Independent Publishers Bank on Subscriptions Over Advertising

A growing number of independent publishers are attempting to generate revenue directly from their readers by selling them subscriptions and memberships

· subscriptions,publishing

Publications with readership too small for significant ad revenue get new tools to manage subscriptions

Sinoscism, an independent newsletter distributed in China introduced a paid version of his news product on Oct. 16 and said he immediately realized he was onto something. In the first 24 hours he attracted over 1,000 subscribers and generated over $100,000 in revenue, he said, by offering memberships for $11 a month or $118 a year. Those figures suggest the majority of readers signed up for the annual subscription.

Within two weeks, he said Sinocism had grown to more than 2,500 paying subscribers.

“Just like everyone else I’m sick of seeing goofball ads next to great content—ads that get more and more distressing and weird and targeted every week,” said niche publisher Kelly Dwyer