How We've Been Running Things + Poll
Added 2026-01-24 09:52:31 +0000 UTCHeya.
So for a year and some change, we've been running this "Be a patron and get two chapters early across all the stories" deal, and I pivoted from the old system of "You get get see whatever the newest chapter of anything is a day or two early then it goes live" for a few reasons.
Firstly, I kinda felt like I was giving current patrons too little for their money. What I provide is entertainment, entertainment that will always eventually be posted for the public, and even a few dollars a month for entertainment with the wack modern economy can be too little a value for some. I can't give you anything real you can hold, I can't give you custom tailor-fit content, so I thought people would like the exclusivity bit. You know, you get to see more of the story than anyone else.
And secondly, I won't kid any of you, money factored into it. When patron numbers dipped amid inspiration slumps over the last year and some change, I wanted to reverse course on the losses and figured doing what every other fic writer/web novelist was doing might help. Did it help? No, not really. I've been keeping an eye on the numbers and it doesn't seem to have helped any. Whatever gains came from the change seems to have been offset by an equal number of losses. Or maybe it did nothing. I'm not a statistician
Being real, the change didn't feel all too good. Felt like I was selling out. It's also had the side effect of stifling patrons so they don't blurt spoilers in comment sections or in the discord server, which might also be hurting things.
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this.
I'm not going to change anything right away, but I would like to see what you all think, as this will effect you the most. For the patrons who joined after the change, when the 2 withheld chapters became standard, what I used to do was when I finished a chapter of something, I would post it for patrons to see first, then after 1-3 days, once patrons had their fill, it would go public. Nothing was withheld longer than that unless it was some one off, side thing. I'm wondering if we should go back to that, but that does involve me taking benefits of being subbed away, which I am loathe to do.
Let me know what you think below. This poll will run until Monday evening (9pm EST, Jan 26th)
Thankee much,
Fuggmann.
Comments
From a purely practical perspective, withholding chapters is how you get people to sign up to your patreon.
Scarlet Aurora
2026-01-25 17:06:24 +0000 UTCI will say that I have literally nothing bad to say other than that I simply don't know anything about the world it is set in and I will admit to being a bit of a pokemon nerd tbh, so that does hold my attention more than most other stuff.
LordLaw
2026-01-24 23:58:26 +0000 UTCI'm here cause I liked a story so much I chose to pay to see more of it before it was out. As long as BoC chapters are here I'm probably here unless money gets really tight. (Maybe add a poll where people can pick which fic they want updated next and write that one? Depends on your ability to force the writing process tho)
Jackson Sherrod
2026-01-24 22:22:51 +0000 UTCHonestly think it was the pivot away from pokemon tbh, I for one cant stand to read any of that three strikes nonsense... have thought pretty often about unsubbing but then you drop a chapter or pokemon and I decide to give you a chance again, but I am gettting tired of it being maybe being 1 chapter I can read for maybe every 2-3 months.
LordLaw
2026-01-24 22:04:42 +0000 UTCAt the end of the day you need to do what works for you. If the current system doesn't work for you change it, if it does keep it, if neither works then seek the middle ground
Turnwise
2026-01-24 19:24:10 +0000 UTCI support writers cause I want them to keep writing. Don't really care much about benefits. Tho I will agree with others, figure out which stories of your several you want to write, and write those more often, maybe take a poll of what people are reading and check your engagement on the forums, cause id hazard a guess most people are here for BoC, and irregular chapters coming in every couple months is probably what is hurting your patreon over anything else.
Streetwise
2026-01-24 18:45:34 +0000 UTCPersonally, I came here only because of my love for BoC. I subscribed just to support you financially and I don’t really care about the bonuses or getting the chapter earlier (I’ll read it anyway). To be honest, I’ll have to think about whether it’s worth keeping the subscription long-term if chapters are released once a month or even less often. Not planning to cancel it btw I haven’t read your other works yet. I think I’ll wait until more chapters build up, because the waiting is killing me. For now, BoC alone is more than enough for me :)
9tls44
2026-01-24 17:06:53 +0000 UTCThe access I get is a nice benefit, but frankly all I really care about is getting more story, and supporting someone whose work I really enjoy! Frankly, the only possible thing I could want is more- more content, more of these stories I enjoy. I will admit losing Borne of Desire was a stinging blow, but Three Strikes has been fantastic so I’m willing to belay my personal grumbling.
Ash The Kitsune
2026-01-24 16:33:14 +0000 UTCDon't care + didn't ask + L + Bozo + where foxo
Signal
2026-01-24 15:30:19 +0000 UTCI was here before, I've been here after. I view patreon as a donation rather then paying for a service, I don't really expect to get anything out of it other then encouraging the continuation of stories I like. Personally I think you should follow whichever path nets you the most money.
HEm107m739
2026-01-24 12:52:27 +0000 UTCYou go back to 1-3 days before release to public, then from my perspective, you'll be giving your gift away for free. Also, if you go back to the old way, I won't subscribe. I'll just wait the 1-5 days. I subscribed because it felt like there was more content to see that I'd have to wait months for. Turned out, not really. One or two chapters is not that far ahead, it's just that you might only kick something out once a month. Not sure what you hope to accomplish by reversing course. You want numbers to go up? You want to increase value perception? Increase your output.
Gangrene Gout
2026-01-24 11:49:40 +0000 UTC
