The SXP Experiment - 1st Month
On April 1, I opted out of subscriptions at SXP for one month as an experiment to see if it would have an impact on my sales.
Great news! Opting out did not negatively impact my earnings in any substantial way, mostly because of the recent introduction of new image sizes. April turned out to be my highest earning month of 2008, and when calculated for how much I earn per work day on a five-day work week, I earned only 2 cents less per day than my 2008 high in March. What's interesting to note is I actually had 21% fewer credit sales this month than I did in March, and yet I still earned more money in April.
Overall, April was my second highest earnings month since subscriptions were implemented in October, and was actually #5 on my all-time SXP totals list (I've been with them for 26 months now). Had I remained opted in, my earnings probably would have come close to a BME, but the difference between April and my BME isn't large enough to make much difference in the overall scheme of things.
What I think I'm going to do next is create a breakdown of my sales both pre- and post-option so I can see whether there was a difference between the sizes being sold. I had noticed that the majority of my subscription sales were for larger sized images, and I'm curious to see if opting out made any difference on the sizes that sold...and if the buyers really are purchasing mostly larger sizes with subscriptions. Should be an interesting analysis.
I'm going to remain opted out for May, and then let everyone know how it goes. So far though, I'm pretty optimistic about staying out of the subscription program. IMO, all of the subscription sites need to start implementing IS's method of charging by the size instead of just the image itself, and wherever possible I'm opting out or walking out the door. I'm at a point in this journey where if I don't see the sites supporting their contributors with fair earning methods and solid marketing plans, I'm leaving. The other day I realized that I have paid IS over $14,000 for their services over a period of 26 months. Considering that out of my 20% I still have to pay for an accountant/bookkeeper, attorney, assistant, business consultant, models, and equipment, plus have money leftover to pay my own wages, IS had better be doing everything in its power to generate excellent sales for the kind of money I'm spending on them every year. And that goes for all of the other sites, too. If any site implements a program that negatively impacts my sales, like SXP's subscription program did, they aren't getting my business. I'll find somewhere else to sell my images.
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