FAQ

In which several questions are (hopefully) answered.

What is this website actually about?

I’m using this as a place to organize and share my work—which right now mostly means Untitled (Weatherers), the novel I’ve been working on for about 10 years—and to offer friends, loved ones, and strangers alike the opportunity to support me in that work. Much like the Taco Bell a few minutes down the road from me, this website is currently under development and will remain under development for quite some time.

However, I’m also planning for this site to have a life past the novel project as well. I’ve got plans for a collection of surrealist short stories that span several centuries of emergence by a particular brood of 17-year cicadas. I want to take art-making seriously again. I want to research and write deep-dives on music, and play around with making my own. And I want to do this in community with people—to talk to, share with, and learn from others. That’s where this website comes in! I don’t plan on stopping, and I’d love for you to come with me the whole way.

What I’m doing is a labor of love, my friend. Paid subscriptions help me supplement my part-time income so I can pay the bills while I’m writing this book. Your support also makes it possible for me to cover the cost of things like digital services (i.e. hosting this site)—plus the other costs I’ll have to meet as an independent publisher (filing copyrights, registering ISBNs, yadda yadda). In return, you get access to the stuff I’m doing—the novel and supporting material over the next year or so, and other projects lined up for after that.

Subscribing also doesn’t lock you into anything. You can subscribe at the free level, and just keep an eye on things to see if you’d like to pay to get more. You can subscribe at a paid level now, and drop tiers or revert to a free sub if you need to. You can even unsubscribe altogether at any point! In these early stages, I’m offering a two-week free trial on all paid tiers, so you can give that a try too.

I do think my work is worth seeking an income from it. I also want friends and strangers alike to be able to access what they’re interested in, in the ways that work for them. Just as my work ebbs and flows, your engagement can too, with no hard feelings.

When will Untitled (Weatherers) be finished?

Originally, I was planning for a ~100,000-word draft to be finished by the end of November 2022. However! Life, as it tends to do, happened. Right now the plan is to have a finished draft by March 2023—exactly a year since I started writing. Will 100K words match up with what’s needed for the story? We’ll find out! Once the draft is finished, I’ll allow about a month for editing & proofing before it’s ready to be published—in April or May 2023.

How will the story be published?

About as many ways as I can manage. The story will be published serially on this site, with paid subscribers receiving emails when new chapters go up. Depending on your subscription choice, text (pdf, epub) and audio formats (mp3, streaming or embedded podcast player) will be available. While the digital story is being shared, the book will go to the printer for a crowdfunded limited edition run; that print run will be available first to original subscribers, and then for individual one-time purchase.

Easily! There’s a link right here you can click. (You can also hit the little blue button saying “support my work,” which you can find on the lower right anywhere on this site.)

Once you subscribe, make sure to check your email (including any promotional/spam folders) to find the confirmation email and click that link to confirm your subscription.

What are my options?

There’s a free option, where you can sign up for occasional email updates without paying a dime; you can also choose from four paid subscription tiers. Deciding what kind of story experience you want can help you pick which tier you’d like to consider.

I like print books.

Who doesn’t? In the first few months of 2023, I’ll be launching a crowdfunding campaign to print a limited edition run. There will be two ways to get your hands on one of those books.

You can subscribe at the Patron or Champion tiers, which nabs you either a discount or a free (signed!) copy.
If you choose not to subscribe now, you can definitely still buy a copy from the books left over once subscribers receive theirs. (In that case, you might want to sign up for a free subscription so you’ll hear about occasional updates like that.) However, by not subscribing, you lose out on sneak peeks, discounts, and other perks.

Digital sounds fun, but I don’t have a lot of time to read.

I hear you. That’s why the digital publication will be serial—new chapters will come right to your inbox, no extra effort needed. It’s up to you whether you want a chapter a week (Friend tier) or two chapters a week (Fan tier).

Podcasts are where it’s at.

Hello, auditory learners! By subscribing at the Patron or Champion tiers, you get access to the text files (two chapters a week) as well as the audiobook format. You’ll be able to stream it where you listen to podcasts already, or download the file to play on your device.

I’d rather take it for a test drive.

Sure thing. Sign up for a free subscription, and you’ll get to read the first chapter when the digital publication launches!

I’m in it to win it, baby.

At the Champion tier, you get the digital text, the audiobook, and a signed first edition of the print book—plus first dibs at exclusive original artwork, my undying gratitude, and other fun perks.

Okay this is all cool, but what’s with the hyphenated last name?

Because one big life goal at a time just isn’t enough for me, I’m also in the process of legally changing my surname. My partners and I will share the name Ox-Brown, which is a combination of all of our original surnames. It also sounds very neat, because that’s just what happens when you commit your life to a couple of poets.

I still have other questions.

Fabulous, I love questions. You can send me an email at racheloxbrown@gmail.com.