(Cross-posted at the “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” website.)
The “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” fiction-by-subscription experiment can be thought of as a kind of literary start-up. In the world of start-ups, a great rule of thumb is “release early, release often.” That means, basically, that you throw your little fledgling ideas out of the nest and see which ones fly… and if you run out of babies, you make more. Making babies (or at least practicing same) is fun, so that’s okay!
My audacious goal on May 1st, 2009 was to have 1,000 paying subscribers to “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” within six months time. How did I arrive at such a figure? There was no market research… there was no comparison with similar websites. No one else was doing what I was doing.
So I reached into thin air and pulled out a number that looked pretty. 1,000 subscribers before the end of October… that was crazy! It got people talking. It got people thinking. Would a thousand people actually pay Selznick to read his little eighties soap opera?
By the way… in order to hit 1,000 paying subscribers in six months, at least six people would have to subscribe every single day, without fail, for 184 days. No skipping.
What Actually Happened?
In three months, the site acquired eighty paying subscribers.
At that rate, after 184 days, there would be…
One hundred and sixty two members.
Which means: at the current rate of growth, the site would hit 1,000 paying members in the summer of 2012. They tell me that’s right before the calendar stops having days on it at all… if you believe that sort of thing. Me, I don’t…. but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to wait.
Eighty People Wonder If I’m Quitting On Them
Hell no! I’ve simply come to my senses, is all.
See, apart from the mercenary reason, my other motivations for creating “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” included getting back to the serial fiction format and, above all else… to tell these stories. Lina, Carson, Alex and Crystal have been pacing back and forth in my skull for decades. Do you think I’m gonna shove ‘em back in there just because the website is hilariously short of its membership goal?
Wrong-o. I want readers? I’ll get readers… and in the process, I’m returning to a core principle that has served me, and many others, very well.
Give It Away Now
Effective retroactively with the release of installment number seven, “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” is now available to all, for free. On August 1st, when you visit http://www.hazydaysandcloudynights.com, it will take you to a section of my primary site, http://www.mattselznick.com. That’s where the serial will live into the future… get a sneak peek if you want one! It’s just one part of a big site redesign going on in fits and starts over there.
What About Getting Compensated For Your Art?
I’m all about it.
In fact, by opening “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” to the eyes of the entire world, paying or not, I’m actually increasing my chances.
See, right now, as I write this, there are eighty wonderful people paying for the privilege of reading the serial. That’s eighty out of a possible… well, eighty… on a slow mission of accretion for the next three years I mentioned earlier.
On the other hand, in the same time that “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” has existed, almost 4,000 individual people visited mattselznick.com. If not even 5% of those people decide “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” is good enough to compensate, that’s almost twice the number of generous folks doing so now. And there’s no real future upper limit.
When the serial moves over to mattselznick.com, you’ll see I’m encouraging people to contribute as patrons of my creative endeavors — endeavors that are not limited to “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights.” Folks that want to directly support my work on “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” can make a one-time contribution, or sign on to contribute automatically every month. More importantly, they can make those one-time or monthly contributions in whatever amount they choose.
No more set subscription rates. Is it worth $0.99 per installment to you? Is it worth $.025 per installment? Is it worth $5.00 per installment? $1.49 per month? $10.00 per month? The reader can decide. Maybe they really, really like a particular installment… they can contribute whatever they like on a one-time basis.
And, of course, they can pay nothing at all. That’s cool — in fact, I expect most people who read it not to compensate me for the experience. See, if thousands of people are reading it, I can afford that. If eighty people are the only ones in the room… not so much.
You Punk, What About MY SUBSCRIPTION?
Don’t be like that, Hazydazer. I love you.
On July 31st, 2009, I’m canceling all current subscriptions. Naturally, if you’ve signed on at the six month rate or the annual rate, it’s my hope you’ll consider the $9.99 or $14.99 a forward-thinking contribution toward your continued patronage of my creative endeavors.
If not, I’ll cheerfully issue a refund back to you via PayPal for the balance of your subscription. You must notify me at mwselznick@gmail.com before August 15, 2009 in order to get your refund! Did you get that? I’m serious.
When you write, try to use the same e-mail account you used when you signed up for your membership. If you know your hazydaysandcloudynights.com username, that’s very helpful, too. Want to make it really simple? Just forward me your PayPal subscription receipt!
If you decide you want a refund, here’s how it will work:
Please note that PayPal deducts a small service fee from all funds received.
