Sunday
Aug212011
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill August tip drive
Aug 21, 2011 Blogs There was no tip drive in July, so here, after a short intermission, is the latest attempt to fill the episcopal coffers. As always all contributions are gratefully received.
I am keen to get more subscriptions going, because subscriptions enable me to set aside a block of time each day/week/month for global warming activities. To that end I am going to offer an enticement - I'm going to start putting out an email newsletter to subscribers (and major donors), which will give early insights into (some of) the things I'm working on. Subscriptions are at a set level of £5 per month. The subscribe button is on the right-hand side.
Reader Comments (8)
I draw attention then to this cautionary tail, for anyone that missed it.
http://fenbeagleblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/most-efficacious/
Noted and done.
Joined in, many thanks for the opportunity, work to be done.
Hate to be questioning, but you are making money from a book and now begging for cash to blog.
Isn't this about fighting a corner, rather than making mone. Are you saying unless people fund you that you won't find tme to blog? Its a yes or no answer.
@jason
The air must be pretty rarified on the planet where you live. How much per hour are you paid for your work? Would you spend a year or more of your spare time (or time stolen from other essential non-remunerated personal activity) writing a book on the chance that it will eventually pay enough to cover that time at your regular hourly rate?
You really do need to grow up.
I bought the book and I'm happy with the purchase. I even bought another copy for someone else who I thought should read it but would never buy it. However, regarding Mique's comment, most authors do actually spend a great deal of time researching and writing their books in the hope that they can get them published and that enough people will buy them to justify the effort, that's how it works. Many, maybe even most authors find they have wasted their time.
While the book is well written, engaging and clearly took a great deal of time to write, the content was the work of others, and it seems likely that the effort that went into the book (this may also apply to the blog) was trivial in comparison to the effort that went into the content it disseminates so well.
This may be an unpopular view but I think Jason makes a fair point, I'd like to know the answer to the question he asked. Whether the blog is a passion or a business would certainly have some effect on how I view it. Frankly I find the subscription drive a turn-off.
Jaffa, Jason
A bit of both really. I neglect my real work in order to do the blog and the writing, the returns from which are pretty small (hint: £1.20 per copy sold). It is hard to justify the time expended.
This is a perennial problem for bloggers, apart perhaps from the blessed few like WUWT. It's worth pointing out that the blessed few tend to be the ones who treat blogging as a business. The others close after a relatively short life. If I can make some money doing what I do, I'll keep going. If I can't I'll start concentrating on the day job again.
Obviously it's a personal thing, but for me subscribing was a no-brainer, and so I was an "early adopter" of the Bishop's scheme.
Firstly, the annual cost (£60) will buy you about an hour of my time at standard rates, and our host has spent at least an hour a year responding to my direct enquiries, never mind the background level of entertainment and information. Secondly the annual cost is about half what I saved by cancelling my subscription to Nature, and I would rather spend my money in the blogosphere than on the dead tree press.
Your mileage may vary, but I would urge any regular here to consider some form of support for the enterprise, and if you can afford it then subscribing is simple and relatively painless.