Christmas to me has always been more of a time of giving to other people as opposed to wanting anything, so I don’t tend to ask for things. However, if there’s one surprising thing I’ve learned about webcomic readers, it’s that many of you enjoy giving to the creators that you like and supporting the comics that you read. So I’m hoping that this one time you’ll forgive me for actually asking and that you’ll want to rise to the occasion to help out.
The short story is that Katie is no longer employed, and since she was the one with the full-time job for the past four years, I’m stepping up to the plate with a job search. In the meantime, however, we could use some financial support. So I wanted to outline several ways that you could help us out, if you so choose, in the coming months.
1.) Patreon. I have almost thirty patrons supporting me at varying levels per month. If you’re not sure what Patreon is, the quick description is that it’s a way for you to support me for a dollar amount of your choosing per month, starting as low as $1. You get rewards that depend on the level of money you’re contributing, and you are not locked in – you can cancel your patronage at any time. This is the best way to support me and to get exclusive stuff at the same time. And if you have any questions about the process, you can always come to me for help.
2.) Merchandise. I have a huge inventory of things that are left over from my years of doing conventions, both Bardsworth and non-Bardsworth. Purchasing this stuff not only helps me out financially, but it frees up more space in my house! And right now I’m running a special where you can get 15% off of your purchase if you use the coupon code “holiday16” at checkout.
3.) PayPal. I recently took my link for PayPal donations since nobody really uses it anymore, but if you’d like to make a donation via PayPal, you can use this link. (EDIT: I’m restoring the link on the right sidebar because I forgot that PayPal buttons don’t work properly in WordPress posts.)
4.) Spread the Word. I know money can be tight, but you might still want to help somehow. This is the cheapest way to do it! Please get other people to read Bardsworth! The more readers I can gather, the better chance I have at gaining people to support it. And contact any local conventions you go to and suggest me as a guest. If I’m able to get to a convention as a paid guest, I have a chance to make some extra money through merchandise sales (and gain new readers). You can direct their attention to my convention appearances page for information.
So that’s how you can help. Whether or not you do, I still value you as a reader, and I will still continue to crank this eleven year old comic out regularly!
