Membership on Ream Stories
If 2023 was me dipping my toes into the lake of “trying new publishing things,” then 2024 is me diving into the deep end.
I chose indie publishing for freedom, and yet I’ve found that I have unnecessarily shackled myself to an ideology. I kept my books in Kindle Unlimited/KDP Select because that was “where the readers are” and what was supposed to make the “most sense” from a money point of view, too. But Amazon slashed KU payouts and there is just a constant low rumbling threat that they will do so again. IngramSpark decided to force upon authors a larger wholesaler discount and their shenanigans with returns have made it a risk for authors to accept returns, which in turn leads to indie bookstores not wanting to carry our books.
I threw off the shackles of traditional publishing, thinking I was embracing creative control. And yet I then locked myself down in a cell with Amazon and IngramSpark and believed that this was “the only way.”
But then Campfire added monetized stories and I also found Ream Stories. Some part of me was still determined to define “success” as an indie publisher as Amazon Rankings or Bestseller List. But isn’t that the kind of ideology that I wanted to escape when I decided against traditional publishing?
I didn’t make a huge effort to be traditionally published, because my first brush with it was, “This is great, can you make it straight? I can’t sell this to a publisher if it’s lesbian., they only take one LGBTQ book a year.”
That was also my last brush with it.
I feel like I am going in circles here, but I’m going to lay all the cards on the table. I’m disabled, I’m queer. I can’t work a traditional job, and writing is my escape. I hope that my worlds can be an escape for others, too. And does it matter if they find those worlds on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or if they find them on Ream and Campfire?
I put all my eggs in the KU basket for a long time, and in 2024 I have a lot of goals for these eggs, and I’m going to need more than one basket. One of those baskets is Campfire, which will remain the main “hub” for all things Scions and Shadows and any other future series that has a lot of worldbuilding.
But I’m also adding Ream Stories (affiliate link * ) to my list of “places you can find my things” and it will also be getting its own exclusive content.
Ream is like Patreon for authors. It has a reading app, so you can easily read the books uploaded and even comment on them alongside other readers! I am offering several tiers, and you can even get some content free just by being a follower! The highest tier even gets you discounted editing services from yours truly.
Other benefits:
- Early access to WIP chapters (currently Smoke & Steel),
- Access to my backlist (both in the Ream app and you will be emailed a download link for epubs and mobis),
- Side stories and bonus materials, including deleted scenes,
- Access to new releases before publication at retailers,
- Signed paperbacks and biannual goodie boxes with stickers, bookmarks, and bind-ups of the bonus materials,
- Your name (if wanted!) in the acknowledgments,
- Discounts on my store, including my writing and editing tools (this is still being set up, you will get the discount code right away but I'm still setting up the storefront for the non-book merch).
- Plus, as a Ream Exclusive story; I'm working on an isekai murder mystery story about a bookworm and a witch called 'The Last Page”! This story will be released episodically! Once it's completed, a new “Exclusive” will be launched!
If all of this sounds awesome, please consider joining Ream and becoming a member! I have so many things I want to share, and I really want to be able to do this sustainably! Sign up for my Ream and then check out this public post on my Ream page that gives a little bit of a teaser for what “The Last Page” is going to be about!
Want to know what to expect? Check out my release schedule for January:
- 1/1/24: Bonus content! Available for all tiers: Glossary of terms for Smoke & Steel.
- 1/5/24: Available for all paid tiers: new draft chapter from Smoke & Steel.
- 1/10/24: Available for all paid tiers: Chapter 3 of The Last Page.
- 1/12/24: Available for Enthusiasts+: new draft chapter from Smoke & Steel.
- 1/13/24: Hangout for Aficionados + Writers, 3pm Eastern Standard Time
- 1/15/24: Bonus content! Available for all paid tiers: Short story related to Stars & Soil.
- 1/19/24: Available for all paid tiers: a new chapter of Smoke & Steel.
- 1/20/24: Available for Witchy Writers: Critique Group* 3pm EST.
- 1/24/24: Available for all paid tiers: Chapter 4 of The Last Page.
- 1/26/24: Available for Enthusiasts+: New draft chapter from Smoke and Steel.
- 1/27/24: Hangout for Aficionados + Writers, 3pm EST.
- 1/29/24: Bonus content! Enthusiasts+: Character profiles from Stars & Soil.
New Subscribers use the code DREAMER to get 1 month FREE at the Enchantment Enthusiast or Sorcery Seeker levels!
- I am now a partner affiliate with Ream, which means I might earn a little extra income when an author I refer signs up for Ream. This does not affect readers or the author who joins in any way. So, if you are an author, consider using my Ream affiliate link when signing up.
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