Nocturnal Tales

A quick update from Nocturnal Tales

A lot of you already know this, so I’ll keep it straight: YouTube has fully demonetised the channel and, despite appeals and escalation via the support team on X, nothing has moved. At this point we have to assume YouTube will not pay us for these stories – including our November earnings and anything going forward.

Their last reply says our channel is “inauthentic content” and gives examples of what they mean:

*Content that exclusively features readings of other materials you did not originally create, like text from websites or news feeds

*Songs you did not originally create which have been modified to change the pitch or speed, but are otherwise identical to the original song

*Highly repetitive content with minimal variation across videos

*Mass-produced content, or content using a similar template across multiple videos

*Image slideshows or scrolling text with minimal or no narrative, commentary, or educational value

We don’t see how that applies to what we do: fully written original mysteries, researched and drafted one by one, with unique narration, structure, and atmosphere in every episode. We have repeatedly asked for concrete examples of which videos are supposedly in breach so we can adjust, but they refuse to point to specific content and simply tell us to “change the channel” and re-apply in 90 days. Without knowing what they’re actually flagging, that’s basically impossible. If anyone who listens to us, likes our work, and knows the ins and outs of YouTube has any idea what they might be referring to, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

So, if you want to help us keep going, here are the concrete things that make a real difference now:

1) Patreon

We’ve shifted the “heart” of Nocturnal Tales to Patreon.

From about $2.99/month, you help replace part of the income YouTube has cut off.

On our Archive Society tier, we now publish a monthly eBook:

10 carefully chosen stories

Fully formatted, with illustrations

Your name in the credits of the volume

That tier has a 7-day free trial, so you can join, grab the current EPUB/PDF, and see if it’s worth it for you with zero obligation.

2) If you’re on X (Twitter), you can actually pressure YouTube

If you have an account on X, you can help by posting and tagging @TeamYouTube, asking them to manually review Nocturnal Tales and saying in your own words why you think these are high-quality, carefully written stories and not “AI spam content”.

One person shouting into the void doesn’t matter. Hundreds of individual listeners, each with their own post, are harder to ignore.

3) The petition (important note about money)

There’s also a petition linked in our videos descriptions. Signing it adds a bit more pressure even though we are unsure that anyone at youtube actually took the time to read it. And please remember, do not donate money on the petition page – that money goes to Change.org to promote the petition, not to us.

4) Everything else that still helps

Listening on Spotify and Rumble (both will hopefully at some point pay ad revenue)

Sending a one-off tip via BuyMeACoffee

And simply staying with us until the end of the stories

Tonight’s story will go up as planned. As long as we can afford to keep writing and recording, we will. To everyone who has already stepped in on Patreon, BuyMeACoffee, X, Spotify, Rumble – thank you. You’re the reason Nocturnal Tales exists at all.

Nicolas & Dora

4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 68

Nocturnal Tales

🕵️ Nocturnal Tales is now on Spotify

Our Spotify channel is live and ready:
👉 open.spotify.com/show/0OQ7OEseXIMbMt2NTI7oHy?si=FY…

Over the coming days, I’ll be uploading the recent episodes from the past few months so you can listen to them there as well. New episodes going forward will also appear on Spotify, so you’ll be able to follow the series like a proper mystery podcast.

For those who want access to the full back catalogue, every story we’ve released is available in the complete library on Patreon.

Listening on Spotify (and supporting us on Patreon if you’re able) makes a real difference, especially while YouTube has cut our monetisation.

1 week ago | [YT] | 38

Nocturnal Tales

Our channel’s future is at risk – can you help us by signing a petition?

Dear friends,

A quick update on where things stand with the channel.

As many of you know, YouTube has demonetized Nocturnal Tales, classifying our long-form stories as “inauthentic / mass-produced content.” We appealed, but the decision was upheld with very generic language and no concrete examples of what we’re supposed to change.

For us, this is not just a line in an email. Nocturnal Tales is our full-time work and the way we support our family. More importantly, we know from your messages that these stories have become part of many people’s evenings and routines.

Because of that, we are now considering a second, more structured appeal – possibly with legal support or at least with more formal documentation. We are still exploring our options, but one thing is already clear: the more clearly we can show what this channel means to real listeners, the better our chances of being taken seriously.

That’s why we’ve created a petition on Change.org:

c.org/QwHjWgzFmP

If you wish to help, you can sign it and, above all, add a short note in your own words about:

How long you’ve been listening,

When and how you use the stories (to sleep, to calm anxiety, for company at night, etc.),

Why you feel that Nocturnal Tales is clearly not “mass-produced” filler, but careful, high-effort storytelling.

We will not use this petition to attack or harass anyone at YouTube. The goal is simply to gather visible, honest testimony that shows there is a real community here and that the content is meaningful to you.

There is absolutely no obligation. If all you can do is keep listening on the platforms where we are still able to earn a living, that already helps more than you know. But if you have a few minutes to add your name and a sentence or two, it could give real weight to whatever next steps we take.

Thank you, sincerely, for standing by us through all of this. We will keep you updated as things move forward.

