The future of TGAB (Patreon)

Irrespective of my ongoing mental health issues and the impact they keep having on my publication schedule, there's a specific matter continuing the future of The Gods are Bastards that I would like to bring up with the community before it comes to a head. I'm very interested in hearing what people think about this.

TGAB has been doing very well on Royal Road, and one of the consequences of that is that I've begun to be approached by publishers who scout there. So far, I have politely demurred, citing my current commitments in helping prepare OVDT for publication, continuing to actively publish new TGAB content, and generally being a crazy person who doesn't function well under stress (I didn't mention that one to the acquisitions agents - you're all aware of it, though). All have been very polite and understanding about this, so I don't think I've burned any bridges.

It was my intention from the very beginning, and I've said as much in writing multiple times and in multiple places, that The Gods are Bastards was to be kept permanently online, for free, in the tradition of the open internet. Yes, I'm aware that this is a very Web 1.0 attitude, but - not to sound all boomer or anything - I still think there's value in that ideal.  This is why I am conflicted, and interested in hearing perspectives from the community, about the fact that I am reconsidering this stance. If I agree to a publishing contract, the free versions will almost certainly have to be taken down. And even so, I'm thinking about it.

Any discussion of this should begin with the acknowledgment up front that going with a publisher would be much more profitable for me. That is not my main motivation, but I don't want to pretend it isn't a factor.

What really makes me take this prospect seriously is that I think TGAB has reached as many people as it can in its current form. Cross-posting it to Royal Road has brought it before a new audience, but according to my Wordpress site stats, views on tiraas.net had been basically static for the last half of the serial's existence before it went on hiatus, and they're about the same now. 

As much as I still love the admittedly somewhat romantic ideal of keeping it online for free, it remains a fact that the webserial market is a minuscule slice of the overall fiction market. If TGAB is put out by an actual publisher with a marketing budget, it will be seen by a lot more people than currently know it exists. And romantic ideals aside, even more than financial remuneration, that prospect appeals powerfully to me as a creator. I'd love for my work to be more widely known; I wish for it to find as much of an audience out there as it's able to.

So I'm considering it.

I suspect that the idea isn't too off-putting to much of the existing readership; over the years, most of you who have read TGAB have done so multiple times, and I've heard many readers wish there could be physical editions, audio versions, and even just ebooks. I should clarify that while my contract with Podium for OVDT covers all of those, we are talking about a hypothetical future contract with an as-yet undetermined publisher, so I can't promise all three of those specific versions, or really anything in particular. But they would be definite possibilities, and I know there are at least some TGAB fans who would rather have those than have the story stay free.

Even so, this would go against my initial plans, and more importantly it would contradict my well-established statements. That's not something I take lightly at all. Hence the time and serious consideration I'm giving this, and my interest in letting the community chime in before I reach any final decision.

I'm making this post a poll, so anyone who's interested in registering a preference easily can. For the same reason, I encourage anyone who wishes to add their comments to do so; I will read everything posted here. I'm setting this post to public to make sure everyone who might be interested will be able to weigh in.

To be clear, this poll is not voting on the outcome: it's to help me gain a view of how the community feels. I will ultimately make the decision I believe is best, but knowing the opinions of established readers, while it won't be the sole deciding factor, is something that will help me find the right conclusion.

So, if you would: