Serializing Your Book on Steemit may Work Better than Having a Patreon Account
For several years now, I have been eyeing Patreon as a possible way to raise a little financial support for a couple of book projects I have had on the back burner for a while. Some of my friends are on Patreon-- it seems to be a bit of a mixed blessing.
What Happens on Patreon...
Red Clover
For those not familiar with it, Patreon is a type of crowdsourcing/sponsorship site where people from many creative fields can post their projects and get "patrons" to sponsor them with various monthly contributions.
Let's say (for example) that I want a little financial help to justify working less at a paying job while I work on my book. I'll make a profile, and offer people different "sponsorship levels;" maybe $2, $5, $10, $25 and $100 a month. People who dig my idea then would commit to sponsoring my efforts at one of those levels.
Now, typical crowdfunding rules applies on Patreon, as well... it's more or less "expected etiquette" to give your patrons some kind of preview or early bonus goodies not available to the public, in exchange for their contribution.
Seems straightforward, enough...
It's not That Easy...
Of course, few things in life are as easy as they appear.
A random blue flower
There are absolutely "popular" projects on Patreon that result in their creators getting handsome monthly "stipends" from their sponsorships. I'm saying that because I'm not trying to knock the site.
However, the vast majority of people who use Patreon discover that it's a lot of hard work to drum up even a few sponsorships. Even friends and family "mysteriously lose interest" when they are suddenly asked to put money behind their otherwise encouraging words. Even my friend who's a successful commercial artist and social media whiz struggled to get up to $200 a month on her Patreon account.
The other "issue" with Patreon is that the site takes a fairly substantial cut of the proceeds for hosting the service. So if you're not getting a lot to start with, that makes your sponsorship amount even less.
So Let's Compare To Steemit...
Instead, a writer could "serialize" their book on Steemit.
Given that we would already be "expected" to offer previews on Patreon, publishing the book a chapter-- or half-chapter-- at a time wouldn't be giving away anything not already expected.
Flowering Honeysuckle
Yes, just like Patreon, it would behoove the writer to spend a month or two "building a following" for their project-- but that would apply anywhere. After that, however, each published article would be rewarded directly, as a result of simply being published-- no need to send "newsletters" or "announcements."
The greatest benefit, however, is the fact that on Steemit, potential "sponsors" would not be required to commit to give their own money. The writer could absolutely add a "tip jar" to their posts, but the rewards would be generated from Steemit rewards/curation, just like any other post here. No need to leave a "credit card on file," which would be very attractive to many potential sponsors.
In a sense, it would be far simpler and less work than using Patreon... and for someone with some social media savvy, potentially likely to raise more funds than a Patreon account. Thinking about my commercial artist friend's experience, I would think she could make $200 a month on Steemit with less (background) work than on Patreon.
Drawbacks to using Steemit?
For some, the crypotocurrency issue might be a bit daunting, especially given that writers/artists trying to crowdfund often are looking for current income, rather than to accumulate influence (SteemPower). Another drawback might be that post here only "fund" for seven days, vs. indefinitely.
Other than that, Steemit may actually be a really useful way for a creative person to raise funds for projects. Why not give it a try?
What do YOU think? Have you ever tried crowdfunding a creative project or art? Which platform did you use? Have you tried Patreon? How did it work out for you? Would you consider using Steemit as a crowdfunding source? Leave a comment-- share your experience-- start the conversation!
(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
You writing is very good. It's so easy to read your articles, thank you! I'm making pretty good money not selling any of my paintings...lololol
Thanks! You say you're making pretty good money not selling your paintings... are you actively trying to sell your paintings here, or just showing them to create general awareness/publicity?
I'm trying to figure out what the public likes and also improve my skill set....
OK... just curious because I'm considering adding another Steemit account only for my art... since it's really "it's own thing" and largely unrelated to my blogging/writing, which is a standalone venture.
I think that would be a great idea, just do it! I'm working on pattern designs for clothing.
I had a company that uses artist drawings, paintings, and design for clothing and other products. They sent me an email inviting me to join their team after seeing my art online. I told them we wouldn't be a good fit, but I got a few ideas on how to sell some of my work. I have used another email on Wordpress. So I don't know how they got ahold of my main email.
Vida & Co., kinda freaked me out emailing me right out of the blue. When I didn't respond to their request they sent me 2 emails a day, they were very aggressive. So I looked up employee reviews of the company. My instincts were right, they take advantage of Artist....
But there are other companies just like Vida, that share sale profits % and less restrictive contracts if the artist wants to leave.
I had no idea there were so many different ways to sell art!
Yeah, there are lots of companies and "promoters" and "agents" who will help you sell your art. And market your art.
In traditional terms, the idea is that whoever helps you with your art gets a "commission," but most of these organizations seem to be structured in such a way that it's ultimately the artist who ends up with the commission, and the "handler" who gets the bulk of the income. Which makes me sort of angry... why should I get 15% of the final price, and a group of "someone else's" get 85%?
This even applies with "big" organizations like RedBubble and Zazzle and so on. And most the time, the artist becomes the "product" rather than the creator.
I think both have their ups and downs. The fact that steemit is more of a community than a payment platform makes it really intruiging to me. I think Patreon really messed up with their lack of forums and so creators are forced to find their patrons somewhere other than Patreon.
On the other hand, I think there is something positive about someone making the extra effort to give from their own pocket, because it encourages people to give, something that (if you check out my Patreon, you will see) I am very much about.
I think both sites are failing to meet a demand by not providing a PM service.
I am trying to use both together in order to connect with the right people, trickling things out on both sites which I hope will lead my stories to the eyes of the people they were meant for.
I made a self-introduction post for Patreon users, come check it out. My stuff is on there as well.
What kind of stuff do you write?
https://steemit.com/patreon/@whatamidoing/share-your-patreon-page
I definitely agree that both Steemit and Patreon are lacking from not having a PM function of some kind... I can only hope the devs have it in the hopper somewhere, because it has been suggested plenty of times.
It's really hard to get people to part with actual money. I have a friend (mentioned above) who's a pretty successful commercial artist; she has a following of thousands and is good at social media. She started her Patreon in hopes being able to do her art full-time, which meant replacing the $800 a month she makes working as a part time office manager. In spite of massive marketing efforts, she remains short of $250 in pledges on Patreon.
I write mostly psychology and self-help type things, focusing on developing consciousness... and I write about Sensory-Processing Sensitivity, which has been an interest of mine for about 20 years.
Interesting. I usually donate to a charity in India that gives free medical treatment to poor villagers in rural Maharashtra.
It may be a "USA issue" but I have some skepticism around charities... a lot of them, it seems, you give them $1.00 and 80c goes to the fundraiser and only 20c to the actual cause. As long as I can make sure my $1.00 (or most of it) goes directly where it is needed, I make such donations as well.
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