Escape Artists
Escape Pod => Episode Comments => Topic started by: eytanz on October 13, 2013, 09:17:00 PM
-
Escape Artists Metacast (http://escapepod.org/2013/10/13/escape-artists-metacast/)
An urgent update on the status of Escape Artists, its three podcasts, our plans for the future and why we desperately need your help getting there.
(http://escapepod.org/wp-images/podcast-mini4.gif) Listen to the metacast! (http://traffic.libsyn.com/escapepod/MetaCast2013.mp3)
-
Just listened to the metacast - very informative, you guys. Since I've been getting more involved in the community recently after years of lurking, I've been thinking it might be time to subscribe.
But since I'm a near-broke student on a research assistant salary, I'm justifying it to myself by thinking of it like this: once a month, I'm buying EA a beer.
It's an Oktoberfest miracle!
Cheers, y'all. :)
-
I'm a big, big fan of Podcastle (and I keep meaning to check out the other EA podcasts – I promise I will, eventually), and I'd like it if it were around for quite some time to come. I subscribed earlier in the year, and I'd certainly be more than happy to give a bit more. What's the best way to up my subscription amount?
-
I cannot imagine my morning and evening commute without an Escape Artists' podcast to look forward to. Subscribed about 3 minutes ago. I can only hope that my fellow listeners do the same.
-
@alexr
Paypal lets you adjust your recurring payments manually. Or I guess you could subscribe to all three podcasts; the money all goes to the same place, since it's one company financially-speaking. (Editorial control is obviously a separate issue.)
-
@alexr
Paypal lets you adjust your recurring payments manually. Or I guess you could subscribe to all three podcasts; the money all goes to the same place, since it's one company financially-speaking. (Editorial control is obviously a separate issue.)
I do not believe this is correct. There is no way to adjust the size of your donation from within paypal.
You can either cancel your existing subscription and start a higher one (I just did this; note that this will mean that a payment comes out right away, regardless of when your last payment was), or you may be able to have multiple subscriptions at once - I don't know if the latter works, I haven't tried.
-
I've been listening to all your podcast for at least five years now. These stories have become a part of my life and I look forward to them all every week. I've laughed, cried, and been transported a lot further than just my car can get me. Usually being part of the 99% is something I take pride in, today I will fix that reputation in regards to you the escape artists. I'm going to be catching up on some back dues to y'all for all the fine work you do. Thanks so much I hope to see you in the new year.
-
Just listened to the metacast and I'm shocked to hear that things are at this point. I had no idea. As soon as I have an income, cross your fingers, in a few weeks - I hope - I will send my backpay donations for the last year or two.
I applaud the administratuve team for their effort, their honesty, and taking the time to do this metacast - after all they are busy turning out stories every week, working a day job, and living their lives.
Just a quick question - I've seen on other sites where they rig up a monthly fundraising goal and have current progress to that goal displayed. Sometimes there are top/new donors. Does that exist for escape artist sites ? It wouldn't be hard to whip up, and would clearly communicate fundraising goals.
-
Coincidence ? This was the next podcast that came up in my playlist !
Freakonomics.
Episode: How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freakonomicsradio/~5/h-r3eK0tAVY/freakonomics_podcast101013.mp3
-
I'm a big, big fan of Podcastle (and I keep meaning to check out the other EA podcasts – I promise I will, eventually), and I'd like it if it were around for quite some time to come. I subscribed earlier in the year, and I'd certainly be more than happy to give a bit more. What's the best way to up my subscription amount?
The easiest way would be to cancel your existing subscription and start a new one at the new level you'd like to donate. It will take money out of your paypal account a second time, but if the extra payment puts a crimp on your paypal balance you can E-mail me or PM me directly and, with some details from you, I can essentialy issue a refund to reverse your first donation back to you.
Just a quick question - I've seen on other sites where they rig up a monthly fundraising goal and have current progress to that goal displayed. Sometimes there are top/new donors. Does that exist for escape artist sites ? It wouldn't be hard to whip up, and would clearly communicate fundraising goals.
That's something we hadn't considered, but I'll look into it and see what options there are.
-
I know this is probably not the best time to suggest this, but have you considered a National Endowment for the Humanities or National Endowment for the Arts grant?
(I now have a job. And I will make use of the new option. ESPECIALLY if there is a PayPal alternative --- HATE HATE HATE Paypal)
-
Been a long time fan of Escape pod and Pseudopod now.
Just subscribed for $2 a month.
I wish I could give more but I have a very small income and little to spend on extra's.
Still I hope it will help.
PD.
-
(I now have a job. And I will make use of the new option. ESPECIALLY if there is a PayPal alternative --- HATE HATE HATE Paypal)
You can send donations in via Dwolla.com. Our number is 812-527-2340
-
I've been listening to Escape Pod since 2009 and Podcastle since 2010, and have always said to myself "I'll donate when money isn't so tight." This was the kick in the pants I needed to decide that if I can afford wifi in my home, then I can certainly afford five bucks a month for the EA casts as well. Thanks for everything that you guys do, I appreciate you so much!
-
Sorry to hear things are in such a state; I would miss these podcasts and the forums a great deal if they weren't here, so I've upped my subscription a bit.
It sounds like you have a plan for recovery, and I hope it works out. Keep us posted!
-
Wow! Escape artists cannot be allowed to die. I suppose it is time to set up the subscription I've been promising myself I will set up one day. Amazing how the threat of losing something can make you realise just how empty life would be without it
-
Okay I've subscribed. I'm really sorry it's only the lowest donation point, I'm pretty stressed about money myself at the moment so I know how you feel. You guys are the best. I really appreciate everything that you're doing even though I'm a mad lurker.
-
I donated once I'll need to put more money in my paypal account in order to subscribe
-
Aye. It is perfectly reasonable to ask for money to keep the place running. I will have my wife subscribe us. You guys do an amazing job. We love all the podcasts.
-
I only started listening to EscapePod and PseudoPod earlier this year and am dreading the prospect of losing your weekly stories.
Some of them really touched me, others were plainly weird, some exceedingly clever and creative, but always unique and I will carry memories of (and scars from) them with me for the rest of my life.
Absolutely love the work you do! Hopefully my subscription will help you stay afloat.
-
Count me among those hating the prospect of losing EA and finally getting out my wallet to do something.
My birthday present was originally going to be a Bluetooth receiver for easier time listening in my car, but what sense is it if you guys go out of business?
-
It's probably clear from how long we've waited to say anything and by the way that when we finally did, we babbled on and on like a 35-year-old having to ask his parents for money, but this was hard for us. Your response has been heartwarming and reassuring. In fact, now I feel like I can ask you guys for anything. Can each of you come take one thing out of my basement and never bring it back? I want to make some play space down there.
-
I've never posted on these forums before, but I've been listening to Escape pod, pseudopod, and podcastle since very nearly their beginning. It has literally been an escape for me, during long commutes, while working as a dishwasher, and during study breaks. It has been something for my brother and I to bond over. It has been with me longer than most of my significant romantic relationships. I have really come to value the type of stories escape artists has brought me,but more than that, it has given me a human connection to the fiction I love. Reading is generally such a solitary experiences, but in the thought provoking, and revealing monologues by the editors I have shared the vast social and emotional impact good writing can have on us.I don't really make a lot of money, but this month I'm setting aside some of my tips so I can make a donation.
Esacape artists had pointed me towards some new amazing things, given me audio from some of my favorite authors and most of all kept my mind excited.
I would hate to see any of these shows disappear.
-
I went from donating 10 a month to donating nothing because I entered the real world and got a low paying job, but if $2 a month is all it takes to make an impact, I can do that. Heck, I could probably squeeze $5 a month. I'll be re-subscribing today. I don't want to see the podcasts die!
-
I have a slightly rude question that I can't seem to find the answer to -- What are Escape Artists costs? I expect being a pro-paying market plus server costs make up the bulk of it, plus any pay the staff get, and future plans to pay readers, plus what else? Or if that's too private of a matter, what's a per download cost? or per story cost?
-
Escape Pod is pro-pay (0.05 per word for original 0.03 per word for reprint), while PseudoPod and PodCastle are semi-pro ($100 for full length and $20 for flash). I would estimate ~$20k for just stories per year.
No clue about server costs and the staff compensation is a pittance even before you compare it to the time invested. Plus there's a volunteer army of narrators and such that get nothing for their trouble but warm fuzzies.
My warm fuzzies cause me to sleep lightly. I keep waking up and they're lurking in the corner, and they hide that pillow behind their back as if I couldn't see them...
-
I'm so glad you all gave us the real skinny on what's needed to keep Escape Artists going. I listen to all three of the podcasts and I have for years. You guys have gotten me through times of financial hardship and helped inspire me along the way. I think it's about time I gave back, and I'm glad you reminded me how much it is needed. I'm a subscriber now and am posting around the web to spread the word. I hope all of the combined and continued listener support you get from the metacast satisfies your financial needs and keeps the pod going.
-
Yeah, running a full length story every week for a year would cost Pseudopod alone $5,200. Factor in a few flash on the borderlands and it goes down by about $200 perhaps per year. Double the $5,000 left over for a rough estimate of PodCastle, and you're at $10,000 for the semi-pro casts. Escape Pod probably runs hotter than either of the other two since it's pro-paying. Then factor in server costs and you probably do hit about $20,000.
Not sure what the staff make, but it seems really meager.
-
Been subscribing for a while - give or take the odd change-of-card hiccup - so I've put out a link to the metacast on twitter. Hope it brings in some new paying punters pdq :)
-
Add on one more person who's now subscribing - I've meant to for a while, but never got around to it...hearing the metacast, and the possibility that the group might not be able to continue past the end of the year, finally gave me the impetus.
Thanks for all you do!
-
I've been listening since pretty much episode one of Escape Pod (I think I came in at episode eight or nine - but then went back)... but have either been too poor or, more recently, too lazy to subscribe.
$5pm subscription from October. Done. Fixed that.
That just leaves the back pay from May 2005 to September 2013 == 8 years + 4 months == 100 months.
Gosh - that's an enticingly round number isn't it.
Since I didn't always have enough spare cash to subscribe over that time - let's call it $2pm to make it a nice round one-off $200.
Also done.
Folks - for those who are luck enough to be able to afford it - consider back pay. The lovely EA folk deserve it.
-
I've been listening since pretty much episode one of Escape Pod (I think I came in at episode eight or nine - but then went back)... but have either been too poor or, more recently, too lazy to subscribe.
$5pm subscription from October. Done. Fixed that.
That just leaves the back pay from May 2005 to September 2013 == 8 years + 4 months == 100 months.
Gosh - that's an enticingly round number isn't it.
Since I didn't always have enough spare cash to subscribe over that time - let's call it $2pm to make it a nice round one-off $200.
Also done.
Folks - for those who are luck enough to be able to afford it - consider back pay. The lovely EA folk deserve it.
Wow. Your generosity leaves me speechless.
-
Count me in as a new subscriber ...longtime listener.
-
Most excellent!
-
Julie (my wife) and I just pledged $10/mth. Love these podcasts. Hopefully we'll cover ourselves and then a few other people.
-
Just wanted to say thank you all so much. Everyone here at Escape Artists loves what we do, and we want to continue to bring great stories to you after this year. You all are making it possible, and the responses here really means a lot to all of us. Thank you.
-
I'm so glad to hear you can take money through Dwolla... I've been hesitant to subscribe due to bad experiences with Paypal in the past, but now I can happily support you every month, and I'll give a back-payment for all the awesome stories you've given over the last few years I've been listening as well.
Do you sell t-shirts or any such thing?
-
The easiest way would be to cancel your existing subscription and start a new one at the new level you'd like to donate. It will take money out of your paypal account a second time, but if the extra payment puts a crimp on your paypal balance you can E-mail me or PM me directly and, with some details from you, I can essentialy issue a refund to reverse your first donation back to you.
A couple of people have talked about starting additional subscriptions to cover the sister podcasts but I guess that will increase the overall admin charge from paypal as that is per transaction?
Also I can use one of my favourite words and ask you to confirm there's no "hypothecation" and the donations all go into EA funds to be used to cover all the podcasts regardless of the nominal source of the donation?
-
The easiest way would be to cancel your existing subscription and start a new one at the new level you'd like to donate. It will take money out of your paypal account a second time, but if the extra payment puts a crimp on your paypal balance you can E-mail me or PM me directly and, with some details from you, I can essentialy issue a refund to reverse your first donation back to you.
A couple of people have talked about starting additional subscriptions to cover the sister podcasts but I guess that will increase the overall admin charge from paypal as that is per transaction?
Also I can use one of my favourite words and ask you to confirm there's no "hypothecation" and the donations all go into EA funds to be used to cover all the podcasts regardless of the nominal source of the donation?
From what I understand it all goes into a common pot used to support all three podcasts. Donating to one is a donation to EA overall.
-
As the producer of the horror audio fiction show, The NoSleep Podcast, I am in full support of the excellent work provided by the Escape Artists family. I am proud to be a donor to Pseudopod (a show I consider to be my friendly big brother) and was thrilled to be able to sponsor a couple of episodes this summer.
Let me reiterate the message clearly stated in the latest metacast: PODCASTS ARE NOT FREE! Even if the episodes are made available at no cost the work that goes into producing and hosting them costs serious moolah. I was shocked (but frankly not surprised) when Paul said that less than 1% of listeners have donated to the shows. That has to change.
My show recently moved to a premium subscription model. I make a shorter version of each episode available for free and the full-length version requires a "Season Pass". The price works out to less than 40 cents per hour of content. And yet even at that bargain basement price the number of subscribers is low.
We need to continue to spread the word that podcasts will no longer reside one step below middle school talent show in the entertainment realm. When the quality of the product is a good as what Escape Artists provides they should no longer have to beg for dollars. You listen? You donate.
On behalf of myself and the listeners of The NoSleep Podcast, EA can count on $20 per month.
-
It looks like Dwolla.com can only be used by people in the US. Do you have anything else planned? I recently read that Amazon is going to open up their payment system to third parties, maybe that's an option.
-
Hi gang,
Long time lurker here. You finally did it - not only did you get me on the fora for all 3 podcasts, but you got me to donate. Sadly, I am a poor journeyman astronomer, so it's fairly minimal. I've got my fingers crossed for EA!
