I am launching a monthly, subscription newsletter. I have been thinking about this for some months now, and as I always do at the start of the new year, I thought again about From Berkshire to Buckingham and what direction I should go with it.
I do not have any platform monetized right now, and I have not had anything monetized for a while. That means that I am just paying the website upkeep and picture expenses out-of-pocket. That is not the end of the world to me, but in 2022, I have decided I need to monetize something to help with the costs. I’ll reevaluate in December.
Enter the monthly newsletter that will be subscription-based. I think some months the newsletter will be an update on what is happening in Kate’s world, and some months it might be more of an analysis of a single event or news item. Like any new project, it will probably evolve as the months go by. At the least, the newsletter will get me writing a little more on royal issues (which I miss, and I hope you will enjoy), and it will bring in some income to pay for the pictures and website expenses.
I think $5/month is a sweet spot. It’s about the price of an exorbitantly priced drink at a fancy coffee shop, but it’s zero calories. ;)
I am thinking of writing here on substack exclusively. I loved designing and maintaining a blog back in the day, but given how sporadic my activity is, it might be better to do all writing here. The newsletter would be subscription and some of the other posts might be free content, e.g., a post on why I didn’t love Kate’s birthday photos. So there would be an opportunity for those who want to subscribe/support to do so, but also content that is outside the paywall. I have to think about that a little more.
In any event, the first newsletter will be out later today! I am going to make this first January issue free, because I have not had time to figure out how to make Stripe work on here. I know, plus ça change… :) So you can sign up now for free now, you’ll get the first newsletter free, and there will be a notification later in February that will give you the opportunity to subscribe to future newsletters, if it is your cup of tea…or coffee. Here’s to the next 12 months!
Jane
Sounds like a smart move on your part. Can you offer a yearly subscription at a small discount?My only quibble is that the price seems a tad steep. I pay for lots of subscriptions and they generally are less expensive, especially when you consider the amount of content they offer. For example, The Atlantic is $59.99/ year for countless articles per month.
Please keep in mind that a lot of us Europeans don't really do credit cards :)
And I see substack is only offering that.
I think Patreon has broader customer friendly payment options.