There is no figuring out Substackers. They follow you, they subscribe, they open your emails, you assume they read but they don’t let you know. Funny: My number of subscribers is increasing steadily, very few drop out, and yet my open rate remains at 48%? So many people subscribe with no intention of reading anything. Some subscribe to 800 different stacks! I believe that tells us they are merely seeking reciprocity. And it tells us to JUST WRITE and ignore the metrics.
Wow. 48% According to Substack I’m at about 25-28%, yet when I look at how many people look at my emails and how many open them, the numbers are for more pleasing…so yeah, I just write now. I’m working on Locksley, chapter 34. I’ve got about twenty-five left.
This is such interesting material! It's hard to do a fresh take on Arthurian material, but you've managed it.
As far as reactions are concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about them one way or the other. Sure, it would be nice if every reader interacted, but that's just not the way the world works. The rule of thumb on Amazon used to be one review for each thousand sales. I'm pretty sure it's less than that, now. The interaction rate here is higher, but there are still a lot of silent readers.
The paywall question is tricky. In the brief time I've been here, I've seen results with the same strategy differ widely. In other words, some people have paywalled most things and seen an uptick in paid subscriptions, while others have seen no change at all. It does make sense to have a certain amount of content for free subscribers and for browsers who might be considering subscribing. Beyond that, I'm not yet convinced that there is only one wright way to do business.
While a lot of writers do use free and $0.99 when they sell their books, the ones who do only that tend not to last. The more businesslike ones use free more sparingly and reserve $0.99 for short works. I know several people who charge as much as they can get away with, so there is hope.
Thanks Bill. It means a lot. I like the idea of the knights being old and worn out. It seems more realistic, as we all age. As for PAID, well, I just offer the one thing, and that’s it. I’m of the opinion that if people want to up-grade, they will. It’s cheap at $30 a year, and a better deal than $10/month. But I think the best thing, for me at least, is put my serials behind the paywall and just forget about them. Sure, I’ll still encourage people to up-grade, and all of that, but I’m not going to fret about it. Reality is quite the concept when it comes to writing fiction. People just don’t want to buy it, when so much of it is free.
They are not too short. A lot is going on here and we can use the time between to digest it all. Thanks for the morning's entertainment, Ben.
Glad you like it Sharron. Now if we could only get other people to say a word or two...
There is no figuring out Substackers. They follow you, they subscribe, they open your emails, you assume they read but they don’t let you know. Funny: My number of subscribers is increasing steadily, very few drop out, and yet my open rate remains at 48%? So many people subscribe with no intention of reading anything. Some subscribe to 800 different stacks! I believe that tells us they are merely seeking reciprocity. And it tells us to JUST WRITE and ignore the metrics.
Wow. 48% According to Substack I’m at about 25-28%, yet when I look at how many people look at my emails and how many open them, the numbers are for more pleasing…so yeah, I just write now. I’m working on Locksley, chapter 34. I’ve got about twenty-five left.
This is such interesting material! It's hard to do a fresh take on Arthurian material, but you've managed it.
As far as reactions are concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about them one way or the other. Sure, it would be nice if every reader interacted, but that's just not the way the world works. The rule of thumb on Amazon used to be one review for each thousand sales. I'm pretty sure it's less than that, now. The interaction rate here is higher, but there are still a lot of silent readers.
The paywall question is tricky. In the brief time I've been here, I've seen results with the same strategy differ widely. In other words, some people have paywalled most things and seen an uptick in paid subscriptions, while others have seen no change at all. It does make sense to have a certain amount of content for free subscribers and for browsers who might be considering subscribing. Beyond that, I'm not yet convinced that there is only one wright way to do business.
While a lot of writers do use free and $0.99 when they sell their books, the ones who do only that tend not to last. The more businesslike ones use free more sparingly and reserve $0.99 for short works. I know several people who charge as much as they can get away with, so there is hope.
Thanks Bill. It means a lot. I like the idea of the knights being old and worn out. It seems more realistic, as we all age. As for PAID, well, I just offer the one thing, and that’s it. I’m of the opinion that if people want to up-grade, they will. It’s cheap at $30 a year, and a better deal than $10/month. But I think the best thing, for me at least, is put my serials behind the paywall and just forget about them. Sure, I’ll still encourage people to up-grade, and all of that, but I’m not going to fret about it. Reality is quite the concept when it comes to writing fiction. People just don’t want to buy it, when so much of it is free.