The real meaning of the all hallowed red H

[ShelbyDawn57]

I've gotten a series of requests from followers and readers to publish e versions of some of my stories, promising they'd buy them(Yeah, I buy lottery tickets every now and then, too)

Anyway, I've been considering it, but it has me wondering if the scoring system here on Lit, as meaningless as it is, is worth anything in the real world. Can I use say, 4.5 as a minimum score for consideration for outside publication? Does such a score exist? Is there another parameter, say votes or views or favorites that would be better?

Hoping for answers from authors who have done what I'm considering, but as always, all voices count in here.

Thanks in advance

ESIT:

To clarify a bit. Most of my stories are happy ending fairy tales in the Transgender space, steeped in love and acceptance. The calls I'm getting to publish all mirror the thought that such prose is direly needed, especially now. So, consider as you will...

 

[iwatchus]

I certainly have not done what you are considering, but I would caution that readers outside here do not necessarily correspond to those who vote here.

Each audience has differences. For example, I think T/I has an audience here that is not replicated outside, but SF&F gets crickets here, which is not true beyond these hallowed walls.
Someone in the "Is this quality thread" just commented on ratings being more based on content than quality here. I would discount any rating for a story that is tuned to a particular audience here (or is punished for not meeting the kinks of the audience here).

 

[alohadave]

Can I use say, 4.5 as a minimum score for consideration for outside publication?

I wouldn't use an arbitrary score here as criteria to publish somewhere else. Different places have different audiences, so what works well here may not work well somewhere else.

Post anything you think is good and see how they do, regardless of how they've scored here.

 

[IWroteThis]

Someone in the "Is this quality thread" just commented on ratings being more based on content than quality here.

I don't think I will ever understand the people who think that is bad or unexpected. Of course normal people are going to rate a story based on the story. I mean, the words under the stars even make it clear that ratings are about enjoyment value. It's almost like this is an entertainment web site…

 

[iwatchus]

I don't think I will ever understand the people who think that is bad or unexpected. Of course normal people are going to rate a story based on the story. I mean, the words under the stars even make it clear that ratings are about enjoyment value. It's almost like this is an entertainment web site…

I didn't say there was something wrong with it. But those scores may not translate well outside Lit if the general auidence's kinks are different from the voter's. Who may or may not even represent a broad range of lit readers.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I would say use your own gut feeling, rather than the metric. Do you have a story that felt better than the score to you? Or one you think wasn't your best work but got a high rating anyway? I suspect we all do.
Start with the stuff you are most proud of, and then go from there. I'd also engage someone who resembles your potential market and have them take a look.

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

Most of my stories are happy ending fairy tales in the Transgender space, steeped in love and acceptance. The calls I'm getting to publish all mirror the thought that such prose is direly needed, especially now. So, consider as you will...

Short answer: Do it!

Longer answer: I recently received this in the latest newsletter from JMS Books. (I publish there as Davina Lee.)
New Submission Calls
NEW FOR 2026, we are opening our doors to all forms of queer fiction! In today's world, it is absolutely essential to make our voices heard, and we believe that powerful, diverse storytelling is one of the best ways to do that. We are actively seeking stories over 12,000 words that feature LGBTQ+ characters and themes. Your story does not need to contain any romantic subplot, but the main character(s) must identify as queer.

Make your voice heard.
https://www.jms-books.com/submission-guidelines-ezp-35.html

 

[Bramblethorn]

Lit scores are affected by quality but they're also affected by a ton of other things that may not translate into sales on another site. Contest effects, longer stories tending to get higher scores, quirks of Literotica demographics (I suspect readers here average older than for a lot of the places where one might sell stories), and random noise.

