• 8 min read
Become an Angel
Help build something new.
Ylfe Team
Become an Angel
Last updated: December 2025
I used to work in the web novel and web comic industry for a major player. I loved that job. I wanted to see it succeed. In the early days, the platform had a roughly equal balance of English-original content and international series. It was a beautiful interplay. Western creators and Eastern creators informing each other, inspiring each other, building something new together. I loved that world and the rosy future it preceded.
Then we were acquired by a major conglomerate.
What followed can only be described as a deluge. Foreign content flooded the platform until English-original work was completely drowned out. These were great creators. Talented writers with devoted readers and compelling stories. But they weren't being recognized. They weren't being featured. They weren't being allowed to be discovered.
Where could they go?
They only had one alternative: an open ocean of non-featured, non-edited, and very likely non-read platforms. Sites where one's story disappears into an endless scroll unless you already have an audience. Sites with no curation, no editorial support, no built-in discovery.
I wanted to rebuild that world. A world where different voices could coexist and thrive together. But that world isn't coming back on the old platforms. The economics don't allow it.
Time to build a new one.
What We're Building
Ylfe is a curated, subscription-based home for serialized web novels. We are a web-first, independent small press. We publish exclusively original English-language fiction. Every story is hand-selected. Every chapter is carefully edited. No open uploads. No algorithmic feeds. No ad clutter.
We call what we publish "fairy stories for the here and now." If you want to understand what that means and why we chose that name, read this post. The short version: we're looking for stories that deliver wonder, hope, and genuine escape, regardless of genre.
For authors, Ylfe offers something rare: a permanent, high-royalty home. Authors will receive revenue shares based on the time readers spend with his or her work, editorial support, and built-in discovery alongside other quality fiction. Plus, for our top performers, we intend to pursue physical releases. Real books. The kind you can hold in your hands, put on a shelf, and point to when someone asks what you've written.
For readers, Ylfe aims to offer something equally rare: a high-quality experience. No endless scrolling through unfiltered uploads. No fighting algorithms. Just good fiction.
Why "Angel"?
The word sounds grand. Maybe even presumptuous. But there's a reason we chose it.
In startup language, an angel investor is someone who backs a company before anyone else will. Before there's proof. Before there's traction. Before the thing exists in any meaningful way. Angels invest in potential and in people.
That's what you would be doing here.
Ylfe is pre-launch. The library is still growing. The systems are still being built. The authors we will feature are still out there, writing. By joining as an Angel now, you're not subscribing early. You're acting as a patron. You're saying: I believe this should exist, and I'm willing to help make it real.
What Your Dollar Does
We could have launched a Kickstarter. We could have set up a Patreon. We could have built a flashy crowdfunding campaign with stretch goals and backer tiers and countdown clocks.
We didn't.
Crowdfunding platforms take fees. They impose their rules. They can change terms overnight. We want to own the relationship with readers directly. By building our own subscription system, we keep costs low and stability high.
Right now, Angel revenue covers the unglamorous operational costs: hosting, domain fees, payment processing, the quiet infrastructure that keeps the lights on. It buys us time to build systems that will provide a better experience than our competitors. Time to refine the reading interface. Time to develop the author dashboard. Time to do this right instead of fast.
Authors will be or currently are being paid out of pocket. They deserve compensation, however slight, even while we're pre-launch, even before we have the subscriber base to fund a sustainable royalty pool. That's non-negotiable for us.
Once Ylfe hits sustainable scale, author payments will come from the subscription pool using a time-read revenue share model. The more time readers spend with a story, the more its author earns. No fighting for algorithmic visibility. No gambling on ad impressions. Just craft rewarded by attention.
Your Angel subscription helps us get there. Every dollar is evidence that there's a real audience for hand-picked, escapist, original serial fiction.
Where We Are Right Now
We're in the beginning before the beginning, and we're building in public.
The proof of concept is nearly complete. A site exists. The payment systems work. We've started soliciting manuscripts. The library is small, but it's growing. Your presence here early helps shape what this becomes.
We're determined to make Ylfe better with each passing day.
What Angels Get
Full access during pre-launch. Read everything as we grow the library. Your membership gives you full access to everything we publish as we build toward launch.
Locked pricing through pre-launch and beyond. You pay $1/month now. That rate stays locked for six months after we officially launch. After the grace period, your subscription automatically transitions to our standard Monthly tier ($7/month).
A stake in proving this works. What we're building here isn't something the market has validated yet. The dominant platforms are flooded with translations and open uploads. The algorithms favor quantity over quality. Every Angel subscription is evidence that readers want something different.
Multiple reminders before any changes. We will announce launch and send multiple reminders before your Angel pricing transitions to standard rates. Email is how we make sure you're never caught off guard by a price change. Stay subscribed so you have full visibility into what's coming and when.
The Math
Let's talk numbers.
If pre-launch lasts 12 months, you pay $12 total as an Angel. At our standard post-launch pricing of $7/month, that same 12 months would cost $84. That's a $72 difference!
And pre-launch could last longer. The Angel rate remains locked not just through pre-launch, but for six months after we officially go live. Depending on how long this journey takes, your savings could be even more significant.
The Details
$1/month throughout pre-launch. Rate locked for six months after launch.
Cancel anytime. No long-term commitment. If you cancel and want to rejoin later, you pay whatever tier is available at that time.
If Ylfe doesn't launch, we stop billing immediately. We will notify all Angels, and that's that. Month-to-month means you're never locked into something that isn't working.
The Invitation
I got to be a part of something awesome. A platform where English-original creators had visibility, support, and a real chance at discovery alongside international content.
I'm building that place again. Not on platforms controlled by conglomerates with different priorities. On our own terms.
Ylfe exists to be the independent small press of the serial fiction world. We exist to give original English-language authors a permanent, curated, high-royalty home, and to give readers a truly fantastic reading experience.
We're not there yet. We're building.
If you believe this should exist, if you want to help prove there's demand for something better, consider becoming an Angel.
One dollar a month. Full access while we grow. A chance to help shape what this becomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is pre-launch? We don't have a launch date yet. It's genuinely far off. The Angel tier will remain active throughout pre-launch and continue for six months after we officially launch.
Will my price change automatically? Yes. Six months after launch, your subscription will automatically transition to the standard Monthly tier ($7/month). You will receive launch notification and multiple reminders before your payment updates.
What can I read right now? We're still in pre-launch, so the library is growing. Your Angel membership gives you full access to everything we publish as we build toward launch. Keep an eye on your emails to get all our updates.
What happens if Ylfe doesn't launch? If we can't make this work, we will notify all Angels immediately and stop billing. Subscriptions are month-to-month with no long-term commitment.
Do authors get paid from Angel subscriptions? Right now, Angel revenue covers hosting and operational costs while authors are being paid out of pocket. Once we hit sustainable scale, author payments will come from the subscription pool using our time-read revenue share model.
Why not use Kickstarter or Patreon? We want to own the relationship with readers directly. Crowdfunding platforms take fees, impose their rules, and can change terms overnight. By building our own subscription system, we keep costs low and stability high.
Will there be physical books? Yes. For our top-performing novels, we intend to pursue physical releases. Real books you can hold, shelve, and share.
Just want to browse? Start with our free sample chapters.