FA+
Shop
Jiló's Patreon?
2 years ago
I've been thinking about creating a Patreon for a while now so I can dedicate myself more and more to my original creations, such as comics and animations. I want to revive Desmodus Draculae and produce more illustrated novels. I need support to make a Chinese Zodiac furry ebook and complete my new book "Memento Mori". I also want to make a remaster of the animated classic "Helping Santa Claus" and other unreleased films. I also want to make Yiff Magazine a recurring digital publication and well, there is no shortage of ideas and I think that if my friends and fans are willing to support me I will be able to do all this and much more. But I need to know your opinion.
Is Patreon really the best platform or do you recommend another one?
What subscription prices do you suggest?
What type of content do you like to consume on these types of platforms?
Please help me deliver excellent work to all of you.
Is Patreon really the best platform or do you recommend another one?
What subscription prices do you suggest?
What type of content do you like to consume on these types of platforms?
Please help me deliver excellent work to all of you.
There was this artist who used to do commissions and what not, before he created a Paetron and eventually decided he was only going to do commissions for those who subscribed to him.
Eventually he just stopped doing commissions all together because he didn’t need to do them anymore. And now no one can ever get a commission from him.
This is but one example of why I’ve never liked Paetron personally. Because not everyone can afford to pay a monthly subscription, some people it takes everything they haves saved and scratched up just to afford a commission. And they can Waite for a while just to get that chance for a commission from their favorite artist. All the while struggling with their own personal problems that sometimes demands them to give up half or more of what they originally saved up for said commission which makes them sometimes have to Waite even more.
Haveing to pay a monthly subscription just to get a chance to get said commission I know has caused people to just give up hope sometimes. And destroys them when the artist has gotten so comfortable with making a living off monthly subscriptions and never have to do commissions ever again.
While I know and understand why this could really help artists I’ve also seen how it’s kind of allowed them to let it go to their head and such. I’ve seen it happened with that one artist who I used to dream of getting a commission but now can never can because said artist has let Paetron get so much to their head that they now charge for a 100 or a month subscribers and only those who pay more then that can have the opportunity to enter a litterly that happens I don’t know maybe four or five years to be selected to get their commission done for 700 or more.
These however are my personal reasons why I hate Paetron and why I wouldn’t recommend it but I’m just only one person with only one opinion, I encourage you to do what you think feels best but please don’t let it get to you like I’ve seen so many others be consumed by it.
SubscribeStar is just as bad to me, and in fact, I wish you wouldn't use either.
If you're going to use a subscription service, I'd recommend SubscribeStar ( https://subscribestar.adult/ )over Patreon. A lot of artists have had difficulties with Patreon withholding their money and suspending their accounts and other such things. If you ask artists who have used it I'm sure they could tell you their experience.
For subscription prices, most frequently I've seen a lower tier for anyone who wants to support and then rewards on higher tiers. The low tiers are usually like $1-$5, with higher tiers depending on the rewards (usually going up like $10, $20, $50, $100, etc).
As for the kind of content, one issue with these services is piracy. Anything you post is likely to be leaked by some ne'er-do-well. Therefore, it seems like what works best is offering rewards that can't be pirated, like voting on polls, doing Asks for characters with drawn responses, monthly commissions, those kind of things.
It seems like it would be valuable to ask artists that have been successful with subscription services how it has worked for them and decide what you want to do after that. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it's successful for you!
Some artists have done both though. It might be more work to manage uploads to two different platforms but it might get more people too. You could try both and see which you prefer.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
I just can't wrap my head around arguments of people who vote against it. Patreon and SubStar essentially the only way to provide stable support. If people do not care about your financial well being, why you should care about their opinion? Respect your audience but never give them the rains. If you like to make continuous, personal projects, Patreon/SubStar is basically the only way to finance it.
As for my personal experience - I suggest to have both Patreon(if you're ok to provide ID's) and SubStar. Star has much more relaxed content policies and much more withdrawal options(no paypal or payoneer though). Patreon has much bigger audience. It's not hard to manage both and you always have a buck-up in case of emergency.
I'd say it would be nice and fair to have polls for mid-tiers and personal suggestions(or separate polls) for big ones. Also I wouldn't say piracy is that big of the deal, or I just don't know where pirates publish it.
Some, however, have no problems, and stay on patreon. *shrug*
When i had patreon, i've got into a weird cycle. It felt like i was working for a usual company, just from home. And at times it was not pleasant. I felt like i had to sort of a "fulfill my quota", at least some minimal amount of doodles and one fully colored work with PSD file uploaded. Sure, each user sets the rules for themselves, but even without then, it still becomes work, when you have to upload content monthly.
But if you're confident enough, then go for it. Besides, Patreon has adjustable subscription plans, not only you can choose monthly charge, but "charge per upload" - user pays only when you uploaded new post, when you have something new to show them.
I would suggest you this. Create Patreon and explore e-pub platforms that allow +18 materials too. On patreon you can show WIPs, your sketches, PSD files. As for completed books - publish them on e-pub platforms.
(I'm neither here nor there with regard to what you decide to go with...the main reason why I ignored patreon and its ilk when they first burst onto the scene was due to my inability to maintain a consistent stream of content--largely due to my day job)