Patreon Questions For My Wonderful Readers · 9:00pm Jan 20th, 2017
Okay so that announcement I mentioned a few days back is that I'm finally getting a gosh-danged patreon. Before I launch the whole thing I want to give you guys a rundown of what I'll be doing, what I plan to offer, and what my plans for expansion are.
I mention videos below. This is because I'm branching out into cool youtube video essay stuff! I should have a proof-of-concept coming out soon, but since I'm still in the early stages of getting the video edited and I don't know how long it takes, I don't want to give an exact date.
Here's my basic thoughts right now:
At > $00.01/month I'll create:
1 update for my main fanfic story per month. Right now that's The Quiet Equestrian, as one story finishes I'll move to another.
1 blog per fortnight.
Youtube videos as and when.
This is pretty much the baseline performance I'm aiming for under any circumstances, whether I'm unemployed or working full-time.
At > $50.00/month I'll create:
2 story updates/month.
1 blog/fortnight.
Videos as and when
So generally speaking, when you include plotting time (a lot), research (a bit) and editing (a teeny bit), I write about 500 words per hour. On a good day. The last chapter of The Quiet Equestrian squeaks in at just under 7500 words, which divides to about 15 working hours which... sounds about right, all things considered. Assuming a chapter is 4k on average, that's eight hours work, which at $50 is... about 2/3rds of UK minimum wage.
But that's okay! I want to write already, at this stage the money ensures that time spent isn't a total loss, so I can afford to write more. Still, at this stage, it's just that - making sure time spent isn't a total loss.
At > $100.00/month I'll create:
2 story updates/month
2 blogs/fortnight
1 video/month
This is getting to "pays minor bills" territory. At this stage, my stories are going strong, I'm blogging regularly, and I’m expanding out into Youtube stuff. I’ll be honest, looking at similar patreons, this is my stretch goal. I don’t expect to get to this stage in the short/medium term, and I’ll be glad to get to the $50 stage. The next stages are more for speculation and long-term planning.
At >$370/month I create:
2 Main fic updates/month
1 sidefic update/month
2 blogs/week
1 vid/month
6 ebooks/year.
Okay this is an important stage because at this point, my writing income covers my rent. As long as I can get enough scratch elsewhere to pay for food and internet access, I can effectively work at writing 40 hours/week or more. Once my income gets to this stage, I’m a no-joke professional writer.
$600/month or more.
Dream level. No bones about it, full-time writing and artistic work. Regular income to survive from writing alone, and enough that extra income can be reinvested. Plans for a media empire. Megalomania. Vore but for ebooks. Hubris. Inevitable downfall and surprise comeback.
Gifts for patrons:
$3 month level
Kind thank-you notes, personalized
One-sentence description of what I imagine you look like, based on your username.
$5 month level
You get to vote on what stories and blogposts I choose to write.
Sneak-peeks of drafts and the like
You get a cameo in my fics!
$20 month level
Suggest a scene, and i’ll write it
I’ll beta-read 5k of your stuff per month
Free copies of all my ebooks, a day in advance!
$50 month
Signed copy of my underpants. Worn. Clean.
I will advertise your stuff, on my bare skin if necessary.
I said I had questions, and I do. First off, how about them patron gifts? Would this appeal to any of you guys? Is there something you want to see that I'm missing? Is there a price mark you'd much prefer to pay at?
Second, the stuff I'm offering. In terms of volume, for the 'possibly achievable' tiers of $100 and less, I don't think I'll be able to cram more in, but I could definitely shift around whatever I'm cramming in, if you catch my drift. Trade blogs for stories? Stories for videos? Everything for stories? Money for nothing? Chicks for free?
Also, have I missed something really dumb and obvious?
Look forward to hearing from all of you, and of course, leave a comment/send a PM if you'd be interested in patronning!
The dollar exchange is a real issue, there. You work in pounds sterling, Patreon works in $US, and I and (apparently) VirtualDiscordia work in $CAN. Perhaps work out the figures in pounds, convert to $US, then round up?
4389780
Paypal does connect to a bank account as well. If I remember correctly, you give them your banking information, and then wait a week while they confirm that yours is a legitimate account.
As far as the structure of your Patreon, one of the ones to which I'm subscribed has me pledged $5 per so many thousand words, and another has me paying per chapter published. Not having set one up myself, I couldn't tell you how to do that, but there are some options.
I, as a subscriber, might not be concerned with what you write, only that you write. Indeed, upon reviewing which of you work I most enjoyed, I realized it was mostly the pornography, if I am to be honest. That aside, I've sufficient confidence in your writing to trust you. (Although, if you updated Banishment Decree, I would be very interested in seeing where they go from here.)
God dammit man how am I going to pay for more Warhammer stuff if you do this to me
Looks reasonable enough, though I could see the cameo cost being a bit higher just to manage the number of them you might end up needing to handle.
One thing to make sure not to forget - factor in taxes in all of that, too, since Ye Olde Government will come knocking eventually. Probably. Better to be safe than sorry once it gets to that 'Paying rent and more' territory.
Yay! I'm a killjoy
>:(
Do the thing!!!
Just post it already. I just want to plunk down some money.
Happy to hear this, look forward to it going live. I do second 4389780's point about the low cameo point and desirability of middle tier between $5 and $20--even if it's one I wouldn't be able to do myself.
4389780
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From what I've been seeing, fimficcer's with similar followercounts to me (many of them with higher *actual* followercounts, since many of the followers I gained in the last five years have left the site) are getting between $40-70 in Patreon money. Assuming I did even better, and got all the way up to $100, and that was all from $5 subscribers... I can work in 20 cameos :P
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Tell u what, if I ever get to the funding stage of doing two mainstory updates and one secondary story update, the secondary story update will be Banishment Decree. Alternately, there's always my better version of that story...
4389816
Rate conversion is less of a big deal than it was since Summer 2016...
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Fund my writing for 20 Clanrats per month!
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Hehe, if I'm getting enough to be taxed, I'll be a very happy bunny.
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Hopefully I'll get to it tonight, stuff's a bit tense at home, but that's what I'm aiming for.
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Well, that's why it's already on my Favourites bookshelf.
4394810 /me looks at monthly amount
Fuckin' A, I'd rather just write it myself.
4394810 Did you ever set this up by the by?