Tag: patreon

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Alternatives to Patreon

In case you didn’t see it, I had a chat with comics buddy Jade, creator of Ask the Werewolves and Fox Me Gently. In the video (now on YouTube), we discussed why we left Patreon and alternatives to the platform we found.

I highly recommend giving it a watch! It’s less than an hour and a half long. But if you need cliff notes, here are some highlights.

Jade and I Both Left for Security Reasons

I left Patreon in 2018-ish, returned in 2021, and then left again last year. And I did that because Patreon had laid off their security team.

Jade left on March 1 (just over a week ago!) for the same reasons. On top of that, she found out that Patreon is outsourcing its security to an outside company. One that may sell the data of any NSFW creators at any time.

Not only that – Patreon requires creators who make NSFW content to post their IDs for face recognition software (already a YIKES). But patrons are not scrutinized to the same level. Any patron can check off a box saying, “Yes, I’m over 18,” even if they aren’t. If Patreon’s goal was to stop underage consumption of NSFW content, this policy is a failure.

What a Platform Deems as NSFW is Often Never Defined Until You’re Punished

Ko-Fi is a Patreon alternative, but it has its faults. The first of which is that yes, you can mark your page as NSFW. But you’re not allowed to post NSFW content on Ko-Fi.

This is already a “…What?” But don’t worry, it gets worse.

I’ve shared this story in multiple places, but I’ll repeat it here – back in August 2022, my Ko-Fi page got taken down by the platform. They did not email me about it. They did not tell me why they did it. I had to reach out to them and ask why. They only responded, “You’re posting content we disapprove of. Please remove it.”

No specifics. No details. Just that.

By process of elimination, I figured it had to be one of two posts I did shortly before the take-down. It was either this page of The Legend of Jamie Roberts that dared to show off male nipples. Or it was a product listing with the words “Fuck off” in the title.”

To be safe, I removed both. And my page was immediately up.

That scared the hell out of me. So I researched alternative platforms in earnest.

Alternatives DO Exist.

Thankfully, there are sites like Buy Me A Coffee, Stripe, and Big Cartel. Jade and I discuss other options in the video (which you really ought to watch). But we do hope that these are just the start. We both hope that there are innovators out there who want to build alternatives to Patreon and Ko-Fi.

(And now for the shameless plug.)

I chose to build my own alternative from scratch, using Stripe to process payments. I’m calling this Subscribe.

By going to Subscribe, you can choose a Club that works best for you and your budget! To check out the options, head over to Subscribe. Members get early webcomic updates, exclusive crowdfunding rewards, and discounts on commissions. The more you pledge, the more rewards you get.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Introducing – Zine Club 2.0

characters from the Charlie & Clow adventures are celebrating the holidays - from the Fantasyville Holiday special zine

If you don’t know, I created an alternative to Patreon for my fans and myself – my Subscribe page. On this page are 3 different clubs, each with rewards that stack the more that you pledge.

Previously, one of these clubs was only for folks who lived in the United States: the Zine Club. As part of the rewards, I mailed physical zines to members each month. For the sake of how much postage costs, I kept the reward to only folks who were based in the US. International shipping just cost too much.

But now, things are DIFFERENT…

It started with the zine I made for February. I made THAT zine digital, because of how I formatted the pages. It just couldn’t work to make it a print book, so I made it a PDF download instead.

Then I thought, “What if I did that…EVERY month?”

Because here’s the thing – I’ve made a few comics exclusively for digital release, not print. Comics like PuzzleSpell, for instance.

So I did some poking around on the backend, updating the Stripe system, making a special segment of my newsletter, and now, we have…

ZINE CLUB 2.0!

By joining for a subscription of $5 a month, you get a new zine downloadable sent to your inbox before the end of the month. No shipping is necessary! Plus you get early webcomic updates and behind-the-scenes news in your inbox each week.

Here’s What’s Next

If you are currently a Zine Club member, you don’t have to do anything. Everything will continue as normal.

If you aren’t subscribed, use this link to sign up.

Are you a Pin Club member but wish to downsize? Here’s where you do that. (It’s also the place to go if you’re a Zine Club member and want to upgrade to the Pin Club.)

If you’re a Digital Club member and want to upgrade to the Zine Club 2.0, reach out to me directly. I have to make certain adjustments because of backend stuff.

Bottom Line…

I’m VERY excited about Zine Club 2.0. Now anybody worldwide can join – and I have SO MANY fun comics and zine Ideas!

That’s all for now. I appreciate your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

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My Patreon Page WILL CLOSE Dec 31, 2022

My Patreon Page will close on December 31, 2022.

For those of you who are current patrons, you haven’t been charged for several months now. I paused charges during that time.

If you would still like to support my work with a monthly contribution, check out my Subscribe page instead! More details of offerings and prices are on that page.

Just know that I appreciate your support however you give it. And if you’re broke, that’s ok, too. The offerings will be there for you later. Or you can share the page with your friends.

I won’t be returning to Patreon after December 31, 2022. Not as a creator. I would rather run my own Subscribe page. I’ll save the reasons for another post.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Subscribe Page FAQs

Let’s address some frequently asked questions regarding my Subscribe Page and the Fan Clubs. (UPDATED JUNE 15, 2023)

“What is this?”

Subscribe is the home for my Fan Clubs. I made these Fan Clubs as an alternative to Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you get supporter-exclusive content. But if you still have questions, I hope this page helps.

“Why build your own service? Why not use Ko-fi or Patreon?”

