Year Two
a thank you (and a soft announcement!)
Thank you for joining us today!
If you’re just tuning in this week, The Wildroot Parables celebrated our one-year anniversary here on Substack yesterday! So instead of a normal essay, I thought today we could raise an Ebenezer on this particular mountaintop and take a look at how far this little community has come in one year (plus discuss an exciting change in our paid model!).
First, some stats:
The Wildroot Parables currently has around 230 free subscribers and 11 paid subscribers.
It is read across 40 US states and a total of 19 countries worldwide.
Most of our traffic comes from within the Substack Network, but we also get folks popping in from Instagram, Facebook, and the occasional Google search.
No matter how you got here, no matter if you’re a regular reader or an occasional one, no matter if you share or comment or click the little heart button…YOU are what make this community such a beautiful place to be, and I am so very grateful for every single one of you! Thank you!
As we head into Year Two…
I’m happy to say that pretty much everything about the free version of this space is going to stay the same. Yay, right? If it isn’t broken, let’s not fix it! I’m going to continue with the weekly schedule we started, because by golly it works for me, and I just hope y’all continue to show up, read, share, comment, and enjoy our journey together.
The only thing teetering on the edge of change is our paid model. If you are a paid subscriber and you’ve stuck with me this long, a hearty thank you! I appreciate your patience as I settle into a system that works where you contribute and I provide you with quality content. I’m still new at providing regular paid content, so finding a healthy rhythm is a process.
This year, thanks to a mix of feedback and my own plans, I am going to move away from monthly ebooks of poetry and, instead, toward digital devotional materials, which you can subscribe to like a bimonthly digital “zine” (note: if you are already a paid subscriber, then you’re all set!). Each devotional will cover two months at a time (the first one, coming up, will be for March & April) with weekly meditations (including original poetry, which will not be published elsewhere), journal prompts, discussion questions, and the occasional poem or prayer for a holy day. In this way, I’m hoping to make the ebook idea more practical so that the cost is worth it for a wider variety of folks.
Another fun detail? These devotionals will be more interactive. As a paid subscriber you will have access to exclusive discussions with other subscribers straight from the devotional every week, as well as bonus resources from me.
Some future dream-ideas for this model:
The ability to purchase each devotional through an online shopfront for those who prefer not to subscribe (this is something I’m actively working on)
Other writers and creatives contributing to the devotionals, like a traditional “zine”
More photos, art, and visuals
The ultimate dream: a print version! (Oooooo!)
The first of these digital devotionals is already in the works and will be available before the first full week of March (starting on the 5th). If you want to hop on board and help me workshop this blossoming idea in its early stages, feel free to hit the button below and become a paid subscriber for $5 a month!
If you pay, try it out, and it’s not your thing, no hard feelings! Like I said, this is a process, and we’ll all find our footing together.
CURRENT PAID SUBSCRIBERS: If this is NOT what you signed up for, I completely understand! Reach out privately if you would prefer to revert back to free for any reason, and we’ll get you sorted. The last thing I want is for anyone to feel they aren’t getting what they pay for!
Regardless, if you have ANY questions, feedback, or anything else, please drop it below. I want to hear any and all thoughts you may have as we head into Year Two.
Thank you, thank you, for being here. Yes, you! Thanks for making me feel for the first time in my life like I’m writing for a steady, solid audience of supportive and good-natured readers. You are simply the best.
Blessings,
S.E. Reid
Thank you for reading!
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Excited for the future of The Wildroot Parables!
Really excited for what you come up with. I like your ambitious goals for Year Two of the Wildroot Parables! I also *really like* this format for making announcements and discussing future plans. I always struggle with how to have that discussion, and I feel like I always end up just changing things and announcing after the fact. Not great at the hype machine.
You're doing a great job and you've picked the right time to start beefing up the paid perks. I'm enjoying watching your growth and shamelessly stealing (some might more charitably describe it as "learning") some strategies!
Keep up the good work!