Not So New Horizons

For those who know me and have followed my stories across various platforms (Kindle Vella, Laterpress, Neovel, Ream, etc.), you’ll know I’m invested in serial platforms. However, there’s been a shift in the writing community recently, one that favors direct sales, be they a self-hosted shop, or subscription based services (and I’m not talking about the likes of Kindle Unlimited).

I took interest in these sites for the sake of ease, like built in discovery tools. That’s the easiest way (in theory, anyway) to have my work seen. If I can be honest, that hasn’t always been the case. Some stories, such as Early Adopter, really took off. Others were largely ignored, but that’s also my fault for not advertising them.

That’s something I want to change soon, even if it means starting from the bottom.

I can host serials, primarily Last Train Home, directly on my site. I actually did that for a while, when I first started the series back in 2022. The same is true for Early Adopter, which I took down after the book was released.

But after having mixed results with Ream, and my growing disillusionment with Kindle Vella, I decided it would be better to prioritize direct sales more. I already have my own shop, after all.

With Ghost, I can host my own subscriptions and apply a paid theme to make the experience so much better. I did this in the past, but didn’t fully utilize it. The goal I had at the time wasn’t fully realized and didn’t go anywhere, because I was lax in advertising.

I’m hoping to turn that around this year, though I’m not in a huge rush. Money is the one thing holding me back right now, as I would need to upgrade my Ghost plan from Starter to Creator, which would bump me up from $108 a year to $300. That’s a pretty big difference, but I think it’s worth it in the long run.

With the Creator plan, I can have access to premium themes, other customization options, two newsletters (one for readers who prefer books, one for serial lovers), and other fun goodies.

My tiers on my site would be similar to those on Ream, albeit with condensed perks and only two or three tiers. I do plan on offering coupons and such to first time subscribers for a few months, perhaps starting as early as summer.

I know for sure that I could manage the upgrade with the support of five subscribers alone, as I plan to make $5 a month the base tier. For that amount, subscribers get full access to Last Train Home and other serials. Higher tiers would have access to current WIPs.

In the meantime, I’ll focus on drafting more chapters for Last Train Home (yes, I’m moving away from “episodes”), as I have fallen behind schedule. Consider it on temporary hiatus while I figure things out. For now, I might put up the new tiers and upgrade later. As much as I would love to do everything all at once, it might actually be easier to do this bit by bit.

Plus I believe tiers work independently from newsletters…I'd just like to have two separate ones.