Supporting New Media (INDIE Report #3 )

With independent, new studios, publishers, film companies, and game companies popping up a big question many people have is, “How do I support what I love?”

Here are four recommended methods to help out the new media (or old media) in your life.

Way #1

The best and probably ultimate way is to buy what you love and the novelty items they have. From the actual game/book/movie to the novelty items on Cafepress or in the website’s shop, or buy the items at a con or convention. Buying is still the #1 way to support what you love.

Way #2

With the arrival of sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Patreon supporting Indie works is becoming easier. When it comes to Kickstarter and Indiegogo, you’re supporting a project and then serving as the marketing when you share it on social media. With Patreon, you’re supporting a specific project and/or person who is creating what you love. By doing so, you’re keeping the project going.

To illustrate my favorite of the three: I, personally, back the creators I know and love on Patreon because I first found their works for free. Me adding to the monthly tip jar is making it where the artist can continue working on the project and have the work out there for others to read and see for free.

A brief summary of how to see these three appear is that Patreon is a tip jar, Indiegogo is campaigning, and Kickstarter is a business giving their business pitch to the person in the bank in charge of giving loans.

Way #3

Share! For goodness sake share what you love. Give the producers/company a Tweet and write a review on your blog. Once your followers see what you love, they’ll get curious and give it a try. Social media is that long, eternal line of dominos that’s lined up. Once it’s pushed, it is never going to stop.

Way #4

This is going to sound really odd, especially since not every creator likes the idea, but make fan art. I’m serious. Making fan art is one way to promote what you love and it’s a way to support them. The way I see it, things like fan art and fan fiction gives the person behind the project you love evidence that what they’re making is honestly adored by the fans. In some cases it can inspire small tweeks in the project at the original artist’s approval. I’ve heard of directors and actors of tv shows taking a peek at the show’s fan art/fan fiction and they are absolutely charmed at the ideas the fans come up with.

Discouragement is something that happens a lot when a project of any kind is starting up. Something like fan art/fan fiction gives the person/people behind it a confidence boost that they aren’t failing. Again, it shows how much people love what they’re doing and it gives the project exposure to people who wouldn’t normally see the book/movie/game.

Now there are authors out there who are extremely anti-fanart/fan fiction and if you want to go this route, you need to find out if the creator of the project is on the no list for fanart/fan fiction. Don’t want to get into trouble by showing your love for a story.

Next: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Patreon fully explained