By Michael Evans on March 28, 2023.
Some of the best advice on having a successful subscription is to be consistent… but often we don’t unpack what “being consistent” really means as authors.
Most of the time, we believe one HUGE LIE about consistency.
And it’s this lie that can lead to a lot of us burning out and putting unbearable pressure on ourselves.
This is the idea that consistency in our individual lives and process is identical to what consistency is for others.
I know you know the feeling. You see a successful full-time author with hundreds of paying subscribers releasing 5 chapters per week on their subscription.
You think, if I want to be a full-time author and make thousands per month in my subscription, I have to do the same thing, right?
Not quite…The truth is that the full-time author you are looking up to has probably been publishing on their subscription for months and has built up an audience for years.
They may have a team helping them (personal assistants and other contractors) and a full-time income that allows them to devote more time to writing.
The takeaway?
- Consistency ≠ publishing schedule
- Consistency = following through on the promises you make
This means that what consistency looks like for this author is wildly different than for an author who only has a few hours to write a week. And this doesn’t even bring up the fact that we all have different writing speeds.
This is why consistency is about what is sustainable for you. That will likely change over time. And that’s okay! You can always change your release schedule in your subscription.
You don’t even need a release schedule! You can just share with your readers that they will get access to chapters as you write them. Plenty of successful subscription authors take this same approach!
But the key here is to NOT over-promise.
Consistency is all about being consistent with the promises and expectations you set with your readers.
In moments it is okay to break this consistency. But if you are constantly not fulfilling your promises, then very quickly your readers will wonder why they should trust you and they may even stop reading your work.
Inspired by Jay Clouse’s video on the Truth of Consistency, I wanted to share four takeaways that can help us all be consistent as subscription authors.
1. Don’t commit to indefinite timelines. It can seem scary to start a subscription and think, does this mean I have to share one chapter per (cadence you pick) for the rest of my writing life? What if I want to just give this a try and see if this is something for me?
This is where the magic of seasons comes in.
And our stories are structured perfectly for this approach. We all know the feeling when we subscribe to a streaming platform just for a season of that one show we love and then unsubscribe only to resubscribe when the next season starts. Instead of pressuring yourself to create endless content forever, focus on creating a great Season 1 of your story. You can take a break between Season 1 and Season 2… that’s okay… in fact… it’s expected!
2. Set The Right Schedule for You. Play to your strengths. If you write well on deadlines, then subscriptions can be a great way to hold yourself accountable. If deadlines stress you out, either don’t promise your readers X chapters by X date or batch your content beforehand
3. You Can Change Your Schedule. Life changes and so do your writing process and output. That is a good thing! Your fans want to be a part of that journey. The key here is that although the expectations you set with your readers can change, your communication should always be consistent about these changes (aka don’t leave your fans in the dark!).
4. Don’t Leave Your Fans Hanging (unless it’s a cliffhanger). We all have a love-hate relationship with cliffhangers… but if you make a promise to your readers to finish a season or story and leave them off in the middle with no answer and no explanation of what is happening next… that can be frustrating.
It’s one thing to end a novel with a cliffhanger and tell your readers to stick around for the next book or season (this can be a great strategy to increase read-through). It’s another thing to leave them off mid-way through the arc of a story.
Consistency and following through on your promises are key, and ending your story midway… is not a great look with readers!
This is why it’s so important to set a realistic schedule for yourself upfront that works with your process. Burnout is a beast and something I’ve dealt with. I don’t want you to feel that!
I hope these tips and a deep dive into what it truly means to be consistent as a subscription author are helpful. I’d love to hear any tips y’all have on how to be consistent as an author :).