Someone recently asked in one of the blog comments what it would take for me to leave the day job. In another comment, someone suggested that I look into Patreon, noting that some authors on the site are earning $5K per month.
First of all, it's incredibly flattering that someone who's not me thinks enough of my writing that they'd want me to do it full-time. I honestly can't imagine much higher praise than that. In addition, it's pretty much a given that whenever I do leave the day job, "Full-Time Writer" is going to be the next thing added to my résumé. That said, I'm not sure if something like Patreon would work for me, but first it might be worthwhile to talk a little about the site.
In ye olden days, many notable artists had patrons - wealthy individuals whose support allowed said artists to work on their craft rather than toil at manual labor. Everyone from Shakespeare to Leonardo da Vinci to Michaelangelo had patrons, and it was that patronage that allowed for the creation of some of the greatest masterpieces of art and literature. Patreon continues that tradition by allowing everyday folks to become patrons and support the artist(s) of their choice via monthly contributions, which can be as low as $1. That's it in a nutshell, but makes me think there are probably two basic questions that potential patrons are likely to drill down on when deciding who to support:
1) What's the ask in terms of dollars (and is it reasonable)?
2) Is this particular artist worth it?
There may be other questions that arise as well, but I tend to think those are the big ones that would apply to my own situation, as detailed below.
What's the ask (and is it reasonable)?
As noted above, I'm not sure that Patreon would work for me. For starters, I would have to ask for an amount that is several multiples of the $5K mentioned in the blog comment. Frankly speaking, I earn pretty good scratch from the day job (although - like most employees - I still consider myself underpaid). More to the point, I actually love what I do. The problem is that the job has become incredibly demanding lately in terms of time, leaving me less opportunities to write. Case in point, my boss calls me about 8 o'clock at night a few weeks back - a time when most people are at home relaxing after a hard day's work, but here's my scenario:
*Ring*
Me: Hello?
Boss: Where are you?
Me: At the office.
Boss: Is so-and-so with you?
Me: We're all here.
Boss: Are you working on thus-and-so?
Me: Yes - what do you want?
Boss: Tell so-and-so to call me. I need to talk to them about something.
Me: Will do.
*Click*
Now, in all honesty I have to say that my boss is a pretty good guy and I like him, and this is not what work has been like for the bulk of my tenure. It does, however, provide some insight into just how busy I've been of late. Unfortunately, work shows very little sign of letting up in that regard, so I'm way off the pace in terms of my writing productivity (e.g., I should have finished the next Kid Sensation book months ago). If I were to try to reclaim that time by leaving the day job, I'd naturally have to replace my current income. Needless to say, it would be a significant ask - it looks almost obscene when I put it on paper - and supporters on a site like Patreon might turned off by that.
I mean, let's face it: I'm not a starving artist. I'm not not working three jobs for minimum wage and trying to squeeze in writing on the side. I'm not sneaking in and out of my own apartment through a window in an effort to dodge my landlord. I'm not parking my car in my neighbor's garage to avoid having it repossessed. I don't have a pantry full of Ramen Noodles that I'm eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But that's not say I haven't been there. There was a time when I was broke and hungry, and spent my last dollar on a loaf of bread - not because it made for a great meal, but simply because it was filling and would keep my stomach from growling like a grizzly someone had just poked with a sharp stick. And when that loaf was gone, I tore apart the place where I was living looking for something to eat, and the only thing I found was a pack of coffee grounds. And guess what? I ate 'em... So yeah, I've been there.
It goes without saying, however, that I'm long way from those days. And given my rumeneration from the day job, I can't shake the feeling that potential patrons would look askance at any request from me for support, although obviously my situation is a little different. Basically, I can't say something like, "When I get $1500 per month I'll quit the 3rd job and write a short story per month, and when I reach $3000 per month I'll quit the second job and write even more..." I've only got the one day job (although these days I'm seemingly putting in enough hours for two), so that's the number I've got to match. So, in a certain sense, it's go big or go home.
In short, bearing all the facts in mind, I think my ask could be construed as reasonable.
Is this particular artist worth it?
I like to think my work is good, but I'm not a media darling by any stretch. The NY Times isn't screaming for the public to buy my next book. I haven't been nominated for a bunch of Hugos, Nebulas and similar awards that apply to scifi/fantasy books like mine. I don't have a mob of publishers beating down my door trying to sign me to a book deal. (Okay, I have been approached before, but that's a different story.)
Thankfully, none of those things are a big deal to me. What's really important is that readers like my work, and I feel incredibly blessed by the fact that they seem to, as expressed in both reviews and sales. Thus, going on the theory that a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll simply highlight those areas with the following, which relate to Coronation - the last book published in my Kid Sensation series:
(Ranked #2 between A.G. Riddle and Stephen King - it doesn't get much better than this.)
(Okay, I admit it: I love the little "Best Seller" ribbon Amazon puts on these.)
(I also managed to sell 10,000 audiobooks in a little over two years)
And, while it isn't exactly a picture, here was Coronation's best ranking:
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Metaphysical & Visionary
And my corresponding author ranking:
Amazon Author Rankbeta
And going back a little farther in time, here's when I first broke into a Top 100 authors category, coming in at #98 - just ahead of Ernest Cline and no-name Patterson guy.
Unfortunately, if you look today, my rankings are no longer what they were. That, of course, is a function of not having released a new book in a while due to time constraints (which is basically the problem). Nevertheless, in all modesty and reflecting on the above, I believe I can continue to be commercially successful as an author. And, as I've noted many times, I actually write pretty fast. (My hope is produce a novel every two months whenever I decide to pursue writing full-time.)
In retrospect, I like to think there are some patrons out there who would consider me worth supporting. Still the ask is huge, and I detest the optics when I see the number on paper. But it is what it is. (And the idea of writing full-time has enormous appeal, so maybe Patreon is an option I should pursue regardless.) Who knows? I'll noodle on it some more, talk to the wife - pray about it - and see what happens.
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