Windflower: New Subscriber Model
Shifting the border between Free and Paid
Good morning, all!
As I mentioned in the last email, I’ve reached a decision that is fairly substantial, in regards to free versus paid content.
In this update:
Background
The decision
New model - what to expect as a subscriber
Exceptions to the new model!
Subscription tiers and updated pricing
Background
At the beginning of the year, I launched, or at least listed, new paid content for 2025. I haven’t received any paying subscribers, which is understandable, as I haven’t really started any of these new items yet.
However, what 2025 unexpectedly brought this far, rather than the massive productivity and accomplishments I was planning for, is basically a semi-retreat from my projects. This gives me time to put more thought into stories before I work on them, and make changes to dress designs before I eventually cut the fabric, but it’s also given me the time to realize that Windflower’s model isn’t working the way I had hoped when I launched it over a year ago.
Writers, who have been on Substack longer than I have, gave me excellent advice and suggestions, recommending that I open up Windflower’s content to everyone with a rolling paywall as a way to gain more subscribers and give more to readers; that way anyone who chose to become a paid subscriber might be doing so more out of a wish to support the writer herself (me, here) rather than simply paying to be able to read. I’ve also been told that it can take several years to be able to be paid for your work on Substack, which makes sense.
However, what I’ve realized, and I’ve been going in a loop here over the last year, as you can probably tell from Windflower’s model experimentation, is that I don’t have the time to continue writing for Windflower this way unless it’s equal to a side job. I cannot keep sharing all of my fiction and fashion work with everyone for free.
I started sharing my work here over a year ago in the hopes of having better success with my writing—it’s amazing to actually have an audience via Substack, so thank you!—and especially in the hope that I could have some success outside of the dry, technological, uncreative careers that are generally available, since I know that other writers have found at least a secondary income from Substack.
Substack is growing quickly, with a plethora of successful and even well-paid writers writing, usually, it seems, in any uncreative or non-fiction genre, while the creative writers seem to be the ones whose work is often not valued as much.
Between AI and a massive market of books, many of which are not appropriate or aren’t fiction, especially the latter when it comes to Catholic books, it’s almost impossible for anyone to make even a helpful amount of money with fiction. We all appreciate getting things for free, especially if they are clean and high-quality, and it’s easy to forget what goes into the creative process.
That’s really a sad outlook for humanity, of course, so creatives have to keep going even if they’re discouraged. On the other hand, we also need to be practical!
Decision
Unless I can get at least 8-10 monthly or yearly paying subscribers within a year, or generate a significant amount of freelance work and book purchases through Windflower, sharing my work with everyone for free is no longer viable at this time. As does every human being, I still need to know that my work is worth it. If I can achieve this goal, I may be able to open up at least some fiction to free subscribers again.
This means, unfortunately, that for now, my readers won’t be able to keep up with any of my novels without either a free trial, or a paid subscription. I realize most of you won’t wish to do this, or have the ability to! If you choose to unsubscribe, that’s fine as well.
At the same time, offering clean Catholic stories as perhaps a little break or distraction from negativity, is one of my goals, so there are some exceptions.
Free subscribers will still receive short stories and first chapters of new novels and serials. If you’ve purchased one of my books, you’ll find a third exception below!
What to Expect
While Free Subscribers will no longer be able to access the majority of fiction and fashion posts, you will still receive:
Random posts
Character/Costume design for my novels
The first chapter of each novel and serial
Short stories (under 20 minutes of reading time)
Occasional previews of a story
Announcements
Cover reveals
Updates
Paid Subscribers, and those with a complimentary subscription, will be able to follow along the rest of the way with Rise of Sirius and The Sword of Myn’, and will receive:
All novels
All short stories that are over 20 minutes of reading time
All serials
All fashion design posts
Access to the archive
Exceptions:
Anyone who has purchased a book for themselves or as a gift (that is, did not receive it as a gift themselves; and did not end up returning the book), can receive access to any one available serial of their choosing, per each individual book purchase, or five paywalled chapters of a novel, within two years of purchase.
All that one needs to do to receive this is to read the book (so that I can ensure I’m not giving free content for a returned or refunded book), and send me an appropriate proof of purchase, along with the name of the serial one would like access to.
Anyone who leaves a tip or donation of $3.75 or more via the link in Windflower’s navigation bar, or the “buy me fabric button,” will receive a complimentary subscription for the appropriate length of time!
In Closing
Again, this means that in 2025, most readers will not be able to follow along with Rise of Sirius, The Sword of Myn’, the July and October Ransom serials, or the second book of Haunting Melody, without a paid or gifted subscription, or a proof-of-purchase for Ransom or Wingswept (when it’s published).
If you or someone else would like to be able to read these stories, please consider becoming either a monthly or yearly subscriber, or giving a subscription as a gift! The only way to bypass Substack’s minimum fee of $5 is with a discount, so I’ve set a 12-month discount for both subscription types.
Monthly subscriptions are $3.75 for your first year, which, as usual, gives you access to the archives.
Yearly subscriptions, for your first year, are $37.50.
Founding members get a lifetime subscription for $155.
As always, please help me to know whether my work is valuable, by a like, comment, subscription, tip (the “buy me fabric” button), hiring me for a freelance job, and/or purchasing one of my novels. Thank you!
God bless!
In the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
Thérèse Judeana
You can find my available freelance services here:
Windflower is fully supported by its audience. Instead of buying me a coffee, you can purchase my novels or leave a donation which will go towards the purchase of fabric for interactive projects, where you’ll be able to vote on what historical dress or film costume I’ll recreate! Donations also help to continue creating Windflower’s content and to support the local Latin Mass.
Please consider liking, subscribing and sharing with your friends. Thank you, and God bless!