Money & the self-employed writer

Figuring it out, step by step

Dear Writer,

I quit my job last May, and things have been going pretty great. I’ve got this kick-ass workshop going this year that I am very excited about, and I’ve got support for my podcasting venture ongoing. I’ve set myself to basically doing four things; TikTok to extend my reach and discoverability; podcasts to keep my critical mind sharp and work with people I adore; the writing workshop and my own writing because that’s my occupational north star; and continuing to connect with you all via my Dear Writer letters.

Here’s the thing I don’t like about the subscription model here; I don’t like putting my work behind a paywall.

I feel like this letter is between you and me, and it’s personal, and hopefully beneficial to both of us. Like my podcasts, where my subscription model doesn’t hold much behind a paywall, I’d like DW to give you the opportunity to support me because you want to pay for the value I’m going to give you whether you pay me or not. That’s why I paused billing on DW last year.

That said… I quit my job. This is all I do now, and the financial support helps me to keep doing it. There are a couple of people here who are on the voluntary Dear Writer tier on the Chipperish Patreon, but most of you probably don’t even know that exists because I never talk about it, so I wanted to find a way to open a path for support to those of you who would like to support DW, without holding anything behind a paywall, a practice about which I have experienced deep ambivalence.

So, this is the plan:

On February 27, I will be unpausing paid subscriptions.

If you are currently listed as a paid subscriber, you have already been notified with a link showing you how to unsubscribe if you wish.

If you would like to support Dear Writer knowing that I will not be holding any content behind a paywall, you will be able to start up a paid subscription on February 27 if you so choose.

Thanks so much for joining me here. I love writing these letters to you and hearing your thoughts in response to what I’ve written. Whether you choose to support me financially or not, I am very grateful to have you on this journey with me.

Everything,

L