About the pain of lacking Patreon donations

[arpeggiomax87]

I wasnt trying to act that way, I just wanted to figure out what was I missing in terms of making something worthwhile for people to read because apparently im not good enough for what i do.

[arbiterswake]

Not to be harsh or anything but this post doesn't stem from a root of.. " Am I not good enough?"

It stems from entitlement. So the expectation here is.. " I put effort into X so Y should appreciate it and subscribe to my Paetron."

This same mentality is what made the streaming community so freaking toxic. Everyone thought they were special.

Here's some helpful recommendations:

If you're looking at your comic as a way to make money then it's a business for you. Treat it like one:

What are you offering?- What are you offering (Service or material wise) that would make people want to subscribte to your Paetreon. Make sure it's reasonable. )
Advertise- Are you doing your best to advertise your comic on different platforms, even paying for ads?
Analytics- Are you tracking your audience, and seeing what groups your work appeals to?
Branding- Have you established something easily recognizable with your work that people can associate with you?
Networking- Have you reached out to others? Sometimes friends will advertise your work for you. (BUT: Do not expect a "quid pro quo" with this one. No one is obligated to share your work.)
Community- Have you built a community around yourself and your work? (i.e. Discord, website, etc.)

If you're looking at your comic as something you do for self gratification, fun or just wanting to share your work, then this shouldn't be bothering you at all, and you shouldn't expect, or feel bad about people not subscribing to your Paetreon.

[migxmeg]

I think you're missing what I meant! It's not about being better... there's great stuff that no one (or very few people) are paying just to read. You need to think about how you can connect with possible patrons and offer them something special and extra that they would be excited to pay for.

Edit: and I'm not saying that high quality work and content isn't a part of that. But just that thinking about your comic and what about it is valuable/interesting from another person's perspective might be helpful if you're hoping to make money through it.

[arpeggiomax87]

i wasnt intended to being such, i just want to become something like others and i just feel like im going nowhere. also i have no way to advertise, i dont use social media because i have nothing to offer that people would be interested in.

[arbiterswake]

If you're not willing to commit to putting yourself out there, then you can't expect much in return.

A lot of the top artists spend a lot of time and sometimes money on making sure they are seen and heard.

And frankly at the start you don't need money for that. Having social media is a free and simple way to expand your audience and I'd highly recommend it.

[arpeggiomax87]

I dont know how to even do this stuff, I'm just some random asshole who uploads comics to nobody in particular, I just fail at everything i try and i just end up disappointing myself and anyone else.

[honeyandcreambutter]

In that case, you have two options: 1) Persist and continue or 2) Abandon the project to do another one that might be more popular

Honestly, I can understand it from both options. I have another comic prior to my current one and the most subs I've gotten was 324 subs (on LINE Webtoons) and 24 subs (Tapas) in 4-5 months. As much as I loved the story, I knew that my previous art style was lacking and couldn't serve the story to the best it could have. However, at that moment, I really thought my art wasn't all too bad and I was even proud of it. That's why abandoning it was the hardest decision ever.

Fast forward to this year and I've decided to try again with a new story (one that was supposed to be just a novel format) and I've received a much better success this time around. I'm grateful for my past self for not giving up back then because if I did, I would never have made as much success as I did now. So yea, it's really up to you which you choose to do! Don't be pressured into abandoning your work just because of my testimony. I fully understand loving your work to death! Just take some time to reflect what you'll do to move on from this roadblock ^^ good luck!

[CommanderMarty]

Then learn how to do this stuff, start using that twitter account for starters, post pages in the making, interact with your readers, there are many things you can do.

[arpeggiomax87]

I HAVE NO FOLLOWERS. who in the fuck am i ever to advertise my comic if i have NOBODY that would ever notice me in the first place???

[CommanderMarty]

You gain followers over time and that will equal more readers, we start at the same place and we have to work our way up if you are unwilling to do that then you should stop bitching because you are clearly unwilling to commit.

[honeyandcreambutter]

You can try advertising to other places that isn't twitter or instagram. I, for one, barely have enough followers on my art account (I have like 8 followers on my art twitter lmao). Instead of completely giving up and saying there's no way around this wall, find some ways around it. Ask your fellow creators here where to advertise.

For example, I advertise to:

• Reddit (r/ webtoons or r/ webtooncanvas or even the target demographics of your comic like r/ pokemon or r/ otomegames)

• Search through hashtags (# webtoons, # webtooncanvas, etc.) on instagram or twitter and when you see a fellow creator posting theirs, say hi, make friends, read their comics and then promote yours at the same time!

• Facebook pages or groups (again, search for your targeted demographics then join the group and advertise)

[raeguardart]

I’m at a big zero too for patrons, but I figured I’d throw my 2 cents in anyways . For starters it was hard to find your patreon link, not everyone will realize the image at the end is a patreon link. I looked on your series page and profile and didn’t see a thing.

When I did realize that the last image was a link and checked your patreon, theres no tiers? Custom pledges are set automatically at 5.00, which can seem steep to people. Tiers might be more attractive to readers, offer them something? check out the patreons of artists you admire for ideas and think about what you can offer.

Have you considered a ko-fi page too, one time donations have alot less commitment to them for readers than a month to month subscription.

Don’t forget mirroring comic pages to other sites, what might not work on tapas might take off on webtoon/insta/twitter etc. You got nothing to lose but a couple hours time. Any fresh eyes are a possible audience!

One thing you shouldn’t do is throw up your hands and walk away because money isn’t coming in. Nothing is ever easy, and if it is its probably a trap lol

[gexten_art]

You have to start somewhere you know. Instead of complaining, its better to take a step out and just do it. I'm sorry but you seem extremely pessimistic. If you want to be seen, you have make get out there on your own and work up the ladder like everyone else. Ask friends and family to help share your stuff, and you can ask for help from others.

[FritzC]

If you post your art consistently to twitter and use hashtags for events like #blueart #meettheartist and so on you'll gradually gain and audience. Also here on the forums is a good place to network, if you have a positive attitude and are friendly, you can get far. Doing art challenges, advertising your comics and being active. Also there are people here who do webcomic reviews and things like that where you can ask to be featured.
There are also a lot of threads on the forum where you can feature your comic if it's under 10/50/100 subs.

It all takes time, you just gotta keep at it, and not insult other people or be overly self depreciating because its a bad look, that you don't need to have.

[Pommie]

You shouldn't be talking down to other artists/webcomic artists because you'll never know how much effort they're putting into their works.

No one will care if you can paint the mona lisa because your attitude speaks volumes, and communities, especially the artist community talks.

A comic shouldn't be about making profit, a comic should be about you wanting to talk about your story.

[honeyandcreambutter]

Lmao I'm sorry but I gotta comment the last sentence. This was @ me for falling for a pyramid scheme a few years ago because it looked easy

[raeguardart]

See? You get what I mean lol

[honeyandcreambutter]

I've learnt my lesson that there's no such thing as shortcuts :')

[gexten_art]

well, if you got a comic, don't you draw? Can't you post some drawings regularily? If not, you can write. Post stuff on wattpad or other writing sites with prompts and competition?

[arbiterswake]

Then I suggest you find something else to do that isn't so hard or frustrating on you.

However, if you do decide to actually try, many people have given you awesome suggestions in this thread.

I've flagged your post for the self-harm comment. If you truly feel that way you should seek help but I think this thread has strayed at this point from its original intent which was seeking suggestion on how to improve your follower count.