how do YOU attract readers?

[lovecraft68]

Okay looking at your page...I'll agree with others that your scores are not bad at all.

As for the story in question...4622 views is low for incest....now does it say that on your home page? because the view count on the story page is always way behind.

But if it is....

Its only your second story in incest so you have no following there yet and your group sex fans(your more viewed stories) are not going to automatically follow you there. They could love your writing, but if they don't like incest...they will not follow you, so you are starting at a zero fan base there.

Second and a pointer the title of your incest story is "Milk and Cookies." problem is there is no buzzword in your title. I see in the tag its a father/daughter story, but readers are glossing the new story list quickly and they are looking for the word they want

"Mom, sister, dad, daddy etc..." if its not in the title it may get over looked.

Sounds like a little thing, but its a big deal I learned this lesson myself before.

Also in your tags you have cuffs, bondage...okay the incest crowd? Not really a fan of rough sex...now your story may not be rough at all, but people see bondage and cuffs that's what they think. The incest crowd is not big on anything but fluffy and fun and romantic.

Again I speak from experience. My one mother/son that has a dark theme is 20+ points lower than my average mother/son score.

I have a bondage mother/son story and it has thousands less views than the "straight up ones"

Now I'm not telling you what to write or how to write it, but what I am doing is answering some questions about why your views might be so much lower than you wanted.

Also in general dad/daughter doesn't light it up like mother/son or brother/sister ist number three from what I see.

The big thing is fan base and "name recognition" once you've been around and are established you could do the same story and get far more attention so keep plugging

If you are interested I have a how to about hitting the sweet spots in the incest category.

 

[sr71plt]

Can't help yourself, huh?

Why should I under the circumstances? Most of the rest of you just sit there and titter behind your fans.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

Why should I under the circumstances? Most of the rest of you just sit there and titter behind your fans.

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/e5/e520b09a6d255f770b084d63e999afb69d9b9eb269ed1a3342eabdf343baedb1.jpg

 

[sr71plt]

Yeah, well, I'd originally rendered it "twitter," but that word's now been usurped into an entirely different meaning (and would make this context more amusing than I intended), so I had to back off a "w."

 

[JKendallDane]

Ah, yes. Scoring 2.7 is scoring poorly. Scoring 4.2 isn't--except for those here who are highly competitive and have their noses in everyone else's business.

Bitter much?

 

[Hypoxia]

how do YOU attract readers?

Bribery. I have no other explanation.

 

[sr71plt]

Bitter much?

Obviously not as much as you are, mincing around behind me and dropping your little bitter pills, just begging for me to notice you and give you attention, honey.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

As you seem to be a computer whiz kid (age immaterial), is there a relatively easy way to extract the most popular ~30 or so tags used? This may not be useful due to several variants of the same word, for example, but it would be informative.

You can go here to see some of the tags used...the story search page.

http://connorgmadison.com/thumbnails/storysearch.jpg

 

[TamLin01]

For the record, I think "Milk & Cookies" is an excellent title. Maybe it's not a marketable title (I have no idea), but from an aesthetic and creative point of view, excellent. I wouldn't change it.

 

[sr71plt]

"Mother's Milk and Cookies" probably would attract a lot more readers.

 

[JKendallDane]

Obviously not as much as you are, mincing around behind me and dropping your little bitter pills, just begging for me to notice you and give you attention, honey.

Don't waste your time worrying about that, spy boy. I have much higher aspirations in life and as an author, than getting any kind of attention whatsoever from you.

And drop the "honey" bullshit. I'm more male than you will ever grow up to be and could rock your world...but this isn't my month for charity work.

 

[RejectReality]

"Mother's Milk and Cookies" probably would attract a lot more readers.

Yep, for the Incest category, that not only maintains the tongue-in-cheek goodness the title already has, but plays directly into the readership tendencies. Calling out the coupling in the title is the common denominator of almost every high-read story in the category.

The description line can do it as well, but for sure-fire results, the title is the way to go.

 

[Mister_Chris]

Thanks for the helpful feedback

First off, thanks to everyone who responded. I truly appreciate your efforts to help me become a more successful writer.

