What the Fuck is Privilege?
This is for the people who want to read privileged chapters and are considering buying coins for it or already have coins but don't know if it is worth buying those chapters.
Before I start, I just want to thank the existing readers who buy chapters with coins and skip the fast pass route.
For fast pass users, please get coins if you want to read privilege. The chapters locked under privilege can only be read by unlocking using coins. Fast pass is banned for those chapters in the special section so if you cannot afford coins, stick to waiting for regular chapters to unlock with the fast pass. Also, don't forget to vote for the book with powerstones.
Q1. What the fuck is privilege?
It's a special paywall by WN used to counter piracy and a pro fan base support system similar to P@treon because all exclusively contracted works with Webnovel cannot accept outside source publication payments. I do still have my personal P@treon for other projects, just not for Monarch of Solitude so if you only want to support this work and read advanced chapters, this is created for you.
Q2. Must I buy privilege to read your book?
Yes and no. You can read regularly as I will not stop updating regularly. You just don't read till the latest update chapter that you see because of privilege.
However, know that the success of this book in monetary terms will help me make my decision if I should wrap this quickly or give it more development. I will not waste my time writing a book that doesn't sell because I need money to pay bills. The money I get from writing doesn't cover shit in my country (Singapore) so I also work in addition. Writing full-time is a dream, not a reality if my bills are not paid.
I write on the side for free for pleasure projects but Monarch of Solitude is a concept work as mentioned in my author review. This means I wrote it for the sake of making money. It isn't my usual stuff I enjoy doing. If it does not pay, I will not continue to write more. Trust me, I know how to end a book in less than 20 chapters when I have to. Thus, the decision to support this book is entirely up to you.
Q3. How does privilege work?
If you decide to purchase, know that you should try to keep it up monthly or your reading experience will be ruined.
What do I mean?
This privilege must be renewed each month if you wish to stay ahead. If not, you can just wait until all the privilege chapters become regular chapters when you stop renewing.
Imagine you buy privilege tier 3 of 20 chapters ahead of everyone in June then you buy only tier 1 in July that has only 2 chapters ahead. You need to wait until the previously read 18 chapters have been released to your tier before you get to read anything new.
Also, because privilege does not accept fast pass, you'd be wasting money downgrading a tier to read for the month if you do not keep it up. I suggest if you have no financial means for that month in privilege, drop it and resubscribe the following month.
Q4. How much does privilege cost?
As of now, I got no fucking clue because I have not set the tiers up. However, 1 coin should be about USD0.02 for readers to buy. That's for the privilege first tier entry.
Each chapter length should be about 6 coins so that's USD0.12 per chapter released in privilege. If I release thirty of this in a month, you'd be paying roughly USD1.46 a month for it. To be on the safe side, that's like USD2 a month for tier 1 that is fixed by WN for 2 advanced chapters.
My tentative tier pricing plan:
Tier 1: 2 Chapters, 1 Coin
Tier 2: 5 Chapters, 200 Coins ($4)
Tier 3: 12 Chapters, 400 coins ($8)
Tier 4: 20 chapters, 700 coins ($14)
Tier 5: 35 Chapters, 1000 coins ($20)
Do the math yourself. I suck at it.
Q5. Will there be discounts for chapters in privilege?
There could be. So far, I don't know because I have not set it up but if there is anyone actually spending money at tier 4 and 5 when it is up, I will consider making a huge discount for those chapters. USD14 and USD20 a month isn't a small bill. I can literally cover my phone bill with that so that's really something for me.
Note that the changes for tier discounts will not be immediate so if you subscribe first month and don't tell me, I cannot make changes for discount for you that will take effect only the following month.
The smartest thing to do is inform me one month before that you wish to become my sugar mommy or daddy reader as the highest tier buyer before you buy it so I can make discount tiers for you. If not, I will assume nobody is interested or invested in my book enough to want it and I won't do it. It's honestly a pain for me to adjust anything with Webnovel considering their major publishing bugs that some of you might have experienced on the first round when I went premium to lock chapters.
Q6. How much money does the author make from readers buying privilege?
The straight answer is only 30% of what you spend. Say you bought the highest tier and spent for all those chapters and paid USD25 for that month only USD7.50 reaches me after app store and WN takes their cut. That's not including the withholding tax and bank transfer fee.
If you wish to read advance chapters, buy privilege. If you just want to give this author some money, go to my private P@treon. You can spend the same money on P@Tr0en and I get more out of it.
This is updated as of 18 June 2021. If there are changes to the tier pricing, I will update this again. Check author notes of every chapter for important author annoncements.