I’ve written this before in other posts and in emails. But I’ll say it again here. Patreon has, and continues to have, a lot of issues going on behind the scenes (like finding out they let go of their security team and why. Which – YIKES). In the past, that’s why I moved away from Patreon and towards Ko-fi.

However, Ko-fi is starting to not like the latest pages of my webcomic, The Legend of Jamie Roberts. Because how dare I depict male nipples or incorporate the F-word into my product listings?

To be honest, both of these platforms are starting to feel limiting. If I want to make the comics I want to draw and that you want to read, we have to find an alternative ourselves. That’s why I built the Subscribe Page for the Fan Clubs.

For a full breakdown of why I built my own alternative, check out this video or even this post where I chat with my artist buddy Jade, who also left Patreon.

“Do I have to make an account?”

Nope! Stripe processes the payments. All it needs is a name, email, address (if you’re getting things mailed to you), and a payment method. That’s it! No account needed.

“I want to Subscribe to one of your Fan Clubs. Do I pay for one month at a time, or pay for the number of months I want to subscribe?”

The system is set up so that when you purchase a membership, you’re charged for your first month on checkout. After that, the membership renews based on your sign-up date. (e.g. if you join on the 1st, you buy for one month, and you get charged again on the 1st of the following month). So if you only want to pledge for a certain number of months, that’s up to you to track it. You can manage your membership at any time by going to this page.

“Can I buy a Membership for a year so I’m only charged once?”

As of right now, there’s only one way to Subscribe to one of the Fan Clubs for a year, and that is to back one of my crowdfunding campaigns on KickStarter, Crowdfundr, or Ko-Fi. One-year memberships are available during campaigns as an add-on reward.

“My financial situation has changed. How do I cancel my Membership?”

You can manage your memberships here.

If all else fails, there should be a link on your email receipt with the option to cancel your memberships. If you can’t find it, reach out to me at kelcidcrawford@gmail.com and I can cancel it for you. No questions asked.

“Will you list your Club Rewards in your Ko-Fi shop?”

It depends on the rewards. If they DO go to my shop, they are usually posted one month after Club members receive their rewards. Club members, as always, get first dibs.

Still have questions? Leave a comment and let me know. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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My Ko-Fi and Patreon Pages Are Re-Mastered

Experiments have been done. Thoughts have been explored. And now, I’m here to announce: that my Ko-Fi and Patreon pages are getting new facelifts. Or…re-masters, if you will.

screencap of Kelci D Crawford's Ko-Fi Comics Club.

Moving forward, Ko-Fi is now home to the Kelci D Crawford Ko-Fi Comics Club. (Or KDC-KCC, because I’m a dork who loves initialisms).

The Ko-Fi Comics Club is now home to:

  • comic scripts that can’t be read elsewhere,
  • sneak peeks at the making of comics pages, from sketch to lettering,
  • early access to webcomic updates,
  • Ko-Fi exclusive webcomics,
  • access to sketchbook pages for my webcomic projects,
  • members-only shop items,
  • and commissions discounts.

These Ko-Fi rewards are available for Members only. To become a Member, just give any amount per month and you get ALL the listed rewards.

That said, Ko-Fi has rewards for folks who make a one-time donation or purchase. Those folks who give just once will get access to shop discounts and sketchbook pages only.

To become a member, head on over to the Ko-Fi Comics Club and pledge what works for you. Even $1/month gets you these rewards. As a heads up – the date you pledge becomes the date you pledge, i.e. signing up on the 15th of this month means your pledge charges again on the 15th of the next month.

a screencap of Kelci D Crawford's Patron Art Club. In it, we see a blue cat with dragon scales down its back sleeping on a hoard of paper balls.

Meanwhile, I have revived my Patreon page. By popular vote, Patreon is now home to the Kelci Crawford Art Club.

The Patreon Art Club is now home to:

  • voting rights on new sticker designs,
  • coloring book page downloads,
  • hi-resolution image downloads (so you can get new desktop images, or print at home),
  • a new sticker shipped each month,
  • and commission rewards – from black-and-white to full-color, from half-body to full-figure. These are already discounted for Patrons.

Patreon has membership tiers that are more segmented than Ko-Fi. So be sure to plan ahead for the rewards you want. Certain rewards, like commissions, are available for folks who pledge more each month. So the more you pledge, the bigger your rewards get.

To join, head on over to the Art Club and pledge what works for you. You can cancel anytime. As a heads up – the club takes the first month’s charge once you sign up. After that, your pledge will process on the 1st of each month.

Folks who join one or the other (or both, I won’t stop you!) also get access to my Tiny Dinos Discord Server. They also get Ko-Fi shop discounts.

You might be wondering, “Kelci, why are you separating these into two separate clubs? Why not just make 1 and be done with it?”

Well, I listened to my current members on both platforms. My Ko-Fi buddies don’t want membership tiers as Patreon has. And my Patreon peeps want art and stickers, but no comics.

And I don’t mind running the two separately! It actually makes it easier for me to know who gets what rewards.

If you can pledge to Ko-Fi or Patreon (or both!), please do! Your support helps support me (and BreeBree, my 16-year-old cat) and keeps the lights on.

Broke? Then be sure to share my webcomic, The Legend of Jamie Roberts, as well as my YouTube and Twitch channels. Sharing these pages helps grow the audience, yo. You can also follow both the Ko-Fi and Patreon pages to catch any and all future public posts.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.