Getting Started on Ream in 5 Steps

New platform who dis? 😁

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.

Creating an author account takes seconds with just an email, display name, and password, and setting up for payouts takes less than 5 minutes. 

Creating a Ream account is free and the platform only makes money when you do (a 10% fee of the revenue you make on Ream + payment processing fees).

Just select whether you want Managed (Ream handles and is liable for sales tax + VAT) or Direct (author is liable for Sales Tax + VAT if they cross nexus thresholds, no payout fees or minimums).

Step 2: Set up your page branding.

Setting up your page is as simple as clicking the Page tab in your Author Dashboard and then the “Edit” button in the bottom right-hand corner. To complete your page branding you will need:

(1) A page name.

• Most often the author’s pen name.

(2) A banner image for your subscription.

• The dimensions are 1600 px by 400 px with the center of the image viewable across all devices [full graphic sizing guide for Ream].
• Here’s a Canva Template to make your own banner image and here’s a detailed guide on image sizing on Ream.
• Pro tip: repurpose any banners you use on your website or Facebook page to meet the dimensions for Ream.

(3) Page profile picture.

• Most often times authors reuse the picture they use on other platforms, so this one is quick and easy to set up.

(4) Your page tagline.

• This is a one-sentence description of what you are creating on Ream. Most often authors share the genre they are writing.
• An example from Nia Quinn’s page “is creating urban fantasy with mayhem, sass, and strong women”

(5) Your page’s custom URL.

• Every author on Ream can create a custom URL to share their page with readers. You can enter yours in right beneath your tagline.

(6) The information section.

• This 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.
• This is an example of an author with a great information section. 
• 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.

Now we are to the meat of your page!

First, some things to know about tiers:

• Paid tiers have a minimum of $3 per month on Ream and no maximum (so you can charge as much as you want).

• 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. You can also contact our support team if you want to migrate your readers into a new tier at support@reamstories.com

• 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).

• You can create free trials, gift subscriptions, discounts and promo codes for your tiers on Ream. This is a hidden feature that you must complete the form at https://subscriptionsforauthors.com/promotion-codes/ to unlock. Just let us know the kind of discount, gift, or promo you are looking to run and the name of your page to start.

• 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 - you have to select the lower tiers as you create each tier, if you want to offer that as a benefit.

Some general recommendations for tier creation:

• We recommend setting up one to three paid tiers, with one benefit for your readers per tier to start.

• $5 is the typical price point we see authors pick on Ream to start, but the average monthly membership is currently $9, so typically authors will have a $10 and $20+ membership tier.

• Have fun with your tiers! Try not to overthink it. Your benefits can change with time as you figure out what works best for you and your readers.

Here’s the anatomy of a tier on Ream:

(1) 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.

(2) Tier Image [OPTIONAL]

• You can create a tier image, but you don’t have to.
• 600 px by 300 px is what Ream recommends.
• Here are 1 and 2 examples of pages with great tier images.

(3) Tier Copy

Your tier copy is how you describe what your readers get for joining your Ream to your readers. Short and to the point is best. The most common benefits authors offer on Ream are:

• Benefit #1: early access to books before they are released elsewhere
• Benefit #2 access to some or all backlist titles
• Benefit #3: access to bonus content and short stories
• Benefit #4: signed books, swag, and merchandise.

For more tier reward ideas, check out our Tier Reward Fireside Chat.

(4) Tier Limits [OPTIONAL]

• You can limit the number of members in your tier to make your Ream exclusive.
• You can change your tier limit anytime!

(5) Physical Good Tiers [OPTIONAL]

• For tiers involving physical goods, you can check “Includes Physical Goods” on the tier, and Ream will prompt your readers to enter a shipping address when they sign up.

Once you have your tier(s) created all you have to do is hit save and your tiers will be visible on your page.

Don’t worry — your page isn’t launched yet! For now, you are the only one who can see these tiers. If you want to share your tiers with other authors for feedback before launching your page, we recommend screenshotting your tiers.

After creating your tier, the last thing to do is create a custom welcome message:

• 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.

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 with a Poll or question that encourages engagement from your readers.

A key thing to know about Community Posts and Chapters on Ream are that your content is only visible to the tiers that you select. Thus to publish to Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, you must select Tiers 1, 2, and 3 when publishing.

When readers don’t have access to content, they will be displayed an upgrade message that allows them to easily pay and unlock that content.

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...

(1) Navigate to your Chapter Controls section on the Publishing Page of your story and click the “Publish” button next to the chapter.

(2) You can then select the tier you want your chapters to be visible to.

• You can also schedule chapters to be published in the future.

(1) You can create one schedule per tier and queue up chapters that will be published on the schedules you choose.

(2) You can pick the start date, the number of chapters you want to be published, and the tier you want to publish to.

(3) For a full tutorial on scheduling, check out our comprehensive guide here.

When a chapter is published to a Paid Tier or Followers they will receive a notification email that allows them to click a button and read the chapter inside Ream.

This ensures that only verified readers have access to your chapters and encourages readers to interact in the social eReader inside Ream.

Then readers can read your stories inside Ream’s social eReader which allows readers to comment and interact with every paragraph of your story. There is a table of contents for them to easily navigate your chapters and the ability for them to change font size, type, and reading mode (dark mode, sepia mode, etc.).

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!

Readers will receive community posts inside their email, just like a newsletter, but can click inside Ream to comment and engage with your community posts. This is especially useful if you plan on using polls to engage with your readers!

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

This is the last step… you are ready to launch now! 🥳

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.

You can use this link to share with your readers on your newsletter, social media, or even share in our subscription feedback threads to get feedback from fellow authors inside the Subscriptions for Authors Facebook Group.

And now it’s time to grow your Followers + Paid Subscribers on Ream and make a sustainable, recurring income from your stories!

We recommend watching this podcast which details some key steps to promoting your subscription.

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