Many books start out as a story to see if people like it on HFY, LitRPG or Royalroad type forums, then if people vote up, they start kickstart/patreon to write

Many books start out as a story to see if people like it on HFY, LitRPG or Royalroad type forums, then if people vote up, they start kickstart/patreon to write the series. Many new authors have started like that. Its also how some manga/anime are launched, content fans really want is turns into content. The comic book industry also used this model, thats why so many 3rd party publishers now.