Patreon is a sort of super-blogger, where people of note can post content and other people can subscribe (for cash). I signed up for American Fighting Revolver beone of the people involved because I do like wheelguns and I kinda sorta know one of the people involved.
But I don't know how that model works for most people. For readers, five bucks a month isn't all that much, but read a few more and it starts to add up. When it does start to add up, then users start pruning back. If the creators don't have a lot of subscribers, then they're not making much for their efforts. Then if they start paring back, the doom loop begins: Fewer posts, fewer subscribers.
The apparent fact that Patreon is arguably a pro-Russian service is a bit disquieting. So is the kidde porn allegations.
Cat Pawtector!
2 hours ago
2 comments:
Disturbing information. I only know Patreon from minimal subscription for two fantasy writers, Wen Spencer and Sharon Lee. Patreon has made medical care and life on fantastically difficult and expensive Hawaii possible (Spencer and she has real life and family reasons for living there) for one and life in rural Maine more tolerable (Lee and a generator for outages) for the other. The life of a niche writer is bloody marginal at best, what Patreon offers can make it more than self-indulgent masochism.
What a world. “Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind.”, as Will had it. CEOs live in gilded palaces, the ordinary bloke is disposable and honor/decency is forgotten.
I support a couple of folk on Patreon - Sharon Lee (my Tree and Dragon tithe), Ursula Vernon (aka T.Kingfisher), O. Westin (micro fiction), webcomic makers Doc Nickel (The Whiteboard), Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), and Rich Burlew (Order of the Stick). My small contribution to keeping these writers and artists in snacks and coffee.
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