So the subject of Patreon keeps coming up around me: various authors running Patreons to allow them to write a short story a month, or make videos of them reading, a poem a week; all kinds of creative ideas. Typically those who pledged money get to enjoy the art first before the author sends the work out into the world and to the general public.
I’ve been asked multiple times over the last couple of months if I am or possibly considering starting a Patreon of my own.
I have thought about it, but the answer is: No.
I like the idea behind Patreon, but it doesn’t seem like it would work for someone without a national platform to start with. I’ve seen lots of writers with that platform barely manage pledges equaling up to a $1000 a month in exchange for the writer writing one short story a month for the patrons, or putting out novel chapters. If you could get 1000 people to pledge $1 a month, it will work, sure and it would rock to be able to just write all day every day.
Except that I’m not at all sure I could get $100 pledged and then I would be doing the extra work of creating exclusive content for my patrons for that $100 a month. This isn’t actually worth me doing, because I wouldn’t have the extra free time $1000 a month buys, but I’d still be pledged to create extra content. I worry I’d be making a ton of more work for myself without getting enough financial gain.
Now, I could be reading this wrong, but even well-known national authors can barely get to the $1000 a month total pledges point, and I figure I’d need at least $750 to make it work.
It really does run on the 1000 True Fans model for writers.
I’m pretty sure I don’t have 20 True Fans.
So no.