Neopatronage: Seek and You Will Find

Innovation often emerges from the collision of new ideas with established systems, leading to a disruptive reordering of the status quo. That popularly called “creative disruption,” facilitated by platforms like Amazon, drove the rise of indie publishing.

By democratizing access to the world’s top book market, Amazon enabled indie authors to bypass the traditional gatekeepers of oldpub, leading to a significant shift in the publishing landscape. In the past decade, indie authors saw their earnings surpass those of their oldpub counterparts, signaling a seismic change in reader preferences and consumption habits.

However, despite newpub’s success, the book market – and the entertainment industry as a whole – stands at a crossroads. Amazon’s once user-friendly KDP platform has become increasingly cumbersome to navigate, with search algorithms plagued by inefficiency and biases toward heavily promoted titles. Many readers are lucky if the book they’re looking for appears on the first page of results, even if they enter the exact title and author name.

For authors and readers alike, the quest for visibility in this crowded marketplace has become an uphill battle, compounded by the pay-to-play nature of advertising on Amazon. Dashing out a book a month and spending $5,000 on ads to make $2,000 in royalties isn’t viable anymore. So what’s the solution?

Related: Neopatronage Rising

Enter Neopatronage, a concept that advocates the return to a more direct and personal relationship between creators and their audiences. Neopatronage empowers readers to take up the mantle of Renaissance patrons, actively funding the content they want to see and participating in the creative process alongside their favored artists.

No longer need authors rely on Amazon alone. By launching a Patreon, they can invite readers behind the scenes while offering them exclusive benefits like free books, first access to new works, and avenues for direct interaction like private group chats and Discord Q&As.

Related: Neopatronage Revisited

As the name suggests, the core of the Neopatronage model is direct patronage.  Not only do patrons gain early access to works-in-progress, they have the chance to give feedback and shape the final product. And services like Fiverr directly connect patrons with artists to commission the works they want without having to wait for creators to extend specific collaborative opportunities.

This direct engagement between creator and audience not only fosters a sense of solidarity, it ensures that creative decisions are driven by reader preferences rather than corporate agendas. By embracing neopatronage, audiences can transcend the limitations of mainstream media and actively contribute to the cultivation of a healthier, more organic cultural landscape.

As the shortcomings of mainstream media become increasingly apparent, Neopatronage emerges as a new polestar guiding the way toward a more fulfilling relationship between audiences and creators. By supporting newpub authors and participating in the Neopatronage revolution, audiences can reclaim agency over their entertainment and shape the future of storytelling itself.

And it’s become obvious a new way is needed. The prevailing sentiment among consumers is a sense of displacement, aggravated by disillusionment with mainstream offerings. Many feel that their favorite franchises are no longer made for them, leading to years of wasted time, billions in wasted money, and vestigial emotional attachment that grows unhealthier by the day. In short, overreliance on easily accessible mainstream outlets, whose relentless marketing conditioned consumers to equate heavy promotion with quality, set them up for disillusionment.

Related: Sanderson’s Neopatronage Masterclass

The challenge for indie creators lies in the lack of social proof that mainstream media traditionally provided. Without robust reviews and endorsements from established sources, indie works struggle to gain traction and attract audiences beyond niche circles. While platforms like Amazon initially held out the promised of wider audience access, manipulation and payola have likewise rendered their review system next to useless.

And the centralization of Amazon as a distributor has blurred the line between independent and corporate platforms. As a result, newpub’s grassroots authenticity has been compromised. So the future of indie media is likely small-scale. Though black swans will always exist.

Yet amid these challenges, Neopatronage empowers consumers to directly commission works that resonate with them, shaping their personal cultural landscapes. By making an end run around traditional gatekeepers, audiences can support creators they trust and enjoy books, games, music, and movies tailor-made to their tastes.

But let’s have no illusions. They road ahead is rugged. Neopatronage involves a paradigm shift for creators and audiences. Rather than passively consuming content dictated by megacorps, patrons must seek out – or make – opportunities to commission works that align with their preferences. Greater control requires greater investment, yet the rewards are immeasurable.

Moreover, Neopatronage opens up new avenues for collaboration, allowing patrons to engage with creators across multiple media. From commissioning art on platforms like Fiverr to directly funding blog posts (like this one) or other works, patrons have the chance to align their entertainment with their interests.

By embracing Neopatronage, audiences can reclaim agency over the works they prefer and join indie creators in the restoration of a thriving culture.

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Sincere thanks to Neopatron D.J. Schreffler for commissioning this post.