Blake, this is such a smart and necessary move. Your point about the "busybody" and "conservative values" hits the nail on the head—it's not about the content, it's about the arbitrary gatekeeping. I went through the exact same panic after Buy Me a Coffee suspended my account without warning. That moment of "my work could just vanish" is terrifying.
It pushed me to do exactly what you're doing: diversify. I've just set up a SubscribeStar page for the same reasons you chose Patreon—clearer NSFW policies and a payment processor that doesn't flinch. It's exhausting to have to build a backup home, but it's the only way to sleep at night. Your line about mountains being "too hot to handle" is both hilarious and depressingly accurate. This is the absurd reality we're navigating.
Substack is home, but it's a rented apartment. Having your own land elsewhere is crucial. Huge respect for being proactive. I'll definitely check out your Patreon. We have to stick together and share these survival tips. Onward.
Thank you Arden ! I really hope that somehow we can ensure that our (hard) work isn't erased with the push of a button. It would be interesting to hear how you feel about SubscriberStar (I've never heard of it before). I find Patreon a little difficult to navigate, but yesterday, speaking to a creator who is on both Patreon and Substack, he told me that most of his earnings come from the former, so we'll see. Have a great weekend. Blake
Blake, that hope is exactly what's driving me to set up a backup. The "push of a button" fear is too real after my BMC suspension.
My experience with SubscribeStar so far is that it's built specifically to avoid the payment processor trap. Their whole pitch is being NSFW-friendly where others (Patreon included) have to dance around Stripe's rules. The setup is a bit more manual (they do a profile review, which I'm in the middle of), but that's because they're verifying the adult content upfront, not hiding from it. It feels like a platform that says "we know what you're here for, and it's okay."
The fact that your contact earns more on Patreon is fascinating and really encouraging. It suggests the audience for our kind of work is not only there but willing to pay on a dedicated platform. For me, Substack is the heart the community and the writing flow. But having a SubscribeStar (or Patreon) as the financial engine, where the rules are clear and the payments are safe, seems like the smartest hybrid model.
Thanks for sharing that insight. It makes the setup hassle feel worth it. Let's keep comparing notes. This is how we build a safety net.
Blake, this is such a smart and necessary move. Your point about the "busybody" and "conservative values" hits the nail on the head—it's not about the content, it's about the arbitrary gatekeeping. I went through the exact same panic after Buy Me a Coffee suspended my account without warning. That moment of "my work could just vanish" is terrifying.
It pushed me to do exactly what you're doing: diversify. I've just set up a SubscribeStar page for the same reasons you chose Patreon—clearer NSFW policies and a payment processor that doesn't flinch. It's exhausting to have to build a backup home, but it's the only way to sleep at night. Your line about mountains being "too hot to handle" is both hilarious and depressingly accurate. This is the absurd reality we're navigating.
Substack is home, but it's a rented apartment. Having your own land elsewhere is crucial. Huge respect for being proactive. I'll definitely check out your Patreon. We have to stick together and share these survival tips. Onward.
Thank you Arden ! I really hope that somehow we can ensure that our (hard) work isn't erased with the push of a button. It would be interesting to hear how you feel about SubscriberStar (I've never heard of it before). I find Patreon a little difficult to navigate, but yesterday, speaking to a creator who is on both Patreon and Substack, he told me that most of his earnings come from the former, so we'll see. Have a great weekend. Blake
Blake, that hope is exactly what's driving me to set up a backup. The "push of a button" fear is too real after my BMC suspension.
My experience with SubscribeStar so far is that it's built specifically to avoid the payment processor trap. Their whole pitch is being NSFW-friendly where others (Patreon included) have to dance around Stripe's rules. The setup is a bit more manual (they do a profile review, which I'm in the middle of), but that's because they're verifying the adult content upfront, not hiding from it. It feels like a platform that says "we know what you're here for, and it's okay."
The fact that your contact earns more on Patreon is fascinating and really encouraging. It suggests the audience for our kind of work is not only there but willing to pay on a dedicated platform. For me, Substack is the heart the community and the writing flow. But having a SubscribeStar (or Patreon) as the financial engine, where the rules are clear and the payments are safe, seems like the smartest hybrid model.
Thanks for sharing that insight. It makes the setup hassle feel worth it. Let's keep comparing notes. This is how we build a safety net.
Have a great weekend too,
Arden