Ask HN: IT stories I cant sell
5 comments
If you can't sell them to existing publications go direct to the consumer with a blog, substack, etc. If you demonstrate you have an audience the publications will be an easier sell and might even come to you.
I don't know how exactly a writer's monetization works in that industry, but aren't there some blogs that focus on these types of issues that might be interested? Off the top of my head: Reclaim the Net, EFF blog, TechDirt (though they feel a bit subverted lately), Port Swigger Daily Swig, RemoveMyPhone Learning Center, and many, many others.
I definitely think there would be a market for this, either on your own space (substack etc.) or maybe for blogs that do care about privacy and security.
If you do post some, I for one would be keen to read.
If you do post some, I for one would be keen to read.
What if you start building your own distribution for privacy-related content? Start a Substack focused on this space.
Long time lurker but first time poster. Long story story, I write IT content as a side gig for several very well traveled IT sites Not going to name drop but odds are you are a weekly visitor to most, if not all of them. Have been doing it for 10 years plus but the issue...
The really interesting stories I have no one will buy because they are focused on privacy, digital freedom, the law and lawbreakers but I can't get a bite because its not "How to do XYZ in some SAAS" or "IT failures, how to avoid them", "The time I burnt down the DC"" I fought the tax man over IR35 and lost"/some standard IT related subject. I have written some of this and some places have taken it (and the unique visitors and comments sky-rocketed) but because it's not advertiser friendly, no one wants it.
I can sell the how-to's all day but my real passion is security, personal privacy and digital rights but they don't tend to go well with the data harvesting based sites for obvious reasons. I reach out to my usual contacts but if its not some hot new SAAS technology or such they are rarely interested. I have tried broader interest sites but half don't even have the decency to acknowledge you. Either that or they want the content for free.
For example, something that is super interesting to me is the non-kinetic war that is brewing in the background of Ukraine and beyond and how it will affect us, now and if it ends up going "limited kinetic". I believe it would redefine the internet that we know and love, for the worse.
I am happy to share some examples privately if people are interested but I don't want to go plastering them on here for obvious reasons.