Yeah, an average of 4.42 isn't that bad. That's a good reality check. Partly, I feel that if a story scores less than 5, then I've screwed up somehow; and partly, I'm bummed out because of the five stories I've written, I truly love "Milk and Cookies"... and it got the lowest score of all of them. (Although it did get a bunch of extremely kind, strongly supportive comments, for which I was very grateful).

The irony is that the working title for "Milk and Cookies" was "My Daughter, the Porn Star". But the story ran away from me, tore off in a completely unexpected direction, and told itself. It went off in its own direction, and left me with this wonderfully romantic story that I'd never intended to write. It was a bizarre experience; for I'm not sure I wrote it. I was just the guy doing the typing.

The final title was a reference to an emotional exchange between father and daughter in the final few paragraphs of the story; the idea was to create curiosity in the readers mind at the beginning, and then satisfy that curiosity at the end. This works in other fields of literature; but clearly not in porn. "My Daughter, the Porn Star" would probably have attracted many more views... although I don't like it nearly as much as "Milk and Cookies".

The story "Milk and Cookies" is as close as I've ever come to creating art. I just wish more people had loved the story as much as I do.

(And "Mother's Milk and Cookies" would also have attracted many more views... but, given that there ain't no lactation happening in the story, it would probably have pissed off a bunch of people. If you're going to promise, you have to deliver.)

Several people commented about tags. While there was 'bondage' in the story, it wasn't actual bondage... it was a photographer simulating bondage scenes for a porn site. Still, the point is well taken; tags should be relevant to the content of the story... but they should also be in keeping with the general expectations of the reader. Anybody looking for stories with 'bondage' tags would likely be looking for the real thing, and would be annoyed at my treatment of it.

So, here's what I've learned from all of you:

Tags and Timing matter. Make the Tags relevant to the story, and also relevant to the readers expectations. And don't release your story on Super Bowl Sunday.

When you change from one genre to another, you're starting from ground zero all over again. Don't expect that your fan base will follow you.

The title needs to generate strong erotic interest.

The story description should also be a quick zinger that really stimulates erotic interest.

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

Write single, stand alone stories, not chapters; and keep the length at 10,000 words or less. Longer than that, the hand lotion dries out and friction sets in. Don't piss off the reader.

If you do write a chapters story, finish it; don't leave it unfinished. (And if I recall correctly, I've left my main protagonist in the 'Sex Island' series chained to a bed for the last month. Perhaps I should go rescue him.)

Don't force the writing; let it flow of its own accord.

Keep writing, and readership will build.

Enter contests.

Thanks again, everyone - I appreciate it.

My upcoming stories:

A lovable, eccentric inventor creates a flying, steam powered car in which he hosts a lesbian orgy. Working title? "Clitty Clitty Bang Bang".

A young man is assisted by loving friends who help him to become increasingly aware of, and ultimately comfortable with, his homosexuality. Working title? "Fifty Shades of Gay".

 

[lovecraft68]

For the record, I think "Milk & Cookies" is an excellent title. Maybe it's not a marketable title (I have no idea), but from an aesthetic and creative point of view, excellent. I wouldn't change it.

I like the title as well its fun.

But since the op was asking why his views were Iow I am pointing out reasons why they might be.

Unfortunately the readers don't always reward clever and original. I think we should all write what we want but have to realize it won't always "succeed" her in the way of numbers.

 

[legerdemer]

I'm just one reader, but it seems appropriate to add that many like me out there LIKE a story because it IS different than the rest. We like the original, new twists, the unexpected takes, and get really tired of the same old. We may not be the majority, but we're out there, and if you please us while pleasing yourself at the same time, that's not a bad thing, is it?

First off, thanks to everyone who responded. I truly appreciate your efforts to help me become a more successful writer.

Yeah, an average of 4.42 isn't that bad. That's a good reality check. Partly, I feel that if a story scores less than 5, then I've screwed up somehow; and partly, I'm bummed out because of the five stories I've written, I truly love "Milk and Cookies"... and it got the lowest score of all of them. (Although it did get a bunch of extremely kind, strongly supportive comments, for which I was very grateful).

The irony is that the working title for "Milk and Cookies" was "My Daughter, the Porn Star". But the story ran away from me, tore off in a completely unexpected direction, and told itself. It went off in its own direction, and left me with this wonderfully romantic story that I'd never intended to write. It was a bizarre experience; for I'm not sure I wrote it. I was just the guy doing the typing.

