Why I shut down my Patreon fundraiser
I’d intended to send a Questions & Answers email to my How to Write a Novel launch list, but that’s going to have to wait.Instead, I did THIS.
Closed my “Move out of Florida while writing fiction” fundraiser.
Here’s why — it’s this clause in the Patreon Legal Agreement
By posting content to Patreon you grant us a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, perform, publicly display or prepare derivative works of your content.
Understand that I read that clause and all the rest of them before signing up.
BUT… I’m not a lawyer, and I understood that clause to mean that Patreon was claiming the right to use my Patreon-created content (in other words, my POSTS) to promote the site.
I DID NOT think that they were claiming the right to use and abuse the content I was giving my patrons. In this case, three monthly chapters of the raw first draft of one of my current novels in progress, Dead Man’s Party.
A friend emailed me with a link to this post, however:
https://www.thepassivevoice.com/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-patreon/
Turns out, I was wrong. Patreon is claiming rights to my novel.
So I’m out. I sent the first copy of this email to my patrons using a private Patreon post, and then I shut down my Patreon fundraiser, and am now trying to figure out how to actually close my account.
I’m not letting this kill my dream of moving us out of Florida…
…(hopefully before the next hurricane, if not the start of the hurricane season).
How you can help, if you want to —
IF YOU’RE HERE AS A WRITER:
I have created original classes ranging from under ten dollars to way over a hundred. If one of the classes I offer could help you, then you buying it would help me.
MY COMPREHENSIVE CAREER-LEVEL CLASSES (in recommended order)
*** How to Write a Novel ***
http://hollyswritingclasses.com/class/how-to-write-a-novel.html
(IN LAUNCH: On sale ONLY through Tuesday APRIL 8 — Final Discount Launch)
How to Revise Your Novel:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/how-to-revise-your-novel.html
How to Write a Series:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/how-to-write-a-series.html
How to Think Sideways: Career Survival School for Writers:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/how-to-think-sideways.html
WRITING CRAFT SERIES (Each class is under $10)
Create a Character Clinic:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/characterclinic.html
Create A Plot Clinic:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/plotclinic.html
How to Write Page-Turning Scenes:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/pageturningscenes.html
WORLDBUILDING SERIES (Each class is under $10)
Create A Language Clinic:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/languageclinic.html
Create a Culture Clinic:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/cultureclinic.html
Create a World Clinic:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/worldclinic.html
WORKSHOPS & MID-SIZED CLASSES (PRICES VARY)
How to Write Short Stories:
http://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/how-to-write-short-stories-class.html
How to Write Villains:
http://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/how-to-write-villains.html
How to Write Dialogue with Subtext:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/dialogue-subtext.html
Title Cover Copy Marketing Basics:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/titlecovercopy.html
How to Find Your Writing Discipline:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/writingdiscipline.html
How to Find Your Writing Voice:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/writing-voice.html
How to Motivate Yourself:
http://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/motivate-yourself.html
Beat Writer’s Block:
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/beatwritersblock.html
FREE, INCLUDED WITH (also Free) SITE MEMBERSHIP
How to Write Flash Fiction That Doesn’t Suck
https://hollyswritingclasses.com/go/free-flash-fiction-class.html
===================
IF YOU’RE HERE AS A READER:
You can help out by buying some of my indie-published fiction.
SHORT STUFF, CURRENTLY AMAZON ONLY:
Light Through Fog:
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Through-Holly-Lisle-Singles-ebook/dp/B0096F4HY0/
Rewind:
https://www.amazon.com/Rewind-Holly-Lisle-Singles-Book-ebook/dp/B00AY1OHAE/
Strange Arrivals:
https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Arrivals-Twisty-Fantasy-Tales-ebook/dp/B00EOWMYRW/
FANTASY – ARHEL TRILOGY
Fire in the Mist:
https://books2read.com/FireInTheMist
Bones of the Past:
https://books2read.com/BonesOfThePast
Mind of the Magic:
https://books2read.com/MindOfTheMagic
DARK SCIENCE FICTION-ISH
SETTLED SPACE
Both of the Cadence Drake novels — Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood and Warpaint, are off sale while I come up with new titles and new cover art for them, and new key words, descriptions, and other marketing that allows me to correctly put them in front of the audience that likes a few vampires and a bit of horror with its spaceships.
The Longview Chronicles (complete Series) is in the same universe — still dark, but without the vampires:
https://books2read.com/longview-chronicles
Or you can get the individual stories:
Born from Fire:
https://books2read.com/born-from-fire
Suzee Delight:
https://books2read.com/the-selling-of-suzee-delight
Philosopher Gambit:
https://books2read.com/the-philosopher-gambit
Gunslinger Moon:
https://books2read.com/gunslinger-moon
Vipers’ Nest:
https://books2read.com/vipers-nest
The Owner’s Tale:
https://books2read.com/the-owners-tale
STANDALONE URBAN FANTASY
Minerva Wakes:
https://books2read.com/minerva-wakes
PARANORMAL SUSPENSE
Author Page:
https://books2read.com/ap/xbzgyx/Kate-Aeon
Midnight Rain:
https://books2read.com/midnight-rain
Last Girl Dancing:
https://books2read.com/last-girl-dancing
I See You:
https://books2read.com/i-see-you
I have much more fiction that’s commercially published, or which is out of print and has reverted to me, but which I have not yet republished.
I’m not linking to ANY of that fiction, because your purchase of used books or books where publishers haven’t paid royalties in years will not help me.
So there we are.
I want to thank all my patrons again, and I am so sorry that I had to do this, but there is no way I can permit this:
Excerpted from Patreon Legal Terms
You keep full ownership of all content that you post on Patreon, but to operate we need licenses from you.
By posting content to Patreon you grant us a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, perform, publicly display or prepare derivative works of your content.
No. Just NO.
Holly
P.S. I have had one of my Patreon patrons already ask me how she could continue to support me on a monthly basis.
Here’s the answer I gave her:
“I’ll look into what’s available. Right now, I’m crushed to discover the rights Patreon actually claimed, and worried about getting involved with any other site. So I’m in limbo. You’ll find my blog at HollyLisle.com. I’ll be keeping my folks there up to date on how I deal with this. It sucks.
Hugs, and thank you for asking.”
Why is EVERYBODY on my blog, my mailing list, and in my forums getting this?
Because if you know me, you’re probably either a reader or a writer. If you’re a writer, you may be considering using Patreon, and you need to know. If you’re a reader considering funding someone on Patreon, THEY need to know.
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