I guess what you could do is start with your highest-rated stories, put them up on [other site] and see how they do on, and if the response is promising then put up more stories.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I don't think I will ever understand the people who think that is bad or unexpected. Of course normal people are going to rate a story based on the story. I mean, the words under the stars even make it clear that ratings are about enjoyment value. It's almost like this is an entertainment web site…

Well, I think the point is that rating the story on the content of the story isn't necessarily the same as rating it on the story. I think a content-driven rating isn't about whether the story is good, or even a story; it's based on I Want To Fuck A Toaster, This Story Has Toaster-Fucking. If it escapes the community of toaster-fuckers, it's going to get slammed by an audience whose enjoyment of the story isn't driven primarily by whether their fetish is catered to. The rating is driven by the events of the story and whether the reader likes or agrees with them, rather than the quality of their execution. I think you can see that in the LW category, where two audiences with vastly different story expectations share a category and seem to really enjoy distributing 1s and 5s based on who has their house burned down at the end of the story.

 

[IWroteThis]

I didn't say there was something wrong with it. But those scores may not translate well outside Lit if the general auidence's kinks are different from the voter's. Who may or may not even represent a broad range of lit readers.

So, if I understand you correctly this time, you're saying that the ratings may not translate well because the audience outside Literotica will also be looking primarily at content, but may be looking for different content?

I agree with you, but your original comment about content vs quality makes even less sense now.

 

[IWroteThis]

Well, I think the point is that rating the story on the content of the story isn't necessarily the same as rating it on the story. I think a content-driven rating isn't about whether the story is good, or even a story; it's based on I Want To Fuck A Toaster, This Story Has Toaster-Fucking. If it escapes the community of toaster-fuckers, it's going to get slammed by an audience whose enjoyment of the story isn't driven primarily by whether their fetish is catered to. I think you can see that in the LW category, where two audiences with vastly different story expectations share a category and seem to really enjoy distributing 1s and 5s based on who has their house burned down at the end of the story.

As Bill Gates made famous, "Content is king." Whether it is on Literotica or anywhere else, the success of a story is determined by whether or not the audience who finds it finds it enjoyable. This is not limited to erotica by any means. Nobody reads stories just for the writing, except maybe English teachers looking for a new torture device to use in class.

Further, I would posit that a story with the hot icon stands a better chance of success elsewhere than one that does not. Why? For one thing, the fact that they succeeded in putting their story in front of an appreciative audience on Literotica is indicative that they will be more likely to do so elsewhere as well.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

As Bill Gates made famous, "Content is king." Whether it is on Literotica or anywhere else, the success of a story is determined by whether or not the audience who finds it finds it enjoyable. This is not limited to erotica by any means. Nobody reads stories just for the writing, except maybe English teachers looking for a new torture device to use in class.

Further, I would posit that a story with the hot icon stands a better chance of success elsewhere than one that does not. Why? For one thing, the fact that they succeeded in putting their story in front of an appreciative audience on Literotica is indicative that they will be more likely to do so elsewhere as well.

I guess I need to hit Amazon and Good Reads and see what's in the Transgender romance categories, if they even have them(Executive orders being what they are, and all).

 

[dirk2024]

I guess I need to hit Amazon and Good Reads and see what's in the Transgender romance categories, if they even have them(Executive orders being what they are, and all).

 

[Bamagan]

I don't think the ratings have much predictive value related to quality, at least not without a better understanding of the actual readership (as opposed to raw views) and their voting habits. So I wouldn't really suggest using them as a guide for publication... unless you literally have no other ideas for how to select or prioritize your work. As fickle as the ratings may be, they're probably at least slightly more useful guides than a random number generator or throwing darts to pick which ones to offer for sale.

I've gotten a series of requests from followers and readers to publish e versions of some of my stories, promising they'd buy them(Yeah, I buy lottery tickets every now and then, too)

Anyway, I've been considering it, but it has me wondering if the scoring system here on Lit, as meaningless as it is, is worth anything in the real world. Can I use say, 4.5 as a minimum score for consideration for outside publication? Does such a score exist? Is there another parameter, say votes or views or favorites that would be better?

Hoping for answers from authors who have done what I'm considering, but as always, all voices count in here.

Thanks in advance

ESIT:

To clarify a bit. Most of my stories are happy ending fairy tales in the Transgender space, steeped in love and acceptance. The calls I'm getting to publish all mirror the thought that such prose is direly needed, especially now. So, consider as you will...

