alexwoolfson
patreon
Personal update and the future of The Young Protectors
🕑 Added 2024-04-15 00:31:14 +0000 UTCHowdy y'all -
I hope you're having a good beginning of Spring. :)
It's been a little while since I've shared a personal update, so I wanted to give a brief mention of what's going on with me. And I needed to share a change I have to make to how often we post new pages.
What's going on with Alex
Overall, I've been doing well since I shared a personal post last year at this time.
Creatively, I'm feeling really fulfilled. This latest battle scene in the comic was a bit of a bear to write, but I'm delighted with how these current pages are coming out. I think it's some of our best work yet. And I'm also working on an urban fantasy prose novel (i.e. a regular novel of just words) with gay heroes that I'm having a lot of fun with. I'll share more about that when the first draft is finished. (And if there is interest, I could even share some of the writing with you.)
I don't know who said this (maybe I heard it in a movie?), but as a writer, when the writing is going well, everything feels like it's going well. And, at least in my experience, that's true.
Also, I'm still having a wonderful time with my husband, Fernando, who is my rock and support. I'm kind of a Bill Withers fan and if you've ever heard his song Lovely Day, then you know how my guy makes me feel, pretty much all the time.
Just like in 2022, though, there are some challenges. After making a burst of progress with the design of The Annihilator Dossier, it seems we are in a holding pattern again with that. And that's something that needs to be completed before the launch of the next Kickstarter. I am still committed to having our next Kickstarter (for Volumes 2 and 3 of Engaging the Enemy) later this year. But I do wish this part was already in my rear view mirror. Hopefully, my designer and I can spin back up with that soon.
The bigger deal is that things with my mother have been very up and down since the last update. There have multiple hospitalizations (three in January of this year alone), new diagnoses (congestive heart failure, kidney failure), and she just got over her first bout of Covid. The good news is that she seems to be doing ok now, and it feels like we might be moving into another quiet period, but as anyone who's needed to take care of an elderly parent can tell you, it's been hard.
One saving grace, though, has been the new facility I've moved Mom to. Not only is it much closer to me, which allows me to be much more involved in her care, but the team there is truly excellent. They can't take all the weight off my shoulders, but it's not for lack of trying or expertise. Bringing her here was one of the best decisions I've ever made (and, as I said before, it was only possible because of you, so thank you so much for that. I can't say it enough, but y'all really are the true heroes of The Young Protectors.)
So, I've experienced some stresses over the last 12 months. But, like I said, overall I'm good. And I look forward to sharing more cool writing with y'all soon.
But in terms of The Young Protectors:
We need to switch to posting one day per week
First, the good news. Since I let everyone know that the comic needed more support back in October, the bleeding has, for the most part, stopped. Before I made that announcement, I was losing about $100/month in support, and since then it's remained fairly stable at around $4,300/month. That's a good thing, and I am deeply grateful to all of you for that.
But that number is clearly much lower than the $6,000/month I said I needed to keep things going the way they have been. (And even that number turns out to have been an underestimation.) Since then, while cutting every expense I can think of, I've taken a much closer look at my finances, and have realized that I now need to make a change. The truth is, it's not just that I haven't been making an income on this comic for a while, I've actually been going into debt over it. And a not small amount of debt.
The most important thing for me is to finish what we've started. I've gotten invested in stories, including webcomics, where the creators just stopped for whatever reason, and I promised myself I would never do that to my readers.
But at this point, the only expense left to cut is how much I'm paying to create the art. And I've determined that shifting to posting one page per week instead of two would put me in a place where, at the very least, I will no longer need to add any more debt. At the current rate of support, I'll be breaking even.
This is a decision I should have made some time ago, but I've been loathe to do it. Two pages per week feels like the ideal rate to share this story with you. But at this point, I need to be realistic about what is sustainable and, unless something radically changes, this is what I know I can do.
