Founding Circle Take 2

My announcement yesterday about the upcoming Founding Circle was confusing for a lot of you. I'm sorry about that. Some clarifications here.

Hey everyone,

I’m still learning the ropes of how to work on Substack and take care of my readership. Yesterday’s post announcing the upcoming Founding Circle was confusing for some, so let me try to clarify.

Substack gives writers the option to offer readers different ways of supporting them.

Free subscription: These readers offer their willingness to read the work and maybe, if they’re inspired, to comment. This really counts, in my book.

Monthly paid subscription: These readers lend a hand by reading and commenting, and they also pay a monthly fee (I’ve set mine at $5/month). Incredible, to be compensated for doing this work that I love.

Founding Members: They read, they write back, and they also contribute a larger annual sum (in my case, $150+/year). Same thing, my heart skips a beat every time I see that someone has gone to this tier. It’s like, Really? Damn. Let’s go!

All readers are important to me. I am humbled and delighted by your willingness to take time with my work. And for those of you who engage in a reciprocal relationship by offering me financial support, this helps sustain my work, helps me prepare for the family that Tana and I want to have and the house we’d like to buy, helps us make our life together as writers and employees in the workforce. It means a lot.

Substack suggests that the different tiers of readership have access to different offerings, depending on their financial contribution. This makes sense to me. For those of you who are deciding to compensate me for my time, I want to acknowledge that gift and give back in some way.

So, my non-paying Free Subscribers have access to about half of my posts. After a year, these posts are archived behind my paywall.

My Monthly Subscribers have access to all my writing, always, and you also receive a handmade gratitude poem on original watercolor art in the mail (if you want one).

Founding Members receive the note and all the writing, and participation in a biannual online gathering where we get to know each other and hang out for an hour.

As I continue to learn how to take care of my readership, I’m hopeful to make an online gathering space for all of my Monthly Subscribers as well, and perhaps a virtual open house for Free Subscribers at some point, to mix and mingle, find out who we are. If you all want this, I think that’d be awesome. For now, I’m taking the first step with the Founding Circle for Founding Members on December 10, 7-8pm EST.

I’m so sorry for the confusion, especially confusion around your value in the Courtyard. All of my readers are important to me. Many of you have been with me since almost a year ago, when I first started posting on Substack, and some of you for much longer, way before the Substack days. It’s only with your willingness to be here that this is made into living conversation. Thank you for hanging in there with me as I try to figure out appropriate, beautiful ways to honor the different forms of support that I receive from this group, my readers.

And thanks to those of you who wrote to me expressing confusion or concern. I appreciate your help in learning how best to tend our growing community here. Please keep letting me know.

Sincerely,

Andrew