With gratitude,
Nicolas and Dora

Note : Signing is 100% free. Change.org may ask you to pay to “boost” the petition, but that money goes to Change.org, not to us – please don’t feel obliged to pay anything.

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 122

Nocturnal Tales

🕯️ New Story Out Now on Rumble for Free

Dear friends,

Our new full-length mystery, Poirot and the Shadow of Whitechapel, is now live on Patreon and Rumble.
It will premiere here on YouTube tomorrow evening.

Because of the recent demonetization of our channel, we now have to release each new story first on Patreon and Rumble, as these are the platforms that currently allow us to keep Nocturnal Tales alive.

If you cannot support us on Patreon, please know you are still very welcome with us.
In that case, Rumble is the best place to watch the story for free, as it works just like YouTube — but actually pays creators through ad revenue. Every view there helps us more than you can imagine.

🎧 Watch on Rumble (free & supports us):
rumble.com/v72nbpe-poirot-and-the-shadow-of-whitec…

📺 Our Rumble Channel:
rumble.com/c/c-7820714?e9s=src_v1_cbl

💛 If you’d like to support us directly, here is our Patreon:
www.patreon.com/NocturnalTales

Thank you, truly, for keeping this little world of mysteries alive with us.
We are doing everything we can to adapt, create, and continue telling the stories you love.

See you tomorrow for the YouTube release — and happy listening to those who jump in early! 🕵️✨

— Nicolas & Dora,
Nocturnal Tales

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 36

Nocturnal Tales

Important update:

Dear friends,

We wanted to share another honest update with you.
Today we received YouTube’s final response regarding our appeal, and unfortunately it has been rejected. They have confirmed that our channel will remain demonetized, stating that a “significant portion” of our work is considered “inauthentic” or “mass-produced.” It’s incredibly difficult news to process, especially knowing how much care, time, and originality goes into every story we create.

To be transparent, we are taking this very hard. Nocturnal Tales is not only our creative home — it’s our daily work, our passion, and something we’ve built with all of you over time. Hearing that our stories fall under such a category has been deeply discouraging, and we are still in shock as we try to understand what this means going forward.

Tomorrow’s story will still go live exactly as planned, but after that we will likely slow down our uploads on YouTube. At the same time, we will continue publishing at our usual pace — three to four stories a week — on Patreon, where we hope our work can remain sustainable. We also expect to expand to other platforms that support ads (Spotify, potentially others). Once we have settled on our direction, we will share it with you.

Over the next weeks, we will also begin gradually removing some of our older content from YouTube. With monetization disabled, offering a full ad-free catalogue publicly doesn’t feel fair to those supporting us elsewhere, and we need to think carefully about how to protect our work and continue in a meaningful way.

Thank you for the outpouring of kindness these past days. Your messages and your presence here have meant more to us than we can express — especially now, as we try to find our footing.

Warmly,
Nicolas & Dora
Nocturnal Tales 🕵️🕯️

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 43

Nocturnal Tales

A Difficult Update to Share

Dear friends,

We wanted to give you a quick update. YouTube has temporarily suspended our monetization, and as a result they’ve also removed our channel memberships — this is standard procedure when monetization is paused. The reason given is “Inauthentic content – content that appears mass-produced or repetitive to increase views without adding significant educational or other value.” We have submitted an appeal, but we don’t know how long the process will take or whether it will be successful.

Tonight’s story will still go live as planned — we want to keep creating for as long as we can. However, we don’t know how long we will realistically be able to continue publishing on YouTube under these conditions.

If you wish to continue following and supporting our work, the only available option at the moment is Patreon, since channel memberships and monetization have been disabled. Joining us there would be a significant help for our family during this transition, as it is currently our main source of income.
You can join us here:
www.patreon.com/c/NocturnalTales

For anyone who prefers one-time support, you can also do so here:
buymeacoffee.com/nocturnaltales

We may also explore other podcast platforms to diversify and keep the stories going.

There is absolutely no obligation — your presence, comments, and encouragement already mean so much. We simply want to be transparent with you about what is happening.

Thank you for being part of this community, now more than ever.
Warmly,
Nicolas and Dora — Nocturnal Tales 🕵️

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 49

Nocturnal Tales

We’ve just closed the poll about sneak peeks… and we’ve heard you.

From now on, we will not post preview chapters of our members-only Sunday extra stories. When a bonus episode is for Members/Patreon, it will stay that way at launch – no more half-stories in the main feed. Thank you for being honest with us and helping shape how Nocturnal Tales works. 💛

Tonight’s extra story is going out to Patreon supporters and YouTube Members, and we are extremely proud of this one.
It’s a 2-hour special focused entirely on our original character Veronica Lakewood – a glamorous, sharp, and very determined woman walking a dangerous line between high society and scandal. Some of you will remember her from “The Vanishing Songbird” and “The Pistols of Buenos Aires”; this time the spotlight is all on her, and we hope it will be the start of a whole new series with Veronica as the main character. 🌙

For everyone who isn’t a Member or Patron:
we’re seriously thinking about releasing these Sunday extra stories to the public later on if there’s enough interest.

