This Friday’s email focuses on fan capital. It is a curated roundup of how fandom and business overlap, with recent stories, stats, and ideas from different corners of culture. Let me know if you like it!
“Creative people are taught to undervalue ourselves. Don't.”
Patreon has passed $10 billion in fan payments to creators since launching in 2013. What started before the “creator economy” was even a term is now proof that direct fan-to-creator support is a massive market. Founder Jack Conte credits persistence, optimism, and rejecting the idea that creative work should be undervalued.
“It’s always been our intention to have a conversation with the fandom”
Romance publisher and lifestyle brand 831 Stories builds books with merch, easter eggs, and fan touch points beyond the page. Hats, in-universe products, and commissioned fan fiction from BookTok and Bookstagram creators set them apart. Reader feedback even shapes future titles.
“82% of K-pop fans listen seven days a week.”
That kind of loyalty is hard impossible to manufacture. Fewer than half attended a concert last year, mostly because of cost or distance. It makes you wonder how much potential is still untapped for labels investing in U.S. fanbases. Fun fact: I discovered KATSEYE because I saw their logo and loved it.
I adore.
“The worst part about being a Disney Adult is other Disney Adults.”
In Disney Adults, AJ Wolfe found that the loudest criticism comes from inside the fandom. Annual passes, hotel stays, and merch drops become markers of status. Resellers are seen as outsiders. It is a reminder that even the most magical communities are shaped by their own rules, hierarchies, and economies. I don’t care what anyone says…I love watching Disney adult content.
“Fans of the show have famously raised as high as $66,000 for their favorite housemate who was evicted from the show.”
Big Brother Naija turns ten. Fans have crowdfunded six-figure gifts, built PR teams for contestants, and run international fundraising groups. It is reality TV as both entertainment and enterprise, where loyalty fuels marketing, global networks, and brand-like audience management. I am fascinated.
“Football shirts are being reworked, upcycled, accessorized with badges and belly chains, and even replaced by football-inspired lifestyle pieces.”
Female football fandom is driving both attendance records and spending. Visa reports a 27% boost in international spending during the first week of the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025. Fans are influencing merch design, travel patterns, and sponsor return on investment, reshaping the business of the game from the stands. Plus, I found this post (below) which is extremely in my interests. I watch nail art videos all the time.
“Fan fiction is all about the gift economy.” - Elizabeth Minkel, Fansplaining
Fan fiction has become a pipeline for publishing. Agents scout fan fiction sites and books with fan fiction roots now win Pulitzers. “Percival Everett’s novel “James,” which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for fiction, is basically “Huckleberry Finn” fan fiction.” What starts as a gift (written for free, for the joy of it) can build the kind of audience and story framework that the market is hungry for.
“We still think about you”
Discontinued in the early 2000s, Coca-Cola’s neon-green soda Surge has built a cult following even after it ceased to exist and then after the fans brought it back. Fans trade merch, swap rare cans, and keep a massive Facebook group alive with sightings and nostalgia posts. A single rare box recently listed on eBay for $700, proof that the market for discontinued drinks is legit.
Do you have a fan story, idea, or connection I should know about? Reply to this email! I’d love to hear it.
