Hey, Ritorians.
I've been noticing a lot of authors, especially new ones, shifting to Ream as their membership platform, even though I think Ream takes 10% of the earnings, whereas Patreon takes about 7% or 8%. Have any of you made the jump? What are the pros and cons?
And should Ritoria add an optional Ream link button like the Patreon link button at the end of every chapter?
I'm not much of a writer but authors seems to prefer Patreon, but I'm guessing it's because it's been around longer.
It's quite a tricky one. I like that Patreon let's people support an author for as little as $1(USD, of course) per month, while Ream has set their minimum at $3, which feels too high for a slow writer like me. However, I am excited about the direction of Ream just because they're building with authors at the centre. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Ream Community tools will be like. I understand Patreon links with Discord, and that's cool, but as with everything in this stage of capitalism, there's a part of me holding back from going all in on Discord, though I quite like it. But, then, is all-in on Ream the right way to go? I don't know that, either. And so, I'm on Ream, Patreon, Laterpress (which allows subscriptions as low as $1 per year!), and Ko-Fi (I love that Ko-Fi allows to one-off tips & integrates with Discord), and have a Discord with just me in it (woo woo, I'm so popular!). Honestly, trying to carve out writing time really doesn't need all this extra work thrown in, so I will throw my hands in the air and say I don't know. I was excited when I discovered Ream as I thought it would be the perfect platform, but with the $3 minimum and no "tips jar", it's not quite as perfect as I was hoping for. My ideal would be to create what I want to create at my own pace (faster than I manage now), and allow people to throw a coin in my hat if they want, and to do so regularly if that floats their boat. Ko-Fi's probably closest, actually. Ream only edges the other two out for a better reading experience for those of us happy to pop up a chapter at a time, and even it's not perfect. Well, that's my rather circular 2 cents. I don't know, is my answer.
@Deb E. Howell
And now I'm listening to a SXSW presentation by the Patreon CEO and I like his enthusiasm for Creator Communities, and, well … Maybe that means Patreon is going to create my ideal. They're not there yet, but it might come …
@Deb E. Howell
The drama amongst Ream's leadership left me with a bit of a sour taste, so I'm less enthusiastic about it now. And since my writing isn't in the particularly spicy realms, I think it might not be the place for me, either.
I still haven't quite figured out a publishing model I want to throw my energy into, though I'm kind of leaning into the full behind-the-scenes magic at Campfire Explore, and then other platforms for discovery … But, need to put most energy into the writing first. Would quite like to get back to drawing, too.