Activating Paid Subscriptions!

Hello friends,

I have been here at Substack for over two years now, and after some fallow months where I took time off to write a guide book, I am a back at it with gusto. I have also quit my freelance job slogging out pieces for a cheesedick travel content factory (5 Hidden Gems on Florida’s Idyllic and Underated Gulf Coast!) which means I am looking for other income streams that don’t make me feel like launching myself off a bridge each day.

I chose to initially keep this thing free while I built up an audience and got into the rhythm of posting, and while my readership is still modest, well over 600 people subscribe to me at this point with a number of folks who have pledged to pay for my work should I ever turn it on.

After finding a bank in the US that would let me open an account with out a US phone number (it took some effort, as South Korean banks won’t link with Stripe, the third-party site that handles Substack’s payments), I have finally jumped through the hoops that will allow let me earn a few shekels from my rants and stories here. I will also open a Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee account to pimp on Facebook and elsewhere for those who aren’t turned on to the glories of the Stack.

What does all this mean? For the time being I will keep all my content open and free, but once I reach certain number of paid subscribers I will begin to put a lot of content behind a paywall. Whether I ever get there remains to be determined, but I have been doing this a long time to some minor success and getting paid directly from my readers doesn’t sound unreasonable at this point

In order to entice you, dear audience, I have lowered Substack’s suggested monthly subscription fee down to a mere $6 a month, or $60 annually, which really isn’t a big load of loot, now it is? I mean, you can’t even get a decent beer in Seattle for six bucks… okay maybe a shitty one, but I like cheap beer. So consider it buying me a pint of Miller High Life out of appreciation for my words.

For those of you who have already pledged money, all paid subscriptions will kick on on September 1st. This means you have about a week and a half to cancel if you have since changed your mind about chipping in or your financial situation is no longer solid, because I know mine ain’t (hence virtual the hat in my hand).

If you haven’t pledged anything now is a good time. I realize that everyone everywhere has their grubby hands stuck out for cash these days (especially in the States with the unholy abhorration of the omnipresent tip screen), but I also know that some of you are doing well and could easily ante up the cost of a half-caf Frappuccino™ for my brilliant insights and unparalled content.

Just do it!

In the meantime I am grateful for everyone who reads my silly words: rich or poor, generous or cheap. It really means the world to me and couldn’t continue on without knowing that at least a few deranged eyeballs are eager for this stuff.