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My FA has been pretty quiet, and I'm looking to change that. To do that though I need your help.
See, most of my writing has been focused on publication. I've published quite a few stories now, and that makes me happy, but I notice that my readership hasn't grown. Also I'm not doing what I used to do, which was write stories to share, stuff for me to get the ideas out of my head. If a story gets posted here, it's either because I got the rights back to a published story, or it was rejected, etc.
I'm thinking about shifting gears, focusing more on writing content to share here. Before I make that decision though, I need some feedback from you guys. Here is a brief survey I've put up to help me decide what to work on first, and some other options about my readers (that is, you lovely folks out there).
If you could fill the survey out it would be really helpful.
See, most of my writing has been focused on publication. I've published quite a few stories now, and that makes me happy, but I notice that my readership hasn't grown. Also I'm not doing what I used to do, which was write stories to share, stuff for me to get the ideas out of my head. If a story gets posted here, it's either because I got the rights back to a published story, or it was rejected, etc.
I'm thinking about shifting gears, focusing more on writing content to share here. Before I make that decision though, I need some feedback from you guys. Here is a brief survey I've put up to help me decide what to work on first, and some other options about my readers (that is, you lovely folks out there).
If you could fill the survey out it would be really helpful.
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 202 x 193px
File Size 2.7 kB
In addition to filling out the survey, a couple of things I'd like to throw out there:
Monetization is a b*ch, particularly when you are an author. Patreon isn't really a viable option because it typically requires continuous reward system for continuous pay, and that would eat up way too much of your time to constantly have something new for your Patreons. Donate button is entirely appropriate, just like a street performer having their hat out. Perhaps you should have some clearly defined terms and conditions for commissions, which also lets people know you are open and available for commissions. e-Books are also a potential source of income.
As far as spreading the word... that's a tricky thing. Trust me, billions of dollars have gone into researching the 'viral' craze, what makes something go viral, what are the triggers... no one has gotten any closer. Big companies want to try and use that for their marketing, which is why they're trying to figure it out. The best I can tell you is that you write some pretty interesting stories, and if you post something, I'm gonna at least click on it to read it once.
I've already tried signal boosting, but that depends on how 'popular' the signaller is, and I'm simply not all that well known myself. However, even when a 'big name' does a signal boost, most people simply ignore it. The problem is that most people these days have been 'trained' to ignore anything that smacks of 'commercial'. They are things to be actively avoided. TV has told us that commercials are boring and you should avoid them, so that's what people do. So to get your name out there, it has to be a way that doesn't sound like marketing. Word of Mouth is probably most effective, but again, it requires a 'seed' to start growing.
Monetization is a b*ch, particularly when you are an author. Patreon isn't really a viable option because it typically requires continuous reward system for continuous pay, and that would eat up way too much of your time to constantly have something new for your Patreons. Donate button is entirely appropriate, just like a street performer having their hat out. Perhaps you should have some clearly defined terms and conditions for commissions, which also lets people know you are open and available for commissions. e-Books are also a potential source of income.
As far as spreading the word... that's a tricky thing. Trust me, billions of dollars have gone into researching the 'viral' craze, what makes something go viral, what are the triggers... no one has gotten any closer. Big companies want to try and use that for their marketing, which is why they're trying to figure it out. The best I can tell you is that you write some pretty interesting stories, and if you post something, I'm gonna at least click on it to read it once.
I've already tried signal boosting, but that depends on how 'popular' the signaller is, and I'm simply not all that well known myself. However, even when a 'big name' does a signal boost, most people simply ignore it. The problem is that most people these days have been 'trained' to ignore anything that smacks of 'commercial'. They are things to be actively avoided. TV has told us that commercials are boring and you should avoid them, so that's what people do. So to get your name out there, it has to be a way that doesn't sound like marketing. Word of Mouth is probably most effective, but again, it requires a 'seed' to start growing.
A friend of mine has access to SoFurry's data and by running various stats analysis, he found the number one correlate to gaining watchers is regular content posting. Putting something out every 3-6 weeks is the ideal. (Plug plug, this is Robert Baird the excellent writer and all around excellent coyote).
Thus, my goal is to try and hit that sweet spot. I know that speed of work is hard to do, so I intend to write a lot before I start, like 4-8 stories, and doll them out. This gives me a time cushion to work with. If I went with Patreon it would likely be a story every 2 weeks, so that would be going faster, but those folks are getting rewards after all. But for instance, I would write several installments of a serial before I start posting it.
As far as signal-boosting, one of the goals I have for the earned income is to commission art for stories. The artist draws it, then links to the story the art corresponds to. Authors have a lot of followers, and hopefully this will lead some towards me. This is especially the case with authors who focus on certain kinds of art, like BDSM - if their followers are into the same things they're posting about, then I can get them based on interest.
This is an experiment, at least.
Commissions are a thing I'm sort of vague and scared of how to do. I like to do things My way, so the more detailed the commissioner is, the more I'll chafe. I'm worried about them being unhappy with the way I interpret something, especially characters. And there's a lot I'm not interested in writing.
Thus, my goal is to try and hit that sweet spot. I know that speed of work is hard to do, so I intend to write a lot before I start, like 4-8 stories, and doll them out. This gives me a time cushion to work with. If I went with Patreon it would likely be a story every 2 weeks, so that would be going faster, but those folks are getting rewards after all. But for instance, I would write several installments of a serial before I start posting it.
As far as signal-boosting, one of the goals I have for the earned income is to commission art for stories. The artist draws it, then links to the story the art corresponds to. Authors have a lot of followers, and hopefully this will lead some towards me. This is especially the case with authors who focus on certain kinds of art, like BDSM - if their followers are into the same things they're posting about, then I can get them based on interest.
This is an experiment, at least.
Commissions are a thing I'm sort of vague and scared of how to do. I like to do things My way, so the more detailed the commissioner is, the more I'll chafe. I'm worried about them being unhappy with the way I interpret something, especially characters. And there's a lot I'm not interested in writing.
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