Earn from reads (Gold)
On a platform with no ads, reading itself has to pay creators. That's Gold. Readers buy a flat monthly Gold membership, and that money forms a shared pool that goes to the studios those members read. You earn from it automatically. This page lays out every rule to receive it, and how the split actually works (which is not what you might assume).
1How the pool actually splits (read this first)
This is the part most people get wrong, so here it is plainly. Each Gold member's monthly fee puts a small amount into a pool, and that pool is split evenly across the distinct studios that member read that month. So if a member reads three studios, each of the three gets a third. The surprising consequence: reading you more times does not pay you more. A member who reads one of your issues and a member who reads fifty of them count you in exactly the same. What matters is being one of the studios a Gold member reads at all that month.
2Rule 1: your work must be Gold-eligible
There is exactly one requirement on the asset itself: it must be Eligible for Gold. This is a per-asset toggle in the asset's Access and pricing, and it's on by default, so you usually don't have to do anything. It applies to free and paid issues alike, Gold eligibility is separate from price, so a paid book still earns read-share on top of its sales.
3Rule 2: what makes a read count
For a read to count toward your share, all of these must be true: the reader is an active Gold member; the reader is not a member of your studio (your own reads and your team's earn nothing); and it's the first time that member opened that issue this calendar month (re-reads that month don't add another). There is no minimum pages or time, opening the issue counts. Signed-out reads never count. A member can also retract a read by marking it unsatisfied, which removes it.
4Rule 3: be set up to receive it
Accruing a share is automatic; getting the money needs a payout account. Connect Stripe from Settings, and make sure it has both charges and payouts enabled. Read-share is paid quarterly (the first of January, April, July, and October, for the quarter just ended), in US dollars. There's a $1.00 minimum: if your total for the quarter is under a dollar, it isn't lost, it rolls forward to a later payout.
5Where you see it
Two places. Settings, then Payouts has a Gold read-share earnings section: This month (an estimate, still accruing), Pending (owed, not yet paid), Paid to date, and a quarterly Payout history. Your Studio Revenue panel shows a Gold payout figure for the current run. And each issue and project carries a Gold stats card with reads, returns, and net-eligible, useful for spotting what resonates, but remember those counts are signal, not the payout formula.
Quick questions
No. A Gold member counts you into their monthly share if they read any eligible issue of yours; reading you more times that month adds nothing. The pool is split evenly across the distinct studios each member read, so what pays is being one of the studios worth their time.
No. Anyone who's a member of your studio (including you) earns nothing from reading your work. It has to be an active Gold member who isn't part of your studio.
Both. Gold eligibility is separate from price. A free issue earns read-share, and a paid issue earns read-share on top of its sales. Keep Eligible for Gold on either way.
No. Opening the issue counts, once per member per issue per calendar month. There's no pages-read or time-on-page requirement.
Quarterly (January, April, July, October), in US dollars, to your connected Stripe account, which needs both charges and payouts enabled. Anything under $1.00 for the quarter rolls forward rather than being lost.
No. Only reads by signed-in, active Gold members qualify. Anonymous and signed-out traffic never counts toward read-share.
Reading that pays you back
Eligible work, real Gold members, and a connected payout are all it takes. Now go bring those readers in.