1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly's foundational 2008 (later updated) essay arguing that to make a living as a creator you don't need millions of fans — you need roughly 1,000 "true fans," people who will buy whatever you make. At an average annual yield of about $100 per true fan, that's a $100,000 income. The piece sketches the math, the implications for the long tail of creators that the internet makes economically viable for the first time, and the practices (direct contact, generosity, sustained craft) that build the relationship.