Last September I took the plunge on Patreon, not knowing whether I’d find a single supporter. As it happens, I attracted a small but dedicated group of brilliant people who have been consistently wonderful and encouraging, in their support and patronage of my writing endeavours. I offer this article as a transparent attempt at encouraging more patrons (should you be so inclined), and also as an encouragement to other writers considering attempting a similar endeavour.

How should one go about starting a Patreon page?

I offer this advice purely from an experiential perspective, not as any kind of expert. Goodness knows, I’m hardly businessman material, nor am I part of the know-it-all “hustle-bro” contingent (I despise that term, so will put money in the swear jar for using it). But if I consider it worth giving something a go, I tend to try my absolute best. So here are my thoughts on starting a Patreon page, to be taken with a pinch (or sack) of salt, due to my limited credentials.

To start, I recommend laying out a clear case for support, to which you can be held accountable. My “About Simon Dillon” page has a little about myself, where I live, my interests, and the case for supporting me on Patreon under the headings “What Do I Write?”, “What Will You Be Funding?”, and “What Do You Get In Return?” The first discusses what I write, and why I need financial support. The second lists clear goals for the first year (to be updated in the second), which I am working through. As for the final section, it details what I offer patrons, depending on their giving levels.

Regarding giving levels, I know some pages have umpteen different support levels, but I kept to four in the end. And in truth, I probably should have kept it to three (I’ll get to why in a moment). These need to offer clear perks for supporters.

I’d also recommend having a video at the start, welcoming people and asking for support. I hate talking on camera, but I do think this is a necessary evil, as it helps people connect with you better, no matter how awkward you might feel. I also recorded a video message to welcome those who support me. Nice graphics on your profile also help. It is important to present yourself well.

After that, it’s a matter of consistently updating patrons, providing what you promise to benefit-wise for each giving level. Most importantly, it is vital to remain accountable, explaining to your supporters exactly where you are at in your stated goals. This demonstrates that you are using their money to productive effect, and not merely sitting on the sofa watching Netflix.

What do I offer on Patreon?

Returning to my earlier comment on giving levels, I opted for four: Ally of the Dillon Empire (£2 per month), Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire (£4 per month), Knight of the Dillon Empire (£8 per month), and General of the Dillon Empire (£25 per month).

No one has taken me up on the latter giving level yet. The reason for the big cost is at that level, I offer ”a monthly 30-minute one-to-one discussion over Zoom, where you can ask any questions about my writing, pick my brains for writing advice, or simply chat about favourite novels or films.” I think, in retrospect, that isn’t the biggest draw. People get quite enough of my wittering in print, so experiencing it one-to-one for that cost is perhaps a bit much. Still, I’ll keep it up there for now. Some people do ask for advice from time to time, and my wife and various other encouraging people around me insist my time is valuable.

As for the other levels, I’ve had plenty of success. Here’s a brief look at some of the perks I offer. I’ve made the example items concerned public, for the purposes of this piece, but normally they’d be encrypted for patrons-only access.

Regular update videos: These invariably feature me looking awkward whilst my eldest son adds snarky remarks in post-production. Here’s one from a couple of months ago, as an example. For some reason, these are my most popular posts on Patreon.

Insights into my writing process: These exclusive articles offer my thoughts on exactly how I go about writing novels, short stories, and so forth. Here’s a short piece I wrote on my bad writing habits.

Interviews with my characters: These are fun pieces intended as a bit of a laugh for my patrons, especially if they are familiar with the novels or short stories in question. Here’s an example, in which I interview a supporting character from my horror-thriller novel The Irresistible Summons.

Exclusive unseen material: Short stories and novellas are previewed in draft form to patrons, either in full or in part. They also get all my fiction writing news first, with first looks at covers, as well as discarded concepts, deleted scenes, and other short fictional bits and pieces that will never be seen anywhere else. For instance, here’s a piece written for an online writing course I recently attended at the Curtis Brown Literary Agency, run by One Day author David Nicholls.

Exclusive serialised chapters of entire novels: This is, I suspect, the biggest draw for supporters. I’m currently serialising my mystery thriller The Balliol Conspiracy, a novel that rather sits outside my usual gothic horror oeuvre. As I say, at the start of the preface to Chapter 1:

“It’s a somewhat unusual story that begins as a psychological mystery, evolving into a romantic spy thriller of sorts akin to novels such as John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps and Hitchcock films like North by Northwest. This proved a real change of pace for me when I wrote it, as frankly, I wanted to write a novel that (for once) wouldn’t give my mother nightmares. As such, I strove to keep events at a PG level, even though it is a grown-up thriller with a strong, suspenseful narrative.

At its heart, this is a history-based treasure hunt tale, leading to a new lease of life for its bereaved protagonist, who has a mysterious compulsion for purchasing and cataloguing suitcases left in airports. I don’t want to say too much more, except that it also involves Balliol College in Oxford, the infamous “Galloping Gertie” Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster, and the head of Oliver Cromwell!”

Several chapters are now up on Patreon, and I’ll keep serialising this draft novel until it is finished. Afterwards, I shall start serialising another unpublished novel draft in my back catalogue. To read chapter one of The Balliol Conspiracy, click here.

I hope that has provided an insight into what can be done on Patreon, as well as enticing some of you into supporting me, if only out of morbid curiosity for my inept video updates. To find out more, check out my Patreon page here.