Thank you, as always, for reading, listening, and keeping our little mystery world alive. 🕵️✨

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 22

Nocturnal Tales

Let’s Decide Together About Previews

We saw that yesterday’s sneak peek for our Sunday Special Sherlock story caused some frustration, and we want to address it clearly.

We posted the first two chapters of the member-only story as a preview, but some viewers understandably felt misled when the video then mentioned that the full story was available only for YouTube Members or Patreon. That was never our intention, and we’re sorry if it felt like a bait-and-switch to anyone.

To avoid any further confusion, the sneak-peek video has now been unpublished.
And to make things right, we will upload the full Sherlock story for everyone later this week.

These last weeks we’ve been working hard to publish our usual three weekly stories plus an extra one every Sunday — all written, edited, narrated, and illustrated with the same care you expect from us.
At the same time, YouTube hasn’t been pushing our content the way it used to, so we thought that posting short previews might help visibility and keep the stories alive. Clearly, this wasn’t the right approach for everyone.

We’ll add a poll so you can tell us honestly whether you want sneak peeks in the future — or if you’d rather we avoid them entirely. Your feedback truly shapes how we do things.

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for supporting us however you choose to do so.
Enjoy tonight’s story. 🕵️

Nicolas & Dora

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 20

Nocturnal Tales

🕯️ A New Chapter for Nocturnal Tales — Now on Patreon 🎩

Dear friends and listeners,

We have some exciting news to share.
From today, Nocturnal Tales has officially opened its doors on Patreon — a candlelit corner of the web where those who wish to support these mysteries more directly can now do so.

Over the coming days, we’ll be uploading at least ten of our current YouTube stories per day (starting with the most-loved ones), until the full library is available there — and of course, all new episodes will appear on Patreon at the same time they debut on YouTube.

✨ You can even start with a free 7-day trial on our lower tiers, so feel free to explore and see what fits you best.

YouTube has been a wonderful home, but ad revenue alone doesn’t offer the stability we need to keep producing stories with the same care, music, and detail you’ve come to expect.
Patreon helps us build something more sustainable — a quiet, independent foundation powered by this community.

Every mystery will still appear on YouTube, freely available for everyone (with ads).
YouTube Members will continue to enjoy ad-free listening right here.
But for those who’d like to step a little closer to the firelight, Patreon offers something special:

🎧 Early Access Explorer – $2.99/month
Ad-free episodes and early access to every new mystery.

✍️ The Writing Table – $12/month
Everything above, plus monthly voting on story themes and exclusive behind-the-scenes notes: alternate endings, character sketches, and unused clues.

📜 The Archive Society – $30/month
Everything above, plus a beautifully formatted Quarterly Nocturnal Tales Anthology (PDF + EPUB) featuring all stories, author’s notes, and your name in the credits.

💡 The Mystery Patron – $65/month (limited)
Everything above, plus the chance to submit one story idea per month.
Each week, one idea from this tier becomes a full episode — with a personal dedication in the credits.

🕵️ The Private Commission Case – $300 (limited)
A fully bespoke 50–70 minute mystery, written to your direction and delivered privately for one month before its public release.

And if you’re not a Patron, don’t worry — you’ll also be able to purchase individual stories à la carte as well.

Patreon is more than a platform; it’s a way to keep Nocturnal Tales alive for years to come — to write more, record more, and expand the universe of elegant mysteries that brought us all together.

If you can afford to join, your support truly makes a difference.
If not, your presence here — listening, commenting, and sharing — means the world.

👉 patreon.com/nocturnaltales

Thank you, as always, for being part of this little salon of shadows and secrets.
Your kindness keeps the lamplight burning.

With gratitude,
Nicolas & Dora
🕯️ Nocturnal Tales

1 month ago | [YT] | 24

Nocturnal Tales

🕰️ Sunday Extra Episode Announcement

Thank you all for voting over the past few days — your responses were fantastic to read.
As many of you guessed… the clear winner this time is Sherlock Holmes. 🕵️‍♂️🕯️
So this Sunday’s extra episode will be a Holmes mystery — atmospheric, clever, and just a touch eerie. I think you’ll enjoy where we’re taking him…

🔍 What happens next?
We’ll continue exploring the other detectives you mentioned — giving each their moment in the candlelight — starting with the characters that received the most votes.

Here’s the current rotation plan, based on your mentions:

This Sunday: Sherlock Holmes — Highest number of votes (9)
Next Sunday: Miss Marple — 5 mentions
Following Sunday: Jules Maigret — 3 mentions

Then, in no fixed order (each with 1 mention):
• Father Brown
• Phryne Fisher
• Roderick Alleyn
• Inspector Morse

(We’ll adjust a bit if new votes come in — especially on the last four.)

🎧 And after that…
Once each has had their turn, we’ll look at how the audience responds — likes, comments, watch time — and build an ongoing rotation around your favorites.
In short: You’re helping shape the future of the channel.

Thank you again for the warmth, the curiosity, and the long conversations in the comments.
See you Sunday evening. The game, as ever, is afoot. 🔎✨

1 month ago | [YT] | 92