s week, the website is getting a pretty big update, alongside a new chapter upload. The reason behind it has to do with curiosity, economics, and making the best of a bad situation.

First and foremost, a new story’s first chapter has been posted. The story is called Guardian Devil, and I hope the story is enjoyed. It’s a little more sex-focused than my usual work, which some tend to prefer. It’s also clearly the first chapter of what could be a longer story. There was one problem that arose while writing it: it was a commissioned story, and after commissioning the first piece, the commissioner’s life situation changed. They had originally wanted to commission chapter after chapter of a longer-form story, and found they no longer could do this. The chapter was, at this point, three-fourths completed, and I didn’t want to wrap up a barely burgeoning storyline in about 3000 words. I also didn’t want to give the commissioner a foundational first chapter without anything to follow up. So, after chatting with them and thinking things over, I’ve thought of a new idea; one that will hopefully benefit all parties.

Writing erotica online can be a tough business, and it’s even tougher when you’re trying to balance it with a working life. There was a time when Patreon came to the rescue and provided me with well over half of my rent money. Patreon is still invaluable to me at this point and I’m grateful to my patrons for helping keep me in the black, but as time went on and I faded from being particularly mainstream (no doubt partially due to the natural ebb of time and partially due to my utter lack of marketing knowhow), my ability to financially rely on Patreon as a main source of income has become nigh impossible. At time of writing, my monthly public support brings in less than a single longer-story commission. This has forced me to spend less time on my writing to make ends meet, which has a frustrating circular effect of making me less efficient at erotica writing. The less efficient I am, the less I consistently publish stories, the more people understandably choose to put their money elsewhere, the less monthly support I have, the less I can spend time on this endeavor. One of two things has to happen. Either I redirect my energy smartly, or I risk having to shut down entirely.

Again, the Patreon is still invaluable to me, and I will not plan to give up or even lessen my commitment to a monthly story anytime soon, even as setbacks and unpredictable events will no doubt still happen. As well, I want to commit to the ethos I have that no writing of this website remains behind a paywall for only those paying money to see. I don’t like the idea of the poor being the only people shut out. So, with that philosophy, a finished chapter one of a doomed story on my hands, and the clear need for a new economic strategy on my hands, I have come up with publicly funded stories.

The name likely gives the premise away, but I’ll be sure to leave no stone unturned in my explanation. Publicly funded stories will be stories that are started for one reason or another (for example, a chapter one has been commissioned with no follow-up) with the intention of adding more chapters. The stories will be put on hold while I work on commissions and my monthly chapter until one or multiple people fund its next chapter (usually $100 for a 10k story; cheaper than a standard commission). When the chapter is funded, I will post the next chapter within 30 days of the funding becoming complete. (If someone attempts to cancel/refund the transaction, the status goes back to “unfunded,” of course.)

There are a lot of advantages to this model. Number one, I know there are people within my community that ideologically oppose Patreon or, in general, prefer to make one-time donations. This model caters to them. As well, It has the win-win factor of helping me gain more financial support from my erotica while also providing more stories for all of my readers. And I do mean all – while one or a few people pitch in for the story, the chapter is posted for all to read. In this way, you’re helping give not only to me, but the other readers as well. This also allows me to experiment a little more knowing that even if a story isn’t liked by many, even if it’s liked by a few that are willing to support its creation, it could still grow and develop and not cost me financially as I dedicate writing time to it.

I have given a lot of thought to this model and truly hope that the community likes this update too. To some it may seem like these stories are, indeed, behind a paywall, and I do understand that kneejerk reaction. Ultimately though, these stories are like commissioned stories, and wouldn’t exist at all without this model. I hope and believe this model will lead to more stories, not less, and more variety, which excites me as a writer. As well, if you don’t care for the model: no worries. It’s entirely optional. You may not want to pay for additional stories, but if someone else does, you still get to read and enjoy more.

I’ll be honest: I don’t like how much of this has become about money. Sadly, I’ve left the cushy period of my twenties at this point, and in my real-life situation, I have a lot of financial disadvantages at this stage of life. I’m dealing with the hand I’m given, but for the record, I do not enjoy feeling the constant need to plug my Patreon or invent new models or talk about the financials so often. Any frustrations people may feel from this or other news is echoed by myself. I hope that this new direction only leads to good things, and naturally, if there’s an aspect I’m overlooking, I will address or solve it whenever it’s brought to my attention. I think and hope (perhaps naively) that ceasing just talking about my financial situation and instead trying out this new direction might prove fruitful, and I can go back to caring more about the writing and maybe even taking less shifts at my job and focusing more on this.

Speaking of, right now I’m working through a slight backlog of commissions, so if you have commissioned me, don’t worry, I am working on your commission as we speak. As well, I have complemented this update with a slight improvement to the website on a whole. I have re-organized the top bar, and additionally have another feature I want to implement in the coming week that I hope people will like. I’m doing my best to make this experience, and your time on this website, the best thing it can be. I’ll talk to you all next week.

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