I May Have a Solution. My Patreon Page is Live.

Howdy, Folks!

In my last post I got real with you and told you the status of things here on Cooley Ranch (Ranch name pending.) I’m not comfortable sharing hard times I’m having. I know it’s not a good look for an author to ask for help.

I fully expected people to be irritated with me since after all this is the internet I’m communicating on. But I have to say that I have been overwhelmed by the understanding response of readers here and on Facebook. I appreciate all of you.  I have heard many suggestions on ways I can continue to write full time and the thing that most people were enthusiastic about was Patreon.

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to get paid and for fans to join in the creation process. It is similar to a Go Fund Me or Kickstarter except that instead of an individual funding event it is an ongoing page that sets up a continuing relationship between Patrons and Creators. Think of it as back in the old days when painters or theater troops would have wealthy patrons who funded their work. Only you don’t have to be wealthy to participate.

Patreon allow you to go around the traditional publishing system and cut out the middle men. You can pay me directly for the entertainment I am creating and in return you will be able to join in the the creation of my books. In some tiers of patronage I offer rewards like becoming an alpha reader or naming a character or even designing a monster.

No matter what tier of patronage you choose, all Patrons will gain access to an exclusive community of like minded fans and special classes on my Discord server. I will post constant updates, telling readers where I am in the current novel and other details regarding my books and the worlds they inhabit.

In addition, you will be entered into monthly drawings for swag or audiobooks or whatever else I can dream up. Let me know what would interest you.

Lastly, you could have my help with your work. Are you writing a novel of your own? A short story? I could help you with your process.

Patrons are charged at the beginning of each month and you can change your tier of patronage or cancel at any time.

I became familiar with Patreon a little over a year ago when a youtuber I really liked set up a Patreon page. This creator had a small group of dedicated fans who loved his work, including myself, but no matter what he tried he was unable to bring in enough money to continue. I didn’t have much money to add to the cause, but I was able donate $5 a month. Eventually, his patrons have grown and now they bring in over $2000. Enough for him to continue his channel.

I have since supported two more creators that I really liked.

After deciding that I would give it a go, I spent a few days researching the best way to set up a Patreon page and figure out how it works. The end results are a lot of fun. Check it out.

Here is my page: https://www.patreon.com/trevorhcooley

Let me know what you think of the page. Do you like the rewards? Do you think they are too high or too low? What have I missed that you would like to see?

I want you to know that I’m not giving up. I will continue writing no matter what, but if I can keep writing full time I plan to release 3-4 books in the next year including another Tallow Jones book and the beginning of the Dark Prophet Saga. Thank you all for your constant support over the five years since I started this writing journey.  Here’s hoping that we can do this forever,

-Trevor H. Cooley