Heather Cox Richardson

Method

Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson starts Letters from an American on Facebook in September 2019 and moves it to Substack, where in December 2020 the New York Times reports she is the most successful individual author of a paid publication on the platform, with subscription revenue estimated above 1 million dollars a year. It reaches 1.3 million readers in January 2024 and 2.5 million Substack subscribers plus 3.2 million Facebook followers in July 2025, when TIME names her to its 100 Creators list as the most subscribed writer on Substack. She writes from Maine.

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• paid bySubstackLetters from an American is Substack's most successful individual paid publication by December 2020, with revenue reported above 1 million dollars a year, and reaches 2.5 million subscribers in July 2025.2019 to present