Is it actually possible for a creator to make a living off the back of their work? Or are writers, musicians and painters destined for work in a local cafe while waiting for that next government grant which will help someone into the business? Is it possible to skip this in-between period, this purgatory?
Kevin Kelly’s theory suggests it is. In his paradigm altering blog post, the Wired Magazine Senior Editor shows you how you can make a living as a creator. You don’t need as many as 1 million fans like Lady Gaga or J.K.Rowling, but only a mere 1,000. He calls it the 1,000 True Fans model.
Who is a True Fan?
We all know a True Fan when we see one; it’s someone who will catch a plane half way across the world to hear you sing; someone who will buy every DVD or CD you release; someone who owns every piece of merchandise you ever had; someone who follows you on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr and is the first to comment on your new piece of work. Kevin defines a true fan as “someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce.”
So how does it work?
Source: Kevin Kelly, The Technium blog
Kevin says this long tail is a “mixed blessing” for creators. While it fails to raise sales for individual creators, it does “add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices.” Most artists are looking for a way to “escape the long tail” and herein lies the problem.
The solution? Find 1,000 True Fans and connect with them. These fans are not at the end of the tail, but instead are closer to the line separating the long tail from the head of the tail.
If you can find this happy medium, you won’t need to produce a string of blockbuster movies in order to survive. Nor will you end up a “one-hit-wonder” Kevin says. 1,000 True Fans is a viable business plan for any artist looking to earn a living from their work.
Fans of 1,000 True Fans
There are many fans of 1,000 True Fans, Kevin’s 2008 blog post. Among them is American lifestyle design blogger and author, Tim Ferriss. In his 11 April 2010 blog post, the author is adamant that “Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans is the only marketing article you’ll ever need to read.”
Ariel Hyatt is another endorser of the 1,000 True Fans model. The music publicist and social media strategist has written a series of blogs “In Defence of 1,000 True Fans”. In the 10th instalment in the series, Ariel says that the model is a great outline of the core marketing principles which will bring creators success. “I still stand by the 1,000 True Fans theory and I am still inspired by artists who are putting this theory into full practice,” she says.
“This is Kevin Kelly’s best riff of the year!” says Seth Godin. The entrepreneur, public speaker and author of New York Times bestseller The Dip is yet another fan of the 1,000 True Fans theory. He says “Some people will read it and start waffling over the meaning of ‘true’. My expansion: you need to alter what you do and how you do it so that 1,000 true fans is sufficient to make you very happy.”
How do you stay connected to your 1,000 true fans?
In order for 1,000 True Fans to work for you, it is essential that you are in constant and direct contact with these fans, says Kevin. This, he says, is the “key challenge.” Not only will this ensure that your fans stay true to you, but it is also a great experience for you as a creator to know that your work is valued and loved.
Kevin says our modern technologies make this possible:
“Blogs and RSS feeds trick out news, and upcoming appearances or new works. Web sites host galleries of your past work, archives of biographical information, and catalogues of paraphernalia. Dishmakers, Blurb, rapid prototyping shops, Myspace, Facebook, and the entire digital domain all conspire to make duplication and dissemination in small quantities fast, cheap and easy…”
A few precautions…
Although the model has proved effective, Kevin warns against some people using it. He says that some people are just “not cut out, or willing, to be a nurturer of fans.” Many writers simply want to write and not have to care for or even think about their fans. In this case, Kevin suggests the incorporation or use of “a mediatory, manager, handler, agent or galleryist – someone to manage their fans.”
Kevin says that the model is “crafted for one person, the solo artist.” So what if you are part of a writing team, duet or production crew? Clearly you’ll need more than 1,000 true fans. He solves this problem, saying, “The additional fans you’ll need are in direct geometric proportion to the increase of your creative group.” Or in other words if your group size increases by 50 per cent, your true fan base must increase by 50 per cent.
The number of true fans may also vary according to the media. “Maybe it is 500 True Fans for a painter and 5,000 True Fans for a videomaker,” Kevin says. “The numbers must surely vary around the world. But in fact the actual number is not critical, because it cannot be determined except by attempting it.” So in order to determine how many True Fans you need to make a living, the best method is trial and error.
Kevin’s theory model is a great way to build a long-term way of paying the bills on the back of only 1,000 true fans, suggesting you don’t have to find that part-time job to make a living as a creator.
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Posted on: 7 December 2011
