By Emilia Rose on October 22, 2022.
You can poll your readers, ask them questions, and then plan out your entire subscription year to the day. But as authors, we know that sometimes what our readers say they want and what they really want are two separate things.
Furthermore, what they say they want, what they really want, and what they’re willing to pay for are different aspects that you must take into consideration before launching your subscriptions.
But are readers willing to pay you monthly for one small bonus scene? Maybe yes. Maybe no.
I’m partial to early access because I have built my subscription around it and thought that I could use my exclusive IP to make more money (which I have been able to), but some authors swear by exclusive access (and it totally works for them)!
And honestly, it all depends on how you have conditioned your readers to read as well as what part of your author journey you’re in and what part of the reader journey your readers are in. You must continue to re-evaluate your subscription and tweak when necessary.
This is not an article, newsletter, or blog to tell you which one is better. I aim to give you the knowledge and resources, so you can make that decision on your own. This week, I wanted to link out to our Facebook group with two amazing threads that debate exclusive access versus early access serials.
Early Access Serials vs Exclusive Access Post #1
In her post, Rosa mentions that she has polled her readers about what they want through her subscription. The majority said exclusive content. In this thread, Nikki mentions that she believes it depends on what stories you’re working on and offering through your subscription. When she’s writing a bestselling series, her superfans tend to love early access. But “in general, bonus scenes are great for enticing new subs.”
Early Access through Serialization Post #2
In this post, Aya chats about how Netflix is switching to a serialized approach instead of letting their viewers binge-watch an entire season at once. Pia, a Subscriptions for Authors member and a veteran serial fiction author, dives more in-depth about the serialized model for television.
I really encourage you to read both of these posts to learn from other authors as well as other industries. I’ve believed for a long time that the book world tends to be behind (just a smidge and not all the time) other industries like television, film, and music. We can learn a lot about upcoming technologies and ways to monetize that we never thought possible.