> This doesn't seem sustainable without outside sources of revenue.

The reality for most creators, really. There's way more supply than demand and you have to contend with power laws.

The top ~1% of books, movies, games, music, youtube videos, twitch streams, HN threads, etc, always dominate. Capturing ~80% of attention/money. The distribution falls off rapidly with a long tail, which is unsustainable for most.