📣 An important announcement from Can we read?

Jul 16, 2021

Hi.

This is an abnormal Friday message from me, coming to your inbox with an announcement:

I will be adding a paid subscription option to this newsletter beginning August 1.

Before anything else I want to say thank you for signing up for and reading this newsletter (those of you who read every issue and those of you who only open it once in awhile); for the support you’ve given me by sharing this with your own people networks; for replying to me with encouraging words and feedback and requests for recommendations. There is more content on the internet than seemingly stars in the sky, and I’m grateful to each one of you for choosing to spend your time and attention on what I’m offering here. It’s not an exaggeration to say that writing this for you got me through the pandemic and has brought me the strangest surprise joy.

TL;DR: If you know you want a paid subscription that will give you full access to this newsletter from now on and want to skip my explanation, this orange button is for you👇 (Doing that gets you an early bird discount — 15% off an annual subscription, forever. I appreciate you!)

The rest of you, read on…

So, what’s changing?

Here’s the breakdown:

If you remain subscribed for free you will receive:

One regular issue per month on Wednesday, on a week of my choosing (regular issues are the numbered ones — No. 40, No. 41, etc.)
One Notes From the Reading Nook per month on Tuesday — this is a digest of some combination of what my family and I are currently reading and loving, links of possible interest, topical mini booklists as occasions arise, and answers to questions from subscribers — on a week of my choosing
One extra every month — this could be an additional regular issue or Notes From the Reading Nook, it might be a (How) Can we read? issue on the second Friday, it might even be a huge special edition (I am leaving the door open for surprise, because it’s fun)

If you become a paid subscriber, you’ll receive:

Every regular weekly issue on Wednesdays
Notes From the Reading Nook on Tuesdays
All special editions and Spotlight On issues
All (How) Can we read? issues, wherein I share everything I know about raising a reader and building a culture of reading in your home, on the second Friday of every month
Personalized book recommendations at any time, for you or someone else. I review as many books as I can but of course will never get to them all, and furthermore, you often have specific needs (ideas for gifts, books addressing something your family is going through, subject lists for school/special study, etc). This is a chance to receive recommendations tailored to you — tell me about your child/ren, their interests, and/or titles you already enjoy, and I’ll give you a customized list. Like a personal shopper, only for children’s books.

If you’re feeling extra generous and want to consider yourself a true patron of my work, you can subscribe at the “Founder” level. That will get you all of the benefits of a paid subscriber, plus warm fuzzies.

🤔 Okay. Why should I subscribe?

You have already signed up for the guidance of someone with both knowledge and experience — a passionate someone who takes the guesswork (and time!) out of finding excellent books for you and the children in your life. By choosing a paid subscription you’ll be supporting the work I’m doing here and making it possible for me to do more for you.

What does a subscription cost?

$6/month or $65/year. (Math! Subscribing annually gives you one month for free.)

🎁 For a limited time — July 16 through August 16 — I’m offering 15% off an annual subscription, with no expiration. (That means you’ll get 15% off an annual subscription forever.)
🎁 Also! Every paid subscription comes with a free gift — 100 Books to Build Your Library digital download (a $5 value), created by yours truly

When is this happening again?

August 1. This means you’ll get every bit of this newsletter for free for the next two weeks (two Notes From the Reading Nooks and two regular issues) — beyond that, you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription to receive everything I offer.

What’s coming up that might influence my decision?

I know (because you’ve told me) some of you really love my special editions, Spotlight On issues, and (How) Can we read? issues. Here’s what’s on deck for the remainder of 2021 on that front:

Special editions on:

Fall
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Winter

Spotlight On issues featuring:

Back to School (August)

(How) Can we read? issues that cover:

My philosophy on inclusive reads (August)
An interview (my first here!) with someone who is an online resource for teachers, parents, students, and children through her sharing of African American children’s stories (September)
How to choose books and hone your taste, including how to steer your child/ren toward good books at the library (October)
The Can we read? holiday gift guide (November)

Sarah, yuck. Paid subscriptions?

I get it — not everyone buys into the subscription model (of course I intended that pun), not all of you find value in what I do here enough to pay for it every month. This is why I don’t plan to paywall everything — I write this newsletter for the love of it, not to feed my family, and though increasingly it takes more and more time, energy, and money to keep it (and me) going, I still want to put my work out there for everyone as much as I can.

I hope that you’ll choose to become a paid subscriber — I’d be very grateful, and it will make a difference in my ability to continue doing this — but whatever you decide is cool. I’m going to continue to try to write an excellent newsletter for people who care about children’s books and reading and send you work that I’ve put my heart into regardless.

To recap:

Subscribe for the price of two cups of coffee (or one big complicated one, if you’re fancy) and receive everything I write — all the regular stuff, all the big and little extras, all the juicy seasonal and one-time offerings.

Stay as a free subscriber and get three emails from me a month — what you already receive, but less of it, and without my seasonal offerings and best guidance.

Thank you again for allowing me to pop into your inbox and mental space every week. It’s an immense pleasure to be even the smallest part of your life.

Take good care and read good books 😘

Warmly,
Sarah

(Wait: I want to be a paid subscriber, but I need a boost)

Pricing a subscription option for this newsletter was excruciating for me. First because I’m Midwestern and my inclination is to always undervalue myself and anything I do, but also because my heart clenched up at the thought that someone might want to become a paid subscriber because they love what I offer but are maybe not in a financial position to do so.

So: I will comp a paid subscription to anyone experiencing financial hardship.

If this applies to you, simply hit reply and let me know — no explanation or qualification necessary. Let’s get you hooked up with the right children’s books, regardless of your circumstances.

(And if you are in a position to offset the cost of someone else’s subscription, please consider subscribing at the “Founder” level — enter the amount you would like to contribute above the annual subscription rate and I will use the difference to help this newsletter reach those for whom the price is a barrier to entry. Thank you for your support in this effort.)

Can we read?