Goodness...

I am not gunna lie and tell you I look your new books, haven't had an interest in them from the tidbits you've published here. That's my choice, I'm also a $1 patron because I'm waiting for updates on n wild west and super sales. It's not your job to write them because I give you $1 a month, or $5, or $100 a month. This is made to give the writer and his fan base a way of supporting one another. It's not greed, it's business. If he wanted to follow your life there's Twitter, books and publishing - Facebook. Here was hoping for something he didn't get. I understand he wasn't happy, I'm not exactly your fan club leader. And I'm not happy about the progress toward the books I want but you've had other projects and priority, it's your life to dictate. I say keep going straight forward, the rest will sort itself out.

Everybody has an opinion. You can’t please them all. Just know that one is an outlier and ignore it. No biggie - don’t overthink it or worry too much. We’re good

James E. Coleman

I'm pretty fine with how everything is structured. Aside of the compilation volumes, I read all of your books via KU, so I joined the Patreon both for the additional info/goodies and to further support your work. Not really sure why they felt the need to do what they did there.. seems like they could've just dropped their subscription and been done with it.. It's all voluntary on what level we wish to participate in, and it isn't like you took anything away O.o Keep doing whatcha do I say :D

I have mixed feelings. On one side of the coin, authors don't earn much. Beening able to get money directly from fans, gets you 90%? of the total support from each fan, vs a book, where you may only get a fraction of that. So, Pateron fans are way more valuable than books. However, Pateron fans are limited, so they don't really generate the same revenue as 500k book sales. If you had 500k pateron fans, then your pricing would be wildly different!

Daniel

I just joined at the 10 dollar level as it seems right. If it is all the same I will probably still wait for the books are released to grab them. I just thinks it make sense to support a writer who consistently puts out good work. Thanks for that.

Christopher Tolo

Patreon is going great! i think the stress of the state of the world is getting to them.

Null_is_Void

I think your good with how you have it. I had the $10 then went to $30 then went to $50. Now with these layoffs that have hit, I will have to wait till the actual book comes out. And when you look at it like that it doesn’t really mean much. Either grab the tier you can afford or wait till it comes out. There’s no wrong answer.

Shannon Gibson

No need to change anything, you're doing EXCELLENT! =D

Logan Carl

I will admit I agree with some of what this guy said. I felt a little burned with the new tiers because $10 used to get you the most up to date chapters. Unfortunately I can’t afford to go beyond that tier to get the most up to date releases now. However, I personally feel that there is still enough value to continue to pay. Also he was quite rude in how he expressed his sentiments to you and probably should have been more eloquent.

Nick Cartwright

Oh also you publish faster than almost anyone I read. I don’t know any other authors publishing quality work monthly. Most who go the rate you do, even at the reduced pace, write trash, and yet you’re putting out banger after banger - as even that angry person had to admit!

Drew Risch

Don’t listen to that person, they’re just misinterpreting what you did. You clearly stated the additional tiers were only being created at the request of people who want to donate more.

Drew Risch

I get the feeling that the person in question just enjoyed the feeling of superiority over other readers for being a higher tier patron, so when you instituted tiers that they couldn't afford, they got salty over the fact there were now patrons paying more and getting perks they weren't, but rather than admit that it was their bitterness at play, decided to push onto you and make it your fault. "It's not my fault for not being able/willing to pay, it's you for being greedy!" even though you didn't actually raise the price and just added more perks if you were willing to pay extra. So yeah, it's pretty much them. It's common for some to not want to admit to having negative feelings themselves and want to push them blame on someone else. Don't sweat it.

DiabolicalGenius

It’s not you, it’s him...you’re doing great! And never thought it was greed....not even once. If you were greedy you wouldn’t put your writing sessions out there for all!

Kenneth Darlin

A quote for you that I believe fits, regarding this person Will. "Nothing turns to hate so bitter as what once was love." -Laurell K. Hamilton I personally believe you're doing fine, and you try to keep us up to date and aware of what's going on. Regarding your tiers on Patreon, I've always been a believer of do what you can/what you feel comfortable with. You didn't tell/force anyone to pledge to higher tiers. You have people that wanted to pledge for more, and you being the kind of author you are, put in the effort to reciprocate those people's kindness. That's not being greedy. That's called being responsible, and a decent person. Keep on Will. Keep on.

