A few weeks ago, I sent out a poll for subscriber opinions. Thank you to everyone who either contributed in the poll as well as reaching out to me directly. I always love to hear from readers because sometimes the answer the questions aren’t always as simple as YES/NO.
Here is a summary of the questions and answers, along with my opinions of them.
Kindle Unlimited vs eBook Buying: 40% KU / 52% No Opinion
If 40% of the answers are for KU, while the majority said it didn’t matter. It seems that KU is a valuable option for me. That 52% are not going to NOT read a book because it’s in KU but 40% might not read, because they are KU readers. As much as I hate Amazon, they do hold the biggest stake in the eBook marketplace.WIP Drafts vs Waiting For Release: 23% for WIPs / 77% Waiting.
While the majority of my readers want to wait for release and binge read altogether, there are still as significant (IMO) that would read the “works in progress.” There are pluses and minuses to WIPs, especially if you get invested and the author bails on the project. That is a hazard, as sometimes as a writer, we get STUCK. I also believe in working ahead. With FanBoy, I was always 10 chapters ahead so if there were times I got stuck or life got in the way, I had at least 10 weeks of content.
Personally, I love WIPs as a writer. I like instant gratification, as well as accountability. Posting “works in progress” is a great way to stay focused and grab feedback along the way.Subscription Base – Interest: 8% love it / 29% don’t have time / 63% money
If a newsletter has 2800 subscribers, 8% might subscribe. That is 224 people who might be spending $2.00 a month on my content. That is an additional $448 a month, which could help fund edits and cover art for my books. Writing and publishing is not free if you want quality work in the world. I used to not care about things like that, but after tons of early reviews on poor grammar, it’s needed.
Like the 63% of you who can’t afford or are on limited funds for subscriptions, I am in the same boat for writing. I want to give away my work, as well as give quality work. I can’t have both, therefore readers who pay for upgraded memberships can receive FREE copies of my new releases as part of their donation to my page.
Platform preference: 41% Substack / 36% Patreon / 5% Ream / 18% Direct
This information surprised me. I love Substack because everything is all on one page, which makes it easy to load new subscribers as well as post to the the serialized stories. Although it’s not ideal for storytelling, it works. I’m not opposed to Patreon, which I may do in the future. It’s also not ideal for reading serialized fiction. What I dislike to having to post the same content on multiple platforms. Ream is a new contender, but it’s backend dashboard leaves a lot of be desired. It is made for stories, like Wattpad.
Looks like for now, I am sticking to Substack.Genre Preferences: 28% Dark Romance / 5% Horror / 67% All Sapphic
Cyan will always be Sapphic forward. I added this question to see if people were opposed to Sapphic horror, which I don’t think so. “The Taste of Women” was the first book to crack 100 reviews on Goodreads. It tells me that Sapphic readers aren’t afraid of it. What I’d like, ultimately, is to lean toward “dark fiction” vs “horror” because I believe it won’t drive Sapphic readers away so quickly.
You’ll see this coming up. While “Baby” is on the graphic side, I believe the upcoming books such as “Last Stand at Discoland,” “Deep Roots Down South,” and “Good Clean Fun” will be less graphic, but will still be dark.
Again, thanks to all that participated in my info poll. I hope what was gathered will benefit everyone, as it’s important to be in touch with the needs and wants of the readers.