Changes Are Coming To My Patreon In August!

Improved Initiative has been running for something like 12 years now, but what a lot of folks may not know is that I started this blog at basically around the same time that I got on Patreon. The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page has been a literal lifesaver for me, and it is one of the major reasons I'm able to stay afloat as a professional writer. There's no ads on this blog, or on my sister blog The Literary Mercenary; all the money I earn from these platforms is either from patrons who help pay my bills, or people who buy things through my affiliate links in my articles.

That's it.

However, there's going to be a change in my Patreon starting this August. So if you're one of my patrons, you'll definitely see this post shortly. And if you're not, but you've been considering it, well, this might be good news for you!

Especially if you only have a little bit of cash to spare.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Finally Swapping To A Per-Month Structure

So, when Patreon first started, creators on the platform had the option to charge patrons either a flat fee per month (basically a subscription), or a fee per item they created. I opted for a per-item cost, so I charged my patrons for 2 blog entries a week, and I made my Monday posts free of charge. I chose this structure because it generally kept me on-task, and I feel like it kept me accountable to my patrons because if I didn't write a blog entry in a given week, then I didn't get paid for that week... pure and simple.

However, all good things have to come to an end. It seems like this Fall Patreon is giving creators a choice. You can stick with a per-item payment structure if you want to, but if you do that then you won't be able to get new patrons until you shift to a monthly payment structure.

And while I love every single one of my patrons... I don't have enough of them to make that kind of decision. So to get ahead of the curve, this August I'm going to shift my Patreon over to the monthly subscription model.

Needs be when the devil drives, sadly.

At time of writing, this is the only thing that should be changing. I fully intend to keep my regular posting schedule, and to include extra content for my paying patrons when I have it (particularly free copies of my latest TTRPG supplements when they drop). However, I want to ask a favor from anyone who is currently a patron, or who is considering becoming a patron.

I'd appreciate any and all help you can give.

I know times are tough, and budgets are tight. But a big reason I didn't make this change sooner is that I only have 30 or so paying patrons, and I only bring in about $200 a month or so. I didn't want that to drop to under 100 because folks didn't notice the change, and I suddenly had an even harder time making ends meet for bills.

So if you enjoy my work, and you want to help support me, then please consider dropping in and becoming a Patreon patron. My plan is to make this change in August 2025 as soon as the July patronage clears, and my balance returns to zero.

And, of course, if there are other things you would like to see me add to my Patreon, feel free to let me know that down in the comments below!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!