If you’re new on SayNow and you’re wondering how to make it if you don’t have millions of fans like Soulja Boy (or if you do have millions and you’re wondering why you should bother talking to your fans) you should read this great post that Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired magazine, recently wrote.

The important question he addresses is: how do you differentiate yourself and most importantly how do you survive and keep doing what you love now that the means to distribute creative work are widely available to almost anyone?

One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans….

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans….

The key challenge is that you have to maintain direct contact with your 1,000 True Fans. They are giving you their support directly. Maybe they come to your house concerts, or they are buying your DVDs from your website, or they order your prints from Pictopia. As much as possible you retain the full amount of their support. You also benefit from the direct feedback and love. (emphasis mine)

The whole article is here.

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