How are readers finding my old stories?

[AllenWoody]

Hello all,

Not really a critical question, but I'm wondering how readers are finding my previously-published stories on Lit. It's little more than a trickle - one or two new likes per week - but it's fairly steady. A new follower here and there. I haven't been writing all that much this year, five submissions total. So it isn't like readers are seeing my new submissions and then checking out my body of work and discovering those stories. So how are readers finding four year-old stories? I'm pretty sure it isn't because they're so highly rated that they stand out based on that, and of course there's always a flood of new stories so it isn't like a reader has to go digging unless they really want to.

Not complaining, just curious.

AW

 

[SimonDoom]

This is mostly speculation, of course, although it's partly a process of elimination, but I think it's likely people discover your old stories (and most old stories) through two ways. One is similar story lists: somebody reads a sci fi story or nonconsent story by another author, scrolls to the bottom right of the last page of that story, and sees your story listed as a similar story, and decides to give it a try.

Another possibility is that they find your story through subject matter or tag searching. In your case, though, you seem to skimp on the use of tags (which you shouldn't do!), so this seems less likely.

Your story Lost Colony Ch. 14 is number 61 on the all time highest rated Sci Fi story list, so that probably gives it some extra visibility and reader boost, too.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Or they like one of your current stories and go to your profile and start reading older works.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Or they like one of your current stories and go to your profile and start reading older works.

One way of facilitating this is by entering contests.

 

[KeithD]

Readers check out old stories by seeing new stories popping up in the lists.

 

[AllenWoody]

One way of facilitating this is by entering contests.

I need to do more of this. Well, do it period. LC Chapter fourteen was an anomaly for me, the result of it just happening to score well in the ratings that month and earn a place in the monthly contest (or whatever it's called). I'm guilty of ignoring the contests, mostly because I tend to write what I want to write, which rarely aligns with contest themes. I'm also a very slow writer, so by the time I randomly notice a contest, even if it's one I might be able to enter a story in, it's probably too late for me to write something in time. And yes, this all my fault for not staying in touch with what the new contests are.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I need to do more of this. Well, do it period. LC Chapter fourteen was an anomaly for me, the result of it just happening to score well in the ratings that month and earn a place in the monthly contest (or whatever it's called). I'm guilty of ignoring the contests, mostly because I tend to write what I want to write, which rarely aligns with contest themes. I'm also a very slow writer, so by the time I randomly notice a contest, even if it's one I might be able to enter a story in, it's probably too late for me to write something in time. And yes, this all my fault for not staying in touch with what the new contests are.

The monthly awards don't require a special entry, I think, being based on popularity of already-published works.

I think I'm slowing down, for my writing pace has become increasingly glacial. I generally start the year before; there are the same official contests each year, plus some fairly-predictable author-arranged ones as well.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I have only a few followers, and my stories don't get great ratings, yet every month (when I update my spreadsheet) I see that even my most obscure items have gained some views. This leads me to wonder if the vast number of people visiting Literotica is enough to ensure that a couple-three of them might see something of mine in a tag search.

 

[HeyAll]

Many people use the search function. I remember when it was broken, a lot of people complained about that. The new search funciton allows for sharper searches, which is great and I use it sometimes.

 

[Cali_Love]

Consider this. I only read from the Romance category and when there’s nothing new that interests me, I’m bored of re-reading my favorites, or bored of re-reading my own stories, I scroll down to the bottom of the category page to the “Random Romance Stories.” I’ll scan and if nothing grabs me, I’ll ‘spin’ a new set. I’ve been known to spin a dozen times, and I’ve landed on all kinds of great finds that way, many of them older entries which I vote or favorite sometimes, maybe even leaving a note.

 

[Duleigh]

Not complaining, just curious.

Not hard to figure out, super easy, barely an inconvenience. Most of your work is Sci/Fi or NC/R and almost all has a big H That's what many readers are looking for. They go searching for Sci/Fi, see your story and its H and start digging for more. It's what I do when I'm in the mood to read, I'm not going to waste my time with a 3.51 story when I could read a story with an H

 

[MCmstr]

I 100% drill into the profile when I'm reading a story I like. I'm certain I have caused a lot of writers to ask the exact question you are.
Finding a good author, writing stories I enjoy is like finding a vein of gold. I dig until I have seen every word they have written.

 

[Duleigh]

I 100% drill into the profile when I'm reading a story I like. I'm certain I have caused a lot of writers to ask the exact question you are.
Finding a good author, writing stories I enjoy is like finding a vein of gold. I dig until I have seen every word they have written.

@AllenWoody - This is what I was talking about

@MCmstr - I don't know if it drives a lot of authors to ask that question, I'm sure there's a few that are asking "What is taking them so long??? I get views and occasional comments on stories I wrote over 15 years ago. Thank you for digging in!

 

[Voboy]

All the answers above make sense. The other thing I speculate about is that your older stories show up as a "You Might Want To Try..." recommendation from the site at the end of a newly-published story somewhere.

 

[lc69hunter]

When someone posts a positive comment on a story I like, I immediately check their profile, and the other authors and stories they like. That is how I find you.

 

[Djmac1031]

Was gonna start my own thread but found this one instead.

I've noticed this phenomenon myself; I haven't published a new story in several weeks now, so it's not like I drew in a new audience with a new story then they checked out older ones.

It's also weird that it often tends to be the SAME story. Maybe one reader stumbled on it, liked it, and recommended it to a friend or two.

It doesn't happen all the time, bit when it does, it's weird. In a good way lol.

There's also the possibility some are readers who followed you a while back, or just recognized your name from a past story they liked and clicked on a Recommended one.

 

[PandemicReader8]

When I'm looking for something new, I rarely go to the Top Lists. I read here for years before I even created an account.

What I found worked for me - after I had four or five stories I enjoyed - was mining the Favorites of the writers you like. The person that wrote X, likely enjoys much of what I like. When I found a story I like, that author's Favorites got mined as well.

And when mining stories, I read anything that looked interesting, regardless of when it was posted.

 

[tenyari]

Yeah I glance through writers I've read for stories in similar themes to what I like.

My old stories still get views as well. I'm more surprised that anyone would wonder how or why it happens than that it happens. I mean, I've even gone into a bookstore and bought a book from an author who's novel was so old he's been dead for centuries...

 

[Duleigh]

I posted stories here in 2006 and 2008 and they get up to 10 views a day, occasionally they get a vote, and on incredibly rare occasion, a comment. There's so many ways to find a story other than the NEW tag and the top lists. Folks who follow you will go to your member page, click on the Stories/Poems tab and there they all are. They can search for tags and combinations of tags, there's a series of ways they can find your old stories.

 

[live4thebj]

I find old stories by suggested stories after browsing new entries.

 

[12oclocktales]

I've thought of reminding readers in a pre-story intro that by clicking on the username they can see a list of all stories, as they're listed in the author's profile. Especially useful for chapter stories.

Also, at the end of every story is a Similar Stories listing (often of stories that are hardly similar at all). Wonder if there's a way to get one's own stories listed there instead.