Closing My Patreon

I posted this on Patreon about a week ago, but I'm going to start my blog in 2021 with this announcement: I'm shutting down my Patreon. It was never intended to be a primary revenue stream for me in the first place and, given the economic hardships others are experiencing more acutely than myself, I'd like to request that whatever money you had been sending to me goes to some other creator. I've got a day job, so they all likely need the money more than I do.

If I'm honest, I can't make the claim that closing my Patreon is expressly an altruistic gesture, though. The fact is that just having the account open in the first place has been depressing for me. I launched it in late 2014 (!!) and in the subsequent six years, I have never gotten the number of patrons out of single digits. I really, really, really appreciate those who have contributed over the years, but it's an ongoing reminder that very few people value what I have to say.

I can't even say it was a failed experiment because I never expected it to do well in the first place. I only launched it at the strong and repeated encouragement of others (well, one other in particular) and kept it going only beyond 2016 because of equally strong encouragement from two others. But I think there's more value in my not maintaining the account; your pledges here can have a greater impact elsewhere.

I suspended January payments, and towards the end of the month, I'll shut down the account entirely. Again, thank you to those who have shown me encouragement and support in the past. I deeply appreciate it, probably more than you know. But others need your financial support more than me.

All that being said, I will be continuing on with my blog for the time-being. As insignificant as it is to the discussion of comics writ large, it does three things for me: the writing process helps me focus my thoughts about various comics issues, it gives me ongoing practice with the act of writing (for if/when I ever get around to writing another book), and it ensures that my name doesn't fall into complete obscurity. So for now, at least, you can continue to find my ramblings here despite the lack of even attempting to monetize any of it.

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