Do you have a following of loyal readers

StrangeLife said:

Actually he's mine. And he has given me so much useful advice over the months I've been on Lit in his untiring strife to help me improve as a writer.

Like:

"Eat shit and die."
"Go f... yourself n.gg.r-lover."
"Your just another cuckie a..hole."
"What an idiot."
"Boring."
"Unreadable."

... and my favorite...

"Learn to spell properly, moran."


And of I really do take the criticism of my fans to heart. In fact last week I ate a serving of my mother-in-law's meatloaf. I didn't die though...

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Oh No! Anonymous has been cheating on me. Worse still he talks dirty to you.

All I ever get is
"Typical Brit shit"
"You Brits wanna grow a pair"
and even
"Who taught you grammer"

(tear) what am I going to do. He's cuckolded me. I know I'll fish out my 357 Magnum and go out and shoot the bastard. Oh No I can't get one of them in this country, I guess it'll have to be toothpicks at twelve paces. The bastard doesn't know how long mine is.

Zeb_Carter said:

Mmmm...there is the entire male population of England. Every month at the Kindle store they purchase 100's of copies of one of my short stories over there. And I mean hundreds of copies.

As for the rest, they do okay, but not like that one.

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Hmm, how do you know they're male or even English, they could be little old ladies in the Scottish crofts whiling away the long nights. Or does Amazon give you gender and ethnicity reports.

Just curious

I believe I have a strong fan base but they aren't groupies. haha They are not afraid to speak their mind if they liked or dislike a story.

To Tx Tall Tales: You deserve the following, you are one hell of a good writer.

With respect
DG

I don't think so. I get favorites and comments, but I don't see a lot of repeat names--unless it is someone going backward through my catalog. I call those people "engaged readers." What I don't see are the same names popping up every time I post something new.

Another indicator--in the spring I submitted a two chapter story that was relatively successful in terms of scores, views, favorites. This month I posted a three part story that also did well. In between I posted a single chapter story that almost no one looked at. So no, I don't think I have a loyal following.

I think that anyone that contributes to the site on any kind of regular basis, and achieves any kind of decent scoring, ends up with at least a minimal fan base.

I write both single shot strokers and multi-chapter series. My fan base isn't huge, but there is one there...mainly for the gay romance stories, although I see the occasional same name pop up under comments for the strokers.

It's been my experience that you may get more eyeballs on a one-off story, but the real fan base can be seen with the number of views, votes, and favoriting that you are still getting 4 or 5 chapters into a series. The ones that stick it out all the way to the end of 10 or 12 chapters have to be labeled as some kind of committed (or committable) fan. Whether they are crossing over and reading everything else that I submit is the unknown.

Getting the story done and up is the banana. Getting that first 1,000 or 10,000 hits is the ice cream. Comments that make you smile is the chocolate sauce. Seeing the red H pop is the whipped cream. Realizing you actually have some regular fans is the just the cherry on top.

I had a few on my multi-part series: people who'd comment on chapter after chapter, and/or send nice feedback.

DeYaKen said:

Hmm, how do you know they're male or even English, they could be little old ladies in the Scottish crofts whiling away the long nights. Or does Amazon give you gender and ethnicity reports.

Just curious

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It's just a guess. It could be the entire female population of Britain or just Scotland or even just Wales. Either way, they do like that story.

I am frequently surprised, not that a few like some of my stories, but how long their memories are.

I get feedback on some new stories mentioning others posted a decade ago.

Even some stories that actually received few PCs or feedback at the time seem to have made an impact e.g. Hedgehog Feud as oggbashan and Unatit as jeanne_d_artois. My deliberate stinker: The Worst Chain Story Ever Ch.01 seems to have scarred some people for life.

Thank you to those who like some of my work.

DG Hear said:

I believe I have a strong fan base but they aren't groupies. haha They are not afraid to speak their mind if they liked or dislike a story.

To Tx Tall Tales: You deserve the following, you are one hell of a good writer.

With respect
DG

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I appreciate that, especially coming from you. I think you already know I'm a fan, I've said it before.

I think we know the truth. I'm a dirty old man, and a pretty good storyteller. In the last year and a half, I've become a decent writer. There's many, many better wordsmiths and craftsman around here, and that's the part of my game I'm working on hardest. I write character driven smut, detailed stories, with somewhat of a plot. Turns out there's a following for that kind of stuff.

In contrast to what some people are saying, my fan base (author favorites) didn't really pick up until a little over a year ago, when I stopped writing one general type of story. I always had a pretty good following under the Group Sex category but that was about it. Even when posted under different categories, it was mostly the younger male harem, one guy, multi-women scenario.

When I branched out into other categories (Loving Wives, Exhibitionist, Romance, Incest/Taboo, and lately Erotic Horror) the fan numbers went ballistic. I wasn't even in the top 200 18 months ago. A year ago, I released the Last Boy Scout as a tribute to reaching 3000 favorites and cracking the top 25. I have a story I was going to release at 4000, but it came up too fast. I don't think it'll even be done by the time I hit 5000.

