As I finish up writing sf06 and getting the book put together (not long now; not short either, but not long!) I’m pondering the future of City of Angles. And making some changes to the structure.
Originally the plan was to chop the actual stories up into three tiers:
FREE: Most of the stories. (60% of stories)
VIP CLUB: Some more stories on top of that. (90% of stories)
BOOK: All the stories, ever. (100% of stories)
The thinking was the more content I push behind a pay wall (VIP is only free at the moment!) the more money I’d make, the more of a “professional author” I’d be.
But the problems with this are many. For one, anything behind a paywall can’t have continuity with the series as a whole, or free readers are left confused in later stories. Leaving holes in the plot isn’t fun for anyone. Free readers also have to sit and twiddle their thumbs while I write a VIP story, which sucks for them.
So, here’s my second draft of the concept. Rather than strictly looking at tagging stories as Free, VIP, or Book, it’s a matter of deciding what sort of content goes where…
FREE: All continuity-driven stories, and many side stories. (90%)
VIP CLUB: Additional side stories and shorts which add detail to the world and expand on mysteries, similar to the anachronauts bonus stories. (100%)
BOOK: Compilation releases of all free and VIP stories, plus non-story bonus material such as writer’s commentary, art sketches, and more. (110%)
This is a terrific deal for the readers, because it means the core experience is intact even before they pay a dime. Paying a dime just lets you dig in deeper. There’s no situations where the climax of a particular character arc only happens behind a paywall, but you may get more depth about that character overall if you pay. This worked well for anachronauts, and expanding the concept should work here. I think.
Now, this is the CURRENT plan. Plans are clearly subject to change, and I do value your input on this. You don’t need an account or login of any sort to post feedback to this blog — you can do it anonymously. Let your voice be heard.
What do you think? What would you like to see happen? What matters to you most as a reader? What would you be willing to pay for? Etc. I’ll listen to anything you have to say.