So. Patreon.

I jumped onto the Patreon bandwagon fairly early, but I’ve been at a loss as to how to actually make use of it. When I started I figured it might be a means to offer some sort of subscription service to my fans, but in effect that does little more than cannibalize my books rankings in the various storefronts.

It’s the same reason I don’t sell directly from my website. Discoverability, in indie fiction, is based largely around how well you’re selling on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo. Every sale I make through other means is a sale that doesn’t increase my rankings.

Which isn’t to say that I don’t value the readers who acquire my books elsewhere. Organic and word-of-mouth advertisement are even more powerful than e-store algorithms.

Anyway. Patreon.

Patreon, I think, is best used for art you cannot otherwise easily directly commodify. YouTube videos, podcasts, short fiction.

Some of which I do.

So I think going forward instead of basing my donation model on novel releases, I’ll use it for my weird side projects and short stories. Donate and you’ll fund whatever strange ideas I’m trying next, and get access to my dev feed.

Maybe I’ll make text adventure games. Or RPG supplements. Or I don’t know, poorly photoshopped dystopic visions of cyber-Chicago.

 

Questions? You are invited to either leave a comment below, or ask directly through the comment form.

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