The final title was a reference to an emotional exchange between father and daughter in the final few paragraphs of the story; the idea was to create curiosity in the readers mind at the beginning, and then satisfy that curiosity at the end. This works in other fields of literature; but clearly not in porn. "My Daughter, the Porn Star" would probably have attracted many more views... although I don't like it nearly as much as "Milk and Cookies".

The story "Milk and Cookies" is as close as I've ever come to creating art. I just wish more people had loved the story as much as I do.

(And "Mother's Milk and Cookies" would also have attracted many more views... but, given that there ain't no lactation happening in the story, it would probably have pissed off a bunch of people. If you're going to promise, you have to deliver.)

Several people commented about tags. While there was 'bondage' in the story, it wasn't actual bondage... it was a photographer simulating bondage scenes for a porn site. Still, the point is well taken; tags should be relevant to the content of the story... but they should also be in keeping with the general expectations of the reader. Anybody looking for stories with 'bondage' tags would likely be looking for the real thing, and would be annoyed at my treatment of it.

So, here's what I've learned from all of you:

Tags and Timing matter. Make the Tags relevant to the story, and also relevant to the readers expectations. And don't release your story on Super Bowl Sunday.

When you change from one genre to another, you're starting from ground zero all over again. Don't expect that your fan base will follow you.

The title needs to generate strong erotic interest.

The story description should also be a quick zinger that really stimulates erotic interest.

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

Write single, stand alone stories, not chapters; and keep the length at 10,000 words or less. Longer than that, the hand lotion dries out and friction sets in. Don't piss off the reader.

If you do write a chapters story, finish it; don't leave it unfinished. (And if I recall correctly, I've left my main protagonist in the 'Sex Island' series chained to a bed for the last month. Perhaps I should go rescue him.)

Don't force the writing; let it flow of its own accord.

Keep writing, and readership will build.

Enter contests.

Thanks again, everyone - I appreciate it.

My upcoming stories:

A lovable, eccentric inventor creates a flying, steam powered car in which he hosts a lesbian orgy. Working title? "Clitty Clitty Bang Bang".

A young man is assisted by loving friends who help him to become increasingly aware of, and ultimately comfortable with, his homosexuality. Working title? "Fifty Shades of Gay".

 

[JKendallDane]

<snip>

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

Write single, stand alone stories, not chapters; and keep the length at 10,000 words or less. Longer than that, the hand lotion dries out and friction sets in. Don't piss off the reader.

<snip>

While that may well be true for certain categories and story lines, don't carve it in stone or live, breathe, and only write by it. There is more than a "small crowd" that comes to LIT to read much longer stories, novelettes, full novels, and multiple book series...all of which are easily found here. The dynamics and demographics of the readership here has changed over the last five or six years, even though a few overly vocal people on the forum want to declare that it is ONLY a "smut story place" or "porn site where people come to get off."

If you are just interested in accumulating eyeballs, go for the strokers. If you are looking to develop a real fan base, mix it up like many of us do. But definitely don't just arbitrarily rule out the longer and more in-depth stuff if you are drawn to writing it.

Good luck with your works in progress. I'll keep an eye out for "Fifty Shades of Gay." Sounds like it will be a good read.

 

[lovecraft68]

While that may well be true for certain categories and story lines, don't carve it in stone or live, breathe, and only write by it. There is more than a "small crowd" that comes to LIT to read much longer stories, novelettes, full novels, and multiple book series...all of which are easily found here. The dynamics and demographics of the readership here has changed over the last five or six years, even though a few overly vocal people on the forum want to declare that it is ONLY a "smut story place" or "porn site where people come to get off."

If you are just interested in accumulating eyeballs, go for the strokers. If you are looking to develop a real fan base, mix it up like many of us do. But definitely don't just arbitrarily rule out the longer and more in-depth stuff if you are drawn to writing it.

Good luck with your works in progress. I'll keep an eye out for "Fifty Shades of Gay." Sounds like it will be a good read.

I have always been story and character driven but lately have been writing some stroke in the form of a series called milf tails.

