Introducing: The Council!
Talebones Tuesday
Welcome back to Talebones Tuesday!
(the missive formerly known as “The Weekly”)
This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.
We’ve got a quick round-up for you AND some pretty exciting developments in our paid subscription model!
Read on for more…
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Round-Up!
In case you missed it…
Hey Eye - this piece of flash fiction is a tech-horror tale told in four forum posts. It’s a quick little ditty, perfect for fans of creepypasta and all-things-spooky!
- is a dear Substack friend who is applying his expertise to building an incredibly useful resource on his newsletter all about the intersection between fiction and tech, and how fiction writers can leverage platforms and features to their advantage. He recently hosted myself and the talented for an episode of his podcast where we discussed fiction on Substack, serialization, inspiration, story structure, and all kinds of good things! It was such a fun conversation, and I loved “talking shop” with these two fabulous folks!
TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, check out the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by October 6th to be included in the next issue!)
Introducing: The Talebones Council!
A big change is afoot here at Talebones! For the longest time, I simply called our paid subscription “The Archive”, because access to my paywalled work was the main perk people were paying for. But it never really felt right for what we’ve got going on here. I wanted something a little more evocative.
So starting today, paid subscribers are members of The Talebones Council! Talebones feels like a little community thriving in the larger cityscape of Substack, and the paid subscribers are what keeps that township going. I think it fits perfectly!
Now, before I explain the changes, an important note: it’s vital to me that ALL of my readers—paid or not—are able to have a good time here, uninterrupted by unexpected paywalls and obstacles. Your time and attention are more than enough. But I also like to make sure I give due gratitude to those who are willing and able to support the storytelling work I do with their hard-earned financial resources. My hope is that the changes I’ve made properly demonstrate that gratitude.
Here’s how this works…
The new Council Landing Page serves two purposes: it’s the hub where all paid subscribers can easily find links to their exclusive perks (these pages are under construction, so check back soon!), and it’s also the place where the Council-curious can learn more about what’s being offered at each “tier” of membership.
In summary, ALL paid subscribers and comps get access to:
All paywalled fiction
All paywalled resources
Paid Chat threads and Q&As
Basic discount to Ferris Island Gift Shop and published work
Early heads-up to new merch drops
But annual and Founder’s-level paid subs get a bit more, including deeper discounts and freebies AND a reduced rate when hiring me as a freelancer/consultant.
If you have any questions about the Council, its perks, or anything else Talebones-related, never hesitate to reach out via email or DM!
You can now find The Council page on our homepage navigation bar:
Rate Increase
TODAY, at 9pm PST, the Talebones paid membership price will rise to $3.75/month or $45/year to reflect both my blossoming portfolio of paywalled stories, as well as the things I feel I’m able to offer now that I couldn’t before.
If you are ALREADY a paid subscriber, you are locked in to the current lower rate and it will NOT change for you!
If you’d like to lock in to the current rate of $2.50/month and $30/year before the rate goes up, upgrade now!
NOTE: I will be doing some admin around the site today, changing over our terminology and fixing our rates, so please pardon my dust!
Thank you for reading!
All kinds of fun things are brewing here at Talebones HQ…
Now that the paid subscriber admin is getting checked off, I’ll be turning my attention to the next exciting deadline on the list: getting the ebook version of my first-ever print anthology published!
The ebook is currently in its editing/formatting stages, and the goal is to have it ready for purchase sometime during the week of October 1st-4th to kick off spooky-season, with the paperback version to follow a few weeks after (along with our new merch drop!).
The final version of the cover, with art by the talented :
John also wrote an article about the behind-the-scenes making of the cover from an illustrator’s point of view, and it’s really fascinating to see his process! Check it out!
Thank you, as always, for making Talebones the fun, inspiring, and generous place that it is! I’m so excited for what the rest of the season has in store…
Have a lovely week, friends!
Your grateful storyteller,
Congratulations! Exciting developments, very fitting to your mission.
I recently renamed my founding level as the Council, so I fully approve. Excited to see all these changes, SE!