Let's have a talk. Please read everything since it's important.
This month's privilege sales have been abysmal. I used to sell close to 4000 in sales, and as of right now, with only a few days remaining in the month, I have yet to do even 1500. I would not complain if this were the result of readers no longer enjoying my writing. I would be fine if the sale decrease resulted from the holidays and people not having much money to spend on things such as Web Novels.
But the leading cause of this decline is piracy, and there is nothing I can do about this since Wevnovel, as a company, is simply terrible regarding combatting these things. And I'm powerless since my attempts seemed useless.
I can only know how much money I will make on January 10, which is itself bullshit since I should be able to monitor my sales. But Webnovel's coin system is simply a scam as it in no way reflects how much an author makes and can only be estimated. And if the estimation is nowhere near the actual number, there is no way to verify.
Every 10th, when I see the number drop instead of remaining the same or increasing, it's very demoralizing. I want to use writing as a job, and financial stability is a way to achieve this. And it does not help that my family considers my writing a hobby instead an actual job. I do not want to spend the rest of my life in a job I hate. I don't want to give up writing; I want to pursue my passion. Regrettably, dreams cannot feed an empty stomach or pay the bill.
Now, to the point of this post. I can foresee the pressure I will be under once my family discovers how little I will make this month. So, I need to do some damage control. I will release 2 chapters from tomorrow until December 31st to use numbers to make up for the sales. But I cannot do it alone. I need my readers' help.
I know I cannot stop people from pirating my work. However, even if you do, there are ways you can help. Vote with Power Stones and Golden Ticket. Leave a comment on every chapter–even if it's just "thanks" or some meme or gif. Write me a positive review, and tell your friends and family about the book. Post them in the comment section of some machine translation websites to garner more viewers. Or spread it on some social media as a recommendation to people.
You can even post this post in the review sections of these pirated websites to try to guilt trip some people—anything to spread awareness and draw in more viewers.
Secondly, I know not everyone can support me financially with how Webnovel is set up, buying each chapter and the right to privilege. However, if you have some extra money and thought: "How could I support sage?" Easy, go to my Patreon and donate a little–even if you're not a fan of my HP fan fiction. It's as low as 3 US dollars to 10$.
Sorry if it seems I'm rambling. These things have been on my mind for a while, and I've hesitating whether to write this post. Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you have a good day.