Sunday, January 07, 2018

Patreon Thoughts

Last year wasn't the best for me writing-wise, so I've been looking and thinking of ways to change things up this year.

Starting up a Patreon is something I've ummed and ahhed over for some time.

On the one hand, it's been around for a couple of years now and is pretty much proven as a good funding tool for creators.

On the other hand there's always that faint whiff of e-begging to it, of people seeking handouts rather than trying to produce work people want to buy.

I think the latter probably says more about my own stupid pride and upbringing, rather than being an accurate reflection on reality.  A lot of authors (and other creator-types) use Patreon nowadays and there isn't anything wrong with that.

(Although I do get a spot of the side-eye when I see an award-winning author announce their work is being made into a TV series one minute, while begging for rent money on Patreon the next.  But, to be fair, I don't know other people's circumstances, and if their fans are happy to hand over money, maximum power to all concerned.)

Anyway, this is what would I'd be looking to use Patreon funding for.

1) Smooth out my income.

I'm fortunate in that I made some good decisions in the past and got into the habit of living very frugally.  I don't make a lot of money from royalties, but between that, the occasional bit of supplementary income, and living damn frugally, I'm just about able to cover most of my living expenses.  That said, the income is not exactly consistent and varies from month to month (well, quarter to quarter).  Having an alternate revenue stream to fill in the gaps for those months when sales are low wouldn't be a bad thing.

2) Get payment for things that are otherwise difficult to monetize.

I'm talking about stories/series posted to Literotica* and other places, the H-space monster girl bestiary shorts, and - to a lesser extent - the humorous walkthroughs of monster girl hentai games** like I'm doing at the moment with Monmusu Quest: Paradox [part 2].  Having a Patreon for this type of stuff frees me from fretting over whether I should be doing work that pays bills/puts food on the table instead.

I notice a few regular writers on Literotica have their own Patreon accounts.  It doesn't seem a bad idea to be honest.  If I'd started up writing later, I probably would have had less reticence and got on Patreon earlier.

*As some have noticed, I haven't been as active on Literotica recently.  I'd like to fix that this year.

**This is more a sort of hobby, but I'm not going to turn it down if people enjoy the series enough to throw a couple of dollars my way.

3) A psychological trick to make me think I have a boss(es) and get that writing productivity back up again.

Because I know I'm my own boss, I have a bad habit of being a little too flexible on the hours I work.  It happens.  I'm writing.  The current section I'm on is proving tricky, so I think I'll take a breather, go play Playstation or something for an hour, then come back to it afterwards (SPOILER: Did not come back to it after an hour).

It's a little thing, but knowing people are giving me money every month to create new sexy succubus smut might trick my lazy ass into thinking I should stay at my desk and treat this as a proper job rather than a glorified hobby.  A more productive me means more hot succubus smut for people to enjoy.

4) A fund for commissioning art and other things.

Now this is where I'm most likely to use any Patreon money.  I've enjoyed seeing my characters brought to life by VezoniaArtz, RaidouZERO and others, and it's given me ideas to take projects further.  I'd like to push my succubi/monster girls and worlds to get the same kind of attention as KC's Monster Girl Encyclopedia, Okayado's Monster Musume or Toro Toro Resistance's Monster Girl Quest.  The thing is, the internet is primarily a visual medium.  Pictures get far more attention than plain text.

I'd like to commission artwork of the various succubi/monster girls in the H-space bestiary (and my other stories).  The internet always needs more sexy succubus/monster girl artwork as far as I'm concerned.

I'd like to reorganise my website so the H-space stories, H-game walkthroughs, etc are easily navigable rather than being buried in my blog post history.

These things require money (artists are creators and like to be paid too).  A Patreon fund might help out a lot here.  Also, it would make me feel like I was using the money to create something people would want rather than "Can uze pay my rent, plz".

* * *

That's what I'd get out of it, the more important question is what you people out there think about it.  Which is why I'm putting this out here first.

Do you think the stories I write and this blog are entertaining enough that you'd be willing to chuck a spare quid/buck my way every month, so I'd have the financial security to continue doing it?  (Or in this case fund a war chest I can use to flood the internet with more perverted monster girl artwork, hyuk hyuk.)

This would likely be the baseline Patreon reward band - $1/month for me to keep the blog running and post regular stories/chapters to the internet (here, Literotica, etc).

I did think of using the other Patreon option of $1/story or chapter, but it doesn't really fit with one of the central aims of keeping this blog going.  Also, it would require some thought on what constitutes a proper story/chapter, whereas I'd rather have them be the length that feels right for the respective story/chapter.

1$ a month (or more, if you're feeling generous.  I'm not about to say no!) should make it a more predictable outgoing.  It should also keep me honest.  If you feel I'm slacking off, just withdraw your funding.  I'll figure out quick enough. :D

Looking at other Patreons, I notice they also offer other bands/tiers of rewards.  This is where I'd welcome some input from you all out there.  What can I offer that would be of interest?

