Average story rating

[hypnopup]

So, what is the average rating for most stories?

I seem to be averaging about 4.4 so far for my stories. Is that average? Above or below?

 

[Darkniciad]

It varies a lot, depending upon category and other factors. Naturally, 4.40 is a pretty solid score on a 5.0 scale. Even when you consider that most people who don't like a story don't vote, and that most people who finish a story vote high, being within .10 of the magical "H" rating is pretty good. ( 4.50 with at least 10 votes )

 

[michchick98]

So, what is the average rating for most stories?

I seem to be averaging about 4.4 so far for my stories. Is that average? Above or below?

Mine average from 4.4 to 4.8. Like Dark said, it really depends on the category you write in and other stuff, too. It's hard to determine how someone will vote. I'd say 4.4 is a good score, although not high enough for the red H you see beside lots of stories/chapters. Don't obsess over not having the red H, though. I've seen many stories/chapters that don't and those are as good or better than ones that do have a red H.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I"m happy if any story scores over 4. If you look closely at the scoring criteria, anything over 3 is favorable, even though we hate anything that low.

 

[TE999]

I"m happy if any story scores over 4. If you look closely at the scoring criteria, anything over 3 is favorable, even though we hate anything that low.

The new scoring system has set the bar quite high...and an H is even more difficult to acquire than it used to be. Really, anything over a 4.0 is pretty darn good.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

The new scoring system has set the bar quite high...and an H is even more difficult to acquire than it used to be. Really, anything over a 4.0 is pretty darn good.

I'm quite content that only one of my stories is scored below 4 and that one is 3.92 so given the local troll infection here, that's pretty damned good.

 

[Darkniciad]

My lowest score is 4.24, but 80% of my stuff is in low readership categories, and a lot of them are chapter stories.

 

[TE999]

My story scores run from a high of 4.80 to a low of 3.74. That low one was a troll provoker last V-Day and it didn't disappoint.

 

[Darkniciad]

My story scores run from a high of 4.80 to a low of 3.74. That low one was a troll provoker last V-Day and it didn't disappoint.

My low score is from the Winter Holiday contest last year *laugh* The LST3K ( which was also just named the November category nominee -- must not have been any other that month ) Runner-up is my second version of Home by the Sea as Les from a Halloween or two back.

 

[TE999]

My low score is from the Winter Holiday contest last year *laugh* The LST3K ( which was also just named the November category nominee -- must not have been any other that month ) Runner-up is my second version of Home by the Sea as Les from a Halloween or two back.

It's interesting to see how certain stories score in terms of cats, story content and whether it's a stroker or something more complex, even Non-Erotic. I'd guess we have a reader universe that is fairly equally divided ... they enjoy a good wank and also appreciate good writing.

 

[Owlwhisper]

.....

 

[Dragonlipz]

I post my stories

and monitor their ratings: I'm as curious and vain as the next person, but, having said that, I know in my heart of hearts that if I told the story I wanted to tell: be it sleazy or noble, poignant or blithe, and told it the way I wanted it told. If I felt like I did my best to tell the story the way I wanted it told in the voice I wanted to tell it, then FTW.......I did my job...
I have enough folks asking me to continue writing about particular characters and situations that I know my style appeals to a certain niche.....I thank them and try to honor their requests.....

 

[JammyJimmy]

As others have said, how your 4.4 compares to other stories depends in part on the category it's in. A comparison also depends on when your story was posted. Back in 2005-2006, the average Lit story -- disregarding category -- got around a 4.4. Currently, the average is 4.1 and falling.

I've recently written a couple of simple statistical summaries of voting averages (and other curiosities) you may be interested in. They're called Literotica Numbers, and you can find them on my story page (link below).

I read them, and I was thoroughly impressed with the work you did.
Kudos to you for churning the numbers - it was both educational and interesting to find out how the facts stacked up against the suspicions.

 

[oggbashan]

I"m happy if any story scores over 4. If you look closely at the scoring criteria, anything over 3 is favorable, even though we hate anything that low.

In theory that is true.

In practice it is difficult to get a rating below 3. I know. I've tried. I have about 10 stories in the 3.xx rating.

White Scut is my most successful low-scoring attempt with a rating of 3.00. At one point it was 2.xx - but from the PCs it appears that some people like the story.

Og

 

[WFEATHER]

Something to keep in mind with the ratings is what you are writing and the category it is in. If you post something which runs somewhat counter to the norms for that category, expect to get lower ratings overall - the higher ratings on that story will likely be either from your diehard fans and/or from those who truly understand what you are trying to accomplish with that story. For example, my BDSM stories about hard, extruciating pain are rated significantly lower than my more gentle, quasi-romantic BDSM stories.

Also, certain categories simply have more readers than others. That will certainly play a role in the ratings you get (and also in which stories will hit the 50-vote threshold for the monthly contests, if that is important to you).