Skoll

You’re fine. Some people will take a foot if you give an inch. Nothing has changed for long term supporters at the same tier. People complaining about greed when writing is your livelihood come off as a bit entitled in my personal opinion. Keep up as your are—you’ve been nothing but professional in all your communications with Patreons and I appreciate it. Cheers!

Dee

I dont ever comment but I just wanted to voice my support. I really enjoy your books and your pricing feels more than fair and is much better than many other authors that I support. You are very consistent with your posts and publish excellent books at an astonishing rate. Dont let this get you down.

It’s up to each of us what we want to do..honestly if I could afford the 50 tier I would jump on it just to support you..I don’t even really use the rewards most of the time I just want to support you..there is no need in ppl getting pissed about it just do what you want your not making ya pay for anything

Josh rush

I know that I am not at the top range if I could I would be there sorry that they felt that way but this is a job as well and you make great books. I am glad you feel better

James Hervey

Love your books.

Chase G Harstad

Wow... how crazy. I appreciate how you made the $30 and $50 tiers have some major diminishing returns so as not to alienate the mass of $10 fans - other authors might have significantly hobbled the older, less expensive tiers. I'd up to that, but I'm supporting half a dozen other authors too. Glad you're not still sick!

Dennis Erwin

It's hard to say don't take it personal when someone makes it personal. But I can say that I hope what the rest of us say makes a difference. As someone who pays $50, I do it because I really like your work and I want to help support what you do. I know that while any help is nice, $50 is more realistic. Art is the ability to make people feel. Whatever medium you choose. As an artist you will run into those who have difficulty dealing with their own feelings. Encounters like this are the result of their failings, not your own. You sir are a great artist. Sometimes when I am feeling down, I start doing what I like to call runner chuckles or Steve muttering. Huh huh huh gonna git yah. Your stories bring me laughter, happiness, sadness, anxiety, and make it easier to get through bad days. I don't get to stay at home, but when people cough or spit on me, the runner chuckles and Steve muttering makes my life funnier and a little easier to live. Thanks again for all the chuckles sir. It was a steal at $50.

P M

Sounds like impatience to me. When the new tiers came in, I upped my contribution because I am impatient and love the work. It's not like anyone is being forced to fork over the duckies or anything and if someone gets their panties in a wad over it, too bad. They're probably not contributing good reviews to their authors either (which definitely drives recognition and was one of the things that turned me on to your books in the first place!). Like you said in your reply, the chapters are coming out at the same pace, so if a person doesn't want access to the latest and greatest, and wishes to pay a little less, then just wait a bit. (now you could have let this lot know that you'd been under the weather....broken arms seem to be going around these days among authors....you guys didn't get into some sort of fight club did you??)

Yissnakk

I really like supporting you and will do so in any way i can, thanks for the books i love them!

So I agree the post was rude but I also get where the former supporter is coming from. I would say I am mostly like that poster. There are a few authors whose work have turned me into enough of a stan that I am not only buying the ebooks but also the audio and chipping in on patreon; basically voting with my dollars that I want more of this content. Only to find the author I am supporting and trying to signal run off on a wierd tangent. I felt exactly like the author of that message. I just never vocalized it because in the back of my head was the recurring thought that I really have zero right to ask for better service. As for them not knowing you got hurt which lead to your slow down. I didnt know you got hurt till you mentioned it in the above post. Its sad but when I am stan'ing a book series I could care less about the daily life of the author I just want more of that good thing I stumbled on. So I guess I wouldnt really consider this rude and more consider it job well done. your writting is so good that you turned a regular person into a stan

David Taylor-Fuller

Makes me angry, try not to let it get to ya bud. I love the content I get for what I pay and am glad I could support you. Good luck and ignore people like this.

Gavin

I am happy with what I am paying and I think I AM getting the better deal, Not the other way around.

James Roberts

Some people argue that Super Sales 1 was the worst for them. Some think Wild Wastes is the superior. It's all over the place. I can't please everyone, so I just tell the story i want. :)

William D. Arand

Eh, people be crazy and rude. Glad you're feeling better!

