at any moment.

The 1,000 True Fans Model, Revisited

Kevin Kelly’s observation that a creator needs only 1,000 true fans to make a living has proven increasingly accurate. The dynamics have improved further: payment infrastructure has become frictionless, discovery tools have improved, and readers have demonstrated genuine willingness to pay directly for work they value. The model is not theoretical. Thousands of writers are living it today.