-
I had a bank card failure in March(Lost it on the way to Pax East), and never re-upped my subscription on the new card. In April, my commute changed from 40 minutes to 15 minutes, and I stopped listening to the 'casts. In August/September, I started up again, because the afternoon drive-time sports guys are depressing and angry, and it was making me depressing and angry. So in order to change my mood, I changed my focus, and have started listening to Escape Pod again, and will start up with Podcastle again soon, I'm sure. Pseudopod is not my thing, because horror is not my thing, but there are folks out there that love that pod and not the other 2 pods, and they deserve to get their entertainment too.
I spent more in restaurants this weekend than a whole year of subscribing cost me last year, and I find that silly. So I've upped my subscription from $5/month to $10/month. Hope that helps the fight against the red and keeps all 3 pods alive.
-
Hey guys --
I've always donated my payments straight back to the castle, but I never subscribed as a listener. I can certainly afford five dollars a month. I'll have to look at my finances to see if I can do a back pay option to you as well.
Keep us posted on this fundraiser! Stephen Eley told me that "Run of the Fiery Horse" was one of the first stories bought for the castle... An honor I'll never forget. Podcastle gave me hope as a writer when I needed it most, and continues to inspire me.
Big hugs to all of you!
Hmm
-
Every little bit helps, guys. If everyone who listened to the podcast dropped us even a single dime, we'd still be well in the black. Don't feel bad if you can't make a grand gesture. (But if you can and want to make a grand gesture, do please feel free to do so. :-D)
I can't speak about a lot of the specifics of running the 'casts, but I don't mind revealing that I, at least, get a $50 monthly stipend for my work slush-wrangling. (That works out to an hourly rate of about two bucks an hour, by my back-of-the-napkin guesstimate of the time I spend. Less if you subtract my existing subscriptions to EA. :-D)
The slushers are unpaid volunteers and should be given cookies and praise for the time they spend.
-
As the producer of the horror audio fiction show, The NoSleep Podcast, I am in full support of the excellent work provided by the Escape Artists family. I am proud to be a donor to Pseudopod (a show I consider to be my friendly big brother) and was thrilled to be able to sponsor a couple of episodes this summer.
Let me reiterate the message clearly stated in the latest metacast: PODCASTS ARE NOT FREE! Even if the episodes are made available at no cost the work that goes into producing and hosting them costs serious moolah. I was shocked (but frankly not surprised) when Paul said that less than 1% of listeners have donated to the shows. That has to change.
My show recently moved to a premium subscription model. I make a shorter version of each episode available for free and the full-length version requires a "Season Pass". The price works out to less than 40 cents per hour of content. And yet even at that bargain basement price the number of subscribers is low.
We need to continue to spread the word that podcasts will no longer reside one step below middle school talent show in the entertainment realm. When the quality of the product is a good as what Escape Artists provides they should no longer have to beg for dollars. You listen? You donate.
On behalf of myself and the listeners of The NoSleep Podcast, EA can count on $20 per month.
Many thanks and congrats on the Parsec win.
-
Proud 1%. The only time in my life I will be able to say that! I can honestly say I do not even notice the $5, that is a single freaking soy quad half caf pumpkin latte no whip extra nutmeg, ONCE A MONTH! This needs to get done.
Come on 99%, step it up.
This is the best value on the web at $5 and they are only asking for $2/month. No brainer. ???
-
Can't imagine life without Escapepod! Thanks for the kick in the pants guys, I just subscribed.
-
Message received and understood. Formerly an occasional donator, I'm now a new member of what I'm hoping is no longer 1% of your audience.
Thanks for the years and hours of entertainment, and here's to many more.
It was an honor being a part of it with "Eugene" and "Like A Hawk In Its Gyre" and I hope to be able to throw my stupid face-noises at one of your stories again at some point in the future.
-='Box=-
-
I discovered Pseudopod about 6 months ago and was simply floored at the quality of the writing. My meager subscription is long overdue.
Question - amongst your staff, do you have someone who serves as a marketer / community partner? Do you make use of any form of digital advertising? It's the lowest cost, highest ROI if done correctly. I realize that it may seem absurd to suggest spending money on advertising for a free podcast in the midst of a financial crisis (in fact, it probably IS absurd), but the surest way for EA to increase its revenue in the long term is to increase its listener base.
Anyhow, this is probably all stuff you've already heard of and/or considered, but if not, I am happy to help and can be reached at yeahjim at f+1mail.com. I can also be reached at the end of the road past the interstate. Just drive to the last dilapidated house, turn right at the rotten tree stump, keep going past the emaciated coyotes whose eyes seem to judge you, and park as soon as the stars on the horizon seem to resemble some obscene tableau from an age best forgotten. I won't be far off.
Thank you SO MUCH for providing the best part of my daily commute.
-
Thank you to all of the Escape Artists podcasts.
One year ago I made a cross-country drive from Seattle to Massachusetts for a new job. I loaded up my phone with a seemingly endless supply of stories from the archives and drove like a madman for 4 days. That would've been a very lonely trip without you.
So thank you for doing what you do. And please keep doing it.
New subscriber,
Michael
-
This is my favorite thread of all time. It is so wonderful seeing all these new faces signing up to answer the call. You all are seriously awesome people!
-
re: transparency - I make $37.50 a week as editor.
Last night (since I was at Capclave all weekend chasing down some authors and hobbing the nob with Norm and the SYNTHETIC VOICES crew) I sat down at my computer at 11pm (I had to re-watch 3 Mario Bava films on Netflix earlier, before they got pulled - BARON BLOOD, what fun!) and finished at 4am. I woke up this morning at 7:30, drank a cup of coffee and, barring occasional Facebook posts, worked on PSEUDOPOD stuff and haven't moved until right now, 3:00pm (I am currently unencumbered by gainful employment) - I'm going to go to the gym now (and listen to our fellow podcasters while I trudge along) because Autumn looks very beautiful outside my window and the walk will be nice.
These hours are not typical or even consistent (once I finish up later tonight - after dinner and possibly MACHETE KILLS! - I won't think about PSEUDOPOD for a couple of days) but they seem to be happening more and more recently - which is my choice because I, too, love this horrible creature we've created!
-
Been a long time fan of Escape pod and Pseudopod now.
Just subscribed for $2 a month.
I wish I could give more but I have a very small income and little to spend on extra's.
Still I hope it will help.
PD.
Thanks so much! As Paul said in the Metacast, $2/month will actually be a big help.
-
Hi, all;
I've not been terribly active on these fora, but I've been an avid listener and have been subscribing since before the Alphabet Quartet promo a while or two back. I deeply regret that I cannot afford to go beyond the $5 level, but it's absolutely wonderful to see all the folks in this thread announcing that they're stepping up and joining the ranks of those who are giving back to Escape Artist, not least because it's a pretty sure thing that for each person who is taking the time to actually post here, there must be some who are making a donation or subscription, but not being vocal about it.
To all of the Escape Artists, authors, narrators, et al.: Thank you for your hard work and delightful entertainment over the past few years.
To all who have been or are now helping out EA: Thank you for stepping up, truly. I say this not only in the selfish, "I want more stories", way, but also because of the passion laced with hope and dread which I heard in everyone involved in the Metacast - I can tell these folks love what they are doing, and can hear that even saying out loud that there's the prospect of EA closing its doors in painful. Let's make sure they don't have to endure the pain of actually doing so. We can do it, guys; we really can.
-
Hello,
Long time listener - I started listening as a student and then neglected to think about donating even when I got a job (and also continued listening alot while working!). Its like the bystander effect - just assumed someone else would and did not bother.
Have now subscribed $7/m and given a one off of $50 as the thought of these stories going away makes me incredibly sad.
Thank you all
-
I've been listening since pretty much episode one of Escape Pod (I think I came in at episode eight or nine - but then went back)... but have either been too poor or, more recently, too lazy to subscribe.
$5pm subscription from October. Done. Fixed that.
That just leaves the back pay from May 2005 to September 2013 == 8 years + 4 months == 100 months.
Gosh - that's an enticingly round number isn't it.
Since I didn't always have enough spare cash to subscribe over that time - let's call it $2pm to make it a nice round one-off $200.
Also done.
Folks - for those who are luck enough to be able to afford it - consider back pay. The lovely EA folk deserve it.
Same boat. Good crew. Started listening* in highschool and you've been here through college. The least I can do is be as reliable as you've been to me.
Part of the problem has been that while the call has always closed episodes there it has usually been a vague: "what/if/when you can" and not a concrete: "$5/month". I don't mean to suggest a subscription model but when I heard the "$2 from everyone makes for 20 years" line it made things simple for my mental accountant.
* I dunno when but one of the earliest non backlogged episodes I definitely remember is Steve asking for co-op video game recommendations.
-
I apologize.
That's really all I can say.
I apologize for taking the Escape Artists podcasts for granted.
I apologize for saying "maybe next month" literally more than seventy times.
I apologize for not contributing sooner. I have corrected this.
I apologize for the stress that the Escape Artist staff have gone through because I haven't contributed sooner.
OK, I lied. I can also say "Thank you".
Thank you for the hours of entertainment.
Thank you for all the new writers I might never have experienced without podcasts.
Thank you for Pseudopod #11, "Killing Jars" by Matt Wallace, which helped me deal (ever so slightly) with my phobia of ANYTHING to do with eyeballs. I no longer have the urge to vomit when I hear someone talk about their lasik surgery.
Thank you for another set of experiences I can share with my children. The vast worlds opened up by the Escape Artists podcasts give me many new avenues to explore with them.
Thank you for ALL the stories.
-
Now subscribed, definitely worth $5 a month, keeps me in another world as I do my chores. keep up the great work!
-
I've been a subscriber for a little bit, I set up the account as a gift to myself sometime back. I truly hope our numbers swell more and more. I honestly wish that I COULD up my paltry 5 bucks a month to something bigger. EA has turned me on to some TRULY wonderful writers, podcasts, and ways of thinking. We're prepping for a HUGE move back to the states and I've opted out of a bunch of things I throw money at on a regular basis (Oh corner coffee and pastries I miss you) But I never considered dropping my EA subscription. These stories have pulled me through some truly awful times. I listened to a Podcastle story on the flight home from my Grandmothers wake that had me in much needed tears.
You guys are like family. Your words have been there for me in my best, worst, and everyday medicore times.
Thank you. Thank you for being there for me, for everyone. When I can, I promise to send more your way. You are more then worth it.
Thanks again. To you all.
-
Add me to the roster of new subscribers. I've set up an account with Dwolla (Paypal and I have butted heads and I'm not a fan) with a recurring payment. Thank you for all you do and keep it up!
Edit: Hey, that 812-527-2340 we're sending Dwolla money to is a phone number, right? They ask you to checkmark whether it's a phone number or a Dwolla ID/# and I assumed from the format it's a phone number. I'm not spraying money at strangers, right?
-
For those who are boycotting Paypal and can't use Dwolla: Pod Disc (http://www.poddisc.com/) is accepting payments through Google, so there's another way to send support!
-
Add me to the roster of new subscribers. I've set up an account with Dwolla (Paypal and I have butted heads and I'm not a fan) with a recurring payment. Thank you for all you do and keep it up!
Edit: Hey, that 812-527-2340 we're sending Dwolla money to is a phone number, right? They ask you to checkmark whether it's a phone number or a Dwolla ID/# and I assumed from the format it's a phone number. I'm not spraying money at strangers, right?
I just emailed Paul about this. We'll get back to you on it ASAP. Sorry for the confusion!
-
Add me to the roster of new subscribers. I've set up an account with Dwolla (Paypal and I have butted heads and I'm not a fan) with a recurring payment. Thank you for all you do and keep it up!
Edit: Hey, that 812-527-2340 we're sending Dwolla money to is a phone number, right? They ask you to checkmark whether it's a phone number or a Dwolla ID/# and I assumed from the format it's a phone number. I'm not spraying money at strangers, right?
I just emailed Paul about this. We'll get back to you on it ASAP. Sorry for the confusion!
That actually is a Dwolla ID. All of their accounts are formatted like US based phone numbers. (don't know why).
-
Hi Gang: Thanks to the Escape Artists folks for letting us know it was this bad. I've been a subscriber since 2009 and I can't imagine a week w/out these podcasts. I'd challenge all the current donors to triple their monthly donation - and for all the new donors - thanks! T
-
In regards to subscription options:
I would have subscribed long ago if I could have set up a direct draft from my checking account, rather than using a 3rd party.
I can set up direct payment from my checking account to a variety of payees, all I need is the account information to send it to.
Is this an option? Please let me know, and thanks to the entire Escape Artists team for the work you've done over the years.
-
Add me to the roster of new subscribers. I've set up an account with Dwolla (Paypal and I have butted heads and I'm not a fan) with a recurring payment. Thank you for all you do and keep it up!
Edit: Hey, that 812-527-2340 we're sending Dwolla money to is a phone number, right? They ask you to checkmark whether it's a phone number or a Dwolla ID/# and I assumed from the format it's a phone number. I'm not spraying money at strangers, right?
I just emailed Paul about this. We'll get back to you on it ASAP. Sorry for the confusion!
That actually is a Dwolla ID. All of their accounts are formatted like US based phone numbers. (don't know why).
Well, nuts.
Well, I've re-done it w/ the type as 'Dwolla ID' and redid my recurring payment too. I may have sent $10 to a stranger by mistake, heh.
-
First of all a question: I have a 5$ subscription and would be happy to increase that, but not to 10. Is something like a 7 or 8$ subscription possible? I guess that adding a 2$ one to my old one doesn't really make sense.
OK, now about the Metacast. I generally like the presentation, the different voice, and it's awesome that you even include a flash piece. There's one point that seriously bugs me though. You say you are in big trouble and might close down by the end of 2013. I pray you don't and I am glad that people are stepping in to generously donate. I will try to do my part as well. But if the situation is so dire, why do you tell us about expanding your business, by buying famous pieces or paying the readers? On the one hand, I can understand this. You want to show us perspectives and what great plans you have. If you continue. But let me play something like the devil's advocate. I hope this never comes true, but if this call for subscriptions doesn't generate the income you need, why not... collapse Escape Artists into less than three podcasts. I was thinking about it on my way to work this morning - I am listening to old Escape Pod episodes and Escape Artists has certainly grown from there. Today, there is Pseudopod and PodCastle as well. If it doesn't work out, why not go back to just Escape Pod? Yes, it would make me sad. It'd be one short story a week and not three. It might mean rotating introductions, and not a weekly fix of Alisdair and Dave. It would still be better than nothing.
