Getting Started on Ream in 5 Steps

So you want to start a subscription page on Ream? You’re in the right place! Ream is the subscription platform by fiction authors for fiction authors and has built the experience to be easy, simple, and fun just for you and your readers. Here’s how to set up your Ream in 1 hour and manage and grow your subscription in just 5 steps:

Step 1: Create your free Ream account and set up for payouts.

Go to ReamStories.com/create to set up your account with an email, display name, and password. As an author, make sure to select "Author" when creating your account. Then set up for payouts by navigating to the "Income" tab. For more about Ream's payouts, click here.

Step 2: Set up your page branding.

Click the Page tab in your Author Dashboard and then the “Edit” button in the bottom right-hand corner. To complete your page branding, you should add:

• A page name, which is most often your pen name.
• A banner image. The dimensions are 1600 px by 400 px with the center of the image viewable across all devices [full graphic sizing guide for Ream].
• A profile picture.
• A tagline, which is a one-sentence description of what you are creating on Ream. Most often authors share the genre they are writing.
• Your page’s custom URL to share their page with readers.
• An information section, which is similar to an About the Author section. Most often times authors share their bio, what they are creating on Ream, and a brief FAQ about the platform and their tiers. And for a standard FAQ to include about Ream for your readers, feel free to repurpose any of the information we share in the platform Reader FAQ.

Step 3: Create your tiers.

This is optional and doesn't need to be completed before you launch your page.

However, if you wish to add paid tiers to your page's subscription, then follow the best practices below.

• Add a Tier Name. You can name tiers with simply “Tier 1” and “Tier 2” to get started and over time customize the names to your brand. The best tier names resonate with your readers and complement the benefits you offer.
• Add a Tier Image. This is completely optional. We recommend 600 px by 300 px for the image size.
• Add Tier Copy, which is how you describe what your readers get for joining your subscription to your readers. The most common benefits authors offer on Ream are: early access to books before they are released elsewhere; access to some or all backlist titles; access to bonus content and short stories; and signed books, swag, and merchandise. For more tier reward ideas, check out our Tier Reward Fireside Chat.
• Add Tier Limits, which are optional. This is where you can limit the number of members in your tier to make your Ream exclusive. You can change your tier limit anytime!
• Once you have your tier(s) created all you have to do is hit save and your tiers will be visible on your page.

Here are some additional notes about tiers that we think you should know:

• You can create Tier Welcome Messages, which are optional. This allows new readers to receive a nice, helpful email when joining your Ream. You can do this by clicking “More Actions” at the bottom of your tier when in the “Edit” view of your page. Here are more instructions on welcome messages and a blog we created all about writing great welcome messages.
• Paid tiers have a minimum of $3 per month on Ream and no maximum.
• Once you set the price of a tier, you can not change it, but you can create a new tier at a new price point at any time.
• Readers can only be in one paid tier at a time.
• You can archive a tier anytime and make it invisible to the public, so new members can’t join (and can unarchive a tier to make it available for sign-up again).
• Every Ream page automatically has the ability for readers to Follow your page (you should see the button on any Ream page you visit). Following is free for readers and allows the author to receive the reader’s email address to connect with them directly, publish chapters and community posts to Followers, and send email updates to Followers right inside Ream. You can learn more about Following on Ream here.
• Higher tiers do not automatically get access to lower tiers.

Step 4: Publish any stories and community posts you want available for readers before you launch.

It’s not required to publish any content before your readers enter your Ream. But it is best practice to have a few chapters live and ready and a community post welcoming your readers into your Ream.

To publish a story on Ream:

• Head to the Stories tab in your author dashboard.
• Enter your story metadata (title, cover, tags, etc.).
• Then import your content. You can either copy and paste your chapters or you can import them using Google Docs following these instructions.
• You can publish a chapter now by navigating to your Chapter Controls section on the Publishing Page of your story, clicking the “Publish” button next to the chapter, then selecting the tier you want your chapters to be visible to. Or you can also schedule chapters to be published in the future. For a full tutorial on scheduling, check out our comprehensive guide here.

To publish a community post on Ream:

• Just navigate to the Community tab in your author dashboard, and you can make posts there.
• You can attach images and post updates to readers as well as select which tiers you want posts to be visible to.
• You can even schedule community posts to be visible in the future, just like you can with your chapters!

Step 5: Launch your page and share your Ream with your readers.

To launch your page, navigate to the Page tab in your author dashboard and click the “Launch” button at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Ream will then check to see if your page is set up correctly and ready for paying subscribers. If you follow the steps in this guide, then you will be set!

Now with your page launched, you can share your Ream with your readers. Woohoo!

You can find a shareable link for your Ream right inside the Dashboard tab in your author Dashboard. Underneath the “Share Your Ream” panel, you will find a link you can copy and paste to share with others.

Does Ream support pen names? Yes, we do. If you want more information on how to set up multiple pen names under one account. Click here. And if you already know how to set up a separate pen name but need some more guidance, click here.

If you have any questions about setting up your Ream author page, reach out to our Support team at support@reamstories.com.