From this week forward, we will post a new update to the The Young Protectors comic on Wednesdays only, instead of Wednesday and Saturday as we have been.
What you can do to help
You all are such a huge and amazing support. This comic wouldn't even be possible without you, and we've now published well north of 1000 pages of high-quality stories with gay heroes. So, I imagine some of you will be wondering what you can do to help.
The biggest thing you can do is to, if it's at all possible for you, please maintain your current level of support here on Patreon. The numbers work for one page/week of posting at $4,300/month. Less than that and they won't.
I'll continue to do everything possible to keep making the experience of being my Patron the best I can. It seems like the Scene Compilations really are popular. They do take a chunk of time to put together, but I can try to do more of those. There might be other things I can do, too. As always, please let me know how I can make your experience of being my Patron as fun and fulfilling as possible. I really want you to be happy to be here.
Also, if you know anyone else who might enjoy the comic, please let them know. I've tried different method to advertise our work, and so far haven't stumbled upon the right formula. I still have some other things I can try, but I believe we are making a really great comic, and what will make the biggest difference in terms of sustainability is bringing in new readers. Any help you can offer there would go a long way.
Will The Young Protectors ever go back to two pages/week?
It could. More readers could mean more support. I'll set a new milestone goal of $7,000/month. If we get back to that level again, I would be able to afford two pages/week while at least starting to pay down the debt. Maybe with a Kickstarter and getting the word out, we'll get there sooner rather than later. It's certainly something I want to do.
Questions?
Like I said, this has been a decision I've been putting off for a long time. I love sharing these pages with you, the more, the better. It's also frankly a bit scary to do this: what if y'all just throw up your hands now, and the Patreon support craters?
But ultimately, it's the right thing to do for the comic. We are coming to the end of Chapter 4 of Double Cross, and there's only one more chapter after that. I have a great ending to the story for you, and gosh darn it, I want you to see it. (And I also have a lot of fun, romantic stuff to share with our side story, Fallen, that I think you're going to love.) I need to do whatever I can to keep the train on the tracks.
Hopefully, all this makes sense. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. I'll be happy to answer them.
And thank you so much for supporting this work. Ultimately, The Young Protectors is your story. You make it happen. You really should feel proud about what we've been able to do together. I know i do.
More soon,
Alex
Comments
lori
Hi, I appreciate you being so open with us. I love the comic so I'm bumping up my support a little, may not be indefinite but worth it no matter how many times a month you publish. Thanks. Oh- also wanted to mention; I try to vote for TYP & Artifice on topwebcomics.com regularly. That how I originally found your comic.
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, QueBijoux. I really appreciate your understanding, your continued support, and your kind words. :) I'm going to do everything I can to keep the comic going. And your reply is a big morale booster. (And I'm also glad to hear you'll be interested in hearing about my other writing, too. Stay tuned! There's still a chunk of work to go on the "prose" novel, but I'm really happy with it so far and can't wait to share it when it's done! :)
QueBijoux
Oh — and a huge YES to sharing your novel in progress. The art is a huge part of the comic, but it is your writing that keeps me coming back. The text pages are just as good as the ones with art and story, so would really look forward to a novel from you.
QueBijoux
Alex, thank you for sharing things like this. It is what makes this community so special; we’re a part of it with you and the other creatives. While receiving one update per week is not as much fun as two, it is definitely better than none! Please do whatever you need to do to keep this outstanding comic going. We’re invested in the characters as well, and we not only want to complete the current stories, we want them to continue. There’s so much left to explore with them! Hope your mother improves, and that you and Fernando continue to make each other happy, having lovely days.
RelwarcTheMighty
I just remember it was around the time you started to offer the odd NSFW bonus pictures, lol! I'm so predicable. Hook, line, and sinker.
william clapie
NP, we are all in this together.