I'm happy to support you however much I can, and I don't begrudge you for making it an option (I may jump tiers for a month or two in the future after all). And I don't begrudge anyone that is able to contribute much more. I wouldn't worry about it too much. You have every right to make a good living. And unlike others I've seen, you aren't being skeezy about it. You provide fairly regular updates through other channels, you engage frequently in Discord, you offer modest, appropriate rewards for people that want to tip, and I have never felt like you were withholding your books/audiobooks in order to just sit back rake in the Patreon dough. Even at your slowest output, you still publish more quality writing than most authors I follow. So, in my book, you have a long, long way to fall before I'd feel like you were trying to take advantage of people.

You are completely fine William, I'm happy to see you opening up more tiers as it's the easiest way to support you from our standpoint short of blowing our paychecks on multiple copies of books. You turn out books at an astonishing rate in my opinion, and the fact that they span so many intertwining settings is pretty remarkable as well. When you didn’t have higher tiers I honestly thought you should have at least had a 30$ tier considering your rate of production and extra work and involvement with fans on discord/patreon/wiki. That person is more upset about their lack of money or something else going on in their life, you've done all you can do, some people just wont be satisfied. Let that arm heal, live your life, no one else is upset about it.

Corey P Ames

Calling you a greedy pig is beyond the pale Now a bit more blunt . Personally I would agree that the all chapter tier should not cost more then 10$ i mean that is like 3-4 times what you get from a book from amazon in this genre or something alike. If somebody wants to spent more it should likely be for other rewards. background information notes..mentioning at the end of a book. naming a side character within reasons. Also i find it super inconvenient that patreon doesn't alert one if the chapter get's just unlocked for a tier if a previous tier already had it unlocked before. Of course you can do nothing about that. But then I'm just a 1$ patreon curently for you anyway and don't feel to strongly about your art, just wanted to kinda keep a tap on what you produce while giving a small bit o extra funding. Still very quietly but I must admit that the quality of your work or he focus .. has evolved a bit and not always for the best. really loved the super sale on supers 1 the second was. okayish and the third was a bit of a chore in some areas while still overall enjoyable.

Han Pol

Been at the Inner circle Lily tier for a while. When the new tiers came out it didn't bother me at all. I knew what I was signing up for. I noticed the slowdown in chapters but it didnt really bother me. I figured you probably just had stuff going on in your life. Happy to hear you are doing better though.

Nova

Your tiers are fine and I pay as much as I can when I can. The quality of your work and the rate has been top notch. It’s a privilege to support your writing, keep up the great work.

Jake Minor

I love supporting you and your work. I mean ya, I wish I had more audiobooks more often, but that’s just because I want to consume more. If someone thinks you’re greedy, but everyone else is saying nay, I think I’d take as such. A outlier that decided to voice, in a rather rude way, their opinion. Keep up the great work. P.S. for the love of all that is holy, open a merch store so I can drown you in cash. 💙

Fenrisulfr

Some people give money just to show support without thinking about the tier benefits because they like the content, im a lower tier but iv bought all the audio books because thats how i first started and i love them all!!! Props to the people that pay more for me to continue reading, God bless you

Joshua

I feel bad that you had someone complain to you about what you provide to us. Everyone thinks differently. I am and continue to be appreciative of you writing books that entertain. I do not think that you are getting rich off the small amount we send to be a part of your patreon group nor do I feel that you owe us anything more then what you have already provided to us.. Thanks for your creativity and please keep doing it.

Michael Gilbert

It will never be an option again. But I'll never remove it either. If you're happy with it, keep it for all time. :)

William D. Arand

We had a few conversations on how to maximize support for you without paying more, such as first getting a new book thru KU, waiting until the next calendar month before doing a regular purchase (So you'd get paid for both the KU borrow and the purchase assuming I wanted to "OWN" the book, which I always do for your books, etc. thus I can effectively give you twice the income for the same amount of money out of pocket, since I pay for KU anyway, since before I got your first book thru KU

Robert Hammack

I would love to pay more sadly as being self employed during this trying time I can’t work from home(being a gardener) so no money coming in, maybe it’s a good thing as I can write and self publish my own books then update my subscription to those writers who have given me the inspiration to be able to do it

Michael Jackson

There's always somebody who Has a bad day, is just mad and Pissy, and the anonymity of the internet lets them take it out on the undeserving to relieve their feeling with a perceived lack of consequences - I feel the best way to handle that it to say, as you did, "sorry you feel that way" and just ignore them in the future.I for one don't think higher tiers are a sign of greed, or anything for anyone to be concerned about, since it's totaly a matter of choice what level a person wants to pay.

