The “Super Premium” membership community was suggested by a long-term reader, and developed with ongoing discussion with existing Premium subscribers, followed by a formal survey that asked, What “sky is the limit” benefits would you want from a Super Premium membership, and what would you be willing to pay for what you asked for?
Naturally, not all of the suggestions made the final cut, but there were so many great ideas that there is more than one level. You can also get access included with your Patreon support, or True’s similar program that avoids the added Patreon fees.
Benefit 1: a Private Forum
The vast majority of survey respondents made it clear they wanted a forum! Not just any forum, though: a completely private place where members could discuss issues of the day, and the stories in True, with other readers, and only with other readers — no outsiders. They only want to deal with other Premium edition subscribers who get all the stories so that they don’t have to deal with “trolls” (“a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”) And, of course, they want other members to know what the stories are that they talk about — everyone needs to be able to start on the same foot.
The Forum is active, but not so busy as to be a burden. Perfect! The private, password-protected site hosts polite discourse: disagreement is fine, but rudeness is not. Forum access is available for all membership levels. Even if you don’t participate in the Forum, you’ll need a login there so that you can access the other benefits of the level you choose. It has no advertising on it to get in the way of your reading. That’s pretty much a Premium tradition, eh? 🙂
Benefit 2: Occasional In-Person Conferences
In addition, there was strong interest in in-person meetings where attendees could meet Randy (and sometimes his wife, Kit), and have discussions with other True community members. The first was held on November 7, 2015 in Portland, Ore., which was a lot of fun, and a smaller meeting was held in Seattle. Others will be announced on the Forum, and probably in direct emails to participants.
Benefit 3: Freebies and Discounts
Discounts on printed books (far beyond what’s available for regular Premium subscribers — up to 50 percent off, still with free USA shipping! Even some free Get Out of Hell Free items.
All “Super” Levels will also get (or get access to) other “Super”-Level goodies not available to the general public, or at a great discount, such as:
- Frameable, hand-signed color story prints of your favorite This is True story or Honorary Unsubscribe. Makes a wonderful gift if a story features a friend or relative, or if you’re somehow associated (happened in your town?) See sample at right (click for full details).
- Free embroidered iron-on True logos, for your cap, jacket, or what-have-you.
- Occasional trips (like the China trip we did in 2007) — you’ll get first dibs on limited seats.
And More, Depending on Level
So what benefits are in the membership levels, anyway? Let’s get to the details. Naturally, the actual value is limitless — the more you take advantage of discounted prices, the more value you get from your membership. And I encourage you to “take advantage” — I want you to get superb value from your membership and support for This is True.
Tier 1: Silver
- Forum Access.
- Your Premium subscription is covered (another year added on to whatever you already have).
- Access to the Full Archive of the Honorary Unsubscribe (for personal use only).
- A subscription (on request) to the Best Of True, Randy’s hand-picked best stories delivered daily by email.
- Unlimited Discounts on This is True books: 30 percent off both the ebooks or $17 paperbacks — which is more than Premium subscribers already get.
- 50 percent discount on signed, frameable story prints (limit 1/year), a $25 value
- Price for Silver: $150/year — $30 off the $15/month Patreon cost since it’s a one-time payment, rather than monthly, which should get you a discount!
Be sure you’ve read the Restrictions below.
Tier 2: Gold
- Start with all the benefits of Silver, and add:
- Bigger discount on True books — unlimited 35 percent off ebooks and/or printed books.
- Access to the Full Archive of This is True stories (for personal use only).
- A free box of 500ish Get Out of Hell Free cards.
- 50 percent discount on signed, frameable story prints (limit 3/year), an extra $50 in value over Silver.
- Price for Gold: $350/year.
Be sure you’ve read the Restrictions below.
Tier 3: Platinum
- Start with all the benefits of Gold, and add:
- Bigger discount on True books — unlimited 40 percent off ebooks and/or printed books.
- 50 percent discount on signed, frameable story prints (limit 5/year), an extra $50 in value over Gold.
- Price for Platinum: $500/year
Be sure you’ve read the Restrictions below.
Tier 4: Diamond
- Start with all the benefits of Platinum, and add:
- Bigger discount on True books — unlimited 50 percent off ebooks and/or printed books.
- Unlimited 50 percent discount on signed, frameable story prints.
- A pack of 1,000 custom GOOHF cards, an $80 value.
- Spouse/Partner forum access, if desired, a $75 value.
- Impromptu invitations when Kit and Randy are on travel to join us. Examples: 1) We could have invited a very few to come with us for the Neil Armstrong dinner. 2) Kit and I do business brainstorming retreats each year. (Your costs are on you if you join us.) Value: priceless.
- Price for Diamond: $750/year
Be sure you’ve read the Restrictions below.
Tier 0: Forum OnlyDon’t want the extra benefits? You can choose to join the Forum alone. Randy reserves the right to have some portions of the forum reserved only for full “Super” members, but most areas will be open to you.
 Be sure you’ve read the Restrictions below. |
Spouse/Partner Add-On
You can add your spouse (or partner) who lives with you for half price. They get identical benefits as you, including their own Forum identity. After clicking the level of your choice, you can click on the upgrade to add your partner before adding it to your shopping cart.
Important Terms & Restrictions
By signing up, you agree to several rules:
- The Forum is for intelligent discussion, not fighting, flaming, or name-calling. Be civil, be thoughtful. Disagreement is fine; rudeness is not. Promotion of yourself or of outside businesses or services is generally prohibited. Violators will be suspended. Extreme or repeat violators will be banned with no refund of any portion of your subscription fee.
The Membership Web Site is mobile and tablet friendly, with a “responsive” design that automatically scales to fit most screens.
- Use of Email Address: If you sign up for a GOOHF email address, you agree that you will never use it to send spam or other unsolicited email, and will never post it where it can be seen in a public forum (such as online posts that are scanned by search engines). Violators will have their accounts terminated with no refund of any portion of your subscription fee.
- I Do Not Automatically Ship free or discounted items, since I realize not everyone will want everything (such as GOOHF cards). It’s up to you to initiate the order(s) for these items during your subscription term.
- Conferences Generally Require Payment so that I can provide meeting space, snacks and/or meals, reception amenities, and such. Travel and accommodations, as needed, are on your own unless covered in the conference fee.
- Any Limited Items including conferences, trips, and limited-edition merchandise is offered first to higher-tier members, and the offer will be ended when sold out. This may mean lower-tier members may not be able to participate in that offer. I will, of course, do my best to ensure all tiers get a chance to participate in as many of the limited items as possible.
- I Reserve the Right to set additional Restrictions or Limitations, to change the benefits or pricing levels (effective at the end of your current subscription term), or to discontinue this offering at our sole discretion.
Sound Great?
All you have to do is scroll back up and choose a level! Click the button that works for you, and check out in our shopping cart, which accepts credit/debit cards, and Paypal. I hope you’ll be active in the forum (you’ll be emailed your login info, including a random password which you can change when you log in), but lurking is fine too.