Craig Mod

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer and publisher based in Japan who funds almost all of his public work through SPECIAL PROJECTS, a paid membership program he started in 2019. Members get perks such as free digital books, discounts on his self-published fine art books and early access to editions, while his newsletters stay free.

He writes Ridgeline, a weekly newsletter about walking, Japan, literature and photography, and Roden, a monthly newsletter, which together reach tens of thousands of subscribers. His walking memoir Things Become Other Things, about a long walk on the Kii Peninsula, was published by Random House in 2025 after a fine art edition was released through SPECIAL PROJECTS in 2023.

Mod is often cited in the creator economy as an example of an independent writer sustaining himself through direct membership rather than advertising.