This won't come as a shock to any of you, but I have some pretty massive plans for this community. Plans that--at the moment--feel impossible, but plans I fully intend to make happen anyway. So, let's talk! But first, let me share one of the philosophies I hold closest to my heart:

Without unbreakable community and a willingness to dream delusionally, we cannot get to radical change.

Last month, I began a very persistent and very stubborn campaign to grow our paid subscription tiers here at Left Unread. I know you noticed. Everyone did. I was (and will continue to be) obnoxious. So sowwy (not really). At the time, I did share my goals and what I am trying to achieve. But now I want to take a moment to go into more detail, because once again, I think radical change requires real community. So, as I often do, I just want to lay all of the information in front of you so that you know exactly what I am working on and why it matters.

Overall, our community is doing fantastic. While the year we have been building this community has felt like it took an eternity, the reality is, we have accomplished a lot in a really short amount of time. And we have done so without shifting from our priority to support other people. Our growth has never meant competing with anyone or putting anyone down. In fact, I have no interest in competing with traditional publishers. I want to completely rewrite the industry. And while that is a tall (and slightly delusional) dream, it is a job I am absolutely confident we are ready for.

In our first year, we managed to build a publishing community of over 2,500 people. If you are thinking in terms of social media, that number may not feel impressive. But I assure you, on a platform like Bindery (or a comparable one, like Patreon, etc) it is very impressive. And as of the beginning of this month, we have over 350 paying subscribers. Which, once again, is very impressive. And it means that we are in a very good position as a publishing community.

So, why am I pushing so hard for more paid subscribers?

Because I want to be able to argue that Left Unread can handle a more aggressive publishing schedule.

Despite early success, Bindery is still an indie publisher. Which means it does not have the limitless resources that say, Harper Collins, has at their disposal. Because of that, they have to be strategic when it comes to choosing projects, and a lot of that comes down to how well individual imprints have positioned themselves to be successful publishers. And like I told you all last month, my immediate goal is to secure more books for this publishing community. Since starting this imprint, we have had dozens of amazing authors submit work to us. But we have been limited on how many projects we can consider. My goal is to grow our community in such a way that those limits grow. Currently, the goal is for each imprint to publish one or two books a year. But that just isn't good enough for me! I want us to be able to fight for as many Black and brown authors as we possibly can, because I know we're capable. And so I want us to prove it.

There are a lot of factors that go into securing books, and while we are doing amazing in pretty much every metric that Bindery pays attention to, my goal is to push past the expectations and to swing doors open. And not just for us. This industry is incredible white for a reason. And that is because Black and brown people have intentionally been left behind. I am passionate about always fighting to be successful in this space because (1) it serves our authors for us to be successful and (2) because I know exactly how hard it is for to Black and brown people to get through the door, and the more wildly successful we are, the wider that door sits open for the marginalized people behind us. So you can get used to me aiming high, defying expectations and refusing to settle for the ceiling. I will always fight for more, I will overperform and I will always demand new standards. Because dreaming radically is the only way we get to CHANGE.

And don't get me wrong. Bindery is very firm in their determination to create space. This company genuinely wants marginalized people to succeed. But there are zero spaces where Black and brown people do not have to work harder to get access and to succeed. Generating the support to warrant access has always require more drive, more focus and more effort for us. Even in places that want to create space for us. Our community has been very successful here, but it is because we have worked tirelessly to make sure of it. And more access (which is important for actual change) is going to take even more work from even more people. And this is not me accepting that reality. This is me saying that the way we change that is by shifting the standard and making growth a community effort, and by opening the doors as wide as they can be opened.

Anyway, the short of it is, I am grateful for the doors you have helped me open. I am not delusion enough to think I did any of this alone. WE have built an amazing community and we are doing amazing things for Black and brown authors. And simultaneously, I want to ask you all to be all in on this vision. If you are not already a paid subscriber, now is the time to make that jump if it is doable for you and your family. Please don't feel pressured to invest a penny you don't have. But if you have it, pressure, pressure, pressure LOL!!!! I am not trying to get rich off y'all. I am trying to swing very stubborn doors open and I cannot do it without investment from readers who care about change.

So help me fight for Black and brown authors. Upgrade to the $5 tier or the $12 tier right now. Shoot, if you've got it, upgrade to the $25. Every single dollar makes a massive difference in getting us to our goal.

Right now, I am trying to reach 500 paid subscribers. And we are about 120 away from that goal! Let's see if we can get that done and then we will see where we are!

Thanks, everyone!

Additional steps you can take right now to help our community grow:

• Pre-Order Cry, Voidbringer

  • It is currently 15% off with discount code: lovebooksellers. Here is a direct link: https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781964721521

• Request Cry, Voidbringer on Netgalley:

  • Netgalley is a site where you can request access to early e-copies of your most anticipated books! And getting early reviews helps a book do better with booksellers, so please go request it, read it and give it an honest review: www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/591477

• Add Cry, Voidbringer to your Goodreads TBR

  • Goodreads TBRs are public, which means booksellers can see how many people are interested in a book before they decide if they want to stock it. By adding it to your TBR you are helping us to get early support from booksellers, which matteers: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/223222877-cry-voidbringer