They are all standalone stories but under the common name of the series

Example milf tails: back in the saddle

I have had a few gripes from long time readers that the stories are not up to my usual level. They don't seem to grasp I am going for different

But on the upside there was a point near the end of the year I had three spots in the top five on the 30 day mature list so a new fan base is building for me

 

[8letters]

:
The title needs to generate strong erotic interest.

The story description should also be a quick zinger that really stimulates erotic interest.

For the incest category, I think the title needs to tell the reader quickly what type of incest the story is about. I think most incest readers are looking for their favorite type(s) of incest. "Milk and Cookies" doesn't help with that. The title and story description should hint at the most intriguing part of your story. "My Daughter, the Porn Star" would have identified the story as a father/daughter story and given some hint to the story line (daughter is a porn star). If the photo shoot was a major scene in the story, then the description should have referenced it "Watching one of her photo sessions had me longing for more".

Put a lot of thought into the title and the description because if they aren't appealing, people aren't going to click on the link and see your great writing.

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

Write single, stand alone stories, not chapters; and keep the length at 10,000 words or less. Longer than that, the hand lotion dries out and friction sets in. Don't piss off the reader.

I disagree on length. My "Cycling Weekends with Sis" was an extraordinary success for me at 187015 views, 1700 votes, 73 comments. It was 11K words. My "Sister Has a Plan" has done very well (4.62 score, 94381 views, 957 votes, 25 comments) and is 13K words. I don't think either had simple plot lines. Both had at least one erotic scene in the middle of the story to wet the readers' whistle.

If you do write a chapters story, finish it; don't leave it unfinished. (And if I recall correctly, I've left my main protagonist in the 'Sex Island' series chained to a bed for the last month. Perhaps I should go rescue him.)

I've done one chapter story, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Still, I would recommend that if you are doing a chapter story:
* Have all the chapters done and submit them all at once
* There has to be something new in each chapter. It might be an escalation in the sexual relationship (i.e. chapter one, the girl give the boy a hand job and each chapter slowly develops until in chapter six they fuck). It might be a new sex partner (a guy fucks a different daughter in a family). If the following chapters are the same characters from chapter one have the same type of sex, people will tune out

 

[TamLin01]

Partly, I feel that if a story scores less than 5, then I've screwed up somehow; and partly, I'm bummed out because of the five stories I've written, I truly love "Milk and Cookies"... and it got the lowest score of all of them.

First of all, you're going to have to get over that, or writing is going to be a very frustrating experience and probably not all that rewarding. Probably nothing you write is going to be as popular as you'd like it to be. And no matter what, something you're proud of is going to flop at some point or another. Unless you're the luckiest motherfucker in the world, that's just the way things are. Readers are fickle. And scores are a lousy way to measure success anyway. We all know that plenty of terrible writing (and terrible music, terrible film, etc) manages to get popular; and we all know that a lot of genuinely great art goes unheralded. So what does popularity really mean? It's nice if it happens; but you can't make it your be-all and end-all.

"My Daughter, the Porn Star" would probably have attracted many more views... although I don't like it nearly as much as "Milk and Cookies".

Me neither. I think you made the right call. It's a shame that it hasn't found the audience you wanted. But on the other hand, it's a remarkable thing that you reached as many readers as you did. A lot of writers don't.

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

But what are you looking for? Do you want to just write straightforward fuck stories? If so, go for it. But if you want nuance, then write that. Maybe you'll get the readers you want and maybe you won't, but you can't control that. Your own writing is what you control. That is the one thing that can be what you want it to be.

Keep writing, and readership will build.

Enter contests.

Those are both good pieces of advice, with the addendum that you should keep writing even if readership doesn't build.

 

[CeasarBoobage]

Yeah, an average of 4.42 isn't that bad. That's a good reality check. Partly, I feel that if a story scores less than 5, then I've screwed up somehow; and partly, I'm bummed out because of the five stories I've written, I truly love "Milk and Cookies"... and it got the lowest score of all of them. (Although it did get a bunch of extremely kind, strongly supportive comments, for which I was very grateful).

That's a good score, don't be upset. I've got stories that I thought were decent that are hovering around the 4.0 mark. The scoring system isn't foolproof, but it doesn't suck too bad.