I say again: If you want any kind of refund at all, I must hear from you at mwselznick@gmail.com before August 15, 2009.
Your RSS Feed Will Be Worthless Soon – Here’s A New One
Paying members got custom, individualized RSS feed URLs to access the members-only serial content of this site. Now that “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” lives at mattselznick.com for anyone to enjoy, use this URL in your RSS feed reader.
Thanks For Your Support!
This first round of the “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” experiment has been, frankly, amazing to me.
The amount of feedback and discussion in the comments threads for each episode to date has been downright thrilling to witness and take part in… and all those comments have been copied over to the serial’s new home, so our conversations are preserved and can continue!
To the eighty people who put down their money and to the more intimate group who participated so actively in the comments thread: thank you so much! You have made the first three months of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” a success. I can’t wait to see you over at mattselznick.com… I have many, many more stories to tell you!
Possibly related posts:
You are, as always, willing to test new waters. Hopefully this will add extra content to your website and perhaps get you thinking about podcasting the series at some stage if you haven’t done so already.
Thanks, Dianne! It can’t help but add extra content to the site (twenty five installments a year!) and is just part of the new stuff that’s happening around here!
As far as podcasting “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights,” I was going to do it as a way to bring folks into paying for the membership. Now that there is no membership, I’m not sure about it. We’ll see.
Thanks for your support, as always!
I found out about “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” just a few weeks ago and was actually planning to be a subscriber when you started to podcast them.
I just can’t read fiction on a monitor and unless Amazon brings the kindle to EU and lowers the price a bit I don’t see myself owning an ebook reader any time soon.
Don’t worry though, I’ll make some contributions even if a “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” podcast is free.
So… please do the podcast!
/Pär
Hi Pär!
Thanks for your interest in a “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” podcast. I know the demand is there from people; it’s very likely I will proceed with the plan to make one.
As far as reading on a screen, if you have a web-enabled mobile phone try reading it via RSS on that device. I’ve found that reading on a small screen is sometimes easier on the eyes than on a big computer monitor.
Many thanks for your feedback!
I am a happy paid subscriber and absolutely do NOT want a refund!
-Beth
Much obliged, Beth! I hope you continue to enjoy “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights!”
Matt, the very fact that you are offering me a return on the subscription made me decide not to ask for one. Glad the ride was good for you. I’m off to enter my own personal url for the last time now…
Heck, Askavetstudent, the ride’s not over by a long shot. “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” continues right here — let me know what you think of the latest installment! Car goes on his first band audition..!
You know what you’ve also done – released some people from the tyranny of time pressure that disallowed a proper enjoyment of your work. (Well, “some people” = me, anyway.) When you announced this project, I made note: “Hey, Matt’s doing something interesting that I can’t keep up with…” under which circumstances it never occurred to me to subscribe.
So now… I can read installments when I’m able… send support when I read… nice!
Hi Michelle! I’m not sure I understand about the time pressure, since the installments are / were available indefinitely once they’re posted… but I’m also glad the move to a neo-patronage model has you excited! I can’t wait to hear what you think… the first installment is right here.
It was more of an initial blockage than the ability to access the installments indefinitely. I have the tragic flaw of overcommitting to projects, so my life is one long run down a hallway dropping packages and trying to pick them up again. Not knowing when/if I would have time to read it, I put it out of my head so that I wouldn’t start something else I couldn’t finish – especially something I wanted to appreciate.
However! with your fabulous neo-patronage model, I subscribed in my reader, so I can read everything when I have a moment (just did!) and then send patronage (just did!).
I love this one, Matt. It takes me (somewhat painfully!) back to that stage of life pretty vividly. Can’t wait to see ‘what happens next.’ (And my heart just about broke reading one description of someone – I should send you the piece I wrote inspired by that same someone. Wish I knew where to find that person.) Anyway, I am recommending it to my daughter, who is in that stage of life right now and will possibly find it a bit of a shock that nothing has changed… except the names of the bands.
Michelle, old friend, thanks so much for your generous contribution! Made me jump up and down in my chair, it did.
Like “Brave Men Run — A Novel of the Sovereign Era,” “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” contains characters that are inspired by folks I’ve known. In every case, characters contain elements of several people mushed together to serve the story. Similarly, I mix and match events from my own past and put them in the lives of different characters… and again, those events are twisted and changed to suit the story. So I think I know who you’re talking about when you mentioned one character’s description, but don’t expect that character to be representative of the person who inspired their physical appearance.
