Writer Payments: Changes to the Qualifying Criteria

Hello Creators!

Today we are announcing a change to the qualifying criteria for the Gem Reads aspect of the Writer Payment’s Program. Starting on May 1st, 2021 the Gem Reads qualifying criteria will change as follows:

100k gem reads AND 50k gems spent across all your published stories in the last 60 days

The reads-only requirement of 500k reads across all your published stories in the last 60 days will remain unchanged.

In the last several months, we’ve given authors more tools, options, and control over how they can choose to use gems in their stories as we continue to support the different ideas that different authors have and want to try. Some of those changes to the program include rolling gem choices out to all readers on both Android and iOS platforms, giving authors control over pricing, testing, then releasing new ways to incorporate gems into community stories, and lastly, updating the Gem Bonus Payment structure.

Additionally, over time, we’ll continue testing other ways for creators to experiment and achieve more reads or gems used in their stories. Our goal is to give authors a bigger range of options to use in a variety of ways, and that this will make the criteria update less daunting and provide more avenues towards success. You’ll see more about this on the forums in the coming weeks.

Before we move to the new criteria, from now until May 1st, 2021, authors will be able to qualify for the Writer Payments program in all of the following ways:

  • 500k reads across all your published stories in the last 60 days OR
  • 100k gem reads AND 300 gem choices selected across all published stories in the last 60 days (expires May 1st, 2021) OR
  • 100k gem reads AND 50k gems used across all your published stories in the last 60 days

We hope that this will allow authors who may be on the cusp of qualifying for Writer Payments under the existing criteria the opportunity to make a final push to make it into the Payments Program before the criteria change.

Please remember, writers must still be at least 18 years of age to qualify for and unlock Writer Payments.

As always, we look forward to your feedback and suggestions. If you have any issues with this update, please reach out to our support team.

– The Episode Team

29 Likes

That isn’t what it says in the portal, in the portal it says we need 300K reads and 50K gem choices. Not 100K and 50K gem choices.

Do you even know how hard it is to reach 100K in 60 days?! Especially for those of us who are newer to writing on the platform! And now it’s being increased?! :unamused:

And letting authors add the 8 gems early access is making a lot of new authors suffer as their stories aren’t being seen because they cannot get into the top trending section due to this! So you’re basically making things so much more difficult to small or new authors!
Again only those who’ve already opened writer payments, stand to benefit! :woman_facepalming:t3:
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82 Likes

Wow, just wow.

11 Likes

Thanks for pointing this out! We’ll correct this asap. It should be 100k gem reads and 50k gems.

9 Likes

does it means 50k worth of gem choices in your story or 50k gem choices selected?

2 Likes

Thanks for fixing it, but you do realise that getting our readers to spend 50K worth of gems on our stories in such a SHORT period of time is near impossible, right?!
Perhaps not for larger authors, but for small authors or those who are just starting out… they’ll never reach that!

The least you could do is increase the time frame.
Perhaps make it 90 days, because that is a MASSIVE leap from 300 gems!

72 Likes

50k gem choices is a bit high and unfair for small-medium authors. Readers are already upset with authors putting gems in their stories because they feel cheated as community stories are suppose to be community stories.

This new options just makes it difficult for authors now unless they already have a big platform off Million+ reads. The 100k reads is manageable but the 50k gems is unrealistic and UNFAIR.

73 Likes

Some of us are still struggling to even hit 100k reads within 60 days.
But for them to jump from 300 gems all the way up to 50k gems, is ridiculous.

Authors with millions of reads who’ve already opened writer payments will EASILY exceed that. But for small or new authors?! Not so easy. We barely manage to gain 85k reads as it is… but now most readers will abandon our stories, before even giving them a proper chance the second they see a gem choice. Which is going to once again make things even harder for us! Especially since retention counts for a whole lot, and if we’re basically forced to add gem choices [in an attempt to reach the new target] this will undoubtedly damage our Episode One retention so badly!
It feels like [yet again] they’re playing favourites! The Episode team are always helping well known authors… whilst leaving us small and/or newer authors to fend for ourselves.

82 Likes

That’s what I stated on my Instagram too. Authors who already have hit the million+ reads will be unphased by this.

28 Likes

Hi, Liz!

So the number we currently see under the payments section for “total gem choices selected in the last 60 days,” is that the same as the number of “gems spent” or would we multiply that amount by the price of the gem choice to get the number of gems spent?

Thanks!

4 Likes

It’s how many gems people already spent on the story. No need to multiply ^^

6 Likes

That is a lot of gems that need to be spent. I was gonna enter the writers payment programme but now it seems as though going for a IT job pays better than this.

24 Likes

Lol can’t wait for stories to incorporate insane gem choices more now than ever :skull: 50k in 60 days sounds really outrageous tbh

21 Likes

I’m actually speechless.

31 Likes

Might sound silly what’s the difference between gem reads and gems spent?

2 Likes

Gem reads is how many chapter reads that include gem choices. Gems spent is the actual amount of gems spent.

4 Likes

At this point, 500k reads seems like the easier option compared to the other choice.

56 Likes

Ok thank you :pray: for clearing this up.

2 Likes

I cannot believe I’m actually saying this but… agreed! :rofl:

17 Likes

Lmfao

3 Likes