[ SECRET POST #3722 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3722 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.
(Riverdale)


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03.
[El Goonish Shive]


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04.
Criminal Minds


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05.
[Nadiya Hussain, from Great British Bake Off series 6]


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06.
[Wicked the Musical]


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07.
[Yaya Han]









Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 21 secrets from Secret Submission Post #531.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

01. http://i.imgur.com/rCQ286n.png

[(Anonymous)]

I don't get it. A wake up call to what?

That if a starving artist known for his great death metal vocals suddenly makes a country album, he won't hit the same audience??

Possible answers

[(Anonymous)]

That having to rely on government assistance for survival is a thing?
That a first world nation (given the nomenclature used, presumably the US) has citizens going hungry?
That not every Patreon patron is stinking rich?
That not every human being has empathy enough to help the poor even if they have enough to spare?

[(Anonymous)]

It's pretty obvious that the wake up call is realizing that popularity in fandom doesn't necessarily translate into Patreon backers. So obvious that I assume most of the people in this thread who are suggesting other theories are just doing it for the snark, because you can't all be this bad at reading comprehension, surely...

[morieris]

Surprising? Not in this day and time, really.

[(Anonymous)]

Not sure what you mean tbh

[(Anonymous)]

Me neither. Maybe OP is trying to point out that writers make no money but artists do? Except artists mostly make money through commissions, not original artwork, which is a totally separate thing. So I have no idea what they're talking about that wouldn't be obvious.

Someone thinking your cover of a song they already love on YouTube is great doesn't mean they'll love your original music.

[(Anonymous)]

Many think amazing talent will be valued no matter what, if the artist just get her stuff "out there". That is sadly very far from the truth.

(I have worked with books for years. Sadly, I have lost count of the friends and acquaintances that have launched their "great book project" only to be met with resounding silence. Yay for them getting publishing deals, but that isn't enough for their big dream of recognition to come through. Maybe I will be lucky enough to know one such person in my life. I still have hope.)

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly.

The only reason series like 50 Shades made it big and got money was because it was porn. Softcore, but porn. Porn almost always sells if it's the same genre and kinks as the original that you're ripping off from.

If they're trying original fiction in any other genre, good luck, they'll need it.

[(Anonymous)]

This. It's sad but true.

[(Anonymous)]

Have they tried publishing original fiction? It can be a steep learning curve and no earnings are guaranteed, but it can be a lot better than that.

(BTW at least they're getting something! I hope things improve for them though.)

[(Anonymous)]

Most fan writers don't realize being a BNF doesn't usually translate well to actual sales of original works. Sure, a few make the jump and do really well. Most of us can count on a few sales from our fanbase (say 1 or 2 copies for every 100 die hard "read anything" fans) but expecting a system like Patreon or the like for non-fandom stuff to do well solely on the basis of being popular in a huge fandom doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially if they aren't already established outside of fandom.

[(Anonymous)]

Wake up call for what? Lots of people have financial issues and are struggling. You act like all those people have money to spare or that they are somehow obligated to. That's not even counting the kids who don't even have an income, but even if they did nobody has to give there money to everyone asking for it.

For fucks sake I hate that fandom has become like this. It's supposed to be a place where fans go to enjoy stuff with others who have similar interests. They don't go to give hand outs to everyone that's begging for it. In my experience there are a lot of 20-something college age students in fandom who could ALL use some cash, but that doesn't mean anyone has to give it to them. That's what jobs are for. And patreon is only meant to give perks to people in exchange for cash, not a GIMME FREE MONEY PLS.

This reminds me of all those kickstarters: GIVE ME MONEY TO PAY FOR MY FOOD AND BILLS SO I CAN STREAM VIDEOGAMES ON TWITCH ALL DAY.

[(Anonymous)]

This seems really angry and defensive and not really warranted by the content of the secret. I think maybe you're bringing some extra baggage to this conversation.

[(Anonymous)]

$300/month to write stuff I'm writing anyway? Shit, she's not doing bad for a writer on that site.

[(Anonymous)]

We-e-ell maybe if this BNF didn't spend so much time and energy on a hobby and found a real paying job instead...

[(Anonymous)]

It's sad, but not surprising. Fandom can be so insular...just because someone is a bnf doesn't mean anyone will care about their original work. It's the fandom /pairing/trope readers love, not the bnf's writing.

[(Anonymous)]

Why is this surprising?

If anything, I'm surprised they get as much as you're estimating. Very few people who read someone's fanfic have any interest in their original writing.

Would it be nice if all of this person's readers (at least the ones with disposable income) showed how much they enjoyed her fanfic by giving her money? Yeah, absolutely. But people aren't habituated to voluntarily paying for things that are free. If anything I'd say "the system" pretty thoroughly discourages us from paying for something if we don't have to. So the fact that most people are strongly disinclined to volunteer money should be a surprise to no one.

And I say that as someone who has, at various points in my life, had to go to the food bank in order to get by.

[(Anonymous)]

I hate Patreon.

[(Anonymous)]

I hate to be a cynic, but I have a hard time believing these internet panhandling stories unless I have proof.

[dani_phantasma]

That's pretty good actually.

I'd love to be able to get just $15-$20 a month.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, 300 whole dollars, that'll go real far with the current state of things. :P You don't know this person's whole situation. This secret is very odd and vaguely judgmental.

[dahli]

I'm gonna need more context on what was so eye-opening here, OP. :P

But doesn't Patreon take fees? I know they take 5% from whatever you make there plus other fees, so that means they probably get a bit less than the US$300.

[(Anonymous)]

i'm a fanfic writer on patreon and honestly, it's so hard. every day i'm applying to jobs and going to interviews. no one wants to hire me (because they always find someone better somehow) and honestly, writing fanfiction (more specifically, writing alternate universes) is walking on a very tight rope.

i don't know if artists get the same amount of flack from companies as fanfic writers do but... it's a dangerous road. however, my boyfriend is the only one working and writing is the only thing i have right now. i'm nowhere near as popular as this bnf but, honestly, i needed to see this secret knowing that someone can do it. and i do plan on making original works but i need money and i have to rely on my alternative universes in order to succeed.

so i'm (not) sorry i'm falling back on the only fucking skill i have until someone says, "you're hired."

[(Anonymous)]

It really would have helped if you had said from the getgo what sort of "wake up call" this was. You left it so that it could be just about anything.