A readership conundrum

I have been coming to Literotica for both the chat and stories for most of my adult life, but I have only recently tried my hand at posting my own stories on the site. The experience has been super rewarding, enjoyable and edifying. I am looking forward to writing more and have several ideas, but I want to better understand some patterns I have noticed before I dive in.

I have published three stories on the site so far. I feel blessed that each have been at least mildly liked by most of those who took the time to read them. To be honest, I don't like the first story I published very much and don't feel it works the way I wanted it to, but publishing it helped me get over my fear of putting things on the site. I then crafted two more stories that I posted in April within days of each other.

The way each story was received fascinates me. In fact, human behavior and statistics intrigue me in general. I posted my first story in December in the Non-Consent category. It received about 14,000 views in a month and received about 50 votes. It remained like this until I posted my second story in April. This one was an Exhibitionist story and proved to generate more interest than the first story (I feel it to be a MUCH better story). At the time of this post, that story has 18,500 views and 137 votes. Also, more people started to read my first story because of it, which brought the views of that to 19,000 and added about 20 votes.

Now, this is the part I really need help to figure out. I posted my third story a few days after I posted my second story. It is in the BDSM category and I feel it is pretty descent, though as one of the comments points out, it could use editing. I have a phobia of people editing my work I need to get over. Anyway, the readership on that story is dramatically lower than the other two. There are only 4000 views on it and it only 36 votes. That isn't even a fourth of the total readership of my other two stories.

So, does anyone have any insight on why that third story received less attention than the first two? I have a few theories and I am trying to determine which is the most correct. My top theory is that the BDSM category is more popular than the Non-consent and Exhibitionist categories meaning there is just more competition for eyeballs. If this is true, than I am wary of writing for other categories that have a lot of stories in them such as Erotic Couplings and Loving Wives. Another theory is that those who like to read BDSM stories are more selective about what they will partake in. I know I have a very specific kind of BDSM that I like and will avoid stories that do not align with my views. Another theory is that I posted my third story too soon after my second. Yet another theory is that the popularity that second story achieved is rare and that my expectations are skewed because of it

In conclusion, I obviously have very little idea what I am doing, hee hee. As a new author, I am basically depending on people checking out things on the "new stories" list. In the future, I hope there are people who read my stuff because they like me as an author. Yet, before I choose which idea I want to act on next, I would like to know how genre with effect the readership amount of my story.

Does anyone have any insight on all this?

Likely the best way, regardless of how long you've been posting, is to continue posting so that stories show up on the New list. People do search for stories via tags, or use the category hubs, but I think the New Story list is probably what drives most views and there isn't much to be done about that.

That said, though, I don't think it matters what category you post in. Regardless, when it's posted, it will show up in the New List and people who like that category will try it out, and maybe others who are just curious.

Incest has lots of stories and is probably the most-read, so people are going to continue to submit stories there and it doesn't matter how many incest stories already exist. Some categories are just more popular than others. If you write in Letters & Transcripts, or Chain Stories, you can't expect the same readership as in Romance or Nonhuman.

I will offer the following advice --

* As nice as feedback is, and high scores are, don't live and die by it. This is not a peer review site. A small percentage of readers vote and and an even smaller percentage leave comments. Some categories seem to have "softer" voting than others, for whatever reason. Take all that into consideration and don't let it get under your skin.

* It will be trial and error, but try to find an editor to work with especially if you yourself feel you'd benefit from it. The editors here aren't pros, most of them, and so don't take what they say as gospel. If you don't feel an editor gets you or your writing, the politely bow out and find another.

* I don't know why you have a fear of being edited, and perhaps you're exaggerating, but I would suggest trying to get past it. Writing improves with practice and feedback, although you have to sort through the feedback. An editor should help improve your story, not replace your voice with their own or anything like that. But for just about all of us, a second pair of eyes is beneficial.

* If you want positive feedback (and who doesn't), that's fine. But if you're afraid that an editor will critique you and you see that as negative, then you need to toughen up a bit. We all make mistakes. At some point, you'll get critical feedback and need to deal with it. The internet is full of trolls, after all (a good portion of whom seem to reside in the Loving wives' comment section on this site, so be warned), who will slam you for no good reason. But why let what an anonymous stranger on the internet says upset you?

* Reads on your stories will ebb and flow. Roll with it. You'll get a lot of views/reads when the story first goes up, and then probably within a week, reads and votes will drop off a cliff. It happens to us all.

So with all that said, good luck. If you want to write, keep writing, because you'll only get better with practice (and some editing ).

Insight? Yes. The stories are in three different categories, so they aren't comparable. Also, there are so many variables on who's going to either view or vote on stories under changing conditions that that isn't comparable over just a few stories either. The usual advice: write what you like the way you like to write it. There will be both fans and detractors for anything. Comparing apples to kumquats isn't going to give you any useful information.

In my experience, there are several factors which determine the amount of views you will receive. In no particular order:

- Luck

- Category

- Story title

- Luck

- Story description

- The day its posted (whether a lot of people are viewing the site)

- The placement on the "new stories list"

- Luck

I've posted 66 story. Sometimes the trend is upwards, meaning each story gets more than the last. Sometimes it goes downwards, each story get less and less views. Then guess what? It goes back up again.

If you look at the stats, sometimes people will post a story which gets massive views. Then the next story gets only a tiny fraction.

That's just the way it goes.

My top theory is that the BDSM category is more popular than the Non-consent and Exhibitionist categories meaning there is just more competition for eyeballs.

Click to expand...

Actually, BDSM is less read than Exhibitionist or Nonconcent. That's why it has less views.

Learn to edit.

Learn something new about writing every week, and play with it.

Have something to say.

Have a moral philosophy and the large box of values.

My motto from the day I heard it, with writing and everything else.

Think about this. I have been on Lit. since '06, but only recently began writting in earnest. One of the best felings in my life is that now nearly a half million people have opened my stories. (I count it as having read them). Most of my stories hover above 4.25 and about 1/3 draw red aitches at any given moment. Also I have learned on this site (mostly through encouragement) how to create e-books and have made (very little) money. In about two years time I have come from being unsure about myself and my writing to a kind of fulfillment I only dreamed of before. Last year I wrote over 30 stories and all were accepted, and six published for sale.

My advice, yes find yourself an editor, but more importantly write, write, write.

The worst story I've written so far got 20,000 views in three days. The one I thought was best got 3,700 in two weeks.

Funny old world.