The Members service and podcast

I boobed every one. If you did the survey, and there was no option to add your email - please email me at [email protected], and I'll enter you into the prize draw. Well spotted Robin. Classic marketing mess up by me. 

It may be oversharing, but I lost my job recently. Now as it happens this is a very good thing - I am not looking for sympathy. Actually it has given me the chance to try to make a living at what I love doing - writing history podcasts. The purpose of this post is to tell you what's going on and ask a favour. 

What's going on - become a History of England member. 

In a few short weeks, I will launch a new Members service on the History of England, for a most reasonable fee. Why should you become a member ?  There are two reasons.

1) A number of you choose to support the website through donations so that I can keep it going. Here is anther way to do that

2) You will get something in return in addition to my gratitude. Every member will get access to a Members only podcast feed.

The new Members only podcast

To begin with at least, the Members podcast will focus on English history. The amount of content will be about the same as you get from the free podcast. And there will be many exciting things...

• Topics and debates in English history: more depth about dramatic events and mysteries such as the death of Richard II, heresy, messy executions, witchcraft, diplomacy; social history and how people lived. The reformation in England - how and why. English exploration. The historiography of English history and historians themselves.
• English language:  the word of the week seemed popular enough, and so it returns as word of the month. It might be a word and it’s connected history, or phases, or place names, or names
• Biographies: the lives and times of exciting men and women, their lives and times; like Judith the daughter of the HRE for example, married at 13 to Aethelwulf, forced to marry her ex husband’s brother, eloped to marry the man she loved; or William of Ockham and that Razor everyone talks about.

It could also be that we look a bit more broadly; at European history such as the history of places like France and the Dutch Republic; or world topics and themes - hence the survey below. 

There are two things I want to make absolutely clear; 

• the free History of England will continue until the end of time or my death, which ever is sooner.
• You generous donators and Patreon supporters - you'll get access anyway and so will not lose out. 

Please help me...with another survey

I accept, gentle listeners, that you have been bombarded with survey's recently. Sorry. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Would you do one more for me? There are 5 questions in this survey; Essentially I want to find out a couple of payment things and pick your brains - this is where you can get a made-to-measure podcast by telling me what you want. 

Just click here: oh go on then, I'll do your blessed survey

But you could win a coin!

I am going to try to bribe you to take part with another prize draw. You could win a silver Victoria 1880 Sixpence, or a George V silver sixpence. All thanks to Rob, once more. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered in the draw. 

Thank you in advance, for everyone who takes part. And then - watch this space - more news to follow about the new Members service! 

 

Comments

[Alan Allport]

Sorry to hear about the job. I am in that very lucky position of doing something for a living that I love, but it could very well have worked out differently had luck taken another turn. Hope a solution of one sort or another is possible. Best of luck with the new idea, which sounds very interesting.

[Robin Jackson]

Hi

I did your blessed survey but I do not remember it asking for an email address for the prize draw!

Also, I did try to do it initially on my iPhone but the section where you had to give each choice a mark out of 10 would not work, each question worked but it would not record the answers for all of them, it always seem to leave 3 questions unanswered?

Just FYI.

[D Kevin Crovo]

David, I am so glad I now have a way to get more of my favorite podcast ever. I wish I didn't know about it so I could binge on it again like I did 6 months ago. Just signed up on Patreon and wished I already had. The only thing I have a problem with is your distain of brothers and the French. Wait did I say problem? I meant to say my favorite thing. Keep up the great work and thanks

Kevin Crovo

[Liam]

Can't wait to join the Members Service! Launch date ETA?

[The History of England]

Hi all...thanks for doing the survey. I love my brother dearly of course. Especially because he updates the index every week.

ETA? Hoping for start of November. It's the website and ordering process that needs sorting out - but I'm close...

[Bill Pendleton]

I contribute monthly now and since I always look forward to David's podcast, I would join at several times the price. If he's going to make a living at this, maybe he can do several podcasts like Ray Harris & Cam Reilly ( Julius Caesar, The Cold War, Alexander the Great etc )

[The History of England]

Hi Bill, and again thanks so much for the donations. I think I may be full with the new podcast, sadly ! Not quite sure what to do with the Anglo Saxon one either...

[Blake]

will love to donate and become member - just please just give me the good diplomatic, military and general history stuff!

not as interested in social issues, like witchcraft, farming, etc

maybe just me but thats my two cents

[The History of England]

kings, Battles, politics it is!

[Liam]

I'd love to learn more about the development of the nobility. For example, did some Ducal family start as farmers who fought well in 700 AD and then became noble? Or were most ancient nobles chieftans or Roman elites before becoming elevated among their "peers" (no pun intended)? Nobles always call people parvenu, but at what point were they parvenu?

[The History of England]

Thanks Liam - I'm sure I could find a way to cover that - it'd be quite fun, give a chance to look at family stories. Keep the suggestions coming !

[Jessica]

I think it would be cool to hear about some of englands enemies. Like Louis the Spider, Robert the Bruce, Grace OMalley, or Phillip of Spain. I think that would be a nice addition to the narrative and help us understand the complexity of why folks did what they did and how England fits into a larger picture.

P.s. How will we know when the member feed is up and how can we get hooked in?

[The History of England]

Thanks Jessica; I will MOST certainly let you all know. Should be soon - week or so.

[Niall Blehein]

If I'd have known that losing your job would get us more content - I'd have defamed you to your employer long ago !

Usually in life we do what we get paid for and not what we love. If you can combine the two with this then I'd be delighted for you.

Now hurry up and get it started. There's some money burning a hole in my pocket :)

[The History of England]

It is a heady prospect! Still, as it happens I am now feeling slightly guilty since I've taken a part time short term contract...slowing me down a bit. Should be up and running within 10 days though!

[maryjane]

thank you for this.