Why You Shouldn’t Overpromise in Your Subscription

by Emilia Rose

So many people are afraid to start subscriptions because they believe it’s too much work. And–let’s not pretend–if you overpromise, it will be tons of work, which is why you should frequently evaluate and re-evaluate your tiers.

Because burnout is a very real thing. According to ConvertKit, 61% of online creators experience burnout.

Your subscription is supposed to empower you and give you freedom from this book publishing world where readers want more and more content, longer and longer books, for cheaper and cheaper. You shouldn’t be stressed out by subscriptions.

Understanding your abilities for story output as well as managing reader expectations is essential. Even if you think writing ten chapters per week will entice your readers, if you aren’t certain you can get that much done within a week, don’t say you can do it. By promising that much content, you have to deliver it or your readers won’t trust you and they will leave.

It could tarnish your reputation.

Promise your readers what is doable for you. If you have the time to write an extra chapter per week, you can use it to get ahead for next week or you can give your supporters an extra chapter as a surprise bonus. Everyone loves surprises!

With that being said, your superfans will understand if something happens and you can’t update for a week or so. You should keep them updated regularly with what is happening in your life and why you can’t update.

If you’re just starting, you need to make sure that your tiers and rewards are manageable. Beginning with five tiers, for example, can be a lot of extra work, especially if you don’t have an assistant—or two! I’ve started with three tiers and only bumped up to four when I had external help from an assistant and family for packaging books as rewards, etc.!

So take a look at your tiers. Is what you have manageable for you?

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About Ream

Ream is a serial fiction publishing platform built by authors, for authors. The platform is led by Emilia Rose, a full-time fiction author with over six years of professional publishing experience across serial fiction, ebooks, audiobooks, and reader-supported subscriptions.

Emilia has built a successful author business firsthand and has taught thousands of authors through speaking engagements and education at conferences including Author Nation, 20Books Vegas, and Creator Economy Expo (CEX). Today, Ream is trusted by more than 15,000 authors and 140,000 readers as a platform for publishing and discovering serialized stories and creator-led fiction.