So I started A Patreon

A quick note before I start rambling. My brother's in the hospital. Right now, he's got a 20% chance of the doctors getting everything functioning again. 20% has never sounded so hopeful when yesterday I thought my brother was going to be dead today. Any prayers, crossed fingers, and well wishes to raise that percentage is appreciated.

1/16/18: Brother update. He's being kept comfortable, but 20% wasn't enough. Now, waiting.

A few hours before New Years Day, I launched my Patreon. Like publishing a book, it was a mixture of terror and excitement. What if no one supported me? Did that mean I'm a failure? I did my best not to think about those questions. (Having friends over to celebrate helped.) There is one question that popped up due to a comment from CD Gallant-King (who is a good writer btw) on this blog during an ISGW post:

Why should people support a writer on Patreon when they can just buy the books? Isn't that a bit like double dipping?

This is a question that had me hesitating to try Patreon for a long time (as well as the day job keeping me from being able to commit enough time to put out consistent posts to make it worthwhile.) When I was thinking up my rewards, I figured out the answer:

The rewards are why people would support my Patreon.

The way I figured it, if someone is willing to give me money through Patreon then they should get ALL my books, past and future. They shouldn't have to go to Amazon to buy it. That's why I made sure the $2.00 tier gave the person all my ebooks, past and future as well as exclusive flash fiction I won't post anywhere else. It's also a motivation to work hard. I want to continue to send new books to the person. They're forking out money. I have to succeed. Slacking off is no longer allowed because I now will have bosses.

That's what my Patreons will be: My boss. Every month I collect a paycheck from them. My books will still be on Amazon and all those other places. Patreon is just another source to get them.