Oh - and my daughter and I were talking about Webtoons yesterday as well. I haven't read a ton of them, but was impressed. I *think* that one may be supported by display ads. I just looked it up, and it seems that they do ad-revenue sharing with their artists. One statistic said that popular ones could make from $100-$2000/month and that the most popular were pulling in $50,000 - $100,000 in annual income. You need to be 14 to use the platform, but another article mentioned a 13 year old that had been published... probably under "parental permission."

While the readers may not pay to read all of them, vendors can pay to display ads on the platform, and that ad revenue can be quite high.

Companies like Webtoon are huge growth ventures. Truly amazing.

Oooh, Kris! Thanks for that statistic! That's exactly what was missing from this article. I didn't even think about it until I read the comments. I appreciate you finding that. But of course, you're in the trenches with them! It obviously is different based on their living situation, etc. and it varies. I wish my teen would save more, but she does a ton with what she has, including hosting her own online communities. Story matters to these folks... something I find very encouraging.

That's it exactly! They're already building it, and we can see that it not only includes reading, it includes a passion for it! Kids definitely give us perspective on the future! And - I don't know about yours - mine give me both hope and nightmares! Each one so precious and unique.

You're doing well! I know what it is like to live with chronic illness. It gives you a higher value for the content you produce. Here's something I teach in my advanced website techniques: forget about the word "newsletter" and everything you have associated with it. Let it become an email to your fans. And also think about repurposing content. Even when you have the ability to subscribe to a blog - like we have here at WITS - people will miss posts. If you blog only periodically, you could put the excerpts of your latest blog posts into a "newsletter" and send that out. No new content. I use a plugin that integrates with WordPress for my "newsletters" and it has a template to automatically pull in the most recent blog post(s). With their pro version, you can even have this happen without any interaction from you.

You're right to prioritize writing.

Something like this might give you more traction for the content you do write without more effort. Just tossing out an idea. Of course it definitely depends on which blogging platform, etc.

I just hate the context that "newsletter" has taken on lately. Even worse: I hate getting most of them. So many of them are in this format that forgets to even consider what the reader wants!

I see platforms like these as long term investments over time that can produce a wider fan base. Your younger readers will find you elsewhere when they want more of your writing (perhaps on your own website?) This group is more likely to buy 'merch' and various formats of your books, from what I see with teens around me.

Teens are a demographic that has a ton of disposable income. They have jobs, and families that mostly pay for all their needs. Not all teens, but many won't think twice about dropping $5-$7 for a smoothie or coffee. Why not support their favorite authors and artists? And many do.

This article has some fascinating statistics about Gen Z - they lived though the 2008 recession and now COVID, which has impacted their spending habits. They have billions to spend, but they are thrifty (yes the irony is apparent when seeing what they spend it on!) according to the Bloomberg report. (see below)

Again, your article is fun and very interesting. I agree - don't ignore these readers!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-17/gen-z-has-360-billion-to-spend-trick-is-getting-them-to-buy

The kids will have their world; they're making it now. I have three.

I have a blog - but not a newsletter. I am an incredibly slow writer due to illness, and I can barely handle the WIP and an occasional post. There will probably never be a point for a newsletter for me - but people can follow the blog (which, I know, could disappear, too) or follow me on Amazon or Goodreads.

I periodically download all my WordPress posts for backup.

A newsletter gives content plus an occasional ad - I can't do that. I'm literally doing the best I can.

I comment on the blogs I visit - those are my daily writing prompts.

I don't do change, and yet I'm managing.

I also do want to say: I absolutely agree that there are bad actors in these spaces that are not out there to protect kids.

My daughter and I have had many talks about security and acceptable risk.

They live in a different world than the one I grew up in. I'm just happy when I see them working together to support artists and each other. Gives me hope.

You might search for some of their screen names. Some use the same name on multiple platforms. Kids from this era know how to stay in touch, even when platforms shut down.

I don't know all that happened on Wattpad, but I know it changed hands after some sort of issue. My daughter was furious, and said folks had shifted to Archive of Our Own, name chosen very deliberately, I suspect, as a reference to what happened.

You may be able to reconnect with friends.

I'll use this as a moment for a teaching point for lurkers that I suspect you already know. As authors, we can't trust our platforms, our connections to our fans, to anyone else. Whenever possible, we need to bring our fans back to our website. This can be hard. But when they sign up for our newsletters, they are true fans and no one can take that connection away (as long as we pay our hosting bills)!

Pen names, screen names, if well chosen, can definitely be tracked. Just as our gravatars (globally recognized avatars) can be tracked.

My daughter is more of a digital native than I am. She definitely knows how to stay in touch with people even when platforms close. Amazes me.

I've also been amazed by the support these young people give each other.