312: ‘Not to Get Zealotrous’, With Craig Mod

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Craig Mod discusses how he built an independent creative career around Special Projects, memberships, books, and films, emphasizing that modern tools make sustainable solo publishing possible. The conversation ranges from the value of fast software and good operating systems to the role of editors, the ethics of archival data, and how his book Kisa by Kisa and short film about Japanese cafes extend his long-form work.

Main Topics: Independent creative business and memberships (Priority: 5/5): Mod explains Special Projects as an umbrella for writing, photography, books, live streams, and video, funded largely by memberships that function like NPR-style support for mostly free cultural output. The value of fast software and good tools (Priority: 5/5): He argues that software should preserve flow state, feel instantaneous, and treat speed as infrastructure. He uses examples from macOS, iOS, Quark, InDesign, Google Docs, and Final Cut Pro. Mac, iPad, and operating system philosophy (Priority: 5/5): A long section contrasts macOS’s power and durability with iPadOS limitations, the failures of Intel-era Macs, and Apple’s transition to M1 as a resurgence for the Mac. Editing, writing, and publication strategy (Priority: 4/5): Mod describes when he prefers newsletters versus magazines, why he works with editors to improve his writing, and how platform choice affects audience reach and voice. Books as the central creative form (Priority: 4/5): He frames all his work as ultimately supporting books, discussing his design, typography, printing choices, and why the physical object matters. Video and the Kisa by Kisa project (Priority: 4/5): Mod’s short film about Japanese kissaten and pizza toast is presented as a book-like, self-contained work that extends the Kisa by Kisa project into archival video. Digital minimalism and archival restraint (Priority: 3/5): He argues for deleting tweets, reducing analytics dependence, and avoiding over-archiving, favoring useful data and lighter digital habits.

Key Arguments: Memberships are best understood as voluntary support for cultural production, not a strict paywall; the real value is sustaining the work and building a community of super-fans. Fast software is essential because it preserves attention and makes interface work feel like a well-engineered tool rather than an obstacle; speed is part of the product, not a luxury. macOS succeeds because it combines power, flexibility, and a Unix/BSD foundation with usability; iPadOS inherited a phone philosophy that does not fully fit laptop-class work. Apple’s M1 transition and Big Sur restored confidence in the Mac after years of unreliable Intel-era hardware and a perceived lack of commitment. Editors matter because they act like trainers or sounding boards; the right editor can significantly improve a piece, while the wrong one can distort the message. Independent publishing is now viable because the payment infrastructure, newsletters, and creator tools exist; compared with the pre-internet era, a single person can reach and support a global audience. All of Mod’s creative projects are interconnected: walks through Japan, essays, books, and video are not separate outputs but parts of one system centered on making books. Over-archiving everything online is unnecessary and sometimes harmful; deleting tweets and simplifying analytics can create a healthier relationship to digital work.

Data Points: Special Projects membership price: $10/month or $100/year - Supports Craig Mod’s independent work and gives members access to extra material and live streams. Membership launch year: February 2019 - Marks the start of Mod’s current membership model. Current membership year discussed: Year 3 - The conversation places the program in its third year. Daring Fireball hosting cost in early years: $12/month shared hosting - John Gruber describes launching his site on very cheap shared hosting. Alternative old hosting cost: $8/month - Gruber jokes he could have downgraded even further. Original Daring Fireball membership fee: $19/year - Early membership tier that provided a private RSS/feed-style access perk. Monthly savings runway: tens of thousands of dollars - Gruber recalls his cushion when going full time in 2006. Tokyo base cost of living: about $10,000/year - Mod says living in Tokyo in his 20s allowed him to keep expenses extremely low. Max annual income in 20s: about $20,000/year - Mod cobbled together income from projects while living cheaply. Fiber internet in Japan: about $30/month - Used as an example of low-cost, high-quality infrastructure enabling creator work. Walking project distance: 700 kilometers - Mod mentions recent and upcoming long walks across Japan that feed his writing projects. Another upcoming walk: 600-700 kilometers - He says he is about to go on another long walk in May. Book first edition print run: 1,000 copies - Kisa by Kisa first edition sold out quickly. First edition sell-out time: about 1 day - Mod expected the copies to sell over years, but they moved almost immediately. Second edition print run: 1,200 copies - A later edition, not stamped or signed. Second edition remaining copies: about 200 left - He notes limited remaining inventory at the time of recording. Book price: $95 - The conversation refers to the cost of Kisa by Kisa. Video views: about 15,000 views - Mod cites view count for the short film on YouTube. YouTube monetization threshold: 4,000 hours viewed - He wants enough watch time to disable ads on his channel. Macworld column era: 2006-2008 - Gruber describes writing back-page columns for Macworld. Mac OS X anniversary reference: 20 years - A milestone discussed for the operating system’s longevity.

Pivotal Quotes: "I produce a bunch of stuff, like cultural output." — Craig Mod: He summarizes Special Projects and the role of the membership program. "Fast software is good software." — Craig Mod: He states the thesis of his Wired essay and elaborates on software speed as a design principle. "All of the work I do is essentially to make books." — Craig Mod: He explains how his walks, essays, videos, and side projects all feed into book production.

Implications: For creators, the conversation shows that sustainable independence is now realistic if they combine direct support, strong tools, and disciplined scope. For software makers, it argues that speed, editing, and OS philosophy are ethical as well as technical choices.