14 Comments

Hmm, interesting. I’m a fan of your approach--content is free, tips or recognition are appreciated--but I wonder if you could be more explicit about your proposed “pay for a month” model. I went to Steady and didn’t find that any more detailed. I’m one of those people who subscribe very widely, which means I pay for subscriptions very sparingly. I’d gladly pay, say, $100 for an all-you-can-eat subscription where the proceeds were spread among those I read most, but your model sounds similar, which the reader doing the distributing.

Expand full comment

Thanks a lot, Tom. Apologies for my oversight — I can’t seem to find the Steady post that explains this more; it must be a subscriber email. Anyway, the main point was that he’s made his content free with an optional payment.

I hear you on the subscriptions as I also pay for several and have to make decisions. A few people have asked in Substack Office Hours about a “tip” option but I’m not sure if it’s in the works. In any case, I’ve seen some who use “buy me a coffee” buttons, but adding this we site layer seemed cumbersome. Maybe the option to pay for just a month is more cumbersome! What do you think? As a fellow writer as well as a reader, I’d be really curious to hear.

I think it also really depends on publications; I can see why some people, for example, keep their fiction or something else behind a paywall. This is just what I hope will work for me and my readers now. Thanks again.

Expand full comment

I've put a ko-fi link in my posts (whe n I remember) for people who wish to show their appreciation but can't commit to a repeating subscription. I've had a coffee out of it, which was handy!

Expand full comment

*adding this website

Expand full comment

I agree about the all you can eat idea, Tom

Expand full comment

Thank you for this! I also love the layout.

Expand full comment

You’re welcome! And thank you, Anna

Expand full comment

Wish you good fortune with the revised payment model, Kathleen.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Terry!

Expand full comment

Love your reasoning here for taking the newsletter in a new direction, and the new layout looks great! Look forward to see where you go with the Yoga and Writing project as well as your 'Summer Travels' feature : )

Expand full comment

Many thanks, Kate!

Expand full comment

Very cool. Anne Kadet ("Cafe Anne") does all her stuff free and yet makes good money *she's one of the Substack "bestsellers"* so that's a lesson for all of us. I like the idea: If you create open, free content it'll attract more engaged readers and some will likely become paid...unless they want to stay free but hey: It's writing! As long as we're doing what we love, right?

Michael Mohr

"Sincere American Writing"

https://michaelmohr.substack.com/

Expand full comment

Also, YES, agree about the writing :)

Expand full comment

Thanks a lot, Michael. Nice to hear coming from another writer and also very motivating to hear about Anne's newsletter!

It's great that there are options out there to all of us - even more options might be nice. But I think for some writers like yourself who publish frequently and have specific types of work behind a paywall, it also works really well and makes sense to keep it on. I see you hit a recent milestone. Congrats!

Expand full comment