HikerAngel
patreon
Okay, so I'm debating how to do this...
🕑 Added 2021-03-22 19:10:33 +0000 UTCRight now, I have two audio stories completed and ready to post (In a Class of Her Own 5 and Second Try), but I've been sitting on them, uncertain what to do with them as it relates to Patreon. I also have Synergy 2, Ripples in Reality, and First Try in various stages of production, with a desire to do Gamma Chronicles after my first Patreon payday as well.
Voice acting is expensive, and I know that not everyone here enjoys voice stories as much as text ones. Part of me wants to just post all of my new voice stories here on my Patreon because I love sharing my stuff with you guys. But another part of me knows that I may have to stop doing them if I over-post content like that because I will likely not recoup my costs.
For me, my primary source of income is commissions, and that's how I've been funding the voice acting. Most of my voiced stories have broken even. A few have made money, and a few have lost money. On the whole, I'm probably breaking even. (I should probably check that, huh! ;)
Amazon and Gumroad book sales help, but I only receive a modest amount on Amazon, so it doesn't amount to a ton. Sales continue to rise as I publish more stuff, though. But we're not talking about a whole lot there.
So I've had a couple of different thoughts:
1. Make multiple tiers of Patreon. I've been leaning toward this one the most. This would involve one tier that's text only for $4/month rather than the current $5/month. I write enough that I hope people would still feel with exclusive stories and whatnot, it's a worthwhile deal. Since I'm starting on two commissioned novels, those chapters would go up only on Patreon until eventually also being published on Amazon and elsewhere. (Stuff I post on DA, SWM, and elsewhere will slow as I write these books.) The other tier would be $9/month and would include all the text stuff from the other tier but also all new audio releases. I think I could make that work financially. As subscribers grow, I'll be able to do more and more content.
2. Leave Patreon as is, but only release limited amounts of audio content, leaving the rest for side purchase only.
3. Give my Patreons discount codes for audio purchases on Gumroad (Amazon doesn't give me discount code options, unfortunately) and only do a very limited chapter per month of audio on the Patreon site, aside from what I've already posted.
I'm really interested in your thoughts. I think I'll end up posting plenty of content on Patreon for you guys to feel that you're getting your money's worth, but I want you to be on board with the direction I take this site in. If you have other thoughts that I haven't considered, please feel free to send them to me or comment on the poll here. Thank you so much! :)
Comments
HikerAngel
Of course, I'll share my writing! That's the main thing! But I like to share all my stuff with my Patreon buddies, so I think I'll do the writing tier and also the writing+audio tier. :)
Koopz
I agree that you should definitely test the waters with a pricer tier. On a side note even with a pricer tier I would totally understand that you don’t share some of the most expensive content to produce with your patreon. I just hope that you’ll continue to share your writing since i’m pretty sure most of us are here for.
HikerAngel
Okay, sounds like the tiers are the way to go. That way everyone can get what they want and have things priced accordingly... thanks for helping me out with this, guys! :)
Cleve Shivers
Love your work, but my interest in audio is almost nil.
Legfan71
I think it is very reasonable to have 2 pricing tiers. A lot of other Patreon accounts offer multiple pricing tiers based on the level of content someone wants access to
Mal
I absolutely love your work but I'm only interested in the text stories. I think the first solution makes sense and will give you a good idea of the financial viability of the audio stories. You can easily adjust that tier price up or down to cover the cost of production without driving away other subscribers. And I'm not just saying that to save a buck either, your work is so good I'd still consider it a bargain at the current price!
Hawk9600
Though I voted for the third option, I’d be happy with any of the three. To be honest, I was really surprised with the amount of content available through patreon once I subscribed, so I think you can afford to separate things into multiple tiers, and I’d still feel like we’d be getting plenty of content with text only.
Rjjt
I don’t mind the current amount of content but my schedule has become more busy in the last couple of months. Financially, I think making another tier is in your best interest: Besides generating more income, you give people the option to choose how/and what they support you for. If they want audio, then they can do that. If they are fine with text? They can pay/support you for that amount :-)