Some thoughts:

1) Exclusivity.

I don't want to lock any of my work off behind paywalls so only a very narrow audience can access it.  That will impose restrictions on where I can use the stories in the future and will probably end up biting me in the ass.  What I can do, is timed exclusives - maybe make the new stories/chapters available to Patreons a few days before they're due to go live on the rest of the internet.

Also, I usually hold back some stories as exclusives for my ebook collections.  In future I can make some of those available to Patreons.

2) Behind the scenes stuff.

Thoughts on how a story came together.  Ideas in the pipeline.  Early versions.  I'm not sure what might be of interest here, so let me know in the comments.

3) Polls.

I'm normally so scattershot this might help me.  These would be of the type - "Here are three ideas, what should I write this week?"

(That would certainly be one way to force me to get back to Phil's adventures... :) )

As I'm also planning to use a lot of the cash to fund art commissions, this is certainly poll-able.  Which H-space monster girl would we like drawn next and by who?  That might be fun.

4) Tuckerizations.

Get yourself inserted into one of my stories so you too can be killed off in a horribly gruesome sexy manner by your favourite succubus/monster girl.

This seems a decent possibility for a high-tier reward.

There will be some caveats for my own sanity.  I won't be inserting people into the story.  It'll likely just be names and descriptions hung over another character.  This gives me some flexibility if the story calls for the character to be an asshole or die in a particularly unpleasant fashion.

Those are some ideas anyway.

If you have any other suggestions for things you'd be interested in as Patreon rewards, please let me know below.

This also includes if you think this is a terrible idea and I'm being greedy arse.  That's probably worth finding out now rather than being traumatized six months later when my Patreon is only bringing in $6 a month! :D

At the moment I'm throwing it out there to test the waters.  If people are fine with it and would like to fund my various perverted endeavors, I'll see if I can get an account set up next week.

Let me know what you think.

35 comments:

  1. A few thoughts,

    I've been an avid reader of yours for a while. I've got both SS books in hard copy and I even bought them in digital form along with the rest of your publications. However, looking at all your work the SS books are by far my favorite.

    I would be happy to support a dedicated funding source for you to with whatever you want with. Don't feel obligated to spend it on art work commissions, I mean all content creators deserve to be rewarded for the work they do. That being said, I'd like to see me at least getting good value for my money. which would I think encompass a few things:

    1. A complete library of works up to now. Blog posts, walkthrus, literotica works, un-published works.

    2. A decent dribble of new works, if it were $12 a year, I'd like to see at least a softcover novel's worth of content.

    3. You and I both know you make more off the SS series than anything. Please work on that, make branch off novels if you need to. Offer a discount to subscribers to buy the completed work at the end. I'd love hardcover copies.

    4. You don't have to do it all yourself. MasterofSin is doing some great work that branches into your universe. Ever consider a collaboration?

    Thanks for your work.

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    1. Not too keen on collaborations, but I'm curious to see where MasterofSin goes with his tale. I like the different character viewpoint.

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  3. Tiber Septim07/01/2018, 19:18

    An interesting idea.

    With regard to e begging. Patreon is a tool and like all other tools, what it is used for is down to the person using it.

    I agree that patreon makes it all too easy for e begging but you have consistantly proven for a long time now that you are not that person.


    A potential problem I have seen with patreon is the whole pay up front before you get to see the quality of the content. This could disuade a lot of new fans unless you do something to let them see that your stuff is worth investing in. Maybe still give out enough free content for people to see how good an author you are so that they can feel confident about getting something worth while for an investment (humble though that investment is)


    Polls giving a heads up of what fans would like to see is a great idea. My only personal reservation is that most of what I might ask for will be over ruled by other voters because they probably are not as twisted or perverse as I am. **Cough-vacuumgirls**

    There is no doubt in my mind that you have earned the right to expect a little more income from your work several times over.

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    1. I have the stories up on Literotica, but as others have commented, that was then and I think people (understandably) need to see where I'm at now. I'm hoping to restore that confidence with some fresh stories up on Lit over the next couple of months.

      Vacuum-girls. Could be fun. I believe there was a horror series (Master of Horror or The Hunger) that featured something like that, although it was played more for horror than erotica (a weakness of The Hunger series as a whole).

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  4. BillyMasakado07/01/2018, 19:29

    Hmm I don't find any issues with trying out Patreon. It doesn't cost anything to have an account and get some support. If people don't like the content or what you provide then they have the choice to stop supporting you on Patreon. It does create a win-win (or at least feels like it) situation in most cases.

