Patreon: a New Way to Support MediaPeruana Designs
For 2017, I'm trying something new--something a bit different.
Have you heard of Patreon? You may remember Knitty launching a Patreon site last year, giving knitters the opportunity to support the magazine financially (with the result that Knitty continues to thrive, publishing a slew of delightful free patterns every year, and their designers and other contributors are now paid a more competitive fee--yay!).
Patreon connects crafters, makers and creators with people who are eager to support their work, like the patrons-of-the-arts of old. In fields that are unpredictable, seasonal or difficult to monetize, it helps creators establish a reliable income stream to support their businesses.
You can now find MediaPeruana Designs on Patreon, and I hope you'll consider supporting me!
But, you say, I already buy MediaPeruana Designs patterns!
Well, that's great! It's truly awesome, and if you want to continue to buy patterns the usual way, then by all means, please do just that, I appreciate each and every pattern sale. Carry on!
What's different here is that, by establishing a Patreon site, I'm providing the opportunity for you to essentially pre-order patterns. I've created 3 tiers of sponsorship, and each comes with a certain number of free MPD patterns roughly equal in value to your yearly contribution. Each tier also comes with some additional perks and bonuses, beyond new patterns--like access to an exclusive free pattern library, behind-the-scenes videos, and special pre-release KALs.
So, with your monthly contribution--which, btw, you can cancel at any time!--you get the same patterns you've always loved, and even a few extras. What do I get?
I get a more steady stream of income throughout the year. In 2016, my Q4 pattern sales were nearly FOUR times as much as my Q1 pattern sales--as you can imagine, this kind of variation can be challenging. Designers are responsible for a number of upfront and overhead expenses--hiring a tech editor and sample knitters, buying software licenses and materials, and paying for web hosting and other fees--which cost a set amount, regardless of the number of patterns sold. This Patreon setup will (hopefully) help me to redistribute that income more evenly throughout the year, which makes paying those expenses that much easier.
Your Patreon contributions also help offset the cost of content and activities that MediaPeruana Designs offers for free throughout the year--for example, tutorials, knit-a-longs, contests, and product reviews. I love being able to offer these kinds of extras, but am often faced with a choice when I have free time to work: produce more patterns (paid--well, potentially, anyway) or write a product review/create a new tutorial/host a new KAL (unpaid)? With your support, in 2017 I can offer bigger and better KAL prizes, create some amazing new tutorials, and review a whack of new products, while producing plenty of new patterns too.
You can find my Patreon page here, and you can read more about the rewards available here. If you have suggestions for new/better rewards or any other comments, just shoot me a message--like so much of my knitting, this project is a work in progress!
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