A survey for our quarter-year anniversary
Help me decide what’s working and where to focus this publication going forward
It’s been three months since I launched Natural Stories. Thank you all for being here! I’ve enjoyed writing these 13 pieces more than I expected to, which is a good sign for the next 13, and...
Subscriptions are growing, slowly but steadily. The “open rate” is incredibly high. I’m considering turning on the “paid subscription” option sometime in the New Year (thanks to all who have pledged!). Numbers suggest we have a chance at success.
But rather than rely on statistics, let me ask you, my subscribers, how this product is working for you.
If the poll answers didn’t have length limits, 7a) would be “I’m willing to pay for stories and rejoice that my payment is also making them available to others” and 7b) would be, “John’s writing is worth paying for, and if he doesn’t restrict most of these stories to people who acknowledge that, he’s selling himself short.” This is a really hard choice and I’ll welcome your input!
Did the survey not capture an input you’d like to give? Then—please!—consider this your prompt to comment! :)
If you use a “pay what you can” model rather than a fixed amount, I believe more people would gladly pay something. I don’t know if that’s an option on Substack or you have to set a monthly fee of some sort. I love reading your posts but have noticed that when writers start using a paid model, it causes some to drop out of reading.
I also like 7a.