4.

[k_a_webb]

I'm sad that I haven't been getting much feedback. It would be nice to know what people think of what they're reading, but I know it will take time to build up a readership. Please send people my way if you think they'll like anything I've posted so far. If someone friends me based on a recommendation and I know about it (make sure they tell me if you have sent them my way) then it will hopefully lead to some bonus material. Strangely I actually really would like to start working on the bonus material. I enjoy working on that sort of thing almost as much as I enjoy writing. :)

Over the last few days I've been thinking about what I'm going to do in the future. I am going to open up to commissions at some point in the next couple of months if people are interested. That means people will be able to order a specific story from me set in one of my worlds and I will write it. I may start out with auctioning off four commissions with a set number of words, just to see what people would be happy paying. Then I want to try out a livewriting session at the end of September in an attempt to start saving for Christmas. For every prompt I'm given I will write for half an hour and then people can donate money to see the story continued for however long they wish. If someone wants me to write for five hours or above I may have to do that after the session but I will write for that amount of time. Another thing I've been thinking about is making my work available in audio form for people who would prefer to listen than read. It's something I've always wanted to try.

Thinking about Christmas got me thinking about maybe doing Christmas/Yule/Winter Festival cards for people who have donated during the year, even though I have't yet had a donation. It would be kind of like a long distance signing and I might add in little bits of writing or something. I have several months to make a definite decision but I really like the idea. Everything I do at the moment is Internet based and I think having something handwritten would make me seem more real.

I spent some time this afternoon putting some excerpts up on my sponsorable stories page to give people an idea of what they're sponsoring. Hopefully this will be helpful to those who would like to sponsor a story but doesn't know which one because I don't have a lot of information posted on anything at the moment, apart from the free stories and the random stuff I put up last month. There are more random stories I want to work on because my brain never seems to stop, but I'm still having problems with translating what's in my brain onto my computer.

Comments

[balloonhat.livejournal.com]

...even though I haven't yet had a donation. .

I meant to ask this when you first linked to this LJ, but: where's your Paypal tips/donations button? I was looking around to see how you'd handle that -- whether on sidebar, or on the landing page, or each sponsor-able post, or every post with writing on it, etc. But if it's around, I do not see it. I was nervous about pointing this out, because it would be SO like me to miss something completely obvious. D:

I haven't gotten a chance to look through your writing yet to due to being busy. If it's slow right now, I'm sure it's part of the early beginnings of any crowdfunded project.

[kajones-writing.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest with you - I forgot I hadn't put a donation button on LJ. :) I had it all sorted on Dreamwidth and because this account came later I totally forgot about it. I can be a total ditz sometimes.

It's up on my profile page for now, but as you were the one to point it out I thought I'd ask you where else you'd like to see the donation button.

[balloonhat.livejournal.com]

IMO, at the very least, stories up for sponsorship should have a tipjar link somewhere on the page, maybe another one for your landing page. I'd include a reminder in the sidebar as well, or even another tip link if you like/don't think it's too spammy. Not everyone will get to your profile page first, especially if they're following links from other people/your other platforms (in my experience, I've only ever popped over to an author's landing page or the link to their newest update), so I recommend including another prominent place so that readers or generous passersby can tip/sponsor easily without looking for where to send the money. :)