I've had the little membership plug-in thingy going for about 4 months, and I have six referral members, which amounts to $11 a month. I think my pitch at the bottom of my stories is tasteful and in offensive, but it's hardly effective.

Of course the downside is that there's less money to go around for all of us now for our stories. Does the new membership money make up for that? Not for me, anyway.

I don't think it could be unless I went out on social media and seriously plugged for referral memberships, but I can't do that. I mean I really can't do that. The groups on Facebook where I promote my stories and where a lot of my readership comes from don't allow that kind of thing. You start blatantly asking for money, you're out of the group.

Even my demure little plug at the bottom of my stories has gotten me some snarky comments. All in all, I don't see it as a net benefit.