Ok, with that being said, I might have some spare money on my paypal account that needs to go. (this consideration is totally independent of how anyone answers to my considerations above, of course)
-
Heh. Honestly, we hadn't thought of doing three months of horror and three months of fantasy at Escape Pod. That might have really convinced certain SF listeners to donate :)
-
Well, we'd rather keep growing than start shrinking, you know? I mean, yes, if it comes down to total collapse, I suppose it's possible that those who are left with the pieces might try to reboot on a smaller scale, but that's not exactly a first option, you know? If your business is struggling, you try to earn more money first and start reducing headcount after, ne? And the better your product, the more you can 'ask' for it, hence the desire to bump all three 'casts to pro rates and pay readers and all that jazz.
-
Heh. Honestly, we hadn't thought of doing three months of horror and three months of fantasy at Escape Pod. That might have really convinced certain SF listeners to donate :)
That's not what I wrote.
-
Heh. Honestly, we hadn't thought of doing three months of horror and three months of fantasy at Escape Pod. That might have really convinced certain SF listeners to donate :)
That's not what I wrote.
No, sorry. I was being a bit silly. Back in the day, EP covered all three - though it focused heavily on SF/F, with occasional horror. And part of the reason PP and PC spun off was because listeners wanted to separate the genres some. (Also, there were enough listeners to support it, etc., and there were certainly enough worthwhile stories out there.)
Currently, we have more of an All for One, One for All attitude with the three podcasts. If it ever came down to downsizing, I suppose what you are suggesting is an option. We would prefer to avoid that, though :)
-
Currently, we have more of an All for One, One for All attitude with the three podcasts. If it ever came down to downsizing, I suppose what you are suggesting is an option. We would prefer to avoid that, though :)
Absolutely
-
Also, whilst I appreciate the comments, that discussion is not only somewhere we don't have to go yet but also opens up a profoundly upsetting version of 'sci Fi, Fantasy or horror?'. We're not there yet Abd I'd really like it if this discussion didn't jump the tracks and head there. It has far more positive directions it is and should continue to go in.
-
It's also worth considering two things:
1) The three casts have three audiences and that increases the pool of potential donors significantly. Consolidating would drastically reduce the pool, possibly to a point where even the one remaining might not be able to bring in the necessary donations.
2) There are shared costs involved in having three shows, like splitting the cable bill between three roommates. Consolidation would mean one show with a smaller audience taking on all of the overhead cost -- also potentially devastating.
The much easier path with the better chance of success for all involved -- staff, authors, and listeners -- is to increase the audience and to encourage more than 1% of them to give just $2 per month.
-
I was told to concentrate on what we have planned for the future - because it's easier to get people to support a future if you help them conceive of it, and what they'd be missing - and I also think the idea was to showcase that this isn't about us struggling just to stay static, but that, despite the financial struggles, we still have lots to do and lots of new ideas.
Since it was mentioned - while it's understandable, don't presume that big name authors take much more money than our flat rates - any extra money I spent on big name authors this year was more than mitigated by some big name author stories I was just *given*.
-
So, I've been listening since the early days (back when Escape Pod was in double digits), and I've discovered a lot of great authors through Escape Artists. I've bought books based on reviews on PC, and I've sought out authors I'd never have been aware of, if not for the 'pods. Escape Artists has been very good to me.
And, as was mentioned in the Metacast, if not for Escape Pod, there wouldn't be a DrabbleCast, or probably a Starship Sofa, Cast of Wonders, Toasted Cake, or any other short fiction podcast magazine Or maybe they would, but it's inarguable that the field would be unrecognizable if EP hadn't kicked it off. Escape Artists has been very good for the genre. (Full disclosure: the only fiction podcasts I listen to is the EA ones, due to time constraints)
I used to be moderately active in the fora, commenting on more than half the stories. I stopped a while back, because I stopped having the time, but I figured it was worth stopping by to say that I really appreciate the work you guys do, and if you need my help to keep going, you've got it. I looked at the amount I spent on books this year, and I figure an extra $5/month won't be noticed. I'm sorry I never did this before. All I can say in my defence is that from now on I'll keep on giving you money as long as you're willing to take it. Deal?
-
I've listen to the casts since '07. They have all gotten me through tough times. I'm sorry I haven't contributed financially until now, that will change. I've just donated a lump sum plus adding a monthly subscription.
It shouldn't have taken me this long to contribute to such wonderful podcasts.
Jon
-
This was also the reminder that I needed to plunk down my annual financial contribution. It doesn't look like I'll be able to make it to the DC area for the rest of the year, so I can't buy Shawn a margarita in person. I skipped donating a year when I was out of work, but I think I've made up for that by slush-mucking and pursuing estates. It's worth slushing when you find those pearls. And it's worth chasing estates when you find those awesome agents who respond quickly and positively. I just saw the signed contract on one, so it's time to knuckle down and start the next batch.
-
You are a treasure!
-
Hi,
I have to say I was annoyed at this cast, so much so that I skipped through most of it in 2 min jumps after the first 5-8 minutes. I heard "please help", a lot of very passionate but not at all interesting rambling, and not much else (oh yeah and a story somewhere in the middle). It may be that I missed some things because of this - and in that case I apologise for asking again though I feel the format of this plea is somewhat to blame. Perhaps a written summary with some basic points could be made for those of us who'd like an overview of the facts.
And while the cry for help came across as very strong (the strongest I've ever heard on these casts), I'm not really sure why you suddenly need help now and how much is needed. My thoughts are somewhat similar to Moritz' above.
- How much is the annual income and how much is needed to keep doing what you want/need to do to keep the podcasts going? I'd like to know what the gap is.
- It can never truly be an all or nothing proposition. Of course nobody wants this, but if it came down to one cast or none at all, keeping just a single podcast would obviously be preferred. There are no doubt also things the podcasts could do without if it came down to either that or disappearing altogeteher.
- So how much is needed annually to maintain one cast, how much for two and how much for all three?
- Extras (bonus content) for supporters are always nice and can be a good incentive, but the whole podcast is what most of us want and donate for, not for extras - why suddenly this descision? Does your research suggest adding this seriously increases donations, thus improving the whole?
- In addition to that if you're struggling so badly that you might stop operations in a few weeks, why do you want to expand?
I've been a fan for years, donated a couple of times (recently too) and truly appreciate the offers you all make for these wonderful podcasts.
I'm considering an additional donation because your passion is understood and appreciated, but a little more info would surely help convince me.
I apologise if I'm coming across as overly negative and thank you for any additional info you can provide.
-
Igorken - I don't know the answers to any of your questions, because while I do volunteer work for EA, I don't participate in any of the financial decisions. So I can say the following without a conflict of interest:
I don't think those questions need to be answered. When you go to a bookstore and buy a book, do you ask how the publishers balance their ledgers? When you go to the cinema to see a movie, do you only agree to pay the ticket price if someone explains the rationale behind how the studio spent its marketing budget? When you buy food, do you ask whether the store would be willing to reduce the choice it offered if it ran into financial difficulty before buying any produce?
It doesn't matter if the payment is mandatory or optional. What you should be giving money for is the product. If you like EA's stories and want them to continue, then pay. If you do not feel they contribute enough to you, don't pay. The fact that EA doesn't require you to pay in order to enjoy their product doesn't suddenly make you more entitled to get information about their inner workings than any other producer of content.
Transparency is nice. If EA decides to go down a more transparent route, I certainly won't object. But saying that you think they need to do so in order to convince you to donate means that you apparently don't think the hours of quality storytelling they produce each month are worth paying for on their own right. Which is entirely fine; that's a perfectly valid opinion. But if that's the case, just don't donate. Don't ask them to jump through all sort of hoops.
-
Go here, read this. It's 18 lines long. It gives you the gist. Other people will be along shortly I suspect to go into more detail. This is as much as I can type and stay polite.
http://www.alasdairstuart.com/?p=1611
-
Here's the thing-
We don't want to shut down. Every single person who works to put a show out each week is here because they love what they do and they believe in the mission. We believe it means something to us, and to you all as a listener. For as long as we are running, and open, we want to continue to put out the best product we can for you. That means better quality stories, better quality productions and more. But the point of the Metacast was that if things did not change, we would have to shut down. We would have no choice.
Cutting a podcast or two out to save costs would be a potential solution. But it only works if there’s no demand for the podcast. Our metrics show that we have tens of thousands of listeners to every show. Now if we chose to cut one at random… say Escape Pod. How many listeners/donors/subscribers would we lose? If we cut out escape pod for example where the majority of our listeners and donors are... we lose 33% of the product, 40% of the cost and 50% of the revenue, for an example. That doesn’t help us. It would just delay the inevitable.
The fundamental reality is that, as a listener, you are required to pay nothing to experience our content. However, in order to provide content to you we are required to pay others. It would be a lot different if we went to a more traditional pay model where you would not be allowed access to any of our content (product) until you purchased it. However, that runs contrary to our mission and the original concept of this company.
As far as our financial needs, since 2011 and projecting through the end of 2013, we incur an average of $42,000 in costs per year. That covers stories, staff payments, web hosting, advertising costs, merchant fees, tax costs, and more. That is also the extent of the financial situation I intend to reveal at this time. If we intend to expand, we will need more funds to make that happen.
You're right, it did come on suddenly and we've been aware of this problem for several months but (as I said in the metacast), we've been trying to reorganize and trim our costs as much as possible. We know the economy sucks right now. We know that we fell off the horse a while back and it hurt our relationship with you all. We had hoped that as we corrected the problems we were in control of, donations would increase. They did not. So here we are.
-
Count me amongst the group that wants to hear all three. I'd never expect NPR to tell me what they do with all the money, and I feel the same way here. The EA provide an incredible service with minimal and unobtrusive calls for cash. Why stress over the back room management? Just sit back and enjoy the stories, and then sack up and set up a donation subscription. The worst that'll happen is the stories will stop and then you'll have to cancel the subscription.
-
Well, we'd rather keep growing than start shrinking, you know? I mean, yes, if it comes down to total collapse, I suppose it's possible that those who are left with the pieces might try to reboot on a smaller scale, but that's not exactly a first option, you know? If your business is struggling, you try to earn more money first and start reducing headcount after, ne? And the better your product, the more you can 'ask' for it, hence the desire to bump all three 'casts to pro rates and pay readers and all that jazz.
I was impressed by that aspect of the plan -- the idea that EA should come out of this stronger, with plans to improve the product, rather than "cut until it fits." Because like they say, "you can only cut to zero."
That spirit played a big part in my decision to throw in a one-time donation on top of my subscription increase.
-
I'm more used to being on the other side of Devil's Advocate arguments, but if I may offer a word:
I have no knowledge of the internal workings of Escape Pod (especially the finances), but I have previously been a part of the inner workings of a tangentially similar body: the running of a popular media convention. While there, I learned that in business, especially in the entertainment business and especially in volunteer-run (or sort-of-volunteer-run) organizations, stagnancy = death. Especially during financial troubles, counter-intuitive as that may be. While it's a vast simplification, one way to think of it is: "Hey everyone, you know that way we were running things that wasn't quite panning out? Please donate money so that we can keep doing it that way."
Hunkering down and circling the wagons to weather financial difficulties may seem the obvious thing to do, but it's nearly impossible to break out of that condition, especially with entertainment. "More of the same" is the recipe for slow death: the years we didn't try for anything new at our convention were the years that saw the smallest growth. The years we tried something new, even if that event in particular failed, were the years that saw a recovering growth of attendance.
What Escape Artists is doing is showing that it's still young and vital and has ideas to continue upping their game if they're given the chance to continue. Moreover, their ideas for expansion are modest and well reasoned, designed to bring more prestige, high level authors, and thus a larger audience to the 'casts, and moving back toward self-supporting. This is instead of getting a temporary crutch from the current listeners, or "eating their seed corn" by shrinking from 3 to 1 podcasts. (Which is almost exactly what Sears is currently doing.)
For myself, I've been listening from somewhere back near episode 30 on Pseudopod. Saw me through a particularly impoverishing year of grad school and two low-paying postdocs. Now that I've gotten the heck out of research and into a decent-paying job I figure the $2 subscription is the least I can do for services rendered. (It would be more, but I'm also planning a move, a wedding, a honeymoon, a house, and possibly a career change in the relatively near future. $$ouch$$)
-
Not a usual poster but thought I'd login after the metacast to say I've subscribed and thanks for the good work you guys do!
-
Bam, subscribed.
I am more than happy to help out. When I was poor, sad, or lonely, you guys were there for me with free stories and a sense of a community. Now that I am in a better position, it's only fair that I do what I can.
Also, that story you guys slide in there? So awesome! Hilarious, but heart breaking. That's worth my $5 this month, for sure.
-
Also, that story you guys slide in there? So awesome! Hilarious, but heart breaking. That's worth my $5 this month, for sure.
Tina Connolly is good times and good people. I was a little blindsided by a deadline and had to put out a call to the authors I know to find a flash piece fast. (Then I had to regret my decision as I suddenly had like sixty stories to read in about a day and a half.) Tina was the winner of the "make Nathan smile" contest. (I like my stories to have barbs.)
-
Well... I've been a listener for roughly a year, and haven't subscribed till now. As such, in addition to the $5/mo subscription I'll throw in $60 more too.
I hope things work out. Thanks for the great work you folks at EA do.
-
I am soo Sorry. I am one of those that used to subscribe then Paypall did something odd and the monthly donations were halted. I kept meaning to come back and click the donate button. I would be reminded of it in places other than my computer I guess that is the danger of portable media playing devices.
That is all in the past now, before coming in here I clicked the $10 monthly donation button. I love what Escape Artists as a group does. I want to be around listening to your 50 year celebratory holocast.
Thank you for all you do
M. Yust
-
<- New listener. I was already planning on subscribing.
Stories keep us afloat; we should keep them afloat.
-
can someone help me with this paypal question? on the site, there is a subscription and a one time donation button. Can I make a subscription with an amount that is different to the one given in the list? The one time donation suggests this, as you can click a button saying "monthly". After I did this, I do not see any information on my paypal account about such a subscription, only the one time donation.
???
-
I don't think those questions need to be answered. When you go to a bookstore and buy a book, do you ask how the publishers balance their ledgers? When you go to the cinema to see a movie, do you only agree to pay the ticket price if someone explains the rationale behind how the studio spent its marketing budget? When you buy food, do you ask whether the store would be willing to reduce the choice it offered if it ran into financial difficulty before buying any produce?
It doesn't matter if the payment is mandatory or optional. What you should be giving money for is the product. If you like EA's stories and want them to continue, then pay. If you do not feel they contribute enough to you, don't pay. The fact that EA doesn't require you to pay in order to enjoy their product doesn't suddenly make you more entitled to get information about their inner workings than any other producer of content.
