This probably isn’t new to you, if you follow our social channels, but we, like everyone else, have launched a weekly newsletter.
What does this mean? This means: If you want exclusive Manqué content sent right to your inbox every week, you should visit out Patreon and sign up for our Thumps Up level of patronage. This is $5 a month and buys you access to A Brief Aside, the Manqué newsletter.
What does it look like? That varies. We’ve sent out four during our soft rollout, and they typically include a lil personal essay-blog hybrid, recipes of recommendation, outtakes from Monica’s camera roll, and then whatever other little diddies spark our fancy that week. I can say for certain that, because this is a paid newsletter, we’re very conscious about providing you content that is worth your hard-earned money.
Why does it cost money? In short, because running an online magazine takes up time and resources, and the work that’s done here has value. Right now, we’re focused on keeping our lights on; secondly, we want to build a fund to pay writers. That second goal isn’t off the ground yet. If you like what we do here, we’d appreciate your help!
Why did you launch it when you launched it? Monica here: When I launched Manqué in 2019, I always planned to move the magazine to a subscription-based model. We’ll always provide content for free, but not all of it, and not all the time. As our newsletter grows, we will begin paywalling certain content, depending on its “value” and audience appeal. This is the first step in launching subscriptions. Without getting too into the weeds, there are few ways for publications to generate any income, even if that income generation is just a matter of breaking even. Because ad-based models are broken and unreliable, I never planned to actively pursue them as a method of bringing in funding. Subscriptions, however, promote (I think) meaningful relationships between readers and publishers. It means you’re invested! And it also gives us the chance, aside from literally invest in what’s going on here, to develop a meaningful Manqué community, another developmental priority. After a year in operation, it felt like the right time to begin taking steps in that direction.
How do I sign up? Glad you asked! Visit our Patreon, which is linked here and also at the bottom of most stories.
I can’t afford to subscribe but I’d love to get you in my inbox. No problem! Send Monica an email: monicaerinbusch@gmail.com.
But wait, what does it look like? Here are some screengrabs!
We hope you join us!
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