Tip Jar for Authors?

[TedConlon]

Fairly new here, but has there ever been a discussion about adding a virtual Tip Jar that would allow readers to tip authors whose stories they like. Seems like it would incentivize writers and be relatively simple to do. The site could keep X% for administering this feature to help it survive (and get some badly needed updates).
Authors could opt in and out of the feature like they can for reviews/discussion posts.

 

[SimonDoom]

Fairly new here, but has there ever been a discussion about adding a virtual Tip Jar that would allow readers to tip authors whose stories they like. Seems like it would incentivize writers and be relatively simple to do. The site could keep X% for administering this feature to help it survive (and get some badly needed updates).
Authors could opt in and out of the feature like they can for reviews/discussion posts.

I have never seen this idea discussed, and to be honest it's never occurred to me.

The idea of providing a means by which readers can tip or compensate authors here is an interesting one.

 

[Maeven_quinn]

Fairly new here, but has there ever been a discussion about adding a virtual Tip Jar that would allow readers to tip authors whose stories they like. Seems like it would incentivize writers and be relatively simple to do. The site could keep X% for administering this feature to help it survive (and get some badly needed updates).
Authors could opt in and out of the feature like they can for reviews/discussion posts.

There are organizations like KoFi that allow virtual tip jars. However, KoFi considers adult content a no-no. Patreon allows for adult content. It's model is either per work or per month subscription.

I have no idea how either of those would integrate with Literotica though.

 

[KeithD]

Good idea. I don't think the Web site could manage to add any more programing to what they now have, though.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I second the motion.

 

[TedConlon]

There are plug-ins

There are lots of plug-ins for Wordpress and other platforms that make a tip jar feasible. I don't know if Literotica would need to build a custom platform for its backend or if there's one that already exists for it. Here's an example of how it can work: https://www.addthis.com/academy/how-to-add-website-tip-jar-to-your-site/

 

[lovecraft68]

Great idea, but we're talking about a site that still has old broken features all over the place, and can't be bothered with even the suggestions of a new category, so they're not about to add anything like this, even if it could net them some money

Something else to consider is a lot of authors here sell some of their erotic content that's not here for free

Want to tip us? Shell out .99-$3.99 and buy one of their books.

 

[SimonDoom]

Good idea. I don't think the Web site could manage to add any more programing to what they now have, though.

I think this is the rub.

My sense -- you probably know better than I do -- is that the owners of this site do not maximize its theoretical financial value based on traffic numbers. They're understaffed. I doubt they could do this as a practical matter.

It seems, though, to me, that this Site's status in the world as a, maybe the, preeminent erotic story repository would give it the opportunity at least theoretically to do this and probably to make it profitable.

 

[Handley_Page]

I'm not familiar with the "tip jar", but there is a thread where we can suggest a story or two that is 'worth reading'.
It's:
Recommend a Story by Another Lit Author

 

[Damoiselle]

Would it just make sense for people to set up a paypal or something, or would that be taboo/against the rules?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Want to tip us? Shell out .99-$3.99 and buy one of their books.

It's a rare and beautiful thing when people do that.

But I can't see many people gonna give credit card details to a smut site, and how would you dole out the transactions?

 

[lovecraft68]

It's a rare and beautiful thing when people do that.

But I can't see many people gonna give credit card details to a smut site, and how would you dole out the transactions?

I mean by them from the platform they're being sold on, not from here. Most people who have for sale material put links on their homepage or signatures or advertise in the author/books thread.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Fairly new here, but has there ever been a discussion about adding a virtual Tip Jar that would allow readers to tip authors whose stories they like. Seems like it would incentivize writers and be relatively simple to do. The site could keep X% for administering this feature to help it survive (and get some badly needed updates).
Authors could opt in and out of the feature like they can for reviews/discussion posts.

It's been discussed, though not recently. I'd be happy to get tips, but I suspect it would be a lot of work to get it right.

This site was built in the 1990s and a lot of its infrastructure is about twenty years old. That's bearable for a site that just needs to share text stories. But as soon as payments are involved, there are a whole bunch of new security challenges and other headaches that I suspect Literotica is not built for.

For example:

- Payment providers: it's not trivial to find one who's willing to deal with adult content, especially when that content may be illegal in some of the countries where people are selling or buying it.

- Money laundering: e-book purchases are a known way for shady types to move money around.

- Story theft: all those people who currently rip off stories and sell them on Amazon would be putting them up here, probably flooding the site with ripped-off material.

- Account theft: if your account has money coming in through tips, I have incentive to try to get control of your account. and divert that money to me.

etc. etc.

It's not impossible, but it'd be a huge amount of work to get it right, both in setup and then in policing it.

 

[SimonDoom]

It's a rare and beautiful thing when people do that.

