Option to Donate for Stories?

[TheKillingAlice]

So, basically, I have been sitting on the question of putting a possibility to donate on my fiction pages, here and RR, where I crosspost. It came up in a conversation with a friend months ago, but then a lot of shit happened and I wasn't even on the site most of the time and didn't write, so I didn't think about it anymore.
But now it bugs me. You see, this has always been a quiet uncomfortable topic for me, especially since most donations are done via Patreon. Getting money for unspecified work is always too shady for me and far too much pressure. Pressure in the sense of me having to uphold a standard, which I may not be able to. While I'm not new to the idea of selling my works, as I have been self publishing and publishing through a publisher for at least a decade now, it's different if someone pays for a book that is already finished, compared to being paid for something you have not yet delivered.
In that sense, I assume PayPal makes more sense, as someone is free to donate, but it's not like a subscritption, as it is on Patreon. Which means, if someone was willing to pay, they could as well do so, but they wouldn't have to and it would be for what the story is "worth", not what it could be worth one day - a standard which it may never reach.

I don't know if that makes sense to you all, but I kind of still feel bad about adding something like this, asking people to pay for an unfinished work, even suggesting it might be worth money. At the same time, again, a book published also costs money and nobody is being forced in any way, as the story is actually still free to read, unlike a published book (self published or not, lol).

How do you feel about that? Do you accept donations and if so, how do you go about it? Or in the case of readers: Have you ever seen someone accepting donations and if so, did you ever donate anything? It would truly interest me.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I'm pretty much in the same boat - except I know that, for a few months, I WILL be able to uphold a standard (may have to change days for uploads but otherwise). Keep waffling on activating my Patreon (have it set up and ready to go but have not yet pulled the trigger - also heard about a possibly better, but similar, option a few days ago that I need to look into). I mean, I'd really like to be making money with this stuff, but...

 

[2wordsperminute]

You could always try ko-fi.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I'm pretty much in the same boat - except I know that, for a few months, I WILL be able to uphold a standard (may have to change days for uploads but otherwise). Keep waffling on activating my Patreon (have it set up and ready to go but have not yet pulled the trigger - also heard about a possibly better, but similar, option a few days ago that I need to look into). I mean, I'd really like to be making money with this stuff, but...

I did uphold my standard as well. For a few months, I steadily uploaded three chapters a week. After there were some things that kept me, I reduced it, but I still had to go on Hiatus a few times. I knew this might happen sooner or later, even during the time when I still kep uploading regularly without fault.

You could always try ko-fi.

I thought of that, but that doesn't work on RR, so I kind of limited myself to something that would work on both. I don't really know ko-fi, but from what I have seen, it seems to be the most fitting to what I was looking for, if at all.

 

[Corty]

I think its perfectly normal; I advertise my patreon every last chapter of the week. There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn a little with your work.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

If you feel bad, spend that money on art, editing, proofreading, etc.

As for me, I want money. It's a dream job, and I only need a little bit every month to make it come true. Everything on top of it can be spend on making novel better. Did I ever donate? Yes, not to novels though. I came into WNs way too late, and don't have as much spare money anymore because of irl stuff.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

You could always try ko-fi.

Never heard of that one. Sounds more like what I need too... thanks!

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I think its perfectly normal; I advertise my patreon every last chapter of the week. There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn a little with your work.

I know, it kind of makes sense, but it also feels weird. I don't know, I never had a good relationship with that type of thing. May I ask how you organize your Patreon?

If you feel bad, spend that money on art, editing, proofreading, etc.

As for me, I want money. It's a dream job, and I only need a little bit every month to make it come true. Everything on top of it can be spend on making novel better. Did I ever donate? Yes, not to novels though. I came into WNs way too late, and don't have as much spare money anymore because of irl stuff.

Makes sense, thanks for the advice. I mean, sure, in a way that's the plan anyway. Still, it kind of was a complicated topic for me.

Never heard of that one. Sounds more like what I need too... thanks!

SH offers it, in any case.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Makes sense, thanks for the advice. I mean, sure, in a way that's the plan anyway. Still, it kind of was a complicated topic for me.

What exactly is complicated? The act of taking or asking for money, or how to do it? If it's the first, you should try to think of it backwards, it can help you sort out your feelings.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

What exactly is complicated? The act of taking or asking for money, or how to do it? If it's the first, you should try to think of it backwards, it can help you sort out your feelings.