    Personally I don't think that you are greedy to try to make a few coins more from your creativity and what you provide (books, mini stories, text walkthroughs etc). Money is a form of appreciation, and it motivates you to be more committed..nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

    Now for your suggestions...I like all of them, but they depend on you and of your commitment. One thing though that I kinda feel takes away your ''magic'' and impact is the visuals...Don't get me wrong I like the art and the visuals from artists...but your books allow me to think and fantasize about how Verde for example would look like in my mind from the descriptive language you use...it allows the reader to picture the characters in his/her own way. I find value in that and that is something important. Sometimes we get a little bit too spoiled with images.

    Of course if you would like to support other artists and their work that is related to the content you provide, that I find perfectly fine.

    Now I would like to provide you with my opinions about your thoughts.

    1) Exclusivity and Behind the Scenes : Good idea but you nailed it...it can create that paywall feeling. HOWEVER, it could be useful later on if you have more supporters and give them some ''Extras'' or ''Deleted Scenes'' maybe ? Sounds nice. How the story came together..NO DON'T.. you might want your readers to guess how you thought about your story or a particular character...it adds to the mystery and the suspense of the writer, and your own uniqueness.

    2) Polls. Anything that helps you refocus and stay committed is very important. It is also a great way to communicate what your readers prefer to see, or maybe learn more about audience. It is a double-edged sword though, and needs care, because you might not want to allow people to direct your story too much. Otherwise sounds great as a focusing tool

    3) Tuckerizations...this is interesting. To make a real life person into fiction to meet a horrible (or not so) fate. Well said about your sanity, and flexibility of the characters/narrative and overall scenarios. Sounds great for a high tier reward.

    Overall, I think Patreon might be a good opportunity for you to get more support and maybe some interesting ideas from your followers and readers.

    P.S I could suggest (just an old idea) another thing you might be able to do. Create a text adventure game or one-shots with consequences with softwares like Twine or Quest (nothing complicated just a few more choices and intersections...you don't even need art or pictures or music or any complicated RPG mechanics). Example : you have a character being in a tough situation...would you choose A or B or C. C seems safe..but then BAM you are screwed leaving the reader mind boggled in M.E Hydra style. Or maybe choose ''the lesser of two evils'' type of situations. You could experiment.

    Hope my feedback helps.

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    1. I keep going back and fiddling with various text adventure ideas. Main problem is I'm too much of a gamer and want to nail the perfect sex battle system when I should just dip my toes in with something simple.

      I've checked out some monster girl CYOAs on Amazon. It's something I'd like to do, and maybe where I can take the H-space series.

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  5. I'd dish out a buck your way monthly. Or two, together finished their translation so you can haz their dollar too. Was just thinking the other day why you're not there yet, but yeah, it's the pride thing...
    Forget that, people who pay don't think any less of you anyway. Gigglinggoblin for instance has my full admiration (in addition to my monies), for being productive and creative despite the pressure of dozens of paying and demanding fans. It's not begging and it definitely isn't money for nothing! apurpletoast, on patreon, pledging my pledge of one or two monthly units of american currency for when you get there.

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  6. I've purchased everything you've ever published, I'd buy more but you don't seem to write anymore. I'd gladly pay monthly for stories, and whilst I'm sure everyone has their own take on it,please keep your walkthroughs as your 'hobby' it's massively impacted on your real writing i.e. there isn't any not really. And that's a pity, I've been reading your stuff since you began in literotica aeons ago. I'd dearly like to see you writing again like you were 3 or 3 years ago. I'd pay to help you realise that.

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    1. Bump, im a huge fan and would love to support the patreon but i am not really interested in financing text playthroughs

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    2. Same. Sorry, I can see how the walkthroughs are fun for you - which should always be the main drive when something isn’t a main job - but I wouldn’t want to fund more of them.

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    3. Thanks for the feedback on this. This is why I wanted to test the waters beforehand. The MQ:P series has given me some good habits in maintaining a regular posting schedule, and I want to follow it with an original fiction series. (This was tried before, but on a daily schedule that ended up being too brutal and burning me out). I'll post some thoughts on this later. If people want to wait until they actually see some new fiction, I fully understand as it's exactly what I'd do in their position.

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  7. I have been reminding/asking/begging you to get on patreon for the last 3 years.

    You get on patreon, you'll get at least $12 per month from me, and I'll still wind up purchasing every new novel you put out. I greatly enjoy all your work!

    Seriously, if you do exactly what you did the last 12 months, I will buy each book, and pay you 12 bucks.

    Up the ante, be more awesome, and I'll up my contribution.

    I've thought about reaching out to you for a commission in the L5R world, but you rarely respond to email so ...

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    1. L5R? Legend of the 5 rings card game?

      I know of it, but was unaware it had perversion potential.