Transparency is nice. If EA decides to go down a more transparent route, I certainly won't object. But saying that you think they need to do so in order to convince you to donate means that you apparently don't think the hours of quality storytelling they produce each month are worth paying for on their own right. Which is entirely fine; that's a perfectly valid opinion. But if that's the case, just don't donate. Don't ask them to jump through all sort of hoops.
Go here, read this. It's 18 lines long. It gives you the gist. Other people will be along shortly I suspect to go into more detail. This is as much as I can type and stay polite.
Nobody likes being poor and asking for money is one of the most difficult, heartrending things that someone can do. Matweller notes as much. I totally sympathize.
That said, your comments are not anything resembling constructive replies at all and I would have expected you both, as a defender of forumites and an editor, to reply in a more levelheaded way.
You know nothing about Igorken (except maybe his IP address). It is quite possible that Igorken has the money to make you free from financial obligations for one or more years. Who knows? Not everyone is in the $2 per month category. But, I can say that people that have that kind of money don't typically get it by investing in unsustainable ventures.
If he (?) extrapolated the costs given in the metacast (52 stories per podcast, 156 total, average $12 for a middle of the road anthology of maybe 15-20 stories...let's say 15 stories for ease of math, and since you're not middle of the road, let's call it $15.99, $16, like a Year's Best Anthology of __________) we'd get about 10 anthologies worth of material or $160. So, maybe he was going to donate $160.
On the other hand, maybe he wanted to donate invest $10,000 and wanted to know that the money would be used in a constructive and sustainable way. Would you begrudge him the request for transparency then? None of his questions are unusual for a typical investor.
He even apologized if he came across as too direct and you flamed him. Not cool.
I'll put my donation in the box once I hear back from Paul.
-
If anyone's in the investment category (in the thousands, as identified above) and wants more details, then an one-to-one conversation (probably by phone) is a better venue. PM any of us and we'll make a conversation happen.
-
Maybe Igorken was, indeed, planning on solving all of EA's financial woes with one massive donation. Maybe he or she wasn't. You're right, I don't know. I do know what I - as a donor myself - consider to be a reasonable level of transparency. I do not feel that the fact that I'm a moderator means that I am not entitled to express my opinion.
If you feel that my post was not levelheaded, or that it was a "flame", then you have different standards for what constitutes flaming than I do. We allow all sorts of disagreements here. That includes my disagreement with Igorken and your disagreement with me.
I should point out that at no point did the metacast ask for large sums of money. It asked for small amounts of money, that the editors - and most of the listeners who posted - believe is an appropriate level for what EA produces. My response was specifically framed within the context of this metacast, that this thread is a discussion of.
-
Hey guys,
I've subscribed and signal-boosted as much as I can.
Following some things that have been raised in this thread:
- I don't need a break-down of EA's costs in order to donate. The quality of the product that I've been getting for the last 3 years for free, and the fact that I'm a writer receiving money for the stories they broadcast, are incentive enough for me to want to support EA.
- That said, from a fundraising-strategy perspective, it is REALLY helpful to have a clear goal to be working towards -- a solid figure to shoot for in terms of subscriber base increase, something with a gauge that we can see increasing, something to point people towards so that they can SEE the difference they're making with their donations and subscriptions. Right now, the plea is extremely urgent (EA might close by the end of the year! That's only two and a half months away!) but also extremely nebulous (how hard do we have to work and/or how much do we have to give to save it?). I know it would be easier for a shameless extrovert like myself to signal boost if I could say things like "EA is halfway to their goal" etc.
Basically I just want to be as effective as possible in raising awareness about this. Having a TL;DR post up is helpful, anyway.
-
I only recently discovered Escape Pod, and I found out about Pseudopod yesterday in the metacast. I am going to donate on faith, but I am going to be annoyed, if I donate and you still shut down end of the year.
-
no EA in 2014?! That is an alternative universe horror worthy of Pseudopod.
Subscribing right now (sorry it's taken me so long). Long live the pod!
-
I'll put my donation in the box once I hear back from Paul.
Paul answered, see PC Haring above.
Let's all breathe a minute.
Igorken is not looking to invest $10k. People that want to invest don't ask those questions through forum posts and if they did, I wouldn't want to do business with them.
Let's also understand that there is an implied insult in just asking. We're saying, "We perform this service for you like the guy on the corner with his guitar. If you consider that worth a tip, drop it in the case. If not, keep walking and we apologize for having bothered you." What's done with the money is irrelevant. The donation is a way of saying, "you already gave me this gift, that has value to me and I want to return the favor." Sure he could show you his financials, but it's an intrusion that ends up being a waste of time for him because in the end, nothing revealed in there changes the value of the gift already given.
And eytanz is a little wrong with his analogy too. Personally, I hope you do take the actual cost of an item into consideration when you purchase it and I hope you do reject it if your estimated value is not equal to or higher than the price. I don't have Comcast because the value of their service is far less than their asking price. If more people shopped that way, we would all pay much less. But I digress...
THE DIFFERENCE is that in any regular commerce situation, you are putting the money up front for a commodity you have not received and will not realize the actual value of until your money is already gone. We're giving you the apple and reminding you there is a tip jar, the proceeds of which we use to be able to bring you more free apples tomorrow.
All that said, if it puts your mind at ease at all, half of the staff is paid, half is volunteer. The ones that are paid earn enough to purchase one or two lunches for themselves every week at a modest restaurant. The rest goes into overhead. There are no rich folks here. If you created a company to do what we do, to cover your cost to an audience of <100k would be $3-$4 per episode. We're hoping you'll consider giving us $.07 per episode, and if you can't or won't we'll still give them to you as long as we can.
There is no extravagant spending, and for the reasons I mentioned in my previous post, there will be no consolidation of the shows. We stand or fall together on the quality and value of our free product.
-
In regards to subscription options:
I would have subscribed long ago if I could have set up a direct draft from my checking account, rather than using a 3rd party.
I can set up direct payment from my checking account to a variety of payees, all I need is the account information to send it to.
Is this an option? Please let me know, and thanks to the entire Escape Artists team for the work you've done over the years.
Most banking institutions that offer bill pay (IE "direct payments from your checking account to a variety of payees") will allow you to create a custom payee using an address. You'll want to take that route and use the EA PO Box, and the account numbers don't matter since it is basically a check being mailed from your Bank -> Escape Artists. Now that I think about it this seems a much better option since I know that Paypal takes their pound if flesh. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think $2 ends up as $1.65 and $5 ends up as $4.56. I don't have a clue how Dwolla makes their ends meet.
Don't take this as gospel, I am only speaking from limited past experience and of course some EA accountant might need to speak up and say, "Dude, we don't want 500 $2 checks each month."
http://thefeecalculator.com/
-
I can't subscribe since Paypal hates me, but i plan on donating next month. Escape Pod gives me great stories and and an extra dose of Norm each week, i wouldn't want to miss either.
-
Hey guys,
I've subscribed and signal-boosted as much as I can.
Following some things that have been raised in this thread:
- I don't need a break-down of EA's costs in order to donate. The quality of the product that I've getting for the last 3 years for free, and the fact that I'm a writer receiving money for the stories they broadcast, are incentive enough for me to want to support EA.
- That said, from a fundraising-strategy perspective, it is REALLY helpful to have a clear goal to be working towards -- a solid figure to shoot for in terms of subscriber base increase, something with a gauge that we can see increasing, something to point people towards so that they can SEE the difference they're making with their donations and subscriptions. Right now, the plea is extremely urgent (EA might close by the end of the year! That's only two and a half months away!) but also extremely nebulous (how hard do we have to work and/or how much do we have to give to save it?). I know it would be easier for shameless extrovert like myself to signal boost if I could say things like "EA is halfway to their goal" etc.
Basically I just want to be as effective as possible in raising awareness about this. Having a TL;DR post up is helpful, anyway.
And I totally understand the idea to have a goal to work towards. I'm not opposed to it and am working to find a way to communicate that information to you all in a practical matter. Right now I'm looking to put something on the blog sites, but our web maven is on her honeymoon right now. In the interim I will repeat what I said in that it costs us an average of $42,000 to keep our operations running for a year. So, lets set that as our goal. Keep EA alive through 2014!
You're also correct that one does not (nor should not) need to see financial details in order to make a small donation. If you are making a true donation, then you are doing so because you love the product and want to see us continue. You've heard what we do with our funds, you've heard the product we create with our funds. If you wish to donate to help us continue to move that product into your MP3 player, then please do donate.
For those of you who might be interested in providing a significant financial INVESTMENT by providing a loan or capital (money or other physical items we could use) in exchange for a share of the company profits (IE ownership), then that is an entirely different discussion and one that does warrant the review of our finances and future plans. That is also a one on one conversation that will eventually include myself and probably also Steve as the owner of the company and should be handled privately. But that is an entirely different ballgame beyond what we're talking about here.
In regards to subscription options:
I would have subscribed long ago if I could have set up a direct draft from my checking account, rather than using a 3rd party.
I can set up direct payment from my checking account to a variety of payees, all I need is the account information to send it to.
Is this an option? Please let me know, and thanks to the entire Escape Artists team for the work you've done over the years.
Most banking institutions that offer bill pay (IE "direct payments from your checking account to a variety of payees") will allow you to create a custom payee using an address. You'll want to take that route and use the EA PO Box, and the account numbers don't matter since it is basically a check being mailed from your Bank -> Escape Artists. Now that I think about it this seems a much better option since I know that Paypal takes their pound if flesh. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think $2 ends up as $1.65 and $5 ends up as $4.56. I don't have a clue how Dwolla makes their ends meet.
Don't take this as gospel, I am only speaking from limited past experience and of course some EA accountant might need to speak up and say, "Dude, we don't want 500 $2 checks each month."
http://thefeecalculator.com/
According to Dwolla's site, they take a flat $0.25 per transaction, whether you donate $2 or $2,000 they take $0.25. That said I did get a test donation of $1.00 from a listener who I know used Dwolla and they didn't take anything... at least not yet. Dwolla's a new animal to me personally so I'm not entirely sure how it operates...yet.
If you would rather send a check to the PO box each month, that is perfectly acceptable as well. If you'd like to look at other details, drop me a PM or an E-mail and we can discuss.
-
I can't subscribe since Paypal hates me, but i plan on donating next month. Escape Pod gives me great stories and and an extra dose of Norm each week, i wouldn't want to miss either.
I had the same challenge and set up a Dwolla account (the EA account number is earlier in the thread) to work around that. Not sure if that helps or not, just throwing that out as another option.
Thanks!
-
your 50 year celebratory holocast.
Yeah, I don't think that would be a good way to celebrate...
-
your 50 year celebratory holocast.
Yeah, I don't think that would be a good way to celebrate...
But why? It would lead to a delightful holodeck malfunction that would result in Carnacki-involved hijinks.
Or elder gods.
Either way, it's Wesley's fault.
-
Guys,
I realize now (as Matt pointed out) that part of my post can be understood as implying EA has been spending money extravagantly. That was never my intention. I've not a cell in my body that believes this is the case and I sincerely apologize to all who cooperate on these fine casts for the insult that unintented interpretation of my post implied.
A lot of analogies have been thrown about and - as analogies do - I don't think either of them fully applies.
I'd still appreciate some more info on exactly what is needed to save these wonderful podcasts, but I never wanted to imply this is something EA "needs" to provide because I feel entitled to it. It would help convince me to donate again, so I asked, that is all.
Thanks
-
That is a really classy thing of you to do, sir. Thank you. As I'm sure you can tell, everyone involved in the company is tremendously emotionally invested and, when a perceived slight like that comes in, it feels a lot like a kick to the ribs when you're already down. It pushed a couple of my major buttons and you weren't the only one to do so. You are, however, the only one to offer clarification and I'd like to thank you for that. Nicely done:)
Regarding the info, as I'm sure you can imagine, there's a lot of frantic backroom discussions going on right now. Anything that comes of that will, of course, be made public as soon as possible.
-
This has been mentioned before, but I think it's worth repeating: What a podcast like ours really needs, more than anything else, is *subscribers*. One-off donations are excellent and awesome and are always welcome, but having a subscription base means we can plan ahead with projections and budgets instead of not knowing if we'll get the same one-offs next month as this. Refining the product and adding many of the upgrades we've mentioned relies more on knowing we've got at least X income next month, as opposed to knowing we have 2X or 4X or even 10X cash on hand right now.
Ergo, progress bars (while I think most of us agree they would be helpful for giving folks basic info about our status and concretizing goals) are a bit misleading. Think in terms of getting to 700-800 subscribers rather than $42K for the year, if that makes sense. ;-)
And that is why anyone who can provide even $1 or $2 per month is great and should be pleased with themselves for helping.
-
I placed my offering before the pseudopods for a modicum of horrific pseudopodium and it hungrily, and gratefully, snatched it into it’s maw. Food for disturbing thoughts. Gnaw down!
-
I placed my offering before the pseudopods for a modicum of horrific pseudopodium and it hungrily, and gratefully, snatched it into it’s maw. Food for disturbing thoughts. Gnaw down!
Horror in Clay! The shoggoths dance.
-
hey guys,
this is my first post. I started listening to escape pod around the 3rd episode. i have always loved this podcast and have gotten into all three over the years. Steve had me at "Have Fun". When I started listening, my cash flow was in the negative (yea, love the economy). After that, i just kinda forgot. After hearing the metacast, the guilt trip kicked in again. I have started my $2 a month subscription and plan to up it when able. I hope guys get what you need to continue. I look forward to another year.
-
I have just found Pseudopod ... only to find it in financial crisis! I've been listening just over a week and have loved every minute of it. The stories are amazing and Alasdair's commentary keep me listening and wanting more. I subscribed for the $10 plan (which brings my monthly podcast subscriptions to $17.99).
For what it's worth, asking for help is a hard thing and I think this metacast came across as a group of people who love what they're doing and want to continue to do it, rather than the NPR/PBS-esque gimme gimme gimme.
I hope to see you in 2014 as I go back and devour the back catalogs of all three of the podcasts. Thank you.
-
I cannot express to you the depths with which I hate PayPal.
And looking at Dwolla, it looks like IT wants an account too. There seems to be now place to put someone's number in and just send money there, you have to make an account.
I really wish there was a more direct way of sending you money electronically.
-
your 50 year celebratory holocast.
Yeah, I don't think that would be a good way to celebrate...
