By Michael Evans, June 6, 2024
What does it take to get a reader who has no idea who you are or that your stories exist to be a fan that keeps coming back, paying to read your stories month after month?
This is the question.
Do I have the answer?
No. But that’s the fun part.
There isn’t one singular answer but instead an unlimited number of journeys you can take your reader on.
I want to show you the first draft of a short, simple journey for your marketing. Just as we take readers on journey inside of our stories — their entire experience with us is a journey that we architect as authors.
Yep, there’s 5 chapters (or steps) to the Subscriber Journey. This is at a high level what it takes to bring someone from “I have no idea that you even exist” to a superfan paying you month after month.
Here they are…
Chapter 1: The Tunnel of Darkness
The tunnel of darkness! AH! This sounds scary. And it kind of is. This is the chapter 99.9% of the world is in. For most of us, we should focus our growth marketing immediately on Chapter 2.
Why?
Well the tunnel of darkness are people who don’t know that you, your stories, or even your KIND OF stories exist.
Imagine not knowing what alien romance is? Not knowing that that’s even a thing that you could experience? As they say — once you go Martian, you can’t go back (I can’t be the only one 
).
Almost EVERYONE falls into this camp. They are firmly in chapter 1.
This is what makes working together as authors so special. We should WANT our fellow authors to succeed. Especially authors in our genres. The more readers they can invite into the genre and bring light to these readers lives, the easier it makes your job.
So, your fellow storytellers are friends not foes. And this is why!
Chapter 2: Story Aware
Okay… when we talk about the “market” for a genre, this is what we are typically talking about. This also extends beyond the word “genre” to also encompass any target group of readers.
The kicker? Someone in chapter 2 is aware that your KIND OF stories can exist — and ideally desire to read more of those kinds of stories.
The trick? They don’t know you exist. Yet…
That’s our next chapter 
.
Chapter 3: Author Aware
Yay! Your readers know you exist! But how do we quantify this.
The truth is… you likely have a lot more readers who are author aware than you think.
In fact, for many authors, the majority or almost all of their mailing list falls into this chapter.
So what makes a reader author aware?
This is a reader who knows your stories exist but hasn’t read any of them yet OR doesn’t desire to read more of them at this time.
These are fans who have either fallen down from Chapter 4 and 5 OR readers who need to read your stories but haven’t yet.
Chapter 3 is the hardest phase.
If you can be excellent at bridging the gap between chapters 3 and 4, you can afford to spend more money and time to reach more readers in your market — and will be able to grow your business fast and efficiently.
The key elements to bridging a reader from Chapter 3 to Chapter 4 are:
- An amazing story. This is the most important thing by far— but really can’t be underscored. An amazing story (in my eyes) is defined as one that meets the expectations of a target market/readership and gets them to want more from you.
- Getting a reader from aware to opening the first page to even start your story. Typically this comes from highlighting social proof — so readers build trust in your stories (the power of word of mouth) and posts + email sequences that urge readers to pick up your stories. I can write a full essay on engineering word of mouth/virality. But for now… we will leave it here
.
But wait… what is chapter 4?
Chapter 4: The Casual Reader
This is where it gets exciting! Casual readers have experienced some of your story(ies) and want to read more.
For most of us – casual readers are what we have the best visibility into our business model and who we serve. In essence when we sell on retailers, we optimize for casual readers — and getting as many as possible.
Casual readers are great! We can build an amazing business with the support of casual readers.
But to build a truly sustainable business… we need to transcend readers just wanting more.
We need them to need more of our stories so that they never leave.
Sounds dystopian? Maybe a little 
. Meet the Forever Reader.
Chapter 5: The Forever Reader
Okay, maybe it isn’t FOREVER.
These are readers who consistently read your stories and pay you for continuing experiences.
This is the lifeblood of a publishing business.
For instance, if you can know you are about to release a book and already have 1,000 raving fans waiting to buy it — you have a ton of security. As long as you keep those raving fans happy — you will have at least 1,000 sales on anything you release.
Subscriptions take this behavior to its logical extreme. Fans don’t have to open up their wallets to pay you every time you release.
Instead they are billed automatically and you get consistent income.
Sounds like the dream, right?
Well there’s something really important here.
How does our marketing look different pending on the chapter of the journey a reader is in?
For chapters 1 – 3 we need to focus on growth marketing. This is driving more awareness of our brand and stories, typically through paid ads, collaborations with other authors, or creating content on social media.
Once we bring someone into our world (such as your Ream — a hub for you to connect with your readers and grow your business), you must get them to stay there.
This is where subscription marketing comes in — or marketing to your existing readers to retain them.
Subscription marketing starts to become important in chapter 3 and is essential in chapter 4 and 5 of the reader journey.
And in a way — subscription marketing never stops. You will always be in service of your readers, maintaining trust, and getting them to stick around as loyal customers with you.
Just as growth marketing is also essential. There will never be a day when you won’t want to grow your readership, because just to maintain your existing readership you will need some level of growth.
This is because even if you have the same number of people on yourmailing list or following you on your Ream, a social media platform, or anywhere else, you will always have people who fall from chapter 4 (or even chapter 4) back into chapter 3.
This means that readers who used to want more stories from you may have their preferences change, might stop reading entirely, or they may leave for the story world forever 
.
In other words… it’s not YOU, it’s them. But readers coming and going is a natural part of life.
Thus growth marketing and subscription marketing are two sides of the same coin.
To have a sustainable business you must grow your readership. Yet, to sustain your business you also must retain your readership.
This regardless of whether you have a subscription OR not… you readers are all on a similar journey.
It’s this journey that I will be covering in-depth tomorrow in the LAST-EVER Subscriptions for Authors Fireside Chat.
Yep, it’s no secret that we are rebranding. Slowly but surely. It’s been a multi month process of adjusting our messaging, graphics, and rolling out our new focus. I’m not quite ready to full rebrand, but if you have been reading these emails, you likely know where we are headed and our next big releases.
It will be super fun! And for now… we have our last ever Fireside Chat.
You can sign-up here. And I can’t wait to see you all there 
.