My name is Todd, and I'm asking for something I don't particularly enjoy asking for: a little help getting the word out.

For years, I've published a newsletter because I believe informed people can make a difference. Every edition represents hours of work, research, writing, and persistence. There are hundreds of issues in the archive now, and I've kept showing up week after week because I believe the work has value.

The challenge is that creating the newsletter and growing the newsletter are two very different skills. Writing has never been the hard part for me. Marketing has.

What makes that especially difficult is that the newsletter isn't the only responsibility I'm carrying. My family has faced more than its share of setbacks over the years. I survived cancer. My mother lives with a disability. My brother is autistic and has needed support and stability as he found his footing in the world. Later, I developed long COVID myself.

Life did not slow down after that.

My wife is now on disability because of kidney failure, and today begins another major chapter in that journey as she transitions to a dialysis cycler. Last year, my mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer. I am also largely estranged from my father's side of the family. These days, the circle is small: my wife, my mother, my brother, and me.

That reality is a large part of why I keep writing. The newsletter isn't just a passion project. It's one of the ways I try to contribute, provide, and build something meaningful despite circumstances that would have been enough to stop many people.

I won't pretend it has always been easy. There have been threats, insults, and harassment against me, and plenty of moments when opening my inbox felt like the last thing I wanted to do. There have been days when I questioned whether it was worth continuing.

But every week, I publish another edition anyway.

I do it because I still believe the issues I write about matter. I still believe independent voices matter. And I still believe that thoughtful writing can have an impact, even when the internet seems determined to reward everything except thoughtfulness.

The newsletter is supported through email subscriptions and Patreon, but growth has slowed considerably. That's why I'm reaching out. I'm not asking anyone to support something blindly. Quite the opposite. Take a look. Read a few editions. See what I've spent years building.

If it isn't for you, that's perfectly okay.

But if you find value in it—if you think the work is worthwhile—I would be grateful if you shared it with others, mentioned it to friends, or helped spread the word in whatever way you can.

The hardest part of independent publishing isn't creating the work. It's helping people discover it. That's the part where I could use some help.

My Patreon is patreon.com/theclawnews

I am hopeful that enough people will see this, give the newsletter a chance, and help me continue doing work that I care deeply about while supporting the family that depends on me.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

All the best,

Todd