This is Sitting Queerly, a newsletter focused on the late blooming queer experience, the lofty goal of opening up conversations and celebrating those who embrace their full selves.
On Aug. 6, Sitting Queerly reached (and has since shot past1) the 100 subscriber mark.
It’s a milestone I had watched and waited for. As much as I want to heed the ‘Stackers who say to not worry about the metrics and just write the newsletter you want, I can’t. I need affirmation, I need praise, I need to know that what I write and put out into the world resonates with others.
And seeing a growing audience scratches that itch.
When I saw that three-digit number on my Substack dashboard that day, I wasn’t filled with elation or happiness or relief at first. I was filled with panic.
Because I had told myself that crossing that line would mean I take Sitting Queerly to the next step. And it’s always a little nerve wracking to put yourself out there and potentially face rejection.
But, here it goes…
As of today2, you can purchase a paid subscription for Sitting Queerly. I think my writing is worth paying for. I think I have given folks things to think about, a sense of shared experience, shown they aren’t alone in what they worry about in embracing queerness later in life.
But before I get into what a paid subscription entails, I want to be clear that free subscribers will not see any change in what they get from Sitting Queerly. Everyone will continue to receive a free newsletter every Monday morning where I talk about my late blooming queer journey and dive into subjects that intersect with it, such as coming out to your straight partner, dealing with lifelong body image issues and navigating the other travails of life alongside those involving your identity. I will continue to try and engage with comments on those newsletters. Those newsletters will always be accessible—nothing will be archived behind a paywall after being published. I will remain as accessible as I have since launching Sitting Queerly in February.
So, what will paid subscribers get?
Monthly subscribers ($5 per month) will have the ability to send me direct messages through Substack and have first look at potential special projects.
That means if you have an idea for a potential post or feedback that you don’t want to share publicly, you can share it with me. You’ll also get early access to my other writing or creative endeavors, such as excerpts of a novel I’m writing.
Annual subscribers ($50 per year) will get all the same perks as monthly subscribers PLUS a small handmade item from me mailed to them.
This, of course, will require an annual subscriber to provide me a mailing address to send said item, which could be a hand-embroidered patch, a hand-bound Coptic stitch-style journal and/or another handmade craft from me. And yes, this means you’ll get a new handmade item each time you renew.
Founding subscribers ($200) get all the monthly and annual perks PERMANENTLY plus a signed copy of one of my self-published photobooks.
As a founder you will always be able to DM me, participate in live chats and get first look at special projects. You will receive a handmade item each year on the anniversary of your subscription so long as Sitting Queerly is published. I will ensure you are always considered a paid subscriber.
As for the photobooks, they include a collection of photos from the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon, film shots depicting parenting two young children, and three dark humor Christmas-themed vignettes. Founding subscribers will get to choose which one they’d like to receive.
Again, to get the full benefits, I will need the founder to provide a mailing address.
NOTE: While I have enabled folks to donate more than an annual subscription to get founder status, all the Founding Subscriber perks will only go to those paying that listed founding subscription cost. Those paying something between that and the annual subscription will receive something in addition to the annual perks which is yet to be determined and will likely be arbitrary.
Are all these perks worth paying for? I think so. Paid subscribers will demand more of my time which, from a strictly business perspective, is money. I think the perks are a bargain for what you’re getting in addition to supporting my baby bi/queer ass and my efforts to help others and open up conversations around embracing our full selves.
And receiving some form of compensation for maintaining this publication will have a way of motivating me to make it more than it already is. More than just my own stories of coming out. More than just my perspective on current events, queer culture, queer-adjacent politics, you name it. I want to share other stories, other voices, other perspectives.
So, that’s my pitch.
Thank you, all of you, for reading. Substack, for all its flaws, provides not just a forum for my writing and that of so many others, but a community. And I’m so glad you have decided to be part of that community with me.
Which also happens to be Sitting Queerly’s 6-month-a-versary.
Woot woot! Go, Ty, go!