It’s July 2020. Wait, what?
My last blog said something about 2018 and now we’re halfway done with this year. Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in touch. I had solid plans for 2019 with lots of focus on fiction, and less focus on non-fiction. Turns out, life presented opportunities to focus on non-fiction and it was a good decision
Flash forward to now and guess what? I’ve been able to focus on my fiction and have new work ready to show you.
So, how do you get your hands on the new stories? Patreon!
Many people don’t know what Patreon is or why an author would use it. (I know, they’ve asked.) So I’m going to try and answer those questions now.
Patreon is a platform that creators of all types can use to deliver content directly to their fans. Patrons (aka readers) set up an account and receive early access, exclusive stories, and behind the scenes content for as a little as a dollar a month.
Why Patreon instead of selling stories on Amazon? (or Nook, Kobo, etc.)
Right now, the stories I’m ready to share aren’t book length. Some are flash fiction, some are short stories, and others are still works in progress. Short fiction doesn’t sell well on the ebook market, and you certainly can’t sell unfinished work.
I want to provide finished stories to my fans and get some feedback on the unfinished stuff. This is where Patreon shines. It offers features you can’t find anywhere else. As a Patron, you get direct access to creators. You can customize your experience to get involved as much—or as little—as you want. Like to give feedback on stories? Great! You can. Want to just read content? You can do that too.
The benefits to creators are awesome too. One of my main goals is to be published by a large publishing house. Publishing houses and magazines have specific rules for unpublished work vs. reprints. By keeping everything behind the Patreon wall, anything I share there is still considered “unpublished.” Which makes it more enticing to publishers.
I’ve finished a new Vargen story, complete with hand-drawn cover art. It’s a fun tale that follows a Vargen traveler to the city of Boston in 1919. What should have been a simple information exchange, becomes a sticky ordeal after an explosion floods the North End. This story will be part of an upcoming Vargen anthology, but in July you can get it through Patreon.
So what do you get as my Patron? New stories every month in a variety of genres that you help choose, the ability to provide feedback, a monthly hangout with me, and a look behind the scenes into a writer’s life. I’d love for you to join me on this journey.
