The Neopatronage concept has been making waves lately. Thanks in large part to a number of high-profile crowdfunders that have buried the needle in newpub circles. Despite the 33% stagflation that’s beset most Americans and the mid-October slump that plagues all crowdfunding campaigns, independent creators are finding patrons to back their art.
It’s still early, but the sheer volume of successes indicates that this model is working. Artists who’d been scraping by until just recently are now attracting 5 and 6-figure bankrolls. As we speak, people are realizing dream projects out there.
Despite all of the attention, folks still ask me to define exactly what Neopatronage means. My coining of the term arose from equal parts historical knowledge, observation, and inspiration. But as cultural phenomena like these go, the role of cultural ambassador for this new entertainer-audience interaction dynamic has fallen to me.
Pop culture commentator Christian Toto recently invited me on his popular podcast to discuss neopatronage, Conservative influencers’ woeful lack of support for their creative brothers-in-arms, and my own forays into neopatronage.
And check out the neopatronage campaign for my new dark fantasy novel. We’ve added a wealth of new rewards for our backers, including early copies of the novel, T-shirts, posters, and now – handcrafted abacus bracelets. So become a neopatron and get your sweet swag. Back The Burned Book, and unlock our 4th exciting stretch goal: a livestreamed reading of the book’s first thrilling chapter by the author, i.e. me.
Awesome. Congrats! Christian is a good guy. I wrote an article for his site back in 2017 which feels like an eternity ago. He’s always willing to help the little guys out.
Thanks, Alex. I didn’t know you’d written for him. You wouldn’t happen to have the link to your piece, would you?
Sure. Here you go:
https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/pulp-revolution-apolitical/
It’s laughably naive with six years’ hindsight, but I appreciated Christian giving me a place to promote my bro’s books.
I’d love to write more for Christian. I’ve floated a few but nothing came of it. Maybe I’ll try again.
Thanks. That article really takes me back.
Sounds like it made a lasting impression on Christian. He invoked a couple of your themes in our episode.