I think I'm stuck at #3, until somebody catches me from below. The two authors above me, silkstockinglover and goldeniangel have huge followings, a big lead, and they gain new favorites as fast as I do.

NightyKnight said:

As an example only (please don't take offense anyone), I just finished reading Tx Tall Tales' story The Last Boy Scout which was submitted/posted like 3 years ago or something like that. Group sex ain't my thing, but Jesus! The writing was soooo great and so f'ing HOT I honestly soaked a pair of panties reading it. When I finished I was bewildered as to how someone could crank out so many pages and keep it going as such a real page-turner! I could not stop reading it until I read the whole thing, which I'm guessing was way over 150 pages or so on a computer program like Word. So is Tx Tall Tales one of the masters I study? Yes he is. Do I affect his scores? At this point probably not.

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Thanks so much. Kindest words you could offer.

It always amazes me when my stories resonate with smart women. That was never meant to be the target audience, but from the comments, it seems to work. I love to hear their opinions.

I have my idols on here as well. There are some VERY good, talented writers. Some are extremely prolific, others have only cast a few gems out there, leaving me craving for more.

I've read your work. I like it a lot. Your new series hits its niche perfectly. Ignore the jerkoffs who tell you nobody likes father-daughter. It's not as popular as Mother/Son, or Brother/Sister, but it's a strong third.

• Moving in On Dad scored a 4.82 (top 10 score with enough votes) and has 300K views.
• Discovering Daddy Ch. 03, gets a 4.81 with 327K views.
• A Crazy Weekend Ch. 01, 4.80, 155k views.
• Tigerjack's Brand New Me, got the coveted Green E. As did Coolville's Daddy's Little Mpeg Fuckstar.
• Nick_Scipio's Breakdown Pt. 02 won a contest. (He does great work)
• TwistedJoe37 has written a dozen Red H father-daughter stories.

One of my series, Bad Heather, started out as a mean trick on the reader, a good story with a horrible ending, done for one of the contests I was ineligible to win. I was shooting for a really low score. Once I rewrote it, it did very well. One of my chapters in CvsN has some father/daughter stuff, not too much, and it scored a 4.78.



I do believe it's worth while to always tell your readers a little about your story, if there's anything controversial. Laurel points out that there is a very strong fetish and participant-preference lean among our readers. They know exactly what they want, and search it out. If your story doesn't give them a pretty good clue to the general type of smut they're about to read, they can get pissed off. Using the description and tags helps a lot. Not just father-daughter, but Father-Daughter AND spanking. Mother-Son AND pregnant. Brother-Sister AND non-consent. The right tags will bring in lots of readers, the exact kind who are predisposed to like your story.

Once you've got a following, or at least a writing history, they'll get the idea, but in the early days, forget that whole 'less is more' thing. More info is better. It's fun to be creative in our descriptions, Hell, I know I do it a lot, but usually it's better to be specific. In Sarah's Seduction Ch.01, a slight change to the description may have chased off the trolls. Something like:

Who is seducing whom? Dad or Sarah?

Your title and description are more creative, tantalizing. Unfortunately readers want specifics. I get away with murder, since I have a strong enough following and name recognition. Of course I was slow, it took me 10 years to get there. Most of my earlier titles were quite specific. For instance:

Our First Swing: Grown-up couples revisit teenage party games. Group Sex
A Blackmail Tale Ch. 01 What will she do to keep the pictures a secret? NonCon
CvsN 01: Convenience Vs. Need Two single mothers try out new living arrangements. Group Sex
Jen & Me: Sis-In-Law Rewards The pursuit (and capture) of his sister-in-law. Erotic Couplings


Once the first chapter is in place, you'll get your followers for subsequent chapters who like your work. That's why later chapters usually have fewer readers and higher scores. You've chased away the one's who don't like your stuff in the first chapter.

Alright, enough rambling. I still have 10K words of NaNoWriMo to go. Thanks for the comment on The Last Boy Scout. It's one of my top 5 favorites out of my work. Someday, I'll find the time to give BFF Teri her due.

I found that one series seemed to play off the other in getting 'fans'/readers. Those who read novels/novellas and liked Blood of the Clans, checked out what else I had and began reading that as well, even though they are completely different in scope. I believe the opposite is true of Redwood Nine and that it brings new readers to my other series.

I have no idea who is reading both, but a few who have faved chs to read. I do know that I would consider those readers as fans of ne and not fans of a certain story I'm writing.

NightyKnight said:

As an example only (please don't take offense anyone), I just finished reading Tx Tall Tales' story The Last Boy Scout which was submitted/posted like 3 years ago or something like that. Group sex ain't my thing, but Jesus! The writing was soooo great and so f'ing HOT I honestly soaked a pair of panties reading it. When I finished I was bewildered as to how someone could crank out so many pages and keep it going as such a real page-turner! I could not stop reading it until I read the whole thing, which I'm guessing was way over 150 pages or so on a computer program like Word. So is Tx Tall Tales one of the masters I study? Yes he is. Do I affect his scores? At this point probably not.