I am not from the US, so Dwolla is not an option i am afraid :)
-
Ok,
I even went and registered on the forums to post this.
I'm one of the ones who has been procrastinating donations, but NO MORE!
I set up an automatic check payment of $10 once every 3 months. That works out to $3.33 a month.
Additional fundraising ideas:
A pay for extra content option via iTunes etc? maybe some 2-3 hour length stories?
Try out some occasional adverts for Audible or something? Hulu has been advertising with a couple of my other regular podcasts. One of my favorite podcasts started advertising a few months ago and promised it's listeners that if a certain percentage would subscribe, they would kill the adverts.
And one fundraising demand plead:
Please, pretty please? can you sell some t-shirts?
Thank you.
-
I am not from the US, so Dwolla is not an option i am afraid :)
Same problem here. I bought an Escape Pod collection from Pod Disc (http://www.poddisc.com/), which accepts payments through Google, and consider that my support until December. But a non-Paypal way to send recurring donations would be great.
@Hypatia T-Shirts are available from Pod Disc!
-
@Hypatia T-Shirts are available from Pod Disc!
HOLY CRAP. By Cthulhu, you're right! And more importantly, those t-shirt designs are really nice!
-
Back in August I 'Passive Aggressively' sent in a $20 Donations each to all three Podcasts because I was getting sick of Bills and Collection agencies. I wanted to send my money my way for once. So I donated to Escape Artists, Mur Lafferty, and The Ministry Initiative Kickstarter. It seems it was a good choice even though now it is crunch time. And even though this is true I will try my damndest to pay it Forward again. I do not think I could last a Bus trip without being able to listen to any of you.
-
@Hypatia T-Shirts are available from Pod Disc!
HOLY CRAP. By Cthulhu, you're right! And more importantly, those t-shirt designs are really nice!
Awesome, they're restocked. My PseudoPod shirt is starting to develop holes.
-
I cannot express to you the depths with which I hate PayPal.
And looking at Dwolla, it looks like IT wants an account too. There seems to be now place to put someone's number in and just send money there, you have to make an account.
I really wish there was a more direct way of sending you money electronically.
If you want to be as off the grid as possible, I think you can send a stack of non-sequential legal tender notes to their P O Box. Or have your electronic billpay send it to the P O Box. Or mail a check. I think my first donation was a check to a P O Box.
-
I have been a listener of Escape Pod almost since the very beginning, and I just saw Boing Boing's post about EP's financial difficulties. I just subscribed and donated an extra amount to help them through this tough time. I will be doing so again after payday - Escape Pod is too great a resource for finding new and classic authors to lose!
-
@Hypatia T-Shirts are available from Pod Disc!
HOLY CRAP. By Cthulhu, you're right! And more importantly, those t-shirt designs are really nice!
D'oh! I see them now! Right there in the middle of the page, I completely missed them before. $16 is a pretty excellent price too. (maybe draw more attention to them on the Pod Disk page?)
Is there any chance I missed stickers or window decals on the page too? ;D Need more merchandising!
-
Ergo, progress bars (while I think most of us agree they would be helpful for giving folks basic info about our status and concretizing goals) are a bit misleading. Think in terms of getting to 700-800 subscribers rather than $42K for the year, if that makes sense. ;-)
And that is why anyone who can provide even $1 or $2 per month is great and should be pleased with themselves for helping.
that's exactly the thing my local public radio station pushes for when it's doing their drives, subscribers they want to get, not the number of dollars they want to get. Seeing the reasons why you guys like the subscribers over the one time donations makes their reasoning a lot clearer to me as well, so thanks!
-
Ergo, progress bars (while I think most of us agree they would be helpful for giving folks basic info about our status and concretizing goals) are a bit misleading. Think in terms of getting to 700-800 subscribers rather than $42K for the year, if that makes sense. ;-)
And that is why anyone who can provide even $1 or $2 per month is great and should be pleased with themselves for helping.
that's exactly the thing my local public radio station pushes for when it's doing their drives, subscribers they want to get, not the number of dollars they want to get. Seeing the reasons why you guys like the subscribers over the one time donations makes their reasoning a lot clearer to me as well, so thanks!
I still think it would be cool to see a progress bar for # of subscribers, though, mainly for the warm fuzzies of seeing everyone banding together to support the 'casts.
-
There will be some kind of progress bar soon - we just have to find the one that will work for us, but it's going to happen. We've been discussing it, and we agree it would be helpful.
Thanks again, all :)
GROUP HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
There will be some kind of progress bar soon - we just have to find the one that will work for us, but it's going to happen. We've been discussing it, and we agree it would be helpful.
Thanks again, all :)
GROUP HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clarkesworld calls their $10 subscribers Citizens and that has always made me feel glee, even though I'm not one yet. Maybe EA does the same? I for one would feel proud to see my name engraved on a list on the Escapepodies/Cultists/Nobility (pick your social class).
-
I subscribed and made a one-off donation. If not for your great podcasts, I may have gone mad from boredom at work ages ago. Seriously, thanks for being awesome.
-
Paypal lets you adjust your recurring payments manually. Or I guess you could subscribe to all three podcasts; the money all goes to the same place, since it's one company financially-speaking. (Editorial control is obviously a separate issue.)
I do not believe this is correct. There is no way to adjust the size of your donation from within paypal.
You can either cancel your existing subscription and start a higher one (I just did this; note that this will mean that a payment comes out right away, regardless of when your last payment was), or you may be able to have multiple subscriptions at once - I don't know if the latter works, I haven't tried.
You can indeed. I've spent far more on far stupider things, so upping my subscription here is a bit of a no brainer. Long may the Pod fly! (or float, or slither, as the case may be).
-
For long hours in the data analysis lab ... a story and a familiar voice are priceless.
I'll be submitting my subscription this afternoon.
Okay, I scraped together 65.00 - I wish I could do more than the 2-dollar a month plan, but maybe this boost at the beginning and a little every month will help.
Thanks guys- for everything you do.
Weesa
-
out of curiosity does that 1% of listeners donating account for the amount of people that listen to all three shows? (e.g. would it count them as a listener three times, but only count as one subscriber?)
-
I believe Paul accounted for that, yes.
-
Thanks - even if not a max of 3% still too low.
Another way to help: rate and review the shows on itunes
(i dont use to listen but helps with rankings etc never thought about doing before)
-
Thanks - even if not a max of 3% still too low.
Another way to help: rate and review the shows on itunes
(i dont use to listen but helps with rankings etc never thought about doing before)
Even just posting about it on Facebook, Twitter, or blogs helps. The more activity there is around a particular website, the higher it climbs in the various search engines and the more likely it is to come to others' attention. For the truly strapped, this is something that at least helps intangibly. The more listeners we have, the more subscriptions we get, even at our one percent rate.
-
We had Al do a blurb about rating and reviewing us on ITunes and got 2 pages of new reviews - the blurb is now on rotation and should be showing up again soon.
-
As Escape Artists' major expense seems to be paying for a stories (a story a week x 3 podcasts!) ... before throwing in the towel I would hope EA would consider cutting back to just 1 story a month from each of the 3 podcasts. While it would be a VERY disappointing reduction in content, it would still be 36 pieces of audio fiction a year and keep each of the three podcasts (all of which I love) alive and viable.
So now that I have thrown this out there please don't respond to it. As someone who has been donating (for 3 years now) more then the requested $2 a month, I just needed to know that the brain trust at EA has this idea in their list of "catastrophic back-up plans".
As someone who has been listening to Escape Pod since Ep 7 (then I immediately went back and listened to the earlier ones), I really appreciate everyone who is working to find ways around their technical difficulties to donate to EA.
You guys who are donating (and have been donating) are just as responsible for bringing me my audio fiction as the guys slaving away at EA.
Thanks to all of you.
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
I believe it is only possible to subscribe in the amounts given. Though I think it is possible to create multiple subscriptions, which, while a hassle, allows you to add up to any whole dollar value per month except $1 and $3.
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
I believe it is only possible to subscribe in the amounts given. Though I think it is possible to create multiple subscriptions, which, while a hassle, allows you to add up to any whole dollar value per month except $1 and $3.
You know what I just realized? I am always talking about being willing to give 7.50.
7.50 Euros is 10 Dollars, so I just set that straight in my subscription ;D
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I've been trying to dig into your question while bouncing around my job search and CPA exam prep (Test day is tuesday). Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to create a subscription at a level other than what we offered. I looked into the idea of creating a blank subscription button with Paypal that would allow you to enter in whatever amount you'd like, but it doesn't look like that's an option. So unfortunately... no.... due to the limitations of Paypal that is not an option. I believe you could do something like that over at Dwolla. There they allow you to create your own subscriptions, and while I confess I haven't played with it too much yet (see the afore mentioned CPA Exam prep and job hunt) I suspect there's a little more flexibility there.
Lets discuss a little more if you'd like. Feel free to send me a PM or E-mail me Paul at escapeartists dot net and we can look into a few options. Just don't be surprised if I don't respond until Wednesday or Thursday.
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I've been trying to dig into your question while bouncing around my job search and CPA exam prep (Test day is tuesday). Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to create a subscription at a level other than what we offered. I looked into the idea of creating a blank subscription button with Paypal that would allow you to enter in whatever amount you'd like, but it doesn't look like that's an option. So unfortunately... no.... due to the limitations of Paypal that is not an option. I believe you could do something like that over at Dwolla. There they allow you to create your own subscriptions, and while I confess I haven't played with it too much yet (see the afore mentioned CPA Exam prep and job hunt) I suspect there's a little more flexibility there.
Lets discuss a little more if you'd like. Feel free to send me a PM or E-mail me Paul at escapeartists dot net and we can look into a few options. Just don't be surprised if I don't respond until Wednesday or Thursday.
Thanks for the info, but I think I already solved the problem with the existing options... (see two posts ago)
-
You can send donations in via Dwolla.com. Our number is 812-527-2340
I've just created a Dwolla.com account; it will be two or three business days before my credit union account is verified and I can actually use it to begin sending $. Once it has, I will be setting up a $5 per month recurring payment.
The lot of you at EscapePod and Pod Castle do amazing work (sorry, I'm not familiar with PseudoPod; I'm sure you guys are equally amazing). Thanks for putting the call out.
PS - Will there be a way to connect my Dwolla-delivered donation to me so that I'll be eligible for that premium content?
-
Coincidence ? This was the next podcast that came up in my playlist !
Freakonomics.
Episode: How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freakonomicsradio/~5/h-r3eK0tAVY/freakonomics_podcast101013.mp3
This actually occurred in reverse order for me; too funny!
The Freakonomics podcast had one idea in particular the Escape Artists should consider. The guest expert suggested offering up a dinner with Steve Levit and Steven Dubner to anyone making a really big donation. You guys could do a variation of that: For "extra big donations" (however you want to define that), offer up an invitation to a Google Hangout with some two or three Escape Artists editors / hosts. I would be sorely tempted to raid my son's college fund if I thought it might get me a chance to hang out (virtually) for a couple of hours with Allistair, Norm, Dave, and Anna. (Going out to dinner with them would be much, much better of course, but I'd have to wipe out the college fund and the retirement fund to be able to pay for that much value ...)
-
I too do not listen to Pseudopod, but could you let the rest of us know if and when you mange to bag Anson Mount?
-
It might be time to dust off these old threads and see if we have anything to update them with:
PseudoPod stories for EscapePod listeners (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=5878.0)
PseudoPod stories for PodCastle listeners (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=5295.0)
-
The guest expert suggested offering up a dinner with Steve Levit and Steven Dubner to anyone making a really big donation. You guys could do a variation of that: For "extra big donations" (however you want to define that), offer up an invitation to a Google Hangout with some two or three Escape Artists editors / hosts. I would be sorely tempted to raid my son's college fund if I thought it might get me a chance to hang out (virtually) for a couple of hours with Allistair, Norm, Dave, and Anna. (Going out to dinner with them would be much, much better of course, but I'd have to wipe out the college fund and the retirement fund to be able to pay for that much value ...)
This is being considered as a Kickstarter goal for next year...
-
By any chance, has Escape Artists, Inc. set up a Google Wallet account? I ask because I ended up with one as a side effect of buying my tablet, and it looks like I could remit a payment immediately using that service ... but only if the recipient has or sets up an account.
Not knowing much about such things, there may be good reasons to not set up Google Wallet in addition to Paypal and Dwolla (high fees, channel conflict, ??) but maybe it's better to have as many ways for people to pay you as possible?
According to the Wallet app, I can send money to anyone with an email address, so I could just try donating $$ to editor@escapepod.org. In fact, I was all set to do so when it occurred to me ... that Norm guy, he's got an awesome story-telling voice and make pretty good jokes and all, but I'm pretty sure the evidence shows he suffers from multiple personality disorder. What if I send my ten bucks to that email address expecting to make a small contribution to the noble cause that is keeping the pods alive, but it's the recipient on the other end of editor@escapepod.org ends up being one Norm's less attractive versions - the one they don't let record intros because he belches into the microphone, or the one that composes pornographic sonnets, or the one that cuts every tuit he can find into a square until finally no one in the damn building can get a round tuit to save their soul and pretty soon the whole place falls apart ...
No, I can't risk it. If you can take a payment via Google Wallet, you'll have to tell me what email address to use, cause the thought of editor@escapepod.org scares me.
-
Subscription is all set up. Not have I found some amazing authors and books through these podcasts but they've taken me through the entire range of human emotions... Definitely don't want to see them die.
I was wondering if you guys had considered advertising to bring in revenue? I know lots of other podcasts advertise Audible and get paid for their time and if Audible makes sense on any podcasts its these. I also know of some podcasts using an Amazon link on their pages to bring in extra cash. I'm sure you guys have considered these options, but I'd still love to hear your opinions on them.
All my fingers are crossed in unimaginable ways for you guys!
-
I listened to this metacast yesterday. I just realized I have been listening to your podcasts for SIX years. I always thought, "Oh, I'll donate when I am financially stable.". Well, that hasn't happened yet. So... I'm gonna donate anyway. This will be my birthday present to me this year.
It was wonderful to hear from all of the members of the EA Podcasts. The surprise flash piece was great, broke the mood, and turned my week around. I have not laughed that hard in a while. Thank you. Thank all of you for all of your hard work
-
I started a donation subscription today. Please do not go. I could not imagine driving anywhere with out you guys.
