When book critic Ron Charles was laid off from The Washington Post in February, he had a tough decision to make: Apply for a new job or commit to writing full-time for his Substack newsletter. He chose the latter and has amassed more than 34,000 followers who turn to him for book review coverage that they can no longer get from the Post.
Charles, who was editor of the Post’s Book World section, said he’s giving himself a year to decide if he wants to stick with Substack full-time or re-enter the job market.
“It’s very different if you’re 42 years old and you’ve got a big mortgage and you just had kids or you’re taking care of your parents. But if you’re in the twilight of your career, and your kids are gone, and your wife has health insurance through her employer, it’s like, why not experiment a little?” said Charles, who’s been a journalist for three decades. “The Post gave us a pretty generous severance package, so I’ve got a year’s runway to just experiment, and I will never have that chance again.”
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