What's stopping you from upgrading to paid on your fave Substack?
I share my thoughts but would love to hear yours too
I recently saw (on another social media platform) a couple of Substack writers discussing their frustration at not being able to get subscribers to upgrade to paid subscriptions.
It led me to wonder why people don’t sign up to pay creators even if the content being shared is helpful and/or interesting.
In some cases, it might be a lack of demand for the kind of content you’re putting out and a need to refine/improve, but I think more often than not it’s a case of overconsumption.
Personally, I haven’t yet upgraded to paid subscriptions for any of the Substacks I enjoy because I’m subscribed to a whole lot of things outside of Substack and I’m at my limit.
Here are the writerly things I’m currently subscribed to:
That doesn’t include the one-off payments for webinars, short courses or conferences I’ve completed/attended/taken part in this year (there are at least five of those).
Not to mention the professional memberships, website hosting, Adobe and Microsoft subscriptions (and probably others I’ve forgotten about) that I need for my editing work. And yes there are tax benefits when it comes to these things, but I still need to keep costs reasonable so that the money I earn goes towards life expenses too (bills UGH bills!).
I’m also at a place where much of my time needs to go towards getting my work out there. I do think my illustration work can be levelled up, but I’m at a point where I’ve done the courses and I just need to get the actual work done so it can be sent out. If I sign up for more things it’ll mean more procrastination (which will also mean more massive eye-rolls from my husband – ha!) and that’s not what I need right now.
So, for me, I’m currently not signing up for more things because I don’t have the time, brainspace or extra $$ in my budget to do so, but it doesn’t mean I won’t ever upgrade to paid. There are some things I might be dropping next year, which will open up space for other things. What I’m thinking I’ll need soon is an author/illustrator community with a focus on all things picture books that’s just above a beginner level. A place where I can join chats/webinars, swap critiques and talk about children’s book publishing in general. I’ll be keeping an eye out for something like that.
I should also add that I’m based in Australia. And while I’ve often been able to work around attending things in other timezones, it’s not always feasible for live webinars. I have woken at 3 am for things in the past when necessary, but I can’t do that on a regular basis, so that limits what I’m willing to sign up for as well.
Despite all that, I’m so happy to see the community growing here on Substack, and I’m getting to know lots of new accounts. I still get a lot out of free posts shared and the community in general is really growing – it’s exciting to see and I can’t wait to be a part of even more growth here.
But now over to you, what’s stopping you from upgrading to paid? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yanu (bye in Dharug)
That’s all for now, mittigar (friend in Dharug).
I acknowledge the Darkinyung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work, and I pay my respects to the Elders past and present.
Availability of money - I don't have a lot right now, and even when I get a job, I've got a list of things that need to come first - industry subscriptions (I am hoping to add three in), living costs, and so forth. I'd love to but at the moment I can't justify the cost with little to no money coming in.