-
It's probably clear from how long we've waited to say anything and by the way that when we finally did, we babbled on and on like a 35-year-old having to ask his parents for money, but this was hard for us. Your response has been heartwarming and reassuring. In fact, now I feel like I can ask you guys for anything. Can each of you come take one thing out of my basement and never bring it back? I want to make some play space down there.
You know ... The staff could possibly hold eBay auctions for token personal items.
-
...or you could all just come take something from my basement and leave money in a tip jar by the cellar steps.
-
...or you could all just come take something from my basement and leave money in a tip jar by the cellar steps.
Sure, just post your home address here on the forum! That's not ... a problem, is it?
Road trip!!
(To be clear: KIDDING! I have my own basement full of unwanted items, TYVM. Although ... Hmm ... If I manage to sell some of them, perhaps I will donate the proceeds.)
-
As a long long time listener (EP #2? #3?), occasional donator, and <shameless plug> contributor (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=3259.0) </shameless plug> I am now officially a subscriber. Do I get a tote bag?
Seriously, have you considered adding "Sustaining Member" to the forums profile? Maybe we can just add it to our signatures.
I know, I know - it sounds all immodest and "My Kid is an Honor Student at EscapeArtists High School", but social norming is a great motivator of pro-social behavior: http://freakonomics.com/2012/06/21/riding-the-herd-mentality-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/
[Edit: OK, I'm going to try it in my sig for a while and see how much grief I get.]
[Edit 2: If there was a separate page for subscriptions I would link to it in my sig]
-
I have listened to the metacast, but haven't yet read through the posts in this thread, so apologies if this has already been answered.
I have made both a one-time donation, and subscription. Is there anything else I can do to help? (I sent an email to the three editorial email addresses on Saturday as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if those addresses are swamped with responses right now).
1. I was thinking of offering some auxilliary incentives for donating to Escape Artists, probably also in the form of audio fiction written and/or read by us over at Diabolical Plots. Wilson Fowlie did a kickass reading of one of my stories a year or two ago that got split into five parts and mixed in with nonfiction, so I thought a single-package file of that might be appealing. Maybe some other ones too.
--I'm not sure, though, what the best way to verify donations and give incentives would be from my perspective. I'd be fine with adding whatever we come up with the Escape Artists official pot, but the one story I had in mind for sure is 9700 words, so would seem out of place in a collection of flash giveaway--mind you I would still be happy to do it, just a matter of whether the editors would consider it appropriate. Maybe could at least provide some other flash stories, but not sure if it'd be ones that we pick or if they'd have to run past the editors. I could offer it separately, but then I'm not exactly sure what the best way to verify the donations would be since I would be a third party and the transaction wouldn't be visible to me. Any ideas?
2. At the very least, I will make a post about in on Diabolical Plots. My readership count isn't anywhere near as high as the EA listenership, but it can't hurt anyway.
3. I'm thinking I will also mention it in the first proto edition of the Submissions Grinder newsletter. We have thousands of users (though not all of them are signed up for the newsletter). In the future it'll be a weekly newsletter that'll contain mostly market opening/closing announcements, but will also contain other items of interest like Kickstarter or other fundraising campaigns related to publications. We feel strongly enough about this one to merit an Issue 0 of the Newsletter to help spread the word, and to mention any incentives we might be kicking in.
-
Also, a minor note: the metacast mentioned that you could make one of the 6 pre-set PayPal monthly payment subscription setups, or make a one-time donation.
But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)". So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.
-
But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)". So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.
That is VERY helpful, thanks!
-
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...
I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...
Also, a minor note: the metacast mentioned that you could make one of the 6 pre-set PayPal monthly payment subscription setups, or make a one-time donation.
But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)". So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.
Yup. I just double checked all of the one time donation buttons for all three sites and can confirm this is out there and works. Here's the detail that you've probably already figured out -
Go to the website of your choice and select the one time donation button. That'll take you to the paypal portal where you'll be asked to enter the amount you wish to donate. Put in your preferred amount there. Then to the right of that you'll see a check box that says "make this recurring (monthly)" check that box and finish the log in process. And you'll be set to go.
-
I'm in. Just subscribed for $10/mo. Should have done it years ago. Happy to also share in some sort of one-time lump if we are still in a crunch at the end of 2013 and need to buy more time to raise subscriptions.
This is my Second post. :)
Cam
-
I just donated through Escape Pod because that's how I became aware of Escape Artists, but I also listen to Podcastle and Pseudopod. I gave a lump sum ($60) because my MP3 player doesn't do subscriptions, but I delurked and registered here -- obviously! I hope I heard right via the Metacast that I'll still qualify for the premium content.
I really like the Escape Pod T-shirts on PodDisc. If I buy one, will some reasonable portion of the proceeds go to the pods?
-
Hi! I finally figured out how to subscribe, after looking at the different options mentioned here. (Both Dwolla and PayPal have issues it seems, and my electronic billpay wanted a phone number besides an address. Does EA have a phone number?) I'll put the first $2 check in the mail soon.
I've been a listener since Escape Pod #195, "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss." I don't remember what my first Podcastle episode was, but it was probably as equally amazing. That's where my $2 per month is going. EA makes my favorite podcasts, so I'm glad to give what I can!
-
I really like the Escape Pod T-shirts on PodDisc. If I buy one, will some reasonable portion of the proceeds go to the pods?
That's a yes.
-
I just donated through Escape Pod because that's how I became aware of Escape Artists, but I also listen to Podcastle and Pseudopod. I gave a lump sum ($60) because my MP3 player doesn't do subscriptions, but I delurked and registered here -- obviously! I hope I heard right via the Metacast that I'll still qualify for the premium content.
Yes, the metacast said a one-time donation of $50 or more will get you the extra content.
-
A couple comments about the metacast itself:
I appreciate that not once in the metacast was the $5 a month compared to the cost of buying a cup of coffee, one of the most annoying cliches in fundraising drives. For me, who doesn't buy coffee, I only think "Damn, someone's paying too much for coffee." For someone who does drink coffee, I expect they think "I'm not giving up a cup of COFFEE for you! And if I don't give up a cup of coffee for you, then what was the point of pointing this out?" In either case, I don't think that argument ever makes anyone think "You know, you're right, Starbucks prices are inflated too high THEREFORE I shall donate to this completely unrelated organization.
Also, I appreciate that the EA metacast made a good choice of tone "We want to do awesome things to share with you, and we need money to do those awesome things. Donate to ensure awesome things can continue to be had. And for those who donate, here is some extra awesome things."
As opposed to some donation calls which seem to aim for a tone of "People who don't donate suck and should be punished. But we can't selectively punish them, so we'll just punish everyone."
-
Also, another thing that you did right: Talking about what exactly you need the money for. This can be important when I am choosing whether to donate.
Duotrope did not do this well when they were doing fundraising drives--they claimed to need a pretty substantial amount of money but never made it clear what they needed it for. Presumably to pay staff for labor, which is fine, but they always hid the numbers of their staff and their names behind a veil of secrecy that I wasn't sure how far that money was supposed to be spreading. (They were also the ones who I was thinking of with the "Punish everyone because non-donors suck" tone).
StarShipSofa did not do this well (in my opinion) when Tony said all of these things in the same episode (paraphrased) "If we paid for stories we'd also have to pay for nonfiction and the readers and etc" and "We can't afford to pay all those people, so we don't pay anyone" and "We finally made enough money in donations that I could give some of the money to my wife". He said those things in response to some feedback that I'd given him, and was one of the (admittedly many) reasons why I decided to stop listening to StarShipSofa.
-
I appreciate that not once in the metacast was the $5 a month compared to the cost of buying a cup of coffee, one of the most annoying cliches in fundraising drives. For me, who doesn't buy coffee, I only think "Damn, someone's paying too much for coffee." For someone who does drink coffee, I expect they think "I'm not giving up a cup of COFFEE for you! And if I don't give up a cup of coffee for you, then what was the point of pointing this out?" In either case, I don't think that argument ever makes anyone think "You know, you're right, Starbucks prices are inflated too high THEREFORE I shall donate to this completely unrelated organization.
Ha! That's one of my most hated too. Every time I hear it, I think, "What moron daily drops $5 on coffee? We need to find those idiots and straight rob them on principle." And by the time I'm done musing about that, I've long forgotten what started me thinking about it.
-
I quit contributing a while back because Paypal. Now that you have Dwolla (YAY!), I'm reinstating my monthly contributions as of...whenever Dwolla gets around to confirming my bank account information. Shouldn't take more than 3 days, at the outside.
I'll also catch up to what I would have contributed if Paypal weren't throbbing dicks.
Seriously, THANKS, everyone at EA, for your tireless dedication. I look forward to three stories per week from three of my favorite podcasts.
We can't let these go away, folks. We can't.
-
I know there was a mention of setting up a recurring donation at your own chosen amount. On PayPal you can set up a Monthly donation just by checking a box. Would that be the same as subscribing?
My donation will be my birthday present this year. I'm so happy that you are here, putting out great stories every week for me to listen to!
-
I've donated...these podcasts got me through a lot of animation processing, long walks, commutes and half marathon training.
For that amount of listening pleasure I don't care if you guys are asking for extra money so you can pile it all in a small room and sit there gently rubbing yourself with five pound notes*. You've earned it as far as I'm concerned.
*Not that I think you are. Though it would be cool.
-
I know there was a mention of setting up a recurring donation at your own chosen amount. On PayPal you can set up a Monthly donation just by checking a box. Would that be the same as subscribing?
It would. Thank you so much, and happy birthday :)
-
The metacast has finally brought me to get out of bed at (when I have to be up in 5 hours...) and actually stop finding excuses not to and donate. I'm sorry it has taken me so long. Having listened to every episode of Escapoepod and Podcastle the idea that you guys might no longer be around really scared me.
Thank you all so much for everything you do. I hope enough other people are as motivated as me and everything works out for the best.
-
Wow- I, too, kept procrastinating month after month. I have fixed the situation, subscribing at $5 monthly.
Escape Artists has enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined before their discovery.
They have introduced me to wonderful authors, entrancing music, and personalities that now feel like close friends even though they are strangers.
Thank you for your hard work and commitment!
-
I don't want to imagine what my morning commutes would be like without a dose of quality fiction 2 or three times a week. That's why I subscribed. Here's to a bright 2014!
-
Dwolla finally verified my bank account, so expect a substantial lump sum to make up for my lack of contributions over the last two years, and I'm now subscribed at the same level I was under Paypal.
Thanks again, guys, for making a non-Paypal method available. I would have found a way, even if it meant physical checks, but Dwolla is so much easier.
-
Just a quick question - I've seen on other sites where they rig up a monthly fundraising goal and have current progress to that goal displayed. Sometimes there are top/new donors. Does that exist for escape artist sites ? It wouldn't be hard to whip up, and would clearly communicate fundraising goals.
That's something we hadn't considered, but I'll look into it and see what options there are.
Something like that would be fine, but I'd suggest you try to keep it as positive as possible. Again I'll use Duotrope as an example. They'd have a monthly goal, and would have a colored progress bar that would tell you how well they were meeting that goal. Every month on the 1st the notice would be "We are 99% Behind on Our Funding This Month!" as if this were a terrible and dire thing. No shit, Sherlock, you've only had 8 hours of time to gather 30 days worth of donations. This bugged me every month, and led me to seriously wonder about their ability to make simple decisions if they had no problem with that dire notice popping up every month.
So, some kind of notice would be fine, but don't make it needlessly dire like the Duotrope one had been. Maybe a rolling 30-day window, or something.
Personally I'd rather do without that, but if it helps drum up any support, it's good.
What I would suggest, though, is that if funds are dipping below comfort level and you guys get worried, then tell us in the episodes. It's possible that I may have missed something, but it seemed like the episodes were having the usual level of donation soliciation, and then suddenly the metacast with "Please donate now or we will be gone in 3 months". Maybe the latter is better for getting a blast of donations, but it seems like it could have some intermediate state if this happens again in the future.
-
It's probably clear from how long we've waited to say anything and by the way that when we finally did, we babbled on and on like a 35-year-old having to ask his parents for money, but this was hard for us. Your response has been heartwarming and reassuring. In fact, now I feel like I can ask you guys for anything. Can each of you come take one thing out of my basement and never bring it back? I want to make some play space down there.
If you guys are having financial trouble, you absolutely should speak up about it! Besides just cash money I'm happy to contribute to different incentives and fundraisers--maybe for a ceratin level of donation you could get a critique from a fairly well established author on a story, or for a big-ish donation have a story reading by one of the Escape Artists readers (not for the cast, just for your own distribution, I mean). Granted these are both writer-focused rewards, but you see what I mean.
-
Sorry for the blitz of unrelated replies in a row, but I'm working my way slowly through this 9-page thread.
Some have suggested consolidating some of the podcasts with each other, but I dislike that idea except as a last resort for two main reasons:
1. I've noticed in story threads for all three of the casts that some subset of the fanbase for each may be fanatically interested in that genre, but don't like the stories verging or stepping into the other genres. That's especially true if a horror-like story steps into Escape Pod or Podcastle. If, for instance, Pseudopod and Escape Pod combined, I think that some hardcore SF fans would not only be sad that they have 1/2 as many SF stories, but they would not want to listen to even those if they had to filter through the horror stories to get to them.
2. Declining in product offerings can too easily encourage a downward spiral. I don't think this is foregone conclusion by any means, but if the product were cut back by 1/3 I think that donations could drop by more than that as a result, which could leave you no better off than before. I think that the approach taken in the metacast is a reasonable one--try to instigate donor action from the existing fanbase to get a shot of life, and also make plans to make the product even more awesome in the future by attracting new and awesome talent.
3. I think that a better way to "cut back" would be to slightly decrease the frequency of episodes on one or more casts. But again, that comes with the danger of causing a spiral, so would rather that not be a first resort.
-
Normally I avoid talking about money, donations, etc, because it makes me squirmy.
But since this thread is all about money, since others have posted what they've donated, and maybe another example could help encourage others, I'll do the same in case it's helpful.
I decided to kick in a one-time donation, somewhat arbitrarily chosen at $140--half of the Escape Pod payment I received for my story there. And I kicked in for $5 a month. My PayPal account mostly exists as a place to catch editorial payments, and I mostly dip into it if I have the occasional writing expense or magazine subscription. I've let my paid subscriptions to print magazines expire because I found I never found the time to read the damned things anyway. But I do listen to podcasts every day on my commute, and so there's no reason I shouldn't just reroute that money to EA.
