Monetize your work with World Anvil!
You’re here because you’re a visual artist! Don’t know what World Anvil is? In a sentence, we’re an online tool for creating and presenting the stories and worlds behind your art. Check out this post here for a fuller explanation of World Anvil. You can find explanations of how to use Sage for every other kind of creator there, too!
Why should you care about Sage?
It’s hard to monetise your art beyond commissions (as you already know) and one of the keys to success is fan engagement and support.
A “picture tells a thousand words” but what about the words behind your art? Presenting the story behind a piece of art can engage viewers. Expand the narrative or simply explain what you were feeling at the time, and invest them into your art. Whether you’re creating an art book, a comic, painting your own setting, or creating a series of connected pieces, World Anvil has a solution for this.
How can you use Sage to monetize?
Create a beautiful digital portfolio for your fans
Sage helps you present your digital portfolio in a stunning new way for your fans, enabling an interactive experience. It also helps you give rewards to your online supporters – Patrons, Twitch Subscribers, Kickstarter Backers or anyone else – with access to extra content and secrets about your work!
Reward your supporters easily and quickly.
World Anvil’s new Sage features let you reward your supporters easily and quickly. Make them feel privileged by giving them access to unique pieces of content in a more intimate way. Incentivise supporting you with special access to your World Anvil.
Release all kinds of content
Using World Anvil you can release all sorts of content, like short stories, worldbuilding or expanded notes on your development progress to accompany your art. Display paint overs and works in progress via our interactive map features, and let your fans see how you create your pieces from start to finish. Instead of offering inconvenient .psds, highlight your process with a display right on the page with our interactive layers. You can even make certain layers only for your subscribers – treat them like VIPs!
Let your fans show their love!
Your fans can show their love, by leaving likes and comments on your work! You can also (if you want) give certain tiers of supporters the Writers permission. This will allow them to submit a draft article explaining, for example, their fan story inspired by your art. You can then edit this article as you like, and publish it in your world or not as you wish.
Perfect to support an art-based Kickstarter
Doing an art-based Kickstarter, like an art-book? Drip feed content as it’s developed to show backers your progress, get feedback during production and keep them engaged. When it’s complete, provide electronic releases through World Anvil. This keeps you in control of your art (and avoids postage)! You could even accompany physical art books with access to a living, digital edition you can update any time!
Full control over presentation and distribution
With World Anvil, you control the presentation and distribution. Show off your art with a visual (CSS) theme that suits it perfectly. It’s quick to keep permissions up to date, so only the right people can see your work. And protect your copyright – World Anvil never takes a stake in your art, unlike many social media platforms. What’s yours is yours.
Using our password locked articles you can give access for one off purchases. The options for material you can release is endless. Sell your short stories, map tokens, resource packs, or stock art.
Reward supporters and superfans
For artists with a Patreon or Twitch Subscribers, we’ve made it easy to import your pledgers via CSV and add them as subscribers on World Anvil. Give them exclusive behind the scenes access, and choose what they see – from an entire world, to secrets inside a public article! Let them see character interviews, in-progress art, notes, design sketches or mood boards. Anything you want can be shared easily as a reward to your patrons.
Have supporters in another space, or want to make things even quicker? You can create a special URL which allows supporters to instantly become subscribers, and see whichever content you choose!
Point your fans towards your Patreon or storefront
Finally, you can redirect your audience to your Patreon or storefront when they don’t have permissions, with your own custom 404 page! Show your curious readers how they can gain access to the content they’re hungry for, by supporting your creative endeavours.
What should I do next?
If you’re interested in purchasing a sage membership and starting your monetization journey, go here worldanvil.com/worldbuilders-guild-membership#sage
What if I have questions?
If you have questions about how to use World Anvil, check out:
- The World Anvil Codex.
- The #help channel on our Discord.
- The Whistlestop tutorial on Youtube to get started.
- Our feature reel to start understanding all the World Anvil features you can have at your fingertips!
If you have a questions or issues regarding subscriptions, you can contact the World Anvil Founders, Dimitris and Janet, at hello@worldanvil.com.