      (My TCG poison of choice is usually Magic: the Gathering. Good game, but way too PC for perverts like me to find anything to corrupt! :D)

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    2. One of the thunders (basically idealized awesome destined avatar of their clan) was a female who slept her way through a lot of people. And by "slept her way" I mean seduced first, then, poisoned, killed, etc.
      She actually seduced her true love, and then paid a doppelganger to go pretend to be him and dishonor the man's name so the real fellow would stay with her.

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  8. https://hypen13.deviantart.com/art/Succubi-Verde-Rosa-And-Nyte-Sharing-A-Victim-719642157
    more of your characters on deviantart :D

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    1. Closest to how I actually imagine Nyte to be. She needs to have an evilness to her

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  9. There was a time when I would've said no, I wouldn't pay money for something like this. But at this point I'm subscribed to several people on Twitch and this is more or less the same thing. Yeah, I'd toss money towards your Patreon. I check your Lit page (and this blog) every day for new stuff, you're my favorite author on there, and I buy every one of your books that comes out. I'm absolutely willing to support that.

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  10. Civildeviation08/01/2018, 22:28

    All for the idea, though I think given your wayward motivation Hydra it might be better to do pay installments akin to go Fund me. That way a threshold would motivate the next step, especially if you put a due date on it, and it would save you from the cyclical cycle of fear/guilt/avoidance that comes appears to plague your lower productivity periods on more significant projects like SS300.

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    1. Using Patreon's 1$ per chapter/story (capped per month) is a possibility if people prefer it that way.

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  11. Thanks for the feedback, comments and suggestions.

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  12. I for one would definitely be interested in a patreon.

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  13. PLEASE DO IT I"M DYING FOR NEW CONTENT I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!!!

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  14. one thing you could include is early viewings for your Supporters. Posting Artwork or storys on Patreon for Supporters to see/read before they go public.

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    1. This is a good idea as it doesn't restrict your work from seeing a larger audience yet will still give your supporters incentive to support.

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  15. Just one thing to mention in regards to artwork. I personally don't really care too much about it, what I want is stories. I find the artwork usually differs a fair bit from how one imagines the girls. It's your choice of course if you want to commission lots of it but it would not effect my pledging. Just want to let you know incase you feel that you need to/are obligated to for your supporters. My view anyway :D

    Oh, and more of those lizard girls who Rosa had mind Phil!

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  16. Also, don't worry about feeling like a beggar or anything about having a patreon. Pledgers will support you because we like your work, if we didn't we would not pledge in the first place.

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  17. Sorry I seem to be post spamming a bit but I think of one thing then another :S

    Maybe one of your supporter options would be to suggest an idea/theme for a story for a certain amount. It could even help you with ideas if you need it when creativity isn't flowing. I don't mean giving you strict details of what to write but a general theme idea/s. Obv. it would have to fit into your universe and all that but it could be cool.

    Or perhaps at a certain tier you can suggest an idea and you could make a poll on the ones which seem workable for you for supporters to vote on which they would like to read.

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  18. Just let us know when the patron is up so we know when to start pledging money.

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  19. I'm new to the Patreon thing, but it sounds a great idea and one I'd support if it gets you writing stories more regularly. I’ve read you on Literotica for years and bought most of your eBooks, but there have been scant pickings of late. Your writing is far and away the best erotic fiction I’ve come across. In fact, I barely bother trying anyone else anymore.

    I think I prefer the idea of generally supporting your work, rather than pay per chapter, because the latter sounds onerous. That said, I have absolutely no interest in the artwork or walkthroughs. However, it seems sensible enough you should do whatever necessary to maintain your enthusiasm for your work, since clearly you do it more for the love than the money. For that reason, I can’t imagine any decent person would see it as begging; it has always surprised me you do so much for nothing.

    As for ideas beyond generally supporting your work, exclusivity, behind the scenes and artwork don’t appeal much, but I’d love to be able to influence what you write to some degree, if that were feasible. Quite a bit of your output does nothing for me, if I’m honest - in particular, much of your latest output, such as the too-brief-to-build-character H-Space stories and what I think of as your mechanism-obsessed stories such as Sandwiched By Stomachs (which I bought and gave up on half way through) - while others I will return to again and again (think Barbarian vs Succubus and Ways to Break a Good Man #1), so I’d pay for the privelege. I’d even contemplated occasionally what a decent amount of money is to you and whether I should try to commission you. Inter dictor’s suggestion of some sort of mechanism to bid or pay for a reader’s idea/theme for a story really appeals, if it could be made to work. I guess the trickier part of that than the money would be how to arrive at a mutually agreeable idea.

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  20. I'm all for supporting one of the best authors out there. :)

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  21. The sooner you get up and running with this the better.

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  22. Desert Eagle18/05/2018, 17:23

    Hmm... Having a sexy arachne kill me in a h̶o̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶g̶r̶u̶e̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ sexy manner does sound tempting...

    Well, I would prefer to live through it, but dangerous erotica does have its own charm.

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