All the same… keep looking for lost folks, like I do, too. Thanks to this web site and social networking sites (especially Facebook), I’ve been reunited with or at least received word about almost every person thought relegated to the past. It’s just a matter of time!
Matt…I’m always fascinated by the ways you want to market your work. I remember, back when Podiobooks.com was still new, we added a number of items to the database specifically to support your work with Brave men Run: links to Amazon, B&N, Lulu, and PDF formats. I’m proud to have supported HD & CN during it’s subscription period, and I’ll continue to support your work going forward. I happily refuse a refund.
Jeez, Chris, I had no idea I had that kind of influence on the early Podiobooks.com. I’m humbled… and thanks for ixnaying on the efundray!
Subscription, free, whatever, my concern was that the story is continuing. I’m glad to have contributed, and look forward to doing so with each short story release.
Keep ‘em coming!
Thank you, Chris! Be sure to read installment seven of “How It All Got Started,” “Interviews!” I look forward to see the commenting community of Hazydazers migrating over here.
Matt,
You and I have already e-mailed and I’ve said I don’t want the refund. On top of that have you considered setting up a subscription for the podcast side of things? So the text would be free/donation but the audio portion could be a subscription to help you keep the lights on?
I work in the IT field, I know how much the bandwidth of a site like yours can be if you get a number of hits a month (I think I read in one of your reports you get about 4000) and while I know writing is a labor of love, you gotta eat to.
As a side note, even if you don’t go subscription model I would encourage other readers to embrace the new content economy, you decide the value of what you consume. I consider the fact that there are people who go to movies every weekend, shelling out $10 for the ticket, plus another $10-15 for refreshments. While the stories obviously don’t take me as long to read in your case (those on podiobooks.com frequently take as long to listen to if not longer) as a movie, I feel many times they’re better written and I get more enjoyment so I’d rather send the money when I’m able your direction.
My two cents any way.
Thanks for your continued support, Bryan!
There won’t be any paid subscription for any form of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights.” I’m depending on the patronage of a percentage of my readers to compensate me for the efforts of writing the ongoing serial… so I appreciate that you’re encouraging readers to become patrons! Everyone… listen to this guy, he’s got his head on straight!
Matt,
One request I do ask, consider some sort of a login so those of us who visit the page regularly can sign in and comment on articles and episodes without having to go through the “I am not a spammer” match the word game down below. I have rather poor vision and sometimes it takes me a few tries to get it right, I’m aware there is an audio portion as well, but have you ever listened to it? It goes VERY fast and only repeats twice so that is sometimes out as well. If you implemented a username/password system that had to be verified against an e-mail address (similar to what Podiobooks.com and most forums do) it would make life much easier.
BTW this is also another reason why a podcast version is so desirable to me, I do have a text-to-speech reader but it doesn’t do anywhere near the inflection that a live reader could/would put to to the story. Some days I can read the story myself, others I can’t depending on how bad my vision is on a given day.
I used to have a login feature on the site and the extra step of registering, remembering the username and password, and then logging in each time actually greatly reduced the likelihood that a person would leave a comment. Since I opened comments to anyone, there’s much more participation on the site.
I appreciate your vision issue, even if you miss the audio on the reCaptcha, you can re-set it to provide a different pair of words, so maybe that helps. Also, reCaptcha is actually a good cause. The words used come from public domain manuscripts that optical character recognition software has failed to interpret. Every time a user verifies a reCaptcha pair, OCR software is made smarter and rare manuscripts are brought that much closer to preservation. Here’s more information about the reCaptcha project.
I’m intrigued by your choice here. And I think your math makes sense. I’m still stunned that people have actually donated for my humble efforts, and you, after all, are an -author-.
I just told MediaMonkey to subscribe me to the feed, but it contends there are no file enclosures in that feed. I’ll leave it set up, though; I assume when all is said and done, that’ll be where the Stuff will be.
Griz
Hi Grizzly!
MediaMonkey won’t find any enclosures, but there’s plenty of Stuff — over twenty thousand words to date. “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” is a serial fiction project… there are no enclosures to be found! You can subscribe to it like you would subscribe to any blog, and read it in the feed reader of your choice.
If and when I’m finally able to allocate the time to produce a podcast version of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights,” I’ll include it on the installment posts retroactively… but for now, you gotta use your eyes to enjoy it, not your ears.
Sorry Matt, but I’ll decide when to cancel my subscription, thank you very much. When May swings around, expect my renewal.
I guess I’ll just think of it as a general MWS subscription. Thanks for all the hard work!
