Schedule releases to begin on each reader's subscription start

Feature Requests + Future Updates
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I’m really happy about the additional options available under scheduling. As I understand it, you set the starting date of releasing chapters, and you set the frequency/dates to release subsequent chapters. That will take you up to the completion of the book/series. At the end of that period, the book will be complete. A reader who starts subscribing at that point would have access to the entire book, isn’t that so?

What I would like to see is the option for setting up a book like this: no matter when a reader signs up for the subscription tier, they will get scheduled releases of that book as if it’s just being released (to them); wheras another reader who subscribed to the tier e.g. two months earlier would be two reading months ahead of the new reader. That way, a period of subscriptions would always be coming in as new readers join the tier

Is that currently possible? If not, I would really love to see this option.

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2

This is also known as “dripping” content, and I second that this would be an amazing feature.

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A ‘dripping’ subscription? An interesting term for it. Certainly more succinct than, e.g., reader-specific scheduling, or something like that. It would give every new subscriber the same serial experience, plus it would keep the subscription income more steadily.

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So, I understand what you’re saying, and I low-key agree. Having a pre-set curated experience for each reader would be nice and avoid someone reading everything in a month or two and leaving. It’s something many authors have talked about and Ream also understands this viewpoint. It’s just a big thing to program currently and it has a notable downside for the reader experience.

As the system is right now, you can do that if you separate each reader into their own private tier, then schedule out each tier separately as someone subscribes. Which means redoing the schedule each time someone subscribes, archiving their tier and making a duplicate tier for the next one. Basically manually turning your Ream into a newsletter, a crazy amount of work in my opinion.

To be blunt, drip feeding only works in a vacuum. Yes, it avoids binge reading, but it would also alienate those who prefer to binge read and hurt the community features. If my friend tells me about your awesome story and I jump on to read it, now I’m forced to wait 1-2 months to get to the same part, but they will be always ahead of me. I can never participate in the discussions with everyone else because I will be chronically stuck behind. No one would be able to catch up, your group of super fans would struggle to grow, and you would be gatekeeping your content behind a concept of time designed to squeeze money out of people. That kind of forced situation would push me to find the newest stuff for free somewhere else, maybe even look up a pirate site.

Don’t segregate your readers for the idea of forcing them to pay the same price, readers control where they spend their money and systems like that don’t feel good to experience. It’s much more beneficial to just create more tiers, create stepping stones that they willing to step on, pay a little to get them hooked. little more to satisfy their curiosity, and then the popular stone where all the chit chat is going on.

Don’t fall into the habits predicated by corporations. Squeezing people for money and trying to force them into your ideal reader experience. You are a unique human with the power to turn mere words on a page into a imaginary world of intrigue. It’s almost like a drugs for some readers! Have you ever forced a drug addict to slow down? I have, its not fun. If you keep giving out your content, your real fans will stay.

Sorry for the rant, just don’t want authors to fall into bad mindsets. Ream brings you closer to readers, don’t treat them like a transaction, they’re people too.

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Re. “Yes, it avoids binge reading, but it would also alienate those who prefer to binge read and hurt the community features.”
But isn’t that what tiers are for: you set up a tier for readers who prefer binging the ebook experience, getting all chapters available in bulk?
One tier for those who enjoy the serial experience (thus a preset curated experience) and one tier for those who enjoy the ebook experience.

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Ahhh, ok! I see what I missed there.

I can get behind that, I though you meant forcing it on every subscriber, but if the reader is aware/consents to it; then who am I to say no?!
In that manner, it could be nice for those who cant afford the upfront cost. You know, discount the tier, draw out the full benefits to match. That does technically change the potential way to program it. Making it a tier feature you can enable.

The tier system gives readers choices, how I thought you meant it before would scrap that and make everything drip-feed content, which is not good in my opinion. drip-feed doesn’t allow readers to catch up and join the conversations in your community very well.

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I’ve most often seen drip content used for educational material, “courses” as it were, but you also see it in places like Webtoon, where you get a “daily pass” to unlock one episode per day.

I like the idea of a less expensive tier that can access a certain number of episodes/chapters per X time period. Very interesting. :thinking:

But I was thinking of other ways to use it. For example, what if you could create an anniversary story that each person got access to on their first year anniversary as a subscriber!

Another idea is, I’ve seen some people offer digital book downloads after 2 months. You could create a story with links or coupons to the downloads and set it to automatically open up to them at 2 months. Otherwise, you’re tracking everything in a spreadsheet, and that’s manual curation that sounds a bit tedious to me (and I’ll invariably make a mistake).

I do see content dripping as a big ask, so I wouldn’t expect it any time soon. But since someone else brought it up, figured I’d chime in. :grin:

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We LOVE all the ideas!

We can add to tracking subscription length of a reader with metrics to see money/time. Set notice per tier? Per price? Overall length of subscription?

Currently, a reader can’t be multiple tier’d, so time based content? Be able to set when it’s removed/set an expiration length?

It seems like a new section of tools would be needed, “Reader Milestones” (please suggest a better name) where content outside of tiers is set to release to a subscriber after they hit certain metrics. One year, bam. $100, bam! Clicked a secret link, BAM! Feels like achievements, for books.

Depending on what other sites/services you use, I have seen authors emulate some of these ideas, but Ream does plan on designing it into the site eventually, and it’s critical to know the how/what/why for programing. Ream what’s to know what the authors want and how we can give you all the tools for the best reader experience going forward.

Keep them coming!

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9

I’d love to be able to set up milestone rewards and to receive notifications when a milestone occurs.

What would interest me most currently is:

  • Individual milestones by anniversary (3 months, 6 months, 12 months, etc)

  • Group milestones by $$$ (eg, $100/mo goal met) with rewards per tier

  • Group milestones by # subscribers

I also like the idea of having expiring rewards as well, which would be useful for incentivizing people to join (limited time reward) and to collect their rewards.

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Thanks for that detailed feed back, Patrick. After reading through it, I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with you. We aren’t here to milk our subscribers for money, but to give them an enjoyable community experience. It doesn’t always have to be first-come, first-serve. If they want to binge for a month or two, let them, but the chances are that most join the community because they want to be a part of something. Bingers will binge…

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11

I like the idea of milestones and rewards, and limited time options, etc.

Having a lower cost tier option for the serial/drip-feed experience when a reader starts their subscription (or they may be on a restricted budget), and a higher cost tier for those who want to binge-read the whole ebook (and can afford it), and other tiers, is up to each author to set up. The option to set a tier to drip-feed on subscription start is on the top of my wishlist right now, in particular because I’m not a prolific writer as some authors here are.

The tiers are available for authors to customize as they wish; as that is how Ream has set up this platform for us authors, within the limits of what’s possible and allowed on the platform of course. Ream and experienced authors can only recommend best practices in the help guides and here in the community.

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I agree and would love the system to remind me of time milestones and monetary milestones that I set. I want to send welcome membership cards to everyone after their second month. I want to send anniversary gifts to everyone who’s been with me and entire year, etc

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This is great. Totally would love to add this in the future! Probably not on the roadmap for the next few months – but definitely for the future!

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