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3 Words: The Perfect Game

He is something else, isn't he?

I'm not sure if

I have loyal readers or not, but I do see the same names in the comment section on most of my newer submissions.
I have received e-mails, but haven't received more than one from any of them except Anon and he doesn't count.
I write for my enjoyment, but knowing someone took the time to read my story, felt the need to comment and/or vote, or send me an e-mail saying they liked it does give me a small charge of pride.
I'm absolutely positive I don't have the loyal readers that stangstar06, TX Tall Tales, or any of the other great writers who have been doing this for a long time have.
The question for most of us amateurs is a difficult one to answer. My answer would have to be: maybe.

Tx Tall Tales said:

It always amazes me when my stories resonate with smart women. That was never meant to be the target audience, but from the comments, it seems to work.

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Are you kidding me? You aren't writing for women? I'll tell you what appeals to this woman. In your stories reasonable women are eased so gradually into doing crazy, sexual things that they don't realize what they're doing. And you make it believable.

Then you hit us over the head with That Old House.

And you aren't writing for women? I don't buy it for a minute.

Lee

I get a few hundred reads over at non-erotic, and bazillions at Loving Wives, tho they profess to hate me. I saw one today that now around 35K reads.

I have an idea I wanna test at LW. The story is of a black husband cucked by his white wife. Its a true story.

JAMESBJOHNSON said:

I get a few hundred reads over at non-erotic, and bazillions at Loving Wives, tho they profess to hate me. I saw one today that now around 35K reads.

I have an idea I wanna test at LW. The story is of a black husband cucked by his white wife. Its a true story.

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That should go over like the proverbial fart in church, I think.

Hard for me to say if I have enough to comprise a following, but I know I have one reader who has proven to be a huge fan of my Kellie and Brad series (Chapter 9 just posted today!! /end shameless plug).

I'd like to think that if one person likes it enough to leave comments and e-mails that there are others who like it just as much but for some reason don't comment. Maybe that makes me delusional... but that's OK because it's MY delusion!

I have a pretty solid following, but it didn't come right away. Most of my first year here was spent on one series. Siblings with Benefits. Even though it was in the incest category, it was a dark series and not for everyone.

But once it finished I began writing some "lighter" incest stories and branched out into some other categories and that has gained me a fairly large fan base.

That comes in handy in counteracting troll attacks because I have a lot of people watching for my new stories. You can see the difference it makes because day one is usually when the trolls, both personal and the ones that simply go up and down bombing the new stories.

But the second and third days the scores go up as your "regulars" find you and generally vote favorably.

A good following can also make itself known and be very helpful in the contests.

patientlee said:

That should go over like the proverbial fart in church, I think.

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Wow, talking about sitting in a pew.

drteetho said:

Hard for me to say if I have enough to comprise a following, but I know I have one reader who has proven to be a huge fan of my Kellie and Brad series (Chapter 9 just posted today!! /end shameless plug).

I'd like to think that if one person likes it enough to leave comments and e-mails that there are others who like it just as much but for some reason don't comment. Maybe that makes me delusional... but that's OK because it's MY delusion!

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I read Lit stories for years and years and never voted or commented because I didn't want anyone to know I was reading porn. Then, of course, I got that crazy-ass idea to submit a story. I was 39. It was liberating.

lovecraft68 said:

Wow, talking about sitting in a pew.

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I cannot tell you how much I have laughed over farts in the last week. I spend most of my life telling my kids that potty talk is disgusting, but I have giggled until the tears rolled down my face. (And hubby made baked beans for dinner. As my 8 y/o said, "It's fartamania out here!")

Can't we all just agree to share Anon? I'll take her on Fridays.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I'm not really sure if I have a fan base, the comments and emails are usually few and far between. Maybe I've just got lucky with people trolling the 'new' lists?

Since I've got a few dozen stories. And most have a half-decent rating, I guess I would have to assume that there are a few stalkers out there. I always have to wonder if the random genre changes drive some folks away. Maybe I need an alt for each genre?

patientlee said:

I read Lit stories for years and years and never voted or commented because I didn't want anyone to know I was reading porn. Then, of course, I got that crazy-ass idea to submit a story. I was 39. It was liberating.

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Like Patientlee, I also read Lit stories for years before trying to write one of my own six weeks ago. I would be surprised if I had a follower, let alone a following, but I do have two questions:

When readers e-mail you (positive) private feedback, do you reply?

And, though I have only attempted stand-alone short stories at this point, do readers prefer multi-part stories? It seems like a lot of the top scores reflect that.

With my old account* there were a couple of people who'd comment frequently and send the odd email. With this account I've only got one story up and frankly it doesn't have the same kind of mass appeal that the stuff on my old account has, so I'm not holding my breath.

*I started this one because what I'm writing now doesn't really compare, I'd have felt wrong putting it alongside my older stuff.

Seanathon said:

When readers e-mail you (positive) private feedback, do you reply?

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I didn't use to, but after having read some of the other writers opinions on the subject I have started doing it sometime.