Kickstarter was once one of the largest websites where people could support a particular creative in order to get some stuff out of it all. However, Patreon has come and taken over the scene where it is no longer about just funding something but funding the artist themselves. For many, there are incentives (or rewards) for backing someone, but there are plenty where it is simply a tip jar. This gives every author out there options on what to do for their own page and not feel as constrained to come up wih the next coolest reward. So, is Patreon for authors exactly?
I personally have my own Patreon where readers can support me for as low as $1. This is a mixture of a tip jar, but also a way to get exclusive early stories for themselves to enjoy. Although I am small in comparison to others on the site, I do make a consistent $9 a month to write books which I never got just a year ago. Others out there grew exponentially as soon as they starrted theirs. In the end, its all about the size of your audience and how you promote it.
Is Patreon Right For Me?
- Do you create things that could be considered artistic?
- Do you create it regularly?
- Can you potentially offer something as an early release or exclusive for a small amount of people?
If you said yes to any of those, then Patreon is right for you. Seriously, don’t second guess yourself. Even if you have a small audience, you don’t know who might support you. That person might have a hole in their pocket just for you and wanting to find more ways to give you all of their money because they think you are awesome. If no one supports you when you first build your page, that is ok too. You can always go back, edit, and push it when you get more fans.
Reward Ideas for Patreon
For authors, Patreon can be confusing on what we could include. The best option for this is to look up other authors on Patreon to see what they have done. Below are a few options.
- Short stories
- Live readings
- Printed versions of stories
- One on one time
Obviously there are many more out there that you can do. You’re a creative type, though so thinking up ideas and researching other ideas are your specialty.
So tell me, what do you have as rewards and what tips do you have for Patreon for authors?
