Possibly Trying Out Patreon: Seeking Reader Opinion On Whether I'm Making A Horrible Mistake

Yup, you read the title. I'm considering setting up a Patreon, and I'm seeking input. And apparently I'm in something of a self-deprecating mood about it. It's been a long April for multiple reasons, and I forgot to take my medication last night, which in turn affects my sleep. All in all, a terrific time to be throwing open the doors to get advice from the public!

Nah, honestly though, I have some seriously awesome readers here. I wouldn't be considering this if I didn't. But to head off the obvious questions:

"Silver, you don't even have a hundred followers. Why do you think you should start a Patreon?"

Well, I have a tip-jar, and I write on commission, and both have resulted in some money headed my way (or in the case of the commission money, heading for someone in need). It feels like I could be doing worse than completing the set. Besides, I have a Patreon account already for supporting creators, so I'm a click of the "become a creator" button away from getting started.

"Is this going to the GoFundMe?"

Not automatically. Any of my income could potentially go toward helping cover things that the donations don't, but this is primarily to help keep me afloat.

But now that I'm done fielding theoretical questions, I have two of my own.

1) If I do this, what basis would be better to charge? By output or monthly?

The way it seems in my head:

Output:

• There's a guarantee that there will be output. I don't write, I don't collect, so you'll know that every charge has been accompanied by words.
• On the other hand, you'll have no idea exactly how much a given month is going to cost, unless you cap yourself at one charge. Not to mention I'd have to hash out when I'll charge and for what; I already have the hard rule in mind that I won't "double dip" and have a charge for something written on commission because that just seems like it'd be skeevy, but the rest has to be figured out.

Monthly:

• It's more consistent. You know how much you're giving me month to month and I know how much I'm getting. It makes budgeting easier, on your end and mine.
• The money's the same whether I have a huge output or a small one, or worse, a dry month where nothing gets written. You'd have to trust that I'd keep putting out a quantity of words per month that's worth the investment.

2) What kind of rewards would be appealing for tiers?

This is where I'm most unsure. I feel like the people who are reading my work are a better judge than I am of what's most valuable.

I could place my scripts and drafts somewhere that patrons could access in order to get previews/a peek at my process. I could do a lot more polls, letting patrons have control of what stories get written first out of the myriad of ideas I have. I could do plenty of other things, I'm sure, that I just haven't thought of yet.

So, what would you all most like to see? What would be worth money to you?

The floor is open and I'm listening.

(Though I may lay down for a nap after posting this. I've been working on the latest chapter of The Long Eventide and there's ways in which being the in heads of Umbral Society members adds to my fatigue. That's what I get for writing something that spends so much time following the antagonists...)

Comments

[bobbananaville]

Regarding 1:
As a patron, I always prefer monthly over per-output. I prefer the consistency, and if it's per-output I always cap myself at 1 charge, then feel guilty if something takes longer than 1 month for something to come out. (i'd rather just stop my subscription if i decide it's no longer worth it)

Regarding 2:
Drafts could work out well? I recommend behind-the-scenes files on things that have already come out, rather than things that are ready to come out. Deleted scenes, drafts at different parts of the story's creation, etc. I personally am not interested in reading drafts - though that _is_ just me.

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Just found your writing, loved Every Dog Has Her Day and Lesbian Sheep Syndrome