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Relwarc. And you're right, even I can sometimes forget how much it takes to make comics with this kind of quality. I really appreciate the continuous support (and I think you're also right that you joined before 2 pages became a regular thing! :D )
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Bill. I'm glad you can understand where I'm coming from. It's hard when your parents aren't well, and especially hard in your case when you were so young. I'm sorry to hear you went through that, and I really appreciate the support. :)
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, camelotcrusade. :) I'm glad you're enjoying the Scene Compilations. Once a month with that feels doable to me. I'll get on the next one as soon as I can.
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Lee. I'll let y'all know when it's ready to share. :)
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Allen. I do really think we're putting out our best work yet. I'm glad you think so, too. Thank you also for my Mom. And I passed on your appreciation to Fernando, and it put a big smile on his face. :)
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Kendall. I really appreciate the support and kind words. And yeah, I'm really happy with how this novel is coming together so far. I'm not a super-fast writer, so I can't say when I'll be done, but I'm past the halfway point, and I think it's a really fun time. Stay tuned. ;)
RelwarcTheMighty
Thank you for your frankness on the financial side of things. Making comics at this level consistently is not as cheap as some might think. I'll continue in my support even with one page a week, especially since I'm pretty sure that's what the level was when I first joined the patreon, lol! Best of luck in the future ahead, and hopefully we'll get to the numbers you need!
william clapie
I would send more if I could but my expenses have changed as well. It is great to hear that the comic can be sustained after all these years. I have promoted your comic on sites before and I have seen where your comic has been posted sans approval. I told you of these. Ah well. I do hope for the foreseeable future that the comic continues to grow. I am also empathetic to your issues with mom. God bless that she is still around. I lost both my parents at a relatively young age, 23 and 25 respectively for my mom and dad. I am not sure that it is better or worse but I don't have your worries weighing me down with my family. In passing they were 62 and 60 when they died. Mom of a massive coronary and dad of a cancer in the abdomen. I am not asking for empathy here but Alex, in part I can understand your feelings. Atlas would never have shrugged if he was holding up his parents. So, persever young Atlas.
camelotcrusade
Hang in there, Alex, and speaking for myself, I'd love it if you continued the Scene Compilations. How about once a month if you can manage it? There are so many great stories to revisit, and it's great "reminder advertising" for why we support you in the first place. Look at all the great stuff we "made" together! 😁
Lee Rawitscher
Glad to hear all goes well. I'm super excited that you are writing a novel! Please keep us updated about that. I can't wait to read it! -Lee
Allen Foster
The Young Protectors has so much going for it, anything you need to adjust to keep producing it will be worth it. And I really do think it’s getting better as you go: writing, character development, page layout, drawing, colors, everything. Hope your mom’s situation stays good. I know what a drain that can be, glad you found a good place she likes that’s doing good work. And tell Fernando we all appreciate him too!
KendallPB
Thanks for explaining, Alex, and I'm sorry the support here isn't enough for 2 pages a week . . . but it makes total sense, and I won't be reducing my pledge, don't worry! I'm intrigued by this urban fantasy novel you're working on. ;-) You & the whole team rock!!! 😻
Alex Woolfson
Thank you, Denys. :) Let me get back to you for the answer to your question. Adam and Vero do take on other work, but I don't think they are involved with any other projects on Patreon. But I will ask.
Alex Woolfson
Thank you so much, Carlos. I really appreciate that. :)
Denys Howard
Thanks for your transparency about a difficult decision, Alex. I wish you all the best for this project. For those of us who are able, do you know of other projects that Adam or Veronica are involved with and which we could support? Since this change will have a rebound effect on them. <3
Carlos Vela
Whether it’s once a week or once a month, I appreciate the hard work you and your team put in to this series. I am looking forward to diving into the recent chapters this summer. Times are hard, and you had some tough decisions to make. Thank you for keeping the series alive. I am looking forward to the Kickstarter Projects! I also pray that your mom’s health stabilizes to where she can be comfortable. 🙏🏼
