It’s been a long time coming, making a living off of my writing, and there’s still a long way to go. That’s the reason I decided to even consider a financial platform for Project 52, Dinners with Caroline. Of course, with so many platforms to use, why did I go with Patreon instead of something else? After all, other viable options were GoFundMe and Kickstarter, AdSense and Indiegogo and Ulele. There are tons of crowdfunding sites out there – so – why Patreon?
one.
While I currently don’t have the ability to support artists and creators that I love on Patreon, many of my favorites utilize Patreon as their primary source of income. That familiarity makes the venture less nerve-racking. It also gives me the comfort of knowing it for sure works for other people.
two.
Consider these two options for donating – I ask you for a minimum of $60 upfront or commit to a monthly donation for one year totaling $60 (which is $5 per month). With some platforms that ask for a full upfront amount, that means of $60 – I’ll only be making about $40 off of that one donation after taxes and fees. With a monthly donation format, while I make less upfront, I make more over time – like a $5 donation would lose less off the top and result in about $4 per month after taxes and fees. That means I could potentially end up bringing home $48 over the course of a year.
These numbers are super rough but on that principle alone, a monthly donation is far more beneficial to me. Realistically, it’s better for most people these days too. We are in a time when people are opting for streaming services instead of cable providers because it’s a smaller monthly fee and less restricted content. Platforms like Hulu and Netflix make their own original shows that don’t have to follow the rules of some big network worrying about their social status.
That’s what I like about Patreon – it can be a small manageable monthly donation that can be as small as $1 per month! I would rather have dozens of small donators any day over a handful of large ones. Though, if we’re honest, a good mix of both is the best road to success. Either way, I want this to work for me, the creator, and you, the reader.
three.
It has a private space where I can share extras with you. As far as I’ve been able to find, the major options that I considered didn’t have anything quite like it. I’ll always share stuff with my readers beyond that of the story here and there, as I did with yesterday’s post, A Sneak Peek @ Patreon Perks. However, I also want to motivate readers who are capable and willing to donate to this project with extra perks and special things that I can share with my fans. The bulk of my content is going to be free anyway, so I feel like this balanced what I wanted for this project and for my first step into a crowdfunding service.
four.
There’s no timeline to work with or deadline to set. Flat rate crowdfunding sites usually require a deadline or number of days to reach the target dollar amount set in place for the project. I don’t particularly care for that because it requires aggressive promotion that I don’t want to do at this time. My main focus is to get a good story crafted with characters that you will love. After I feel that I’ve started a strong project, I’ll plug more regularly. For now, I just want you to know that it is there and that it’s one of the biggest ways you can support me as a creator.
five.
Why not Patreon? Why anything? Why not anything? Patreon is just as viable of an option as anything, and it’s the one that just seemed to fit what I wanted more than the other options. Some people get intimidated by the Patreon fees when donating, getting additional charges when they donate to a creator, but it’s nothing unheard of or unmanageable. After all, you probably pay more in processing fees and taxes for a streaming service with no advertisements.
Honestly, all I’m hoping for out of it is extra cash. I already work two jobs to at least make sure my family is fed, housed, and able to do things that better our future as a unit. But I don’t have the ability to save money and make improvements to my home or get reliable vehicles. I love writing and I’ll continue doing it for free, honestly, because I can’t imagine who I’d be without it. Making money off of it is icing on the cake.
Though, it is icing that I would very much like to have – if you get me. Doesn’t a muffin taste a little better when it has that sugary glaze?
So, in closing, I hope you’ll consider donating to this project and help fund future projects that I’ll put on my blog. I’d love nothing more than to share every ‘silly’ story I have with you.
Thanks for stopping in – and remember – I have already launched my Patreon. You can look at the different tiers and see if there’s one that would interest you.
Next week – I’ll be launching Dinners with Caroline in a very unique way. Be looking for that to ring in the new year 😉
–ab
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