I can relate to this. There doesn't feel a sure way to get bigger and you can only build on what you're good at and the trust the reader puts in you to give it what they want - now this is easier for me and I what I do here for my main page. If you build up trust say on social issues then perhaps you can take a reader to a place they aren't as comfortable with and challenge them.
I might do that one day, you never know guys!
Plus I have to keep remindng myself that you can't keep the same people subscribing forever and although it is more competitive now that's really a good thing. I may not be number 43rd on the Fiction Leaderboard anymore but I am making a 30% more money at 70th than I did back then a year ago.
Plus with AI it's great to know the interaction with a real person, making original work, is still valued enough for me to make my living off (half coming from commissions, and not needing much to live on luckily!)
The Stacker is a very helpful. I'd have been lost without them by the way!
This comment means so much to me — thank you so much for such a thoughtful reflection!
Ranking numbers never tell the full story, and it’s genuinely inspiring to see you keep growing, earning real income, and building such strong connections with your readers, even as the space becomes more competitive.
I’m really glad I could help you earlier. To me, this is the best part of the creator ecosystem: we support each other, share honest thoughts, and grow together.
In the age of AI, authentic human voices and trusted creator-reader bonds feel more precious than ever.
I’m so happy this piece resonated with you. Great to connect with you again, YourSecretNeeds :)
My pleasure Stacker. I was just going on your page to copy and paste it for a writer in my DMs when I saw the article.
I’ve got more paid susbcribers than I’ve ever had now (I got 4 new ones yesterday which hasn’t happened since about April last year) so I am happy with how it’s all going.
AI terrifies and delights me. I just heard the UK probably needs to invest billions now just to keep up with America who won’t allow recent versions out of their most advanced AI out of the country. I kind of can’t picture the future except that living in the US will probably be essential to do some kinds of work.
A friend yesterday was asking me about it and because they’d never used it and it will be a question in an interview next week “How can you use AI to work with students?” It was funny taking him from really the basics!
Congratulations on the four new paid subscribers! That’s amazing 😊
I feel the same about AI. It excites me, but it also worries me. Sometimes I wonder: if AI can do almost everything one day, what will be left for us?
But honestly, it has already helped me a lot. It solves many practical problems and gives me more time to do other things.
The US restrictions on models like Claude’s Fable 5 are definitely worrying. But I also think open models and open technology may develop faster in the long run.
When ChatGPT first came out, I thought it was just a chatbot that could help me write. But it has improved so quickly. Now I can even use AI to help with complex software development.
Yes I think the programming must be a huge boon despite the loss of jobs possibility. The thing I was listening to suggested in two years Ai has gone from being able to help a programmer with something that would take a person 15 minutes, and the AI 1 minute, to 48 hours work for that same minute.
I had thought that tey couldn’t keep nuclear bomb tecnhology to themselves so much of it is bound to either be developed by people giving it away for free or by it being smuggled out. So fingers crossed!
I use Claude and hadn’t realised until just now the 5 thing it mentions when I open it up is because of the restrictions.
I can relate to this. There doesn't feel a sure way to get bigger and you can only build on what you're good at and the trust the reader puts in you to give it what they want - now this is easier for me and I what I do here for my main page. If you build up trust say on social issues then perhaps you can take a reader to a place they aren't as comfortable with and challenge them.
I might do that one day, you never know guys!
Plus I have to keep remindng myself that you can't keep the same people subscribing forever and although it is more competitive now that's really a good thing. I may not be number 43rd on the Fiction Leaderboard anymore but I am making a 30% more money at 70th than I did back then a year ago.
Plus with AI it's great to know the interaction with a real person, making original work, is still valued enough for me to make my living off (half coming from commissions, and not needing much to live on luckily!)
The Stacker is a very helpful. I'd have been lost without them by the way!
This comment means so much to me — thank you so much for such a thoughtful reflection!
Ranking numbers never tell the full story, and it’s genuinely inspiring to see you keep growing, earning real income, and building such strong connections with your readers, even as the space becomes more competitive.
I’m really glad I could help you earlier. To me, this is the best part of the creator ecosystem: we support each other, share honest thoughts, and grow together.
In the age of AI, authentic human voices and trusted creator-reader bonds feel more precious than ever.
I’m so happy this piece resonated with you. Great to connect with you again, YourSecretNeeds :)
My pleasure Stacker. I was just going on your page to copy and paste it for a writer in my DMs when I saw the article.
I’ve got more paid susbcribers than I’ve ever had now (I got 4 new ones yesterday which hasn’t happened since about April last year) so I am happy with how it’s all going.
AI terrifies and delights me. I just heard the UK probably needs to invest billions now just to keep up with America who won’t allow recent versions out of their most advanced AI out of the country. I kind of can’t picture the future except that living in the US will probably be essential to do some kinds of work.
A friend yesterday was asking me about it and because they’d never used it and it will be a question in an interview next week “How can you use AI to work with students?” It was funny taking him from really the basics!
Congratulations on the four new paid subscribers! That’s amazing 😊
I feel the same about AI. It excites me, but it also worries me. Sometimes I wonder: if AI can do almost everything one day, what will be left for us?
But honestly, it has already helped me a lot. It solves many practical problems and gives me more time to do other things.
The US restrictions on models like Claude’s Fable 5 are definitely worrying. But I also think open models and open technology may develop faster in the long run.
When ChatGPT first came out, I thought it was just a chatbot that could help me write. But it has improved so quickly. Now I can even use AI to help with complex software development.
Yes I think the programming must be a huge boon despite the loss of jobs possibility. The thing I was listening to suggested in two years Ai has gone from being able to help a programmer with something that would take a person 15 minutes, and the AI 1 minute, to 48 hours work for that same minute.
I had thought that tey couldn’t keep nuclear bomb tecnhology to themselves so much of it is bound to either be developed by people giving it away for free or by it being smuggled out. So fingers crossed!
I use Claude and hadn’t realised until just now the 5 thing it mentions when I open it up is because of the restrictions.
I love everything you said in this piece! So true.
I noticed all this soon after joining the platform (which was just a few months ago).