Sunday, July 1, 2012

Subscription Revision

I had a long talk with the missus about subscriptions. She is a small business owner, so I trust her judgement. I showed her the zine's books and talked about the workload. She pointed out that subscriptions are a good idea, as they make shopping convenient for the readers. What was not a good idea was the cost. My original plan to subsidize subscriptions with single issue sales was a good idea. Unfortunately, single issue sales have decreased, but subscriptions have increased. The result is that a lot of work is being done on something that is actually costing me money.

     The solution is to sell subscriptions, but to sell them at the single-issue rate. In a way, a subscription is more like a six issue pre-order. I wish that I could offer discounts, but it simply doesn't add up.

16 comments:

  1. As I said before, I'm buying no matter how you sell them. I understand about the costs. Whew, they are steep. You got a great product and I'd like to see them keep on coming as long as you've got the passion for it. Thanks for Loviatar. I pretty much put the finishing touched on my second issue and know it would have existed if it hadn't been for your zine.

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    1. Thanks, Tim. I love doing the zine, but like you said you have to manage those costs so that they don't manage you! Looking forward to no. 2. :)

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    2. Christian:
      You know that I'm where Tim is: I'm buying no matter what. It's THAT good of a product. Because of your inspiration, I wish I had the time, energy, and creativity to do one of my own.
      Until then, your 'zine is kept safe and protected...and well-read...however I have to get it.

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  2. Well! With no discount on the subs, I might feel like I can actually do that. I've always avoided it because it looked to me like it would potentially hurt you to buy the 'zine that way (and it looks like my fears were borne out), so I wanted to help subsidize the ones who chose to subscribe.

    That said, I also feel like I don't want to put pressure on you to get one out each month (and this is thinking "out loud", as it were). Convenience versus industrial writing. As usual, there are positive and negative aspects of any virtue. I'll make a decision eventually, I suppose. Until I do, I'll just keep on like I've been doing.

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  3. It's still an extremely reasonable price for what is a brilliant zine...I don't think many will begrudge paying it!

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  4. As long as you keep publishing, I'll keep subscribing. I love what you're doing with the zine. If it costs a couple bucks more to keep getting this kind of great content, so be it. Keep up the great work!

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  5. Christian - I'm in for the long haul, no matter the price.

    Just remind me when it's time to re-up, because I never have any idea ;)

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  6. Just echoing everyone's sentiments. A couple of extra bucks isn't going to stop me. I went for the subscription model, both out of support, and because I felt like it was giving you a vote of confidence. Definitely not interested in driving the books into the red.

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  7. I subscribe for the convenience. Make the price whatever makes sense to keep you out of the red!

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  8. Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I look forward to another amazing year of zine goodness. :)

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  9. Yep, I'm echoing everyone else it seems. I don't think any of us want Loviatar to be costing you money. And just like your wonderful wife said, the subscription is more a matter of convenience. So definitely bring the price up to match the single issue price. I'm on board! And kudos to you. I've been really enjoying the last few issues. Great work!

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  10. You have a very loyal and fairminded fanbase who understand the nuts and bolts of your business model because you've always been very transparent and upfront on all the details. It's indicative of your fine character that you are primarily concerned about the customer first and that sort of attitude is going to continue to help Loviatar thrive for a long, long time. Keep up the great work!

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    1. Thank you so much for the kind words, Mark. That was a very nice thing to write. :)

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  11. I told you months ago your rate should be higher.

    As well, I suggested that at some point, maybe a dozen hexes in, you should do a compilation of just the hexes. A sort of sandbox adventure module. Since you have the stuff all written up anyway, it'd simply be a matter of cutting and pasting, no new material needed, or even layout really. And price that one for profit.

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  12. I'm chiming here late (haven't been online much lately), but I'll echo everyone else's comments. I like the subscription because of the convenience factor -- I am MUCH more likely to grab the subscription than I am individual issues on a regular basis out of sheer convenience. But I certainly don't want the zine to end up costing you money. Sure, you're doing it for the enjoyment factor, but over time, it would be nice if a small profit to repay you for your effort started trickling in. So charge us what you need to charge us, but I do appreciate the subscription option.

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