Does anyone make a living at this?

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

very true. Works on tapas here. wattpad and is the same with Amazon. as people will trickle through. even if it's 10% it's still easier than starting from 0

question: is your plan to sustain from tapas or a different kind of income like Amazon or trad pub? epub, print, KU?

[WillowTree]

For now my plan is to post on Tapas and build an audience lol. I never expected to even reach 100 subs so fast and it got me wondering if it would be possible to one day turn this into a more full time job. I was just posting to post after my friend (and beta reader) convinced me I should share it on here. Then I reached the ability to monetize and people were liking my work so I announced my patreon and I'm going from there.

This all happened very fast for me lol so I'm still figuring out what I'm going to do or might do in the future

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

hahaha okay.
well, I did a lot of research the last month (started in february) but patreon isn't among the ideas.

but, then again. I was way slower than you in growth

[Dogss]

I see it as a long game. Realistically it can take several years to gain enough of a footing to really make a living, and it requires a lot of hustling, multiple income streams, marketing etc. Having a day job for me allows me the flexibility to get this slow fire goin'. I want my day job to be ... not demanding though... its really hard to balance a very stressful day job with the work I actually want to do!

I've been furloughed for months and its been a mixed blessing. Im loving the extra time I have on my hands, but Im worried about my financial future. I want to make a living at this for sure but I know its going to be a long time before thats even remotely feasible. Anyone setting out to make a living really should keep in mind how long it can take. Nothing happens overnight unless you already have a good following.

[disqette]

This month, I made $130
$100 from WT's creator rewards, $30 from Patreon.
That's the most I've made since I started in May. Doubt I'll ever make a living from it, though

Edit: Also, I work part-time for my local newspaper. Should probably figure out another job soon since I don't think the business will be around much longer ;;

[Legendofgenii]

I make a living with my art, but not via my comic. Graphic design and selling editable templates & clipart are a great passive income stream for me.

[PapaDom]

No.

[WillowTree]

Most of the people I saw had them linked so I made my first post a couple days in asking for advice on Patreon for novelists. I figured the worst that happens is I never get anyone who's interested it signing up, but this way people have a choice!

@Dogss Yes, I said above I wasn't expecting to be able to earn anything substantial for a couple years I'm currently working full time too which is why I'm not worried about making it happen overnight

@disqette Congratulations!!! Hopefully it continues to grow! I'm sorry to hear about the newspaper possibly closing down ):

@Legendofgenii That's great! If I were an artist, the thought of making templates and clipart to sell would never have been something to occur to me Passive income is wonderful

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

I was your thread about it and did follow it

[WillowTree]

(Sorry lmao, I forgot who all was in it)

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

that's okay! you can't know hahaha
I just wouldn't be able to sustain a patreon

[Dogss]

Im actually thinking about learning graphic design to try and break into that. Did you study it in college or learn on your own?

[Legendofgenii]

I studied Illustration, but the graphic programs I use are pretty easy to use (mainly Illustrator and indesign), and I just taught myself over the years.

There are some simple tutorials online. I don't think you need to go to college to learn them to be honest, just have a play with them and work it all out.

For clipart I usually make those in photoshop and save as high resolution PNG files. I basically look at what themes are trending then draw some cute images (bundles sell best).

It's clipart so it doesn't have to be amazing and people still buy it (one of my best sellers is a cactus!). As long as you are happy to license your work - go for it!