Suggestion Check out interesting first person account of using Patreon

[E G Logan]

Patreon is "the platform designed for artists to create a community and share their work on a subscription basis". Maybe one for our self-pub members to look at?

In the following Comment article from The Bookseller today, Emma Hinds relates how she is using it successfully.

Don't stop patronising me

How one author built a community through Patreon.

www.thebookseller.com

She says she makes enough monthly to cover the mortgage – and although she deosn't make the connection here, it seems she's acquired sufficient profile, etc, to be published in hardback.

[If you can't get into the link – it may be firewalled – shout and I'll do some extracts.]

 

[Hannah F]

I'm firewalled out.

 

[E G Logan]

EXTRACTS from today's The Bookseller

When Emma Hinds first heard of Patreon, she writes in The Bookseller, "it was Lord Byron who came to mind. I wondered: how could a person in 2017 rise to this Byronic level that they were so certain of the quality of their art they would ask other people to pay for it? It was inconceivable that it would work for someone like me, who wrote plays and novels. Who, I wondered, would pay good money to only read a chunk of a book a month? Then, I read Heartstopper."

Emma became a firm fan. "When I realised that Alice [Oseman] had a Patreon account, I signed up to receive early updates of the story beyond what was available in bookshops or online. Even after all this time, I’m still a subscriber and more than happy to get a chunk of a book a month.

"Initially drawn in by the extra doodles and "behind-the-scenes" notes, I also found myself relating to Alice’s own journey and her mental wellbeing all the while as Heartstopper grew....
I realised that Patreon wasn’t just a way for artists to get paid, it was a way for me to be part of Alice’s community, investing in her future and, more importantly, our collective future: a future where work like Alice’s flourishes."

She started writing fan fiction (fanfic). "In truly Dickensian fashion, fanfic readers will happily wait a week for the next instalment of their favourite story... On Patreon, I share drafts of upcoming works and serialised weekly instalments of ongoing stories as well as updates about my own publishing journey."

She joined the platform. "Before starting, I spent some time investigating the Patreon accounts of the people I subscribed to, working out what I liked about their approach and what kept me engaged. I also talked with my spouse, an author, podcaster, and long-time user of Patreon, who gave me good advice about how to tier my subscriptions."

Emma speaks warmly of the process. "For anyone looking to start on Patreon or similar platforms for themselves, the received wisdom that I always share is this: don’t commit to more than you can handle, utilise what you create in multiple directions and, most importantly, be consistent. Like all platforms, subscriber numbers rise and drop, but some people have been subscribing to me since the beginning and now, I nearly make enough a month to cover our monthly mortgage payments."

 

[Pamela Jo]

I support Ukrainian Bats on Patreon. I think it is a great thing. I hope that the model holds up over time. It should work.