12 Comments
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Richard Von Busack's avatar

If you really know how to cast a death spell, I’ve got a list, a very little list. Carter Wilson was a gent.

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Susie Bright's avatar

Carter still is very much a beloved gent! Still writing, too. And he introduced me to a couple incredible writers I included in Santa Cruz Noir.

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Richard Von Busack's avatar

OMG! I thought he was demised! Glad to hear it!

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Susie Bright's avatar

By the way, I didn’t know how to include this in my story without spoiling the mood, so I’ll do it here, hopefully with a light touch.

If you subscribe to my newsletter . . . I don’t automatically go to bed with you. I mean, I’m not that cheap. Also, I’m very old fashioned and prefer lengthy, moonlit courtships. Preferably not predicated by a coin dropping.

This is not covered in the Substack manual. @Sarah Fay, got a tip?

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Celia's avatar

I really hate it that so many of my favorite writers have to drum up their compensation! Writing and raising money are two different skills. And as Susie notes, there are way too many interesting writers for any of us to pay them all. It's just an effed up part of the publishing industry falling apart, and it's likely to be this way for a while. So STEP UP please, when you see an overdue dunning -- don't make them do it again and again!

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Susie Bright's avatar

Celia, you are my most empathetic subscriber! I think we both remember pounding the pavement back in the day… finding people who are willing to join a movement when we’re the underdog, is the only thing harder than raising cash. LOL.

I’ve decided I’ll allow myself a back to school subscription “ask”, then one around Christmas.

I’m NEVER asking for money/subscriptions on my birthday AGAIN— that was the biggest ego crusher ever. Maybe it will simply be a St Paddy’s Day Ransom Demand instead.

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Susie Bright's avatar

Okay, truth-tellers:

What’s the HARDEST thing you ever raised money for? —Where you asked strangers for money?

You cannot include Substack, haha. I mean, HARD.

If at least a couple of you bare your breast, I will tell mine.

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Martha Miller's avatar

I assumed m $60 would automatically renew. That so? Loved the story. I had a class cancelled years ago. Unfortunately nobody got a heart attack.

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Reading Off Into The Sunset's avatar

Yes. I’m curious about this. Will my subscription renew automatically or do I need to delve into the bowels of Substack somehow to be sure I’m paid up?

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Susie Bright's avatar

No bowels required. It’s just like any subscription, it renews, unless you turn it off, which you can do whenever you like. I believe there’s a link at the end of every email that takes you to that “manage your subscription” area.

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Reading Off Into The Sunset's avatar

Good. I’d hate to have a gap!

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Susie Bright's avatar

We shall work on sharpening your curses, if such a thing is possible!

…. When you see me asking people to subscribe, it’s me asking for new subscribers. I have about 5000 people who read my newsletter for free, and about 350 who pay for subscriptions. I need to grow the latter number, as you can imagine! Thus, my appeal to the 4,650 others . . .

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