Hi All,
I currently have about 7,000 email subscribers. About 3-4 % of the readers are paid subscribers. If you could assist me by getting this number up towards 10% these emails could cease. As I don’t particularly enjoy writing them. Over the course of about 30 months I have written about 400 different articles and done 40-ish interviews on this platform. I think most regular readers would agree I am independent( if not always right! ) and approach writing and topics in my own style.
I bounce back and forth on dedicating content specifically for the paid subscriber base but any time I do it I soon revert back to normal. I think one of the reasons I reject the idea might be because an invisible thread links most of the above output. That I am in some-way on a personal journey and the lessons and curiosities of that journey manifest in the writing regardless of what I am writing about or who I might be interviewing. Sometimes this occurs intentionally but often its unintentional and subconscious. I find that most of the people that resonate with my digital pen-work here are on their own journeys of discovery too.
Many reading this have probably supported me previously thru a variety of methods and so I would like to thank those of you that have done so. It is much appreciated and some of you do too much in that regard.
Many people exist within a tight financial straight-jacket, as do I, however there are ways both financial and non-financial that you can help as well. I’ll outline some methods of both below.
Reading what I write helps and your comments on posts also help and I enjoy interacting with them.
Ways the reader can help:
Share my content with your friends and social media groups or invite open-minded people to become a free-subscriber to The West’s Awake by signing up with an e-mail. There are rewards for this that involve complimentary paid subscriptions when people you refer sign up as free subscribers.
Upgrade your free subscription to become a paid monthly or annual subscriber of The West’s Awake. This is obviously for those that can afford it. The paid subscriber base helps me plan what I can afford to do in the future.
Tips for stories or interviews about interesting topics you feel are not being covered can be sent to me on Whatsapp via 085 1214347. Personal connection to sources of this information is best. Rather than sending me YouTube clips or Twitter posts.
Donate to my work via the Buy Me A Coffee links or Revolut. Clicking links
Buy the author a coffee. ☕️ or donating via Revolut to 085 1214347
Non Digital donations can be posted to Gerry O’Neill, Bishop Street, Tuam, County Galway. Please include an e-mail so I can thank you and also add your email to the paid subscribers list.
Thanks again,
G
I wish I could send a donation, for now a salute 🫡 to a fellow from fighter! Hopefully in the future I'll be able to spare the currency 🤑
A 'pay to read a post' suggested by Sarah Posthuma is a good idea. There is so much for 'free' these days, but it's artists, writers, musicians who give and most likely don't get anything back. Substack is very good I think, and, as a musician who puts out music each week on Youtube, if every subscriber/viewer paid a pound to hear the (usually 20-30 minute track) I'd be able to not worry about if my car needs maintenance(again) or there's a son's birthday/Christmas coming up. I may even be able to take a break for a few nights somewhere and know I'll be ok financially to pay the bills or rent the rest of the month. Substack is better than Youtube/Bandcamp, and this writer, Gerry O'Neill, is worth every pound to read imo. 10% of 7000 is not much to ask for. It leads to a further question of how moral everyone is now. Is it really ok to keep taking sht for free? People put their hearts minds souls into their artistic output and give it out to the universe, as it's better for them to know it's out there and may be appreciated/affect someone positively...You'd pay a plumber to fix your boiler pretty quick, why not the same (but obviously a lot less outlay!) with someone's work you read and appreciate?
Anyway, I'm ranting... because I know what it's like, and I want to support what you're asking and saying Gerry. I'll shut up now and stick to vocalising myself through music!! 😄