Robert Hammack

Wow indeed. Only one thing comes to mind. Whiny asshole. I've been a $10 supporter since (and still am) the Inner Circle-Andrea...which isn't an option anymore. I always want more chapters (don't we all?), but there is a steady supply. If can't afford the amount, it always your choice to use patreon. No need to be an asshole just because everyone isn't bending over backwards to make your every wish come true.

Corwin Amber

I think you're good bro. Who knows what's going on in his life, and it seems he doesn't keep up with what's going on in your life to know about the reasons for reduced chapter's. You did good communicating, and refunding shows your character is in a class of its own, and definitely not greedy.

Vance Olmstead

Yes, the chapter release rate should be fixed today. I'm feeling alive again. :)

William D. Arand

I don't understand?

William D. Arand

And you refunded his subscription That alone shows your strength of character. The numbers don't lie: if you were in the wrong you'd lose all of is. We see value in your work and, I believe, even more folks are flocking to your banmer. You are a business man, and yet you take care of your people. You're good, dude. #LegionFirst

Jaws2015

I work in retail/service and I've always been taught if you dont like the price you dont have to pay it.

Ben Foard

At this point I just buy so I post a verified review expressing my disappointment. "Hurr hurr, you're still giving him money." As long as someone marks it helpful then that's a well spent $5.

Phallusar

Interesting. Honest thoughts. I suppose i have at times been annoyed at the idea of there being higher tiers allowing for all the chapters. But I knew what i was getting when i signed up. I have had the thought ... "huh this dude must be killing it (doing well) if he feels he can toss up those higher tier groupings". That's a not negative thing though. Because if I'm ever annoyed by a lul in content or whatever I can just drop off. That's how paying for things works. I don't think that was a constructive way to voice his frustrations or concerns.

Hellnhavoc

Wow indeed

I'm not frustrated or angry in any way, but the lack of chapers recently has been a slight let down(that I totally understand and don't blame you for, just the situation). Also with quarantine I may have to edit my pledge at some point

James Breaux

Wow. Just wow.

Daniel Schinhofen

I think the tiers are good.

No complaints here, but I'm at a lower tier anyway. Keep on writing and ignore the dumb :)

Stephen B.

Ps dont ever stop writing. TIA.

Matthew Murphy

That person's argument is silly. Why would they be angry at you offering more expensive tiers? It makes even less sense since, as you said, you didn't change ANY of the existing tiers except to rename them. People can be weird when it comes to how they spend their money, so I wouldn't worry :)

Chris Edwards

Eh. I can see where they're coming from. Even if their message wasnt worded in a constructive way. If someone missed one of those posts about your health combined with the extra tiers... well it certainly leads to some salt. That and patreons horrible email/app notifications. There was no need to be a dick about it though.

Matthew Murphy

I mean, guy was never forced to spend more money, and I am to this day on one of the old supporter levels. So fuck em. Thanks for sharing your twisted wonderful mind with us Will.

Eric Hontz

That was my goal. its why the old tiers remain, and they still get all the same benefits as before, even going up to the exact same cut point a book normally would have. I didn't want to devalue what was existing, just to add more elsewhere.

William D. Arand

I totally sympathize with the feeling of the inner circle being moved but completely understand it doing so. It's like being part of the club and suddenly the requirements have changed. It's irrational and I moved passed when I realized how silly that feeling was. I personally won't go to that tier since I can't really justify the expense. I'm glad others are willing and able to do so since I want you to be able to write and support yourself. As for your output, the person missing that you have a life is weird. You continue to create chapters and communicate in Discord more than many likely expect. You do have a life and aren't a machine. That level of expectation is rediculous.

PatronTurtle

The ten dollar tier feels as good as it always has honestly i would consider a higher tier myself but i simply cant afford it. I don't think that diminishes the value recieved with the lower tiers. I consider the higher tiers for those who really want to support you more, and are financially able to do so.

Elias Hawthorne

Just wow, someone is off their meds.

There are some special people out there....and not in a good way....

Mike Durie

People can find anything to get offended over. If someone doesn't have the budget to spend 40 or $50 a month that's no reason to get angry. It is what it is. You spend what a product is worth to you and no more.

Trav3lingman

Don't stress. If people don't like your tiers they won't subscribe to them. If you have people subscribing then your fine.