 

[YmaOHyd]

As Bill Gates made famous, "Content is king." Whether it is on Literotica or anywhere else, the success of a story is determined by whether or not the audience who finds it finds it enjoyable. This is not limited to erotica by any means. Nobody reads stories just for the writing, except maybe English teachers looking for a new torture device to use in class.

I don't exactly agree. Sure, most people don't read writing to experience the craft of English prose independently of subject matter, but most people I think are willing to judge writing on the execution even if they don't agree 1:1 with the author's plot choices. There's a reason that 'this isn't what I wanted' is considered the laziest form of criticism. Yet that, I think, is the main driver of ratings here, at least in some categories.

 

[THBGato]

I think length has to be a factor too, surely? Especially when decided which to publish. Maybe this is such an obvious point, everyone is taking it as read, but I'll make it anyway.

I have two stories on 4.82 right now with similar numbers of votes, Coda and Forty. The first is 750 words, the other 81,000. Which are readers more likely to pay for?

An extreme example perhaps, but you take my point, right? A 50,000 word novella on 4.49 will probably sell better that a 4,000 word short even if it is ranked at 4.86. So I think in terms of making this decision, length should come before scores.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I think length has to be a factor too, surely? Especially when decided which to publish. Maybe this is such an obvious point, everyone is taking it as read, but I'll make it anyway.

I have two stories on 4.82 right now with similar numbers of votes, Coda and Forty. The first is 750 words, the other 81,000. Which are readers more likely to pay for?

An extreme example perhaps, but you take my point, right? A 50,000 word novella on 4.49 will probably sell better that a 4,000 word short even if it is ranked at 4.86. So I think in terms of making this decision, length should come before scores.

I'm considering both. I have two short novels, ~40k words +/-, several novellas 17.5K - 40K, and dozens of short stories. Based on my previous research, some of the short stories will be free teasers, most will be $1.99, and the rest will be priced according the the recommended schedule with a few anthologies.

What I'm trying to do is figure out how to balance them so I get a good mix in the anthologies(yes, some of the shorts will be stand-alone and in anthologies) and so I don't waist too much effort on the weaker stuff that won't sell regardless.

Assuming any of it sells.

 

[IWroteThis]

I don't exactly agree. Sure, most people don't read writing to experience the craft of English prose independently of subject matter, but most people I think are willing to judge writing on the execution even if they don't agree 1:1 with the author's plot choices. There's a reason that 'this isn't what I wanted' is considered the laziest form of criticism. Yet that, I think, is the main driver of ratings here, at least in some categories.

Lazy does not mean invalid, and I would go so far as to say that you misunderstood what makes it lazy. In fact, "I liked it," is equally considered lazy feedback, because both lack any specific details that would help the author to improve their writing, but it's still useful for the author to know whether or not they connected with their audience. To be honest, that basic liked/disliked feedback is probably going to be the most relevant predictor of did/didn't purchase.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hoping for answers from authors who have done what I'm considering, but as always, all voices count in here.

Surely you know which of your stories are worth trying to publishing elsewhere, using your own integrity and self worth as a writer?

Whilst a Red H is some kind of guidance, I reckon you need to calibrate where that threshold sits within your own catalogue. I've just taken a quick look at mine - for me, 4.60 is a demarcation between what I consider "good, I might try to publish that" and "I wouldn't bother making the effort" - unless it was in an anthology.

Having said that, I tried publishing several years ago, and am still in the red. I found the effort to get content (editorial, format, layout, cover, the whole kabundle) to a quality point where I felt I could ask someone to pay money for it, was disproportionate to the time required. I make more in an hour in my day job than I made in that first year.

I do have half a dozen lovely covers and some nice print versions on a bookshelf, so when I die my kids might think, what the fuck? But I've also got several suspended titles, because the crowd I used for production and distribution clamped down on erotica four or five years ago, and I couldn't be bothered looking for alternatives.