But I can't see many people gonna give credit card details to a smut site, and how would you dole out the transactions?

Gazillions of people do just that.

But it could be set up with a payment administrator under a different, innocuous-sounding name. You could, using a credit card or bank account number, purchase a certain number of credits with that administrator, and then you could dole out those credits as you like to specific authors.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I mean by them from the platform they're being sold on, not from here. Most people who have for sale material put links on their homepage or signatures or advertise in the author/books thread.

That's what I meant. It's a rare and beautiful thing when someone from here pops off and buys a book - someone from anywhere, to be honest. A few sales a month, if I'm lucky.

 

[lovecraft68]

That's what I meant. It's a rare and beautiful thing when someone from here pops off and buys a book - someone from anywhere, to be honest. A few sales a month, if I'm lucky.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised. You have this site that has hundreds of thousands of stories in every kink imaginable for free, and as long as you clear your history your loved one who does not know about your incest non con or cross dressing fantasies never knows...where as a book on an e-reader or a purchase on a CC statement....

What's strange is I see people here will donate to an author through patreon usually the reward is a sneak peek at something that will eventually be put here for FREE but they won't buy an ebook from someone they like that will never be here for free.

I can't complain about how much I sell, but I've also been selling for 9 years and have a large library, especially Taboo stuff.

 

[Bramblethorn]

There are lots of plug-ins for Wordpress and other platforms that make a tip jar feasible. I don't know if Literotica would need to build a custom platform for its backend or if there's one that already exists for it. Here's an example of how it can work: https://www.addthis.com/academy/how-to-add-website-tip-jar-to-your-site/

This isn't a payment service in itself. It's a guide to how you can set up a button on your website where people can send money via a payment service where you already have an account. But which payment service? Most of the payment services it lists ban using them for adult content e.g.

https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp...e-sexually-oriented-goods-and-services-faq569
https://pay.amazon.com/help/6023
https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/ua

Patreon does allow some adult content, but they ban incest and NC material, which doesn't mesh well with this site's content policies.

The only one I can see that might be permitted is Venmo, but they're designed more for friend-to-friend transfers, not sending money to strangers.

 

[Bramblethorn]

But I can't see many people gonna give credit card details to a smut site, and how would you dole out the transactions?

Gazillions of people do just that.

Have I given credit card details to a smut site? Yup.

Would I give credit card details to a site that looked as if its security systems were last updated some time in the 1990s? Hell no.

 

[KeithD]

Lots of reasons coming out showing how unlikely the Web site has the effort available to get involved in this.

Anyone who wants to read what I've been writing lately rather than waiting for a year to quite possibly read it for free can easily find where they can buy it. The Web site lets me post where they can buy it. That's quite nice of the Web site to permit already.

 

[jaF0]

I'd rather they fix the forum Profile editor.

 

[lovecraft68]

Have I given credit card details to a smut site? Yup.

Would I give credit card details to a site that looked as if its security systems were last updated some time in the 1990s? Hell no.

I have a website that has a shopping cart so they can buy directly from me which means I'm not giving 15-30% of the sale to the platform carrying the book.

But...when it was set up it asks for name address etc...because its set up as if I were going to ship them something.

I told the designer that this will be an issue...does someone want to give their personal info and have it linked with mom son stories? There are asterisks that its not necessary but I don't think their visible enough, I'd rather the sections be blocked out

Of course there's no way to know if there were people who would have bought and that was the reason not to, but I suspect it happens.

 

[LexxRuthless]

I have a website that has a shopping cart so they can buy directly from me which means I'm not giving 15-30% of the sale to the platform carrying the book.

But...when it was set up it asks for name address etc...because its set up as if I were going to ship them something.

I told the designer that this will be an issue...does someone want to give their personal info and have it linked with mom son stories? There are asterisks that its not necessary but I don't think their visible enough, I'd rather the sections be blocked out

Of course there's no way to know if there were people who would have bought and that was the reason not to, but I suspect it happens.

Then there is the flip side concern that nobody has mentioned: We as authors would lose our anonymity as soon as we had to provide our real-world financial information in order to get paid. At some point our real names, or credit card information, or something like that would have to be tied to our Literotica account. That could be disastrous.

I, for one, am not about to risk my cushy position as a pastor just to try to get some tips for smutty stories I've shared online...

 

[Zeb_Carter]

The overhead and security requirements would be prohibitive. The acceptance and distribution would be the biggest problem and it's not something you write from scratch and would cost more than the site would probably make in the long run.

You want to get paid for what you do, post your work over on Smashword. They not only allow adult content but the allow some things that Lit doesn't.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I'd rather they fix the forum Profile editor.

Yep. Or at least tie the Author profile to the forum side.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Would it just make sense for people to set up a paypal or something, or would that be taboo/against the rules?

No links to other sites in a story. So yes, against the rules.