Reading on Patreon can be frustrating. The app isn't designed for long-form content, making it difficult to navigate chapters, avoid spoilers, and enjoy a seamless reading experience. If you're tired of struggling with Patreon's interface for reading, there's a better solution.
Cereal Reads is a free alternative that addresses these issues:
Best of all, it's free for both readers and authors. You can continue supporting your favorite writers on Patreon while enjoying their content in a reader-friendly environment.
In this article, we'll briefly cover why Patreon is great for supporting authors, dive into the specific problems with reading on Patreon, and show you how Cereal Reads solves these issues to enhance your reading experience.
The growing popularity of Patreon among indie authors is no coincidence. This platform offers a unique way for creators to share their work and build a community around their writing. Here's why subscribing to writers on Patreon is becoming increasingly appealing:
More and more independent authors are turning to Patreon as a primary platform for publishing their work. This trend is driven by the platform's ability to provide a direct connection between writers and readers, bypassing traditional publishing gatekeepers. For readers, this means access to a diverse range of voices and stories that might not find a home in conventional publishing channels.
Patreon allows readers to directly support the authors they love. By subscribing to a writer's Patreon, you're not just gaining access to their work; you're actively contributing to their ability to continue creating. This direct support model fosters a sense of community and shared investment in the creative process.
Unlike traditional publishing models or even some digital platforms like Kindle, a larger percentage of your subscription fee goes directly to the author on Patreon. This means your support has a more significant impact on the writer's ability to continue producing the stories you enjoy.
One of the most exciting aspects of subscribing to a writer on Patreon is the opportunity to get early access to their work. Instead of waiting for a finished book to be published, you can often read chapters or stories as they're being written. This not only satisfies the impatient reader in all of us but also allows for a unique insight into the writing process.
Patreon creates a more intimate space for interaction between authors and readers. You can often get insights into the author's thought process, character development, and story progression through author notes and comments. This level of engagement adds depth to the reading experience and can make you feel more connected to the stories you love.
While Patreon offers numerous benefits for supporting and accessing your favorite authors' work, the platform's app falls short when it comes to providing an optimal reading experience. Here are some of the key issues:
The Patreon app is designed as a general platform for all types of creators, not just writers. As a result, the navigation can be cluttered and distracting for those who primarily use it for reading. The interface often includes elements that are unnecessary for a focused reading experience, which can pull you out of the story.
One of the most frustrating aspects of reading in the Patreon app is the absence of simple "previous" and "next" chapter buttons. This makes it difficult to navigate through a story, especially if you're reading a longer work or series. You often have to exit the current post and scroll through the author's feed to find the next chapter, disrupting the flow of your reading.
The app doesn't provide a comprehensive table of contents or index for longer works. This makes it challenging to keep track of where you are in a story or to easily jump to a specific chapter or section. For readers who enjoy longer narratives or series, this can be particularly frustrating.
Reading posts in chronological order can be surprisingly difficult in the Patreon app. The feed-based structure means that newer posts appear first, which is counterintuitive when you're trying to read a story from beginning to end. This can lead to confusion and accidental spoilers if you're not careful.
Sometimes, the chapter previews or post titles in the Patreon app can inadvertently reveal spoilers. This is because the app isn't designed with long-form narrative content in mind. Authors may not always have full control over how their content is displayed, which can lead to unintentional revelations that might diminish the reading experience.
These issues aren't just theoretical - many readers have expressed frustration with the Patreon reading experience. For example, discussions on Reddit have highlighted the need for alternatives to Patreon for reading and better ways to read posts and chapters on Patreon. These conversations underscore the growing demand for a more reader-friendly platform for Patreon content.
Given the limitations of reading within the Patreon app, many readers are seeking alternatives that offer a more tailored and enjoyable reading experience. One such alternative is Cereal Reads, a free app designed specifically for consuming Patreon content. Here's why Cereal Reads stands out as a superior option for Patreon subscribers who primarily use the platform for reading:
Cereal Reads seamlessly integrates with Patreon, allowing readers to access their subscribed content directly within the app. The best part? Authors can easily make their work available on Cereal Reads by completing a free sign-up process. This means you can encourage your favorite Patreon authors to join Cereal Reads, enhancing your reading experience without any additional cost to you or the author.
Let's face it, we've all been there – it's 2 AM, you're wrapped in blankets like a burrito, and you just can't put that story down. But the blinding white screen is making you squint like you're staring directly into the sun. Fear not, fellow midnight reader! Cereal Reads comes to the rescue with its dark mode option. Now you can indulge in your favorite Patreon stories without feeling like you're signaling aliens with your phone's brightness. Your eyes (and possibly your sleeping partner) will thank you for this feature that turns your late-night reading binges from "interrogation room bright" to "cozy cave dim." Who knows, you might even trick yourself into thinking it's still a reasonable hour to be awake!
One of the standout features of Cereal Reads is its immersive reading mode. This mode hides all navigation bars and extraneous elements, allowing you to focus entirely on the text. By minimizing distractions, this feature helps you become more deeply engrossed in the story, enhancing your overall reading experience.
Recognizing that reader preferences vary, Cereal Reads allows you to customize the text size to suit your needs. Whether you prefer larger text for easier reading or smaller text to fit more content on the screen, you can adjust the settings to create your ideal reading environment.
Cereal Reads takes reader engagement to the next level with its in-line comment feature. This allows you to leave comments on specific paragraphs within the story, facilitating more precise and contextual discussions. It's an excellent way to engage with both the author and other readers, sharing your thoughts and reactions as you progress through the narrative.
Unlike the Patreon app, Cereal Reads automatically converts posts into chapters and organizes them by book. This structure makes it much easier to navigate through longer works or series, providing a reading experience more akin to that of a traditional e-book. You can easily track your progress and move between chapters without losing your place or struggling to find the next section.
For readers who follow multiple authors on Patreon, Cereal Reads offers a significant advantage. The app provides dedicated pages for each author, making it simple to switch between different writers and their works. This organization helps you keep track of multiple stories and authors without the confusion that can arise from a mixed content feed.
While Patreon has revolutionized the way independent authors can share their work and connect with readers, the platform's native app falls short when it comes to providing an optimal reading experience. The limitations of the Patreon app, from its distracting interface to its lack of reader-friendly navigation features, can detract from the enjoyment of the content itself.
Fortunately, alternatives like Cereal Reads are stepping in to bridge this gap. By offering a free, feature-rich platform specifically designed for reading Patreon content, Cereal Reads enhances the experience for both readers and authors. Its user-friendly interface, customizable settings, and thoughtful organization of content address many of the pain points associated with reading on the Patreon app.
As a reader, you can take advantage of these improvements by encouraging your favorite Patreon authors to sign up for Cereal Reads. This simple step can significantly enhance your reading experience without any additional cost or effort on your part. By combining the community-driven, creator-supporting ethos of Patreon with a reading experience tailored for long-form content, Cereal Reads offers the best of both worlds for serial fiction enthusiasts.
For more insights on the world of digital publishing and reading, check out our articles on making money writing web novels and the basics of serial fiction.