 

[onehitwanda]

Having said that, I tried publishing several years ago, and am still in the red. I found the effort to get content (editorial, format, layout, cover, the whole kabundle) to a quality point where I felt I could ask someone to pay money for it, was disproportionate to the time required. I make more in an hour in my day job than I made in that first year.

At least you made something from it!

I did everything myself (cover, internal artworks, layout, editing etc), self-published on Amazon, and sold one copy in total. It was an interesting experience, and I did it so that I could always think back and know I'd done it... but fuck me, I'd hate to be doing anything like publishing as my "day" job.

Every so often I log into KDP and giggle at the zeroes there.

My opinion is that you need a healthy dose of luck on top of hard work to become a published author, and my wishing well is dry.

 

[Bazzle]

I've gotten a series of requests from followers and readers to publish e versions of some of my stories, promising they'd buy them(Yeah, I buy lottery tickets every now and then, too)

Anyway, I've been considering it, but it has me wondering if the scoring system here on Lit, as meaningless as it is, is worth anything in the real world. Can I use say, 4.5 as a minimum score for consideration for outside publication? Does such a score exist? Is there another parameter, say votes or views or favorites that would be better?

Hoping for answers from authors who have done what I'm considering, but as always, all voices count in here.

Thanks in advance

ESIT:

To clarify a bit. Most of my stories are happy ending fairy tales in the Transgender space, steeped in love and acceptance. The calls I'm getting to publish all mirror the thought that such prose is direly needed, especially now. So, consider as you will...

All that I have determined is if a story has a red H when its still new, it will get a lot more views. One that is quickly downvoted will not.

 

[Erozetta]

I've managed to make about $500 off my writing so far. $250 was a commission, $150 a contest win, the other $100 was individual story sales of about $1-4 each where I made like 75 per cent of the cost.

Very little advertising (no paid advertising, every now and then I'll post something on social media about it), mostly give people coupon codes for free copies whenever they ask, and I make my own covers for free, and I basically put zero effort into actually selling stuff. I just don't have it in me to market my own stuff.

They've been up for five years.

If you put effort into advertising it, sales will follow, but don't pay for advertising or you'll likely never recoup the cost.

The red H has never factored into what I chose to sell and how I advertised it because it has very little meaning outside of the context of Lit.

Theo reads is a new experiment for me. A bit of a cross between Lit and Amazon with slightly fewer and clearer restrictions than Amazon and the owner of the site is very involved with the writers. She asked me to do a zoom call after reading and loving one of my stories,and I did. She's very passionate about erotica, but the site doesn't yet have much in the way of readers. It's still in beta, though. (A story that did abysmally here because it was in Loving Wives yet has been praised by numerous people outside of Lit.)

 

[AwkwardlySet]

There's no reason to think that other places are all that different from Lit. I don't think it's quality that sells.

So, for selling purposes, the score is a kind of tell, but I believe the views and the number of votes are likely more important. It's the tropes that sell, mostly. Quality helps, sure, but not nearly as much, IMO.

 

[iwatchus]

There's no reason to think that other places are all that different from Lit. I don't think it's quality that sells.

So, for selling purposes, the score is a kind of tell, but I believe the views and the number of votes are likely more important. It's the tropes that sell, mostly. Quality helps, sure, but not nearly as much, IMO.

At least use views relative to typical for the category. I do not think there is a real market for sitting on son's lap stories despite the reality that even an absurdly bad one here will get more views than almost anything published in most categories.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

At least use views relative to typical for the category. I do not think there is a real market for sitting on son's lap stories despite the reality that even an absurdly bad one here will get more views than almost anything published in most categories.

Well, mother-son anything sells better than the best stories in really niche themes. It's just the law of numbers.

I'm not an expert when it comes to incest stories, but when it comes to femdom stories, I've actually had an opportunity to browse many of the stories posted on Amazon. And when I say browse, I mean actually read them, not just look at previews. They are generally really bad. And I mean the story that's being told is usually terrible. Honestly, I'd say that the best Lit femdom stories are head and shoulders above most Amazon stuff. And it makes sense to me.

But those Amazon stories sell, clearly.