So here we are, with almost 250 chapters done, and over 700K words in Guild Wars. There are many things I want to cover in this one chapter, and I don't want to leave anything out because I dislike wasting chapter slots on such fluff, but WN doesn't really have an efficient way for authors to interact with readers on a large scale.
Okay, so into the crux of the matter. There are some things I would like to announce at this time. Some have been mentioned before and some are new, so let's get into it;
1. Renaming: As I mentioned a while back, Guild Wars is being renamed into Boundless World soon. The current name is causing me a headache because various intellectuals feel like their grasp of copyright law is higher than I who come from a family of lawyers, as well as the suppression of the novel's popularity because the game is 100x more popular.
The name Boundless World is good enough because it encapsulates the novel better than Guild Wars, or at least, in my mind it does. I'll be renaming it soon, I just haven't gotten down to it because I wanted to find time to inform you all properly, and this is good enough.
2. Sexual content: As you have encountered while reading, there is explicit content in the novel. I do this because I used to make eroge as a game dev/writer before I found this site and decided to branch out. So far, it's been well-received and I'm glad for that.
I know some of you have very wild fetishes and whatnot you hope to see, but I just have to disappoint you by saying that such thing are unlikely to occur. Especially those that go against WN's terms of conduct like incest and gore etc.
Please stop asking for that in the comments, you guys almost got me in trouble when Loving Aunt came around. Some milder fetishes and stuff might happen, but everything mostly stays vanilla, because the R-18 is just an add-on to the story.
3. Patreon: The patreon was created by me to use for the payment of Devils Advocate, the editor of this novel. Because of some difficulties with banks, paypal and whatnot due to my country of residence, it was easier to use the patreon to payout his monthly payment thanks to payoneer.
Also, by reaching certain goals, I could increase my chapter release rate. It wasn't that the money would tickle my to write more per se, but it would allow me to sufficiently pay devils based on the increased chapter output.
However, I'll be closing down the patreon soon as I plan to use the basic WN income to pay him. I've found a way to… legally… pay Devils. Besides, its existence would conflict with the main purpose of these announcements.
4. Gifts: A lot of you send gifts over everyday even though coins are hard to acquire nowadays, and I genuinely thank you for that. Coins you could have used to unlock chapters of different novels you used to bless me.
However, The gifts system is a bit problematic, as google/apple take a significant share, WN takes a large share and the rest that trickles my way is… startling small. I got $13 from the total gifts sent last month, which is a very…
If you want to show your support for Boundless World, it is better to use Ko-fi. It comes directly to me without any bends or curves and its much better than patreon overall.
The link is: https://ko-fi.com/kotario
5. Release rate: This is something I can't make promises on as there are a lot of factors going into it. I have a general idea mapped out and I only write this novel, so I'm able to dedicate most of my time to it.
However, there are moments where I am plagued by regrets over how the story began or am just unsure if a new plot occurrence will be received well. As such, I can lose motivation to write temporarily, and it has happened once or twice every month.
I might go back to trying to release two chapters a day on certain days, but it would be infrequent. I just wanted to be extremely honest about this.
And now we come to the crux of the matter, which is the real purpose of this chapter.
6. Privilege: This is something I wanted to avoid for many reasons, including public dislike, release rate demands, value for money and more. However, WN have relaxed the terms of the system, so I plan to use it in the form of a test/experiment as well as a deterrence.
It'll be 2 chapters for 1 coin. So basically, pay 1 coin to get two chaps at standard price.
That's it. No roundabout or complex mathematics or overly exaggerated amount. Just two humble chaps for 1 coin.
Now onto the Q&A session!
Q. VILE BEAST KOTARIO, HOW DARE YOU BETRAY MY TRUST?!
A. I have a good reason. There is a conscious push for privilege among authors because WN is having a really hard time dealing with piracy. DMCA's, warnings, takedowns, none of that works. We're all internet savvy so we know how it is. Piracy is something like a hydra, you cut one head and two pop up. However, the privilege system is so far the only thing they have to curb it significantly.
Q. Hmph! Do you think you can convince me with such flowery words?
A. Of course not, so I plan to explain in detail.
Q. Fine then, what do you mean by 1 coin for two chapters?
A. Exactly that. Privilege allows one to read advance chapters ahead of the mainstream one by paying a premium. So sort of like a mini-patreon within WN.
Q. So if I pay 1 coin, I only get those two chapters?
A. No. The system works like this, I take chapter 231 and 232 and put them as privilege chapters. As such, those who pay for privilege can read them. Those who can't would only see up to chapter 230. When I post a new chapter, chapter 233 enters the privilege blockade and 231 is released to the public.
Q. Okay, I've paid 1 coin, does it mean the chapters are free?
A. Usually, no. On novels with more complex privilege schemes, you get discounts after paying for priv. Since this is only 1 coin and its not for gathering money but to curb piracy, the chapters will stay at standard price. (minus event discounts WN gives)
Q. That's unfair! Why must those fellow see chapters ahead of me if we're all paying the same amount of coins for chapters?!
A. Agreed, which is why I stayed away from it until now. Of course, this particular point is assuming that you're a paid reader (who uses coins). As for you handsome and beautiful dudes/dudettes using fast passes, it doesn't change much anyway.
Q. Fine, I get it. Now, explain why I should bother paying 1 coin for this?
A. Honestly, you can opt not to. Its just 2 chapters, not something like 10 or 20. I doubt I'll increase the amount any time soon, but it really depends on reception. Some authors were praised and blessed with coins by readers, while other were insulted and had people bouncing off.
Q. FINE!! NOW, GIVE ME MY CHAPTERS!!
A. Sorry about this, but I'll need to use a few days to get enough chapters in a stockpile for this. Probably about 3 or 4 days at the maximum. In the interim, you could join the discord so that I don't always have to do this, or you could continue sending your powerstones over to the novel.
My promise still stands. If we enter the top 10 in power rankings, I'll do a 10 chapter mass release. Let's see how motivated you all are, and how much you want to see me shatter my arms.