At this stage in our growth, the Vault finds ourselves at a point where we must plan for a sustainable future. Our costs are growing – we’re paying for over 100 stories a year and with plans to publish an anthology in the works, we need to begin thinking about income.
Currently, it costs approximately $1200AUD a year to run the Vault, and the majority of that comes from my own pocket (including our writers fees). We could add a paywall or ads to the site, but frankly – I dislike both those options. They disrupt the reader’s experience and don’t match our ethics of diverse and accessible fiction. With the new fee structure on Patreon, we’ve decided to pursue two avenues for donation.
We’ll be staying on Patreon but have set goals which reflect the cost of running the site and paying our writers. You can find us on Patreon at patreon.com/storyseedvault
If you’d prefer to make a donation directly, we’re also on Ko-Fi! We’ve put the same goals up there as well, so there is full transparency on how much the Vault needs to stay afloat. Our Ko-Fi page is linked here ko-fi.com/storyseedvault.
Every donation is a significant contribution and helps the Vault out in a noticeable way. We appreciate all support and are excited to continue making exciting diverse science fiction for a long time to come!
Alex Massey
Editor of the Story Seed Vault