What the f*** is Patreon, and why should I care?

Everyone and their dogs have been telling me I should set up a Patreon page. For years, people have been telling me that it’s the cat’s meow, and that I should engage my audience via this platform. And now that Amanda Palmer has decided to announce her separation from Neil Gaiman via her Patreon page, finally even folks who aren’t online narcissists will know the answer to the questions posed in today’s post’s title.

WHAT THE FUCK IS PATREON, AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? (the fine print)

You’re a reader. You like reading, right? And if you’re here, presumably you like reading books by me or my alter ego, Laure L’Amour. So, what if you had the opportunity to…

a) access my books before they’re available to the public,

b) help choose some of the fun behind-the-scenes details, like naming characters or picking cities where they’ll be traveling, and

c) enjoy fun perks that I dream up as we go?

That’s where Patreon comes in. You can sponsor me as a Patron at one of three tiers ($1, $5, or $10 a month), receiving special perks as a thank-you depending on which tier you choose.

I’ll be adding more perks as I go, based on monthly polling of Patrons. So if you’re hankering for a specialty button, a handwritten letter, or some hitherto undreamt of goodies, go sign up so you can boss me around!

Finally, to sweeten the deal still further, for a limited time I’m also sending out free paperback copies of my book, Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs, just for signing up. *At any level. Yes, including the $1 tier! *

So, tell me: What do I have to do to get you onto my super secret, super cool, super swank VIP list of Patreon patrons?

No, seriously. Tell me. I really wanna know! Let me know in the comments if you’d ever consider becoming a Patreon patron of mine, and what kinds of goodies you’d like to see from me—an author of globe-trotting romance novels.