-
Listened and subscribed. It was cool to hear snippets of the other podcast hosts and editors -- I mostly listen to PodCastle due to time constraints and my own predilections. Sad to hear that the financial straits are so dire, but I'm happy and able to do my part in supporting you all.
I think part of the problem is that people are just sort of acclimated to podcasts being free. Not being an expert (or even really a neophyte) at business and marketing and, like, spreadsheets containing dollar signs and numbers and a capitalized letter "Q", I can't really offer any insight on the matter of how best to get people to change their attitude on free stuff. But I do have a great respect for the astonishingly high-quality work that's been done to produce these stories off of voluntary donations. The fact that you are able to provide these stories for free, listenable by anyone who has a computer, at such a level of excellent without, say, plastering it all with irrelevant and intrusive advertising, is to be lauded. Please keep up the good work, and I hope my subscription aids in that.
-
Ergo, progress bars (while I think most of us agree they would be helpful for giving folks basic info about our status and concretizing goals) are a bit misleading. Think in terms of getting to 700-800 subscribers rather than $42K for the year, if that makes sense. ;-)
That's a good point!
It brings to mind Clarkesworld's fundraising drive of last year. In that case it was something along the lines of "If we get X subscribers, then we will provide you one more story each and every month." I think X was something in the several hundred. I think goals stated along those lines could give us listeners something to aim for, and would have the advantage of encouraging the KIND of donation that would be the most useful.
In addition, I think Clarkesworld has had some awesome donation incentives. For instance, a print collection of some of their stories for something like $50 donation. Even a story recording for one of your stories read by Kate Baker for something in the hundreds (only a few available of course, since Kate's time is not an unlimited resource).
-
Normally I avoid talking about money, donations, etc, because it makes me squirmy.
I would usually agree, but I think in this case it is really nice to see an outpouring of love for my favorite three podcasts.
-
Hi,
A personal story of how EscapePod and its sister podcasts help me:
My firstborn has recently made his entry into this crazy world of ours, and I regularly sit with him in the dead of night for feedings. With both my hands holding him and my eyelids as heavy as bowling balls, I am not able to read to pass the time or watch a movie. EscapePod is the perfect solution. Now my son can sleep in my arms while I listen to Resnick, Silverberg, Liu, Kress, Rusch, and others, and rest my eyes at the same time. The perfect way for a new (and very tired) dad to relax.
I would hate to see this podcast end.
--End of Story, beginning of question--
As I am merely a lowly Israeli and not an American, I cannot use Dwolla. Regarding PayPal, is it true that they take 30 cents + a percentage from every monthly donation? If that's the case, a good deal of our subscription goes to them and not to EA. Is there a way for non-Americans to donate and have all, or nearly all, of the money get to EA?
Thanks.
p.s. made a small one time donation through Paypal, but would rather have my subscription not eaten up by them but get to EA.
-
I was going to say "mail us a check" but then I recently had a friend in France agree to pay part of my storage fees in the US as he was using some of my space and we basically determined that it's almost impossible for money to transfer from other countries through banks (including fees on checks) without there being SOME transaction fee. Moving money always seems to cost some money. If you have relatives in the US you could have them mail us a check and repay them personally, maybe? Paul will have a better answer, I'm sure.
-
My firstborn has recently made his entry into this crazy world of ours, and I regularly sit with him in the dead of night for feedings. With both my hands holding him and my eyelids as heavy as bowling balls, I am not able to read to pass the time or watch a movie. EscapePod is the perfect solution. Now my son can sleep in my arms while I listen to Resnick, Silverberg, Liu, Kress, Rusch, and others, and rest my eyes at the same time. The perfect way for a new (and very tired) dad to relax.
Congratulations! I'm a new dad too, my firstborn is almost 6 months old. There is more sleep in your future! We've just started to try to get him sleeping through the nights, and he's taken to it quite well--we haven't had to feed him before the alarm for almost 2 weeks now (Bliss!).
Best of happiness, and sound sleep in your future, to you and yours.
-
Like the others, I can only apologise for having listened to Escape Pod and Pseudopod for so long without subscribing. Count me in. I don't want to see you guys go!
And to all the jerks who demand to know how the money is being spent before donating: well, if that's your general attitude to life, I pity you. These guys donate hours and hours and hours of their time every week to get you stories to listen to. If you can't be grateful, at least be silent.
-
Hello HP Hovercraft - we appreciate your support.
We do not appreciate personal insults towards anyone. Please observe The One Rule (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=3289.0) of the forums, and be civil and respectful in any future posts.
Carry on.
-
Hello HP Hovercraft - we appreciate your support.
We do not appreciate personal insults towards anyone. Please observe The One Rule (http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=3289.0) of the forums, and be civil and respectful in any future posts.
Carry on.
Bit harsh on HP, maybe? No, calling people jerks isn't ok but this is HP's first post. Don't really want it to be their last?
And while I'm here: HP - tone it down a tad, eh?
-
Ok, ok. Let's all take a step back here.
HP Hovercraft - thank you for your support, and welcome to the forums. However, as Occicat said, we do try to keep it civil here, and we try to avoid personal insults, no matter how much we disagree with someone else's position or post. So, please, no calling anyone jerks or saying that you pity them for their attitudes.
Everyone else, let's keep this thread for the important topic of the metacast, our individual responses to it - whether that involves supporting EA or not - and questions to the EA staff on how best to support the podcasts. Please, unless you are a moderator, no more meta-commentary on the validity of other people's posts.
-
Awesome, they're restocked. My PseudoPod shirt is starting to develop holes.
Those holes aren't wear and tear, they are openings for tentacles to reach through from the Dungeon Dimensions and steal the sandwich you brought for lunch.
-
But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)". So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.
That is VERY helpful, thanks!
Ha! When I made that post I hadn't yet gotten to the posts in the thread specifically asking for this. I was just excited to find it because I know it hadn't been there 3 or 4 months ago when I was setting up PayPal donation options for The Submissions Grinder. :)
-
As soon as the Metcast was over, I signed up for a recurring monthly donation. Escape Artists have given me so much enjoyment since I discovered them a couple of months ago that I would be devastated if they were to go.
Thanks for the hours of entertainment! I'm glad to help out and I hope a lot of people do the same!
-
Hi, all. I've been a long time Escape Pod listener. I've always meant to donate, but never got around to it. While I totally detest long episodes (ala NPR) of begging for money, after this last metacast, I relented at last and just today started a monthly subscription. Honestly--and I probably shouldn't admit this--I've been listening to this podcast long enough to appreciate it that I would pay a monthly subscription if you guys asked for one.
I listen to Escape Pod every time a new episode comes out. I feel like all the narrators and speakers are my own family. I would be very sad if the podcast had to end. Escape Pod has kept me from suffering boredom on long drives alone in the car and has put a bit of a kick into my step when exercising at the gym in the morning. It's my favorite podcast! It also introduced me to flash fiction, which I'd never heard of before!
Thanks, guys, for all that you do! This is my first post ever on this forum. Now that I have an account, maybe I'll go provide some episode feedback from now on.
I hope you get enough donations so we can keep listening to all these great stories!!
-
Finally got around to paying up.
JUST KEEP GOING.........please!
-
Hi guys,
Like many of your fans, I keep coming back and back to this thread to be inspired by updates on contributions from new listeners, old listeners, and everyone in between.
I'd love to know how things have shaped up. Is there any chance we can get a quick update on the progress made thus far?
-
it's coming... being recorded...
-
Whew, finally cleared my episode backlog and listened to this.
Wow.
I just have one question: besides my subscription, can I donate my time and skills?
My (relevant) skills include (but are not limited to):
- Being able to stare at a computer monitor for hours on end while being able to manipulate my fingers.
- Being able to read, write and debug most programming languages used by sane programmers.
- Being able to listen and/or read a story, formulate an opinion and then let people know about said opinion in a coherent manner.
- Being aware and open-minded enough to understand that people have their own opinions which may conflict with my own and being able to hold a civil discussion about those opinions.
Specific questions about anything above or something else can be directed to me via PM.
Have a good <Time_of_diurnal_period>.
-
Hey guys...
Thanks for including an update in the most recent Podcastle on how the fundraising is going. I'm really happy to know that you've doubled your subscribers, but don't know what this means in terms of whether you can keep going into 2014. We'd love to know how close (or far away) we are to the goal. One of the things that I love about Kickstarter is that there are obvious stated fund raising goals, and that I can check back and see how the projects I am backing are doing. Public Radio is a little less transparent, but they will often have stated goals like: "We want 500 more subscribers!" And then they will tell you how close they are to getting those subscribers.
I don't need your raw numbers. You can spend the money anyway you want to make the pods float. I just want a better idea of the journey ahead.
Thanks,
Hmm
-
Hey guys...
Thanks for including an update in the most recent Podcastle on how the fundraising is going. I'm really happy to know that you've doubled your subscribers, but don't know what this means in terms of whether you can keep going into 2014. We'd love to know how close (or far away) we are to the goal. One of the things that I love about Kickstarter is that there are obvious stated fund raising goals, and that I can check back and see how the projects I am backing are doing. Public Radio is a little less transparent, but they will often have stated goals like: "We want 500 more subscribers!" And then they will tell you how close they are to getting those subscribers.
I don't need your raw numbers. You can spend the money anyway you want to make the pods float. I just want a better idea of the journey ahead.
Thanks,
Hmm
+1
-
it's coming... being recorded... (2)
-
it's coming... being recorded... (2)
(I didn't know if the previous "being recorded" response was referring to the Podcastle mention or not)
-
I just have one question: besides my subscription, can I donate my time and skills?
Well, making the forum a pleasant place to be is, in fact, a big help. Having a community of fans is a good thing, and not every venue can claim that.
-
I just have one question: besides my subscription, can I donate my time and skills?
Well, making the forum a pleasant place to be is, in fact, a big help. Having a community of fans is a good thing, and not every venue can claim that.
Here Hear! (Yes I mangled that on purpose because I somehow think it's funny)
When I started writing I'd regularly wander into and out of about a dozen forums, but these days I pretty much only visit this one and Codex. The community here is awesome. The moderation makes a huge difference in this, I think, as this is one of the few I've been to that moderates at exactly the right level--quickly moderating anything that's out of bounds (beginnings of flame wars and such), but allowing differing opinions and discussions to continue as long as they stick to the topic.
-
it's coming... being recorded... (2)
(I didn't know if the previous "being recorded" response was referring to the Podcastle mention or not)
No, it wasn't. (At least I don't think it was.) But there's a minicast coming soon that'll explain where we are, and where we're going.
-
it's coming... being recorded... (2)
(I didn't know if the previous "being recorded" response was referring to the Podcastle mention or not)
No, it wasn't. (At least I don't think it was.) But there's a minicast coming soon that'll explain where we are, and where we're going.
Oh good, I'm glad. :) Because upon hearing the update in the PodCastle episode, my first thought was YAY!!! and my second was Hmm, I wonder if that's anywhere near enough? I'm crossing my fingers!
-
I am a lurker extraordinaire, and also terrible at keeping up with my podcasts, but I wanted to let you guys know--I just finished listening to the metacast about 5 minutes ago, and then set up a $2 subscription. I wish it could be more, but I hope even that much will help. Goodness knows that your work is worth a great deal more than that. I've been enjoying the podcasts for years (mostly Podcastle and Pseudopod), in large part because the pods have been free. There were times when I couldn't even have contributed the small amount I have today, and your stories lifted me out of the grind, reliable little doses of escapism that I could always look forward to. Now that I have a little more, I'm pleased to give back. (I only regret that I didn't do so sooner.) Thank you.
-
All caught up now with the a load of stories from all 3
Then I cancelled my 2 $5 donations per month
and signed up for the $15 per month. A devoted addict here, even set up a page on Facebook to help attract more listeners to these and other podcasts, you can see it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/590082307722752/
I labeled it: Pod-Heads
-
OK ... long time listener, first time poster :)
I listened to the beginning of the metacast - the shock I felt as I heard that the EA Triad might close at the end of the year was quite revealing to me. As someone who spent a couple of years driving 3 hours a day through peak hour traffic and only my podcasts to make it tolerable, they have become an essential element in my life.
$5/month subscription seems only right - done.
Can I just add my voice to the others . . .
If you have ever thought that you "should" donate something - that's your conscience talking to you - you should follow it's advice.
-
I've enjoyed the stories. It only seems fair that I give something back.
I'm sure this has already been answered, but do I need to subscribe to each podcast individually or does money to any of them benefit the others?
-
I've enjoyed the stories. It only seems fair that I give something back.
I'm sure this has already been answered, but do I need to subscribe to each podcast individually or does money to any of them benefit the others?
All the donations go to the same pot, you can subscribe only once for all three podcasts.
-
I've enjoyed the stories. It only seems fair that I give something back.
I'm sure this has already been answered, but do I need to subscribe to each podcast individually or does money to any of them benefit the others?
All the donations go to the same pot, you can subscribe only once for all three podcasts.
Thanks! :)
-
Hi guys, I'd like to reiterate a question asked a couple of pages back: would it be possible to donate/subscribe through Google Wallet? I don't really trust PayPal, and I'm not American so I can't use Dwolla.
I got a new job a month ago and I occasionally drive to work, and the podcasts keep me sane in the horrible traffic, I really want to contribute!
-
Hi guys, I'd like to reiterate a question asked a couple of pages back: would it be possible to donate/subscribe through Google Wallet? I don't really trust PayPal, and I'm not American so I can't use Dwolla.
I got a new job a month ago and I occasionally drive to work, and the podcasts keep me sane in the horrible traffic, I really want to contribute!
Jen (and others) -
Thank you, first of all, for your interest in contributing.
We don't currently have any other systems for accepting payment besides Paypal, checks and Dwolla. None of us editors, forum moderators and other staff can set up new forms of payment acceptance. The only one who can do that is Paul Haring. I'm sure he's watching the thread (he set up the Dwolla account after people expressed interest) and investigating the cost and management overhead to Escape Artists of setting up things like Amazon payments and Google wallet. However, it may require some patience before we get an answer as to whether these alternatives can be set up. Thanks for expressing your interest, because I'm sure Paul is using the number of people who are asking for something as part of the decision making process.
An alternate suggestion: In some countries, you can use your bank account's bill payments system to pay bills to an individual. For example, I can set up my bank to send a check automatically to another individual (or company) on a recurring basis. You can probably use EA's mailing address to do the same, if your account allows for that. I'm not sure if that system is available for out of country payments, and it will vary from bank to bank and account type, but it might be worth looking into for your situation.