Backwards?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Backwards?

Err, you go from "I don't like to recieve dontations" backwards. To untangle what exactly is the problem, get to the bottom of it, and eventually fix it.

Example. I don't like to recieve dontations. Why? Because it puts a lot of pressure. What kind of pressure? Expectations from readers and myself. What kind of expectations? And so on. Doest it make sense?

 

[Corty]

I know, it kind of makes sense, but it also feels weird. I don't know, I never had a good relationship with that type of thing. May I ask how you organize your Patreon?

I tried a lot of things. Only advanced chapters work.

Right now, I have two tiers:

1$ - 1 day ahead of public release
5$ - 2 weeks ahead of public release

 

[Arkus86]

As a reader, I have seen plenty of authors accept donations through Patreon, and supported some of them. But I only do so, if I see the author updating regularly. It is grating if you see an author who has not released a chapter for months, but still accepts donations.

I believe Patreon has the option of "pay per update" so I suppose you could use that, if you don't want to take donations while unable to update regularly. At least if you find a resonable balance of pricing/content per update.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Err, you go from "I don't like to recieve dontations" backwards. To untangle what exactly is the problem, get to the bottom of it, and eventually fix it.

Example. I don't like to recieve dontations. Why? Because it puts a lot of pressure. What kind of pressure? Expectations from readers and myself. What kind of expectations? And so on. Doest it make sense?

Yeah, I mean, it does make sense. I don't know where my complicated feelings stem from exactly, that would be a question left to the therapist I will never visit, but I guess I can make it work if I come to terms with what I want to achieve or what I can do. If that makes sense in return.

I tried a lot of things. Only advanced chapters work.

Right now, I have two tiers:

1$ - 1 day ahead of public release
5$ - 2 weeks ahead of public release

I mean, it definitely sounds efficient o.,o thanks.

As a reader, I have seen plenty of authors accept donations through Patreon, and supported some of them. But I only do so, if I see the author updating regularly. It is grating if you see an author who has not released a chapter for months, but still accepts donations.

I believe Patreon has the option of "pay per update" so I suppose you could use that, if you don't want to take donations while unable to update regularly. At least if you find a resonable balance of pricing/content per update.

Yeah... but that is exactly why I don't like Patreon. I don't know how PayPal Donations work, but I would have expected it to not be a subscription, but one-off payments.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I believe Patreon has the option of "pay per update" so I suppose you could use that, if you don't want to take donations while unable to update regularly. At least if you find a reasonable balance of pricing/content per update.

Unless I misread it, they have two options:
Direct Sale of individual items (which can be a "pay per update" or a one-time sale on an NFT, or a commission, or anything really) or
Subscription (which you can set to various tiers if you're ambitious).

Ko-Fi does "donations" as subscriptions, as per-update or per-item I think.

Yeah... but that is exactly why I don't like Patreon. I don't know how PayPal Donations work, but I would have expected it to not be a subscription, but one-off payments.

PayPal enabled subscriptions about eight years ago and they have been pushing them (my wife's doll club makes use of them frequently).

 

[TheKillingAlice]

PayPal enabled subscriptions about eight years ago and they have been pushing them (my wife's doll club makes use of them frequently).

Really? Jeez.
Your wife has a doll club? :3 (I just like dolls, don't mind me).

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Really? Jeez.
Your wife has a doll club? :3 (I just like dolls, don't mind me).

She's the treasurer for Modern Doll Collector's Inc. I used to be their Webmaster until someone who knew what they were doing (and makes and collects dolls) turned up two years ago.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

She's the treasurer for Modern Doll Collector's Inc. I used to be their Webmaster until someone who knew what they were doing (and makes and collects dolls) turned up two years ago.

 

[melchi]

I also am am in the same boat but don't really like Patreon because it is sorta a poop platform for written work.

It just sucks that the alternative equals less people willing to donate.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I also am am in the same boat but don't really like Patreon because it is sorta a poop platform for written work.

It just sucks that the alternative equals less people willing to donate.

Why is that? o.o I didn't put much effort into Patreon when I first checked it out, so I don't really know.

It's just that way of support and constantly having to deliver, which is bad if you can't, that's why it's better if it's not a subscription. But Patreon is mainly subscription to begin with, as far as I understood. I just put up a ko-fi page, because otherwise, I would have been to chicken to try again. Now let's see what happens - if something even happens at all.