Pause & 2024...

...and some questions, sorry

Hello!

By the end of the year I will have published 50 volumes of Six Things. That’s… hang on a minute… 300 Things. Throw in 17 volumes of Six (Brief) Things, 2 each of Six (Briefish and Late) Things, Six Books, Six (Good) Things and Six People, and one each of Six Words, Six (Guest) Things, Six (Flying) Things and Six Works of Art (Reviewed By Cats), as well as an assortment of other gubbins, and that’s a decent agglomeration of what we’re supposed to call ‘content’ (I am not content with the word ‘content’).

A year well spent, or wasted, depending on your point of view.

Once I’ve posted Volume 50 I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off, returning in mid-January, and the plan is to publish 50 more volumes in 2024 (posting at some point each weekend).

Those posts will always be free.

I’ve been wondering how best to supplement those weekly posts, and part of that process involves considering what (if anything) to offer paying subscribers.

This is such an awkward area (well it is for me, anyway – remember I’m British, so my default position on such things is “gosh I hope you don’t mind, I’m terribly sorry for taking up your time, I’ll let myself out, sorry, so sorry”). Reactions to the idea of paid Substack subscriptions range from “how dare you even consider the very idea of asking people to shell out their hard-earned cash to support your narcissistic endeavour, you MONSTER” to “here’s my wallet, take what you want” – with plenty of shades in between.

Bearing that in mind (and with due trepidation), I would love it if you could answer a couple of questions.

(It’s absolutely fine to tell me you have no intention of giving me money, by the way. Most people don’t, and this is a testing-of-the-water, not a desperate plea.)

IF you answered ‘YES’:

Just so you have some idea of where I’m going with this, I’m vaguely hatching a plan to offer something bird/nature-related as the ‘extra content’ for paid subscribers, some of which would also be available to those on the free list.

As always, I invite your comments/questions if the poll options don’t represent your own situation. Do email me with your thoughts. And if you have ideas for how I might tweak/improve Six Things I’d be very grateful.

Enough. You have busy lives. I’ll leave you be (except for paid subscribers, who have an extra question below the fold). Thanks for making it this far. I’m terribly sorry for taking up your time, I’ll let myself out, sorry, so sorry.