Rushlight for newsletter writers

Your newsletter's book club, in a place built for reading.

A book club is one of the best reasons to pay for a newsletter. It's also the thing a newsletter platform is worst at hosting. Rushlight gives your club its own space, with discussion per section and access that ends when a subscription does.

We'll email you when founding spots open and when Rushlight launches. Nothing else.

The problem today

Today the club lives in a comment thread under a post. Readers behind the schedule stay away because of spoilers, readers ahead hold back, and cancelled subscribers keep the invite link.

Threads per section, not one comment pile.
Each section of the book gets its own discussion. Readers only see the ones they've finished.
Announce in the newsletter, discuss in the club.
Keep writing where you write. The club is the link at the bottom of the post.
Access follows payment.
Members subscribe on your club page and are removed automatically when they stop paying.
No percentage.
Unlike a newsletter platform's cut, Rushlight charges a flat fee. Subscriptions go to your own Stripe account.

What it could look like

A writer with 8,000 free subscribers offers a $6 a month book club as the paid tier. Three hundred members is $1,800 a month, and the club is a reason to upgrade that the newsletter alone never was.

A threaded discussion inside one section of the book, with replies

What's inside a club

The details, for anyone deciding whether this fits how they already run things. Screens are from the working prototype.

Your club page

  • Your own address, like yourclub.rushlight.club, with your name, photo, description, and accent color.
  • The current book's cover, title, and author, the price, the member count, and the section list. Visitors see what they're joining before they pay.
  • A copy-link button and a proper preview image for the link in your bio.
A club page at slowburn.rushlight.club showing the leader, the current book, the section list, and the join button

Joining and paying

  • Readers tap join and pay through Stripe Checkout on your club page. Signing up and paying are the same form: an email and a card. Their account is created from that email when the payment goes through.
  • You set the monthly price and an optional annual price. Payments go to your own Stripe account, connected in about five minutes as the last step of setup.
  • Readers cancel themselves through Stripe's customer portal. When a subscription ends or lapses, access ends with it.
  • Readers sign in later with a link we email them. No passwords, ever.
Stripe checkout for a $5 a month club membership, asking only for an email and a card

Spoiler-safe discussion

  • You split the book into sections and open each one when you're ready. Members get an email when a section opens.
  • Each member marks how far they've read. Sections past that point show only their title, with no previews, counts, or excerpts.
  • Posts and replies inside a section, appearing live. Your posts carry a Host badge.
  • Progress is saved per book, so a member who leaves and rejoins picks up where they were.
A locked section inside a club, explaining that it stays hidden until the reader marks it finished

Running the club

  • Search for books by title and add one with its cover in a click. Finished books move to the club's archive.
  • Add a Zoom or Google Meet link and a time to any section for a live discussion.
  • Run a next-book poll with two to six options. One vote per member, live results, and one click to make the winner the current book.
  • Delete any post and remove any member. Removing a member cancels their subscription and blocks rejoining.
The leader dashboard listing a book's sections, with buttons to open each one, rename it, add a live call, or delete it

Founding Creators

10 founding spots. Never offered again.

  • Lifetime access for one payment. No monthly fee, ever.
  • Every core feature, now and in the future.
  • 30% of every creator you refer, for as long as they stay.

In return, a short monthly feedback call and an honest testimonial. The price is announced to the list first, and spots go in order of signup.

We'll email you when founding spots open and when Rushlight launches. Nothing else.

Questions

The ones every club leader asks first. Anything else, email hello@rushlight.club.

Do you take a cut of what I earn?

No. You pay Rushlight a flat monthly fee, and Founding Creators pay once. Every subscriber payment goes to your own Stripe account.

What fees will I pay?

Only Stripe’s standard processing fees on each subscriber payment, the same as any Stripe account. Rushlight adds nothing on top.

How do I get paid, and how long does setup take?

You connect a Stripe account inside Rushlight, as the last step of setting up your club. If you already have one, it takes a minute. If not, Stripe’s onboarding takes about five. Subscriber payments land in that account, and you manage payouts in Stripe.

What do my readers need to join?

An email address and a card. They pay once on your club page and are inside immediately. No app to download, no password to make. They sign in later with a link we email them.

Do readers buy the book through Rushlight?

No. Everyone uses their own copy, in whatever format they like. Rushlight is the discussion, not the bookstore.

Can I use it if I'm outside the US?

Yes, wherever Stripe is available. Your readers can pay from anywhere Stripe accepts cards.

When does it launch?

Founding Creators get in first, then everyone on the list. Add your email above and we’ll tell you the moment either happens.

Rushlight for other clubs

  • Book creators On TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, with followers who already read along.
  • Authors With reader communities who want to talk about the book, and your backlist.
  • Business and professional groups Reading one book a month with a team, a cohort, or a membership.