-
I just wrote:
http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?topic=7668.0
Apologies if this has been brought forward as an idea elsewhere in the forums in the past.
-
Absolutely THRILLED to hear the new metacast just now. Good work to the EA team, and here's to the continuing health and growth of all three casts. :D Can't wait to see what you guys have planned for 2014.
-
Can someone refresh my memory as to what the terms of the incentive actually are? I am working on a draft of a proto-newsletter for the Submission Grinder in which I will mention the fundraiser. But I am writing the newsletter at a location where I can't really play audio. The TL;DR version says a lot of useful things very concisely but does not say the terms.
I THINK that the target date was November 30, and that anyone who has subscribed for at least $2/month by that date OR made a one-time donation of at least $50 gets some stories. Is that correct? Is it public information what the stories/authors are yet or is that meant to lend it an air of mystique?
-
November 30th is the deadline for the premium content
All previous subscribers will get it.
Anyone who subscribes before November 30th will get it
Any one-off donation of $50 or more, from the time of the initial metacast until November 30th, will get it.
There will be at least 2 stories, maybe 3. They have not been announced.
-
November 30th is the deadline for the premium content
All previous subscribers will get it.
Anyone who subscribes before November 30th will get it
Any one-off donation of $50 or more, from the time of the initial metacast until November 30th, will get it.
There will be at least 2 stories, maybe 3. They have not been announced.
Thank you!
-
Anyone know if they can detect Dwolla subscriptions? I'm not sure how the two systems (that and paypal) differ in this regard.
-
I imagine that since Paul set up our Dwolla account, he'll know if people choose that option. If it becomes an issue, drop us a line!
-
Just so you guys know, I tried to do a recurring donation last night via paypal and got a "Sorry - Your last action could not be completed" error message. I tried again just now to see if it might have changed, but no dice, I got the same error. I could attach a screenshot if you want.
I am going to try Dwolla. Have you guys checked into WePay.com as an alternative? I really don't like PayPal or their business practices, but I do want to support the 'casts.
-p
-
Hit the annual subscription... I'm posting this to say thanx and I really hope my little bit helps.
Ya know... whilst I'm sure you have considered it... you should poll the masses and see if'n a regular membership plan would work... $5 a month or one time $60 a year sounds reasonable... or would the additional administrative costs offset the income. Guess the first question to ask is would the unwashed masses rise to the occasion or would they just rise up and whine.
I'm bettin ya'll have asked these questions... I'm just say'n art is not free... TNSTAAFL... but nobody walks by the free samples...
Along another line... how would one become a voice resource for Escape Artists???
Thanx again
-
drop a query to editor@pseudopod.org and you'll be sent a form email with attached reading sample and questionnaire.
-
I sent out a prototype edition of the planned newsletter for The Submission Grinder today to the 985 of our users (submitting writers at various stages of their careers) who have opted in. The main stated purpose was to get feedback on what people would like to see in the newsletter, but a major secondary motive was to mention the Escape Artists fundraiser. Once we get this newsletter properly going, there'll be a list of every week of new publication-related fundraisers that have come to our attention in hope of upping their visibility. I wanted to get the proto-newsletter out sooner than later in the hopes that it would drive some traffic in your direction.
I hope it helps!
-
Thanks!
-
So I'm finally a true Escapodian! 1% of "tens of thousands" of listeners. That did it. I threw away my cardboard sign and took a shower. Time to contribute! Thank you for all the fun so far, but also thank you for doing a heartfelt, unapologetic, entertaining, and factual "pledge drive." Too many of us who are lucky enough to love our work have a problem asking people to pay us for it. This Metacast could serve as the standard of how to ask for donations. Bravo!
-
Subscribed today, after about one year and a hald of listening. Having finished my PhD last August and being a couple of months away from starting my new job, I came to realise that I should only spend money on things that matter. Escape Pod is, for me, something that matters.
-
Subscribed today, after about one year and a hald of listening. Having finished my PhD last August and being a couple of months away from starting my new job, I came to realise that I should only spend money on things that matter. Escape Pod is, for me, something that matters.
Two and a half years listening, and still working on my PhD, but same story here. That, plus the most recent EscapePod flash contest got me to write a story that has become my first professional publication. Subscribed, and worth it. I plan on listening to these stories for as long as I have ears, and maybe longer.
-
Two and a half years listening, and still working on my PhD, but same story here. That, plus the most recent EscapePod flash contest got me to write a story that has become my first professional publication. Subscribed, and worth it. I plan on listening to these stories for as long as I have ears, and maybe longer.
Link?
-
(I now have a job. And I will make use of the new option. ESPECIALLY if there is a PayPal alternative --- HATE HATE HATE Paypal)
You can send donations in via Dwolla.com. Our number is 812-527-2340
I can't get this ID# to work on Dwolla. Is it still valid?
Never mind, weird, now it worked.
In case anyone else encounters this, here's what happened:
I already have a dwolla account that I've been using to pay my rent for 2 years or so and also very occasionally for other things. So I'm very familiar with the site and the service and my account is active etc.
I took your ID# from above and tried to set up a recurring payment with it. But the recurring payment screen just rejected the ID#. I tried manually typing. I tried cut&paste. I tried leaving out the dashes. I tried entering the name instead of the numbers. Nothing worked.
So I thought maybe it just wouldn't let you set up a recurring transaction until after someone was already a contact by doing a regular one-time transaction with them. The regular one-time send money screen not only accepted the ID# it also found your account by name, if I just type Escape, it shows "Escape Artists Inc.". That would seem to support the theory so I went to do a one-time payment, but then I apparently took too long writing a note into the details box, because when I hit submit, the session had timed out and all I got was a login page. So I logged back in, and just for the heck of it I tried to set up the recurring payment again, and this time it worked. ??? I have no idea. The previous attempted one-time payment definitely had not been submitted. No such transaction in the history or pending activity screens.
In the end I still went ahead and sent a one-time payment that represents $5/month for the last 2 years anyways even though the recurring payment of $5/month from now on was set up. So you will get a one-time and a recurring, but the one-time was done after the recurring.
So, the reason I say all this is, if anyone else has problems, I guess just keep retrying. Dwolla site is maybe just a tad glitchy and less than perfect. ;)
Anyways, thank you for using Dwolla! Yay Dwolla!
-
Remember when I posted that it seemed like Paypal didn't recognise my monthly sending so I gave up and pushed the button on your website where it would take the money from my credit card? Apparently, Paypal did take the money (though I am not sure from where... because I use it seldomly). In any case I have canceled the paypal one and consider the two or three extra months as one time donations, no harm done (my job just gave me money back for external seminars, so there you go)
-
Does anyone know how the hell Paypal became the default standard? It's like Waffle House somehow became the place that everyone goes for lunch, so much so that all other fast food restaurants got pushed out and now it's Waffle House or nothing.
-
How did OpenJDK become the default implementation of Java?
How did Xerox's point-and-click become the default UI standard?
How did mp3 become the default music compression?
It's just the way things happen. It's either the most popular implementation or the one that works the best.
In the case of OpenJDK and Xerox it was the one that worked best. In the case of PayPal and mp3 it was the most popular.
-
Hello,
is there any news on alternative subscription methods? I just started supporting another podcast through Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/). The process was pretty painless and it can be used by non-US people.
I will eventually run out of PodDisc DVDs to buy, please hurry! ;)
-
Any news on the super special squirrel bonus episode for people who subscribed to regularly donate $50 a month? I did via Dwolla back well before the deadline but I'm not sure if there was supposed to be an email or something or if maybe it's just still in production. Thanks!
-
Any news on the super special squirrel bonus episode for people who subscribed to regularly donate $50 a month? I did via Dwolla back well before the deadline but I'm not sure if there was supposed to be an email or something or if maybe it's just still in production. Thanks!
PseudoPod and PodCastle have sent theirs out. Have you not received an e-mail about those?
Also: http://forum.escapeartists.net/index.php?board=196.0
-
Nope! Are Dwolla subscribers being tracked? Or are they just looking at the Paypal roster? </theory>
-
Nope! Are Dwolla subscribers being tracked? Or are they just looking at the Paypal roster? </theory>
That's weird. Thanks for mentioning it - I'll bring it up with Paul pronto!
-
Any update re Dwolla subscribers being tracked?
-
Sorry, Thunderscreech, and thanks for popping up again. I'd thought it had been resolved. I understand you have the stories now, but if anyone else is not getting them, please let us know so we can correct this.
-
Sorry. Been AWOL a bit. Our bank changed, so our cards did as well and some payments to EA failed. The card is renewed and we're back in business.
-
Oh no, Alasdair used the "price of a cup of coffee" comparison in the most recent Pseudopod cast, the most overused and cliched method of asking for money! Hopefully not to be repeated!
-
Except it was 4 dollars, which in my experience was about the cost of a cup of coffee and is certainly around that on this side of the pond.
It's going to be repeated. At least once. And the point isn't the comparison. The point is what you can get for that amount that isn't a disposable and in some ways luxury snack item.
-
Except it was 4 dollars, which in my experience was about the cost of a cup of coffee and is certainly around that on this side of the pond.
It's going to be repeated. At least once. And the point isn't the comparison. The point is what you can get for that amount that isn't a disposable and in some ways luxury snack item.
It's just that it's been used in every fundraiser since I can remember. It's kind of a default element, doesn't really entice one to donate, and strikes me as kind of lazy because it's so commonly used. Are people going to give up their cup of coffee to donate? I seriously doubt it. They'll either donate or they won't, but I doubt that giving up that coffee is going to be part of it, at which point I'm not really sure why the comparison is relevant. Also, one can find coffee for much cheaper than $4 if you're inclined to look for it. Personally, when I fancy a coffee I get it from the company coffeemaker which is provided for free. One of the best things about the original metacast calling for donations is that the cost of a cup of coffee was never ever mentioned.
I do think it's cool that the last few donation calls I've heard have recommended other things outside of the EA casts that are worth supporting. That's a cool element. It would be cool if the suggested recipient changes as Kickstarters for awesome things or other fundraising efforts go by.
I'm a $5/month subscriber. That's not changing one way or the other. I generally listen to every episode to the end including the donation call, and just like the rest of the episode I believe it's worth giving feedback about.
-
btw, on the general topic of spreading the word about the podcasts, I'm going to be doing a series of guest posts for the awesome SF Signal about fiction podcasts. It will include some Best Of Lists, but will also included articles of Podcast Spotlights, each of which will focus on a single fiction podcast and talk about what sets that podcast apart, and some of my favorite episodes etc.
I've done my best to spread the word via Diabolical Plots but SF Signal has a much huger readership than DP does, so I'm very excited. I'm hoping that these will send a ton of new listeners to the EA casts.
-
Personally, I know we like subscriptions, but I say we do a one-time donation push using a "price of one shoe" model. Or maybe a 40-day Lenten model. Or $5 for each of the 15 weeks of summer -- buy your stories for the beach, get them for free the rest of the year!
All of this, of course, is just until I can rent a Kool-Aid man costume and start busting into people's houses and refusing to leave until they put $5 in my head.
(http://www.digitaloperative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/koolaid.jpg)
-
Personally, I know we like subscriptions, but I say we do a one-time donation push using a "price of one shoe" model. Or maybe a 40-day Lenten model. Or $5 for each of the 15 weeks of summer -- buy your stories for the beach, get them for free the rest of the year!
All of this, of course, is just until I can rent a Kool-Aid man costume and start busting into people's houses and refusing to leave until they put $5 in my head.
(http://www.digitaloperative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/koolaid.jpg)
I'm good with the Kool-Aid man costume, but I think we should purchase it to get the true value. Or maybe make one that looks like a cross between the Kool-Aid Man and the Escape Pod baseball. Get people to wear it at conventions.
-
Personally, I know we like subscriptions, but I say we do a one-time donation push using a "price of one shoe" model. Or maybe a 40-day Lenten model. Or $5 for each of the 15 weeks of summer -- buy your stories for the beach, get them for free the rest of the year!
All of this, of course, is just until I can rent a Kool-Aid man costume and start busting into people's houses and refusing to leave until they put $5 in my head.
(http://www.digitaloperative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/koolaid.jpg)
I'm good with the Kool-Aid man costume, but I think we should purchase it to get the true value. Or maybe make one that looks like a cross between the Kool-Aid Man and the Escape Pod baseball. Get people to wear it at conventions.
PLEASE SOMEONE SEND FENRIX TO THE NEXT CON IN THIS COSTUME NOW!!!!
-
Personally, I know we like subscriptions, but I say we do a one-time donation push using a "price of one shoe" model. Or maybe a 40-day Lenten model. Or $5 for each of the 15 weeks of summer -- buy your stories for the beach, get them for free the rest of the year!
All of this, of course, is just until I can rent a Kool-Aid man costume and start busting into people's houses and refusing to leave until they put $5 in my head.
(http://www.digitaloperative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/koolaid.jpg)
I'm good with the Kool-Aid man costume, but I think we should purchase it to get the true value. Or maybe make one that looks like a cross between the Kool-Aid Man and the Escape Pod baseball. Get people to wear it at conventions.
PLEASE SOMEONE SEND FENRIX TO THE NEXT CON IN THIS COSTUME NOW!!!!
YES!!! I shall take pictures. For, er, marketing purposes. Yeah, that's it. :D
-
Personally, I know we like subscriptions, but I say we do a one-time donation push using a "price of one shoe" model. Or maybe a 40-day Lenten model. Or $5 for each of the 15 weeks of summer -- buy your stories for the beach, get them for free the rest of the year!
All of this, of course, is just until I can rent a Kool-Aid man costume and start busting into people's houses and refusing to leave until they put $5 in my head.
(http://www.digitaloperative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/koolaid.jpg)
I'm good with the Kool-Aid man costume, but I think we should purchase it to get the true value. Or maybe make one that looks like a cross between the Kool-Aid Man and the Escape Pod baseball. Get people to wear it at conventions.
PLEASE SOMEONE SEND FENRIX TO THE NEXT CON IN THIS COSTUME NOW!!!!
I would totally bust through a wall at the Parsec party at Dragon*Con.
(Not the ceremony, because that would be tacky, but maybe if it was pre-arranged...)
-
There's been a hint in one of the recent episodes that you're working on more subscription options. Can you reveal anything yet? The suspense is killing me...
-
There's been a hint in one of the recent episodes that you're working on more subscription options. Can you reveal anything yet? The suspense is killing me...
Are there plans to have a separate "B-sides" stream for monthly subscribers? My $10/month is still the best arts investment that I can do.