The revolution continues.

[alexandraerin]

With what's going on in Iran, I feel a little funny using the word "revolution" to describe anything short of... you know... revolution... but the same word can have a different shade of meaning in different contexts. It's a fact of language in general and our glorious bastard of a language in particular.

So, with that having been said: the revolution is ongoing. Writer tim_pratt, another actual author with actual published books that people have held in their hands and read on a bus somewhere, has announced he will be serializing a novella for the web. The circumstances are a little familiar: out of work partner, bills mounting, money not pouring in from previously published works.

I want to point it out, but I'm probably not going to go on and on about Mr. Pratt like I have Cat Valente, both because I have less prior knowledge of him and because each time that this happens, each time that a previously published author takes to the web with a self-directed community funded project, it will be less and less of a big deal individually.

At some point, it'll just become something that authors do.

It is a truism that most people won't pay for something they can get for free on the internet, but some will, and the more people you can attract with your free content, the more paying customers you will attract. As belts tighten for everyone, the ability to "pay what you can" for good art will become increasingly appreciated. Paypal takes something like 31 cents out of a $1 donation (that's off the top of my head, it might not be exact), but a thousand people later that's still $690, isn't it? That would be rent for a lot of folks, and it's nothing to sneeze at for anybody.

Comments

PayPal fees

[stormy-llewelyn.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I just got an e-mail from PayPal saying there will now be no fees when sending money person to person. Does this apply to you as well or are they seeing you as a business? If the subscription has anything to do with it, I will happily cancel and just send the money manually every month to save you the fees.

Re: PayPal fees

[alexandraerin.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what that's about... I'd suggest leaving things as they are for now until I can look into it.

[acetachyon.livejournal.com]

Followed your comments over at io9's post about Tim Pratt and Cat Valente's serials (http://io9.com/5302659/the-tip-jar-science-fictions-new-revenue-source).

Thanks for your insights on the donation/sponsorship models. I'm investigating how to apply the same concept to my serial.

[brainwane]

each time that this happens, each time that a previously published author takes to the web with a self-directed community funded project, it will be less and less of a big deal individually.

At some point, it'll just become something that authors do.

I think we might be there now.