Patreon Archives — The Rational Heathen

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

May 16, 2020 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

“We fear change.” — Garth, Wayne’s World.

I’ve realized I’m at a juncture with The Rational Heathen. I’ve gone from a blog to a very popular blog. A popular blog with growing pains. Which means I need to start changing it a bit to keep it fresh and more popular.

Now, before you freak out, this isn’t going to be massive changes. These are changes that I believe are necessary to grow. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and a lot of consulting with my various deities. I’m pretty sure I know what direction it needs to continue in. And there is a necessity for doing so. The Rational Heathen is a great blog, and I want it to continue to be a great blog. So, these changes will just make it better for all of you.

Open for Submissions!

Don’t worry! The Rational Heathen isn’t going anywhere, and my focus and opinions aren’t changing. If anything, I’m coming up with plans to add more content, which means I’m looking to add a group of like-minded writers to the mix of my writing. So, if you’re a Heathen, and you like to WRITE and GET PAID, you need to message me on my Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/rationalheathen). I can’t promise a lot of money up front. Right now, I’m thinking $5 a blog piece, but that will increase if the site grows with more patrons.

Going to a Monthly Plan

First, let me say that there will be plenty of free content for readers. That hasn’t changed. That being said, I have to change around my Patreon plans. I’ve been meaning to do this for some time, but as wonderful as the per-piece Patreon plan for premium content has worked out, the uncertainty leaves many potential patrons at a loss as to how much they’re spending. Going to a month donation will keep it simple, and people can budget for it. As much as this first month is going to hurt me–because my patrons have been switched to a month-only plan–I think in the long run, this is the right step. Time will tell.

On a negative side, if you’re donating less than $5 a month, you won’t have access to patron-only content any longer. Sorry. Sign up for the $5 a month patron scale to get access to your freebies again. But, chances are you were already donating that amount or more each month, which makes the flat $5/month a real bargain.

BTW, if you mean to donate MORE money (and by the gods, I won’t discourage that!), sign up for one of the higher tier plans and you’ll get some nice goodies, too.

Become a Patron!

The Monthly Patreon Plans

$5/month plan — all posts, patron-only content, and patron-only forums.

$12/month plan — Everything above, plus a 3-Rune Reading (for entertainment purposes only). And a free sticker after 3 months.

$25/month plan — Everything above, plus shout-outs and a free month advertisement on The Rational Heathen. Plus a free mug after 3 months.

$50/month plan — Everything above, plus free Heathen artwork for your phone/computer background/screen saver. Plus a free t-shirt after three months.

All of the deliveries of the plans will be after the first billing, with the exception of the merch.

Trusting in the Process

This is a gigantic step for me. It will no doubt piss off some of my patrons, but you can probably see that this may actually SAVE you money in the long run. No more “am I getting billed $5 or $10 this month?” or “I can’t figure out how much she will actually produce, or how much it will cost.” Instead, a clear-cut figure. No guesswork.

I have to trust in the process and take the hits as they might happen. Yeah, the small amount to buy in was attractive, but it could be deceptive. So, I’m being more upfront on this.

Please feel free to let me know what you think of this. Oh, and while you’re at it, support this blog on my Patreon page! Become a Patron!

—

ETA: Changes in plans due to merchandise. Yes, it costs me money!

Some Updates to The Rational Heathen

June 5, 2018 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

Well folks, since I’ve gone to WordPress, I can add some more flexibility for those who want to support my writing but can’t afford an ongoing subscription like Patreon. I get that. So instead I’m offering premium content right here online. And it’s easy on your pockets, PLUS you get access to all the content during the timeline you choose. Let me explain.

How Premium Content Works on this Site

I have two modes for premium content. One is Patreon, which is offsite. The other is the premium subscription service on this site. This site’s subscription service enables you to read all my premium posts for a given length of time. I set it up so that you can purchase a day, month, or three month subscription. There is also a freebie login that will get you put on the Rational Heathen’s newsletter, restricted older posts, and any other content I might want to restrict to my subscribers. (Some of you folks have already discovered the freebie side of things.) Anyway, I’ll be putting some of my very old posts as premium only and some you must simply be a subscriber to.

The subscription costs are very affordable. A Daily Pass costs 99 cents USD. A monthly subscription is $9.99 USD, and a three month subscription is $24.99. When you purchase a subscription, you can read all the Rational Heathen premium content. No limit except the time. Once the subscription is up, you go back to being a free login. Simple and direct.

Why Did You Choose to Do This?

You may wonder why I chose to do this, other than being the money-grubbing weasel that I am. Well, the reality is that I want to offer my readers more choices than just Patreon for supporting my works. I get that a lot of people don’t want to be constantly billed for something they won’t use enough to justify, so I created the Daily Pass, which allows you to read anything you want for a day. Makes a lot of sense.

But Why Isn’t Everything Free?

You know, I’d love to give everything away, but I like to eat, pay for my Internet service, and pay for this nifty-disco site I developed on my own. I make my living as a writer, and although you may not think that I spend a lot of time on The Rational Heathen, I do. So, I need some sort of compensation, even if it’s $1 from you every so often. And I appreciate that you read my work and think it interesting enough to share, talk about, and enjoy.

So, What Will You Do with the Information You Collect?

When you subscribe to The Rational Heathen, you get subscribed to my newsletter, which if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to put out once a month. If I really get my shit together, I might be able to get it out as often as once a week, but seriously, no. It will, however, tell you when there is a new post and give you a preview for it, which I suspect you’d want to know instead of trusting Facebook to notify you. So, you will get alerts for new content and maybe an actual honest-to-gods newsletter occasionally.

As for your personal information, none of it will be sold or misused. Period. I hate spam, so I know you do too. You don’t have to worry about tons of crap being directed at you. And as for my readers, any data about you is anonymized for Google analytics and you are just a number to show me how I get my readership. In other words, I may know that I had 20 people in Costa Rica reading my blog, but beyond that, I have no clue, unless you tell me.

So, if you have any questions about the premium content onsite and how they work, ask away in the comments section. I’ll be sure to answer them to the best of my ability.