I completely understand what you're saying, although for me those couple thousand pounds would mean something.
It would cover some bills, pay for a nice holiday, etc. It depends on what you want from writing - I don't view it as something to make me a full time income, but if it can get me a little extra cash then that'll do. For now though, I'm just letting people donate whatever they like using 'buy me a coffee'. Probably won't get much from it, but it doesn't cost me anything to have it there so why not?
I love your thoughtfully reasoned article, Tom. I, too, have chosen not to ask to be paid. But I do get paid by clients who find me through Substack. So, I write what I'm interested in and find that even one comment from a reader gives me the energy to write another piece. I met with a new client last week who held up printed copies of all my Substack articles. That was thrilling and a completely new experience. So, I am writing to be paid.
"Going Paid Would Make Me an Asshole" is the best thing I have seen this week, thank you. And you did the maths, too! Extra thank you :) I vacillate with this paid vs. non-paid thing, I do. Why am I not better at sales and marketing, why don't formulas come naturally to me, why can't I make myself give a shit about SEO....I'm asking myself the wrong questions. What I should be asking myself is what I love about Ss and writing so much, and the answer is clear. This is a fantastic post.
I write mainly humor and fiction. I went paid after a year. I got 12 paid subscribers within a month. I tried every paywall strategy there is before realizing none of them worked for me. So I quit paywalling and offering anything extra to paid subscribers. I converted to the “patronage” method. Four years later I still have 12 paid subscribers. Less than 1% of my 1400 free subscribers.
It seems like those who bring a large, rabid (true) fan base (that they got elsewhere) with them to Substack do well going paid. Those of us unknown writers will not make much. Of course, it is highly likely that my writing is too unconventional or quirky and only a dozen people in the universe appreciate it enough to pay for it.
I agree that turning on paid changes things. It can go either way. But if you are not well known, it is more likely to be disappointing than life-changing.
It's taken me almost two years to figure out where I want to go with this. It's beautiful and fulfilling to be paid for my work, but not sustainable. So for now, I'm writing because it's the way I love communicating and having an online presence. It also affords me meeting new people and learning from other writers on here.
This is a well written, thoughtful article. Thank you.
"Going paid on Substack may not be all it's cracked up to be" summa it beautifully.
We seem to have an obsession with monetizing hobbies these days. You can bake amazing cakes? Start a business! You like to occasionally restore antique furniture? You should open an antique shop and restore furniture on the side! Whilst sometimes these are good options for people with a broad skill set in both the practical aspect of offering a service and in business management….its not the only option. To do something for the enjoyment is a worthy cause in and of itself. To dabble, to explore and to do something simply for the fun of it. Hobbies are good, and monetizing them can certainly suck the joy out of them. And looking at so much of what is happening in the world…..Well we need all the joy we can get, and to share it generously with those around us.
I look at it from the reader’s perspective. I don’t get why anyone is a paid subscriber. Why would any reader want to pay $8/mo for 2-4 articles? For the same price, you could subscribe to a magazine or journal or buy a book ! And have ten times the amount to read. It’s unsustainable and ridiculous for every substack author to charge people to access their writing. On the other hand, I would gladly pay $8/mo to Substack and have access to 10 of my favorite writers’ work.
How sorry am new can you teach me please
Another thought-provoking article, Tom. But sending me to Eva left me lost for about 20 minutes. Or was it a day? It's still the 15th, right?
I completely understand what you're saying, although for me those couple thousand pounds would mean something.
It would cover some bills, pay for a nice holiday, etc. It depends on what you want from writing - I don't view it as something to make me a full time income, but if it can get me a little extra cash then that'll do. For now though, I'm just letting people donate whatever they like using 'buy me a coffee'. Probably won't get much from it, but it doesn't cost me anything to have it there so why not?
I love your thoughtfully reasoned article, Tom. I, too, have chosen not to ask to be paid. But I do get paid by clients who find me through Substack. So, I write what I'm interested in and find that even one comment from a reader gives me the energy to write another piece. I met with a new client last week who held up printed copies of all my Substack articles. That was thrilling and a completely new experience. So, I am writing to be paid.
how can one achieve that
A great read - thank you for this.
If you have a good reading of any writer's creative stuff, then it is worth paying. However, some how-to articles must be free.
Interesting
"Going Paid Would Make Me an Asshole" is the best thing I have seen this week, thank you. And you did the maths, too! Extra thank you :) I vacillate with this paid vs. non-paid thing, I do. Why am I not better at sales and marketing, why don't formulas come naturally to me, why can't I make myself give a shit about SEO....I'm asking myself the wrong questions. What I should be asking myself is what I love about Ss and writing so much, and the answer is clear. This is a fantastic post.
I write mainly humor and fiction. I went paid after a year. I got 12 paid subscribers within a month. I tried every paywall strategy there is before realizing none of them worked for me. So I quit paywalling and offering anything extra to paid subscribers. I converted to the “patronage” method. Four years later I still have 12 paid subscribers. Less than 1% of my 1400 free subscribers.
It seems like those who bring a large, rabid (true) fan base (that they got elsewhere) with them to Substack do well going paid. Those of us unknown writers will not make much. Of course, it is highly likely that my writing is too unconventional or quirky and only a dozen people in the universe appreciate it enough to pay for it.
I agree that turning on paid changes things. It can go either way. But if you are not well known, it is more likely to be disappointing than life-changing.
It's taken me almost two years to figure out where I want to go with this. It's beautiful and fulfilling to be paid for my work, but not sustainable. So for now, I'm writing because it's the way I love communicating and having an online presence. It also affords me meeting new people and learning from other writers on here.
This is a well written, thoughtful article. Thank you.
"Going paid on Substack may not be all it's cracked up to be" summa it beautifully.
I really love your Substack Earnings Calculator, a very useful tool! Thanks.
Just came across this thanks!
Good insight 😌 Can i translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a description of your newsletter?
We seem to have an obsession with monetizing hobbies these days. You can bake amazing cakes? Start a business! You like to occasionally restore antique furniture? You should open an antique shop and restore furniture on the side! Whilst sometimes these are good options for people with a broad skill set in both the practical aspect of offering a service and in business management….its not the only option. To do something for the enjoyment is a worthy cause in and of itself. To dabble, to explore and to do something simply for the fun of it. Hobbies are good, and monetizing them can certainly suck the joy out of them. And looking at so much of what is happening in the world…..Well we need all the joy we can get, and to share it generously with those around us.
I totally agree. Hobbies are valuable and make life more fulfilling. Why make them jobs?
I look at it from the reader’s perspective. I don’t get why anyone is a paid subscriber. Why would any reader want to pay $8/mo for 2-4 articles? For the same price, you could subscribe to a magazine or journal or buy a book ! And have ten times the amount to read. It’s unsustainable and ridiculous for every substack author to charge people to access their writing. On the other hand, I would gladly pay $8/mo to Substack and have access to 10 of my favorite writers’ work.