Bob
Thanks for the sentiment, Bob! However, I instigated a bulk unsubscribe over at PayPal the other day… once PayPal gets through the list, everyone who was subscribed will be automatically unsubscribed. I felt that this was the right thing to do — I don’t want folks to forget they were subscribed and have an unexpected charge a month, six months, or a year from now.
That said… when May 2010 rolls around, you’ll find plenty of ways to support me on a repeating basis as a patron right here on this site! Thanks in advance!
Here’s to the future!
And thanks for the direct email, although it came on the same morning as the PayPal “unsubscription.” I was hoping real life had intervened in some other, more remunerative, way for you! But as long as you are happy, I’m good.
As far as refund, no thanks. Nothing has changed for me but the URL.
Thanks a million, Gail! I’m glad you’re around for the long haul.
Dear Matt,
I’m sorry you didn’t make the 1000 subscribers you were hoping to get. I believe artists and writers should be compensated for their efforts. That is why I purchased the print version of Brave Men Run and why I subscribed to Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights. I like and enjoy your writing so I was happy to show my support.
So, if I have paid for the privilage of reading your work and some people are going to get to do it for free, I have no problems with that. You have earned that support and are welcome to it. If there is any other support I can offer, spreading the word, artworki (I’m trying to build my portfolio) just let me know.
Kindest regards,
Jeff
Thanks for your support, Jeff… and don’t feel bad that we didn’t hit 1,000 folks under the subscription model! I believe that, ultimately, far more than a thousand will experience “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” under the voluntary patronage model. Now that folks can contribute whatever they like, the serial stands a chance of attracting even more patronage and support for my creative endeavors. It’s a win.
As far as artwork goes, stay tuned. I’m slowly renovating this web site, and one of the things I’ll be adding is a way for folks to easily contribute fan content. Stay tuned!
Hey Matt! Onwards and upwards! You’re a class act and I look forward to the next chapter in your creative endeavors! Please don’t insult me with an offer of a refund.
I’ve been getting far more than my money’s worth from your work and knowledge! I actually have to catch up… been entangled in the delightful vicissitudes of life, and I want to get back into Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights. This gives me the perfect excuse.
On a business-research-writing-publishing side note, it sounds like the experience of what you’ve done so far this year has been a fertile source of data for the Selznick braintrust. I look forward to picking your, er-hem, brain, in the near future. (Figuratively, of course.) Take care, sir, and keep up the great work.
Thanks, as always, for your support, my friend! And I’ll be writing about the “Hazy Days…” decision and other big changes on this site in a near-future blog post. I just have to put a few more of those changes into effect first. Stay tuned!
Hey Matt-
Dude, I am once again impressed with your integrity. Seriously, you are a role model for DIY ethics. I’ll admit, my first reaction when I got the PayPal notification that you’d canceled my subscription was one of “What the hell did I DO?!” Heh. Thanks for the heads-up about this post, and I’m so glad that the content will keep coming.
I flatly refuse a refund, and hope that you will consider my subscription a bulk up-front payment for HDaCN content over the next several months.
Universe, I heart Susan Z.
Thanks, lady! I hope you enjoy the installments of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” past and future, and I hope to see your comments on individual installments, too! Get in on the conversation; there’s a dedicated little band chiming in so far!
Hi Matt,
I haven’t read all the previous posts, but I wanted to let you know that if the story is as good as “Brave Men Run”, and you released a couple of podcast episodes as teasers, and had to pay for the rest, I probably would pay. Just another model to think of.
Will
I appreciate the idea, Will! There may be a podcast edition in the future.
For now, though, you don’t need to be teased! You can read every installment of “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” for free. Then, if you decide it’s worth paying for, you can. That’s neo-patronage: the art is there for all to experience, and each person decides for themselves how much compensation I deserve for the effort.
No refund! I love you ideas and am thrill to have been a part of your experiment. Keep the subscription and I look forward to continuing to support your work.
R
Thanks Rhonda! And by the way, by continuing to read, comment on and support “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights” and my other creative endeavors, you’re still part of the experiment!
Keep your dang money…..with my best wishes. Now, back to the story…
Rock on, Kathie… thank you.
Awwww, c’mon, Matt- just when I finally get a few bucks to actually PAY you for your art???? Just kidding, of course, I’ll happily read anything you write.
Hey there, Anne! I’m happy you’re reading “Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights… if you feel like dropping a few dollars now and then, I certainly won’t stop ya, but above all else, it’s grand just to have you along for the ride.