So, yeah, I have a Patreon now, for some reason. That big black symbol to the right links to it. Click it, or don’t, whatever makes you happy.
Seriously. Whatever makes you happy is fine with me.
Here’s the thing. I’m not actually expecting anything to come of this Patreon. I did it because it was a thing I could do. It cost me nothing to set it up, or run it. There’s zero loss in it for me, but some theoretical gain, so why the hell not?
If something comes of it, great! If nothing comes of it, then I’m no worse off than I was. Literally zero risk.
Well, I mean, more people might have to listen to me ramble on, so there’s some risk, I guess. You guys are all weird. Normal people will probably be turned off by my acerbic verbal stylings.
So, what the hell am I doing with this? Glad nobody asked so I could answer uninterrupted. My favorite way to talk.
Basically, I’m just gonna give a brief version of the post I made over there, so to learn more, that post is public and you don’t have to donate to read it. Just click on over and get the full dive.
Brief version is, self publishing is expensive when you do it right. So, I made a Patreon to help cover the costs of putting my next self published book out. To pay for things like cover design, editing, layout, ebook formatting and all of that.
I like to do things the right way, and a cheap looking book is not the right way in my mind. I care about producing a quality product, and that means money. So, Patreon.
Other stuff I want to do costs money as well. New merchandise on a regular basis, as well as a role playing game I’ve been tinkering with for a while. All stuff that I can’t afford to produce on my own, at least, not easily, so here we are.
Like I said, I honestly don’t expect much to come of this, but it doesn’t hurt to try new things, and I figure, at worst, nothing changes and I keep doing what I’ve been doing for a while now. Saving up for a year or two at a time.
So, there we are. Patreon is happening. Weird, kinda scary, but I’m good with all that. You only really fail when you don’t try, right?
Right.
Cain S. Latrani 
Wishing you all the best with this new venture of yours! I admire your courage in trying new things. I’ve considered Patreon, but I don’t have anything extra to offer others, so for now I guess I’ll just stick to blogging and personal writing.
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Honestly, I thought the same thing for a very long time. It was only in the last few months that I started doing research into how other authors were using the platform that I began to realize I had more than I thought. Odds are, you do as well.
Here, let’s do this. Mine, at the base level, offers an early look at the rough draft of the second book in my zombie apocalypse series. Basically, people are getting to see it more than a year before it comes out, and if they like it, they will help promote it, and over time, have paid for reading it as surely as if they had bought a copy. Many may by a copy, and already being familiar with the work, leave a review.
At the second level, I offer rough concept art for the cover, audio clips from the audio book, and Q&A sessions where people can talk to me directly, including people who may be looking for advice on their own writing. Never underestimate how important you skill and knowledge in that area alone can be to others. Especially if you have an even half way decent following on your blog. That just means people are willing to listen to what you have to say. People who are willing to listen, may also be willing to help you cover those sometimes hefty costs, because they want to.
That’s just a brief look at how you can structure it, too. I found lots of examples of how other writers utilize the platform that already covered tons of things I had and was doing, and didn’t even realize could be used in this way. At the very least, I recommend doing some research into it. You may well have a lot more at your fingertips than you realize.
It never hurts to do some research, and it’s never wrong to try.
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Great stuff here. Thanks for going so in-depth and giving me an idea of how things work. It’s definitely something worth researching at this rate. I appreciate this!
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Always happy to help. 🙂
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