The story "Milk and Cookies" is as close as I've ever come to creating art. I just wish more people had loved the story as much as I do.

Most people think their babies are the cutest in the world. To others, it's subjective. It is an art, and only those who struggle to come up with good pieces really know it.

So, here's what I've learned from all of you:

When you change from one genre to another, you're starting from ground zero all over again. Don't expect that your fan base will follow you.

The title needs to generate strong erotic interest.

The story description should also be a quick zinger that really stimulates erotic interest.

People read Literotica for a quick erotic hit; they're not looking for art, or subtle nuances, or slow character development. They've literally got the mouse in one hand, and their dick in the other. Write with that in mind. Simple plot lines, descriptive graphic sex, rapid development, short stories.

Don't force the writing; let it flow of its own accord.

If I may, I would add the following:

Write for yourself, first and foremost. If you want to write to the whims of the readers, it may not turn out quite as nicely as you've hoped. You can't please everyone all the time, but when you write just for you, there's a pretty good chance it will come out better. There will be others who read it and appreciate it the same as you.

Some people read Lit for the short stroker stories, but not everyone. I usually don't read series, but I was stuck on Danica (by darkniciad) for several days bouncing between my computer, tablet, and phone. If the story is good, people will stick with it. The 10k word suggestion is just that, a suggestion. Write the story in it's entirety as it spews from your brain, without useless fillers, and whatever the word count is, that's what it should be.

A huge agreement in making a strong description and making good use of tags. Very important.

What some people do is make an alternate account for wide changes in genre. If most of your stories are in romance and feature soft, cuddly, lovey-dovey stories, when you change to hard-core BDSM with incest bukakke scenes, both genres will take a hit in scores and view counts. That's not even taking into account your hatemail.

--

One other thing as well, regarding the views. One of the biggest spikes I see on my stories are when I submit a new one. For the week or so the new one is up on the list, I generate a decent percentage of new views and votes. I've still got several stories that are over 5 years old with less than 30k views. Meh.

 

[Handley_Page]

how do YOU attract readers?

I don't. Well, not intentionally.
I write, when I can, to please me. If it pleases someone else as well, that's good.

 

[RejectReality]

Yep, and I'm the one who brought up the 10k word suggestion, despite having a single story that's over 450k words long LOL

That's why I said to search for some shorter ideas to attract readers to you and your longer stories, though. Danica never really took off until after I'd posted King Thakkorias, Queen Alicia, Blackhawk Hall, etc. -- much shorter stories that readers didn't feel intimidated by.

Once they read through your short story list, those who enjoyed them will be more inclined to give your long stuff a shot.

Some people read Lit for the short stroker stories, but not everyone. I usually don't read series, but I was stuck on Danica (by darkniciad) for several days bouncing between my computer, tablet, and phone. If the story is good, people will stick with it. The 10k word suggestion is just that, a suggestion.

 

[DivineDestiny]

As a newbie (sort of), I've been following this...

Wow. I've learned so much from watching this thread.

This has been especially helpful, as I'm thinking about renaming a series I'm working on.

In my personal opinion (which doesn't hold much validity, being new to writing erotica), I think the writer should write for themselves if that's what makes them tick. If it's playing to an audience, write something that will please the masses. Do whatever pleases YOU. It's why I'm rewriting my while series; I thought I wanted to write something for the community, but in all reality I just wanted to write the vision I had in my head.

I thought Milk and Cookies was lovely. It's really what I look for when I browse this site: an honest, good read with likable characters that are constantly learning and changing. I loved it, and will write up a nice comment when I have the time.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

Yep, and I'm the one who brought up the 10k word suggestion, despite having a single story that's over 450k words long LOL

That's why I said to search for some shorter ideas to attract readers to you and your longer stories, though. Danica never really took off until after I'd posted King Thakkorias, Queen Alicia, Blackhawk Hall, etc. -- much shorter stories that readers didn't feel intimidated by.

Once they read through your short story list, those who enjoyed them will be more inclined to give your long stuff a shot.

450k!?

show-off

 

[lovecraft68]

450k!?

show-off

Siblings with Benefits is about 750k here on lit with an additional 145k sequel that's not here anymore because it was banned.

I obviously had no life from May 2010 to October 2011