“Is That Me?” — A different kind of gender bender book

[TSEllis]

Hey everyone. I’m new author working on a gender bender story:

“Waking up in a strange girl’s bed isn’t how Alex typically starts his day, but what really surprises him is his reflection in the mirror.”

I originally published a few chapters to Literotica, but had trouble convincing my peers to sit down and read the story…or any long form text for that matter.
So I leaned on my web dev skills and created tool that converts pages like this:



…Into something that’ll really hook the reader:



Every “scene” comes from a richtext file and a cover image. New readers seem to really get pulled in with this approach!



I always wanted each page of my book to feel like a moment in a character’s life. But while some scenes are shorter, their impact on the character is more meaningful.



There’s still some kinks to work out, but I’d like to open this tool up to other writers once I’m finished with the first book. Is anyone here interested in a design like this for your own stories? Anything you’d like to see done differently?

Please let me know!

 

[Blind_Justice]

I think it's a "them" problem, not a "you" problem. In a world where information is parsed in 140 character increments or 30-second TikTok videos, many people have forgotten how to use a book. Or patience is in short supply. Don't know.

That said, as a blind reader, I'd prefer a version of your story without the graphics. Text only. In part because my assistive tech doesn't play nice with graphics and in part to see if you can hold the readers attention without fancy gimmicks. If the story sucks, no amount of CSS trickery can fix that

 

[stickygirl]

I think it's a "them" problem, not a "you" problem. In a world where information is parsed in 140 character increments or 30-second TikTok videos, many people have forgotten how to use a book. Or patience is in short supply. Don't know.

That said, as a blind reader, I'd prefer a version of your story without the graphics. Text only. In part because my assistive tech doesn't play nice with graphics and in part to see if you can hold the readers attention without fancy gimmicks. If the story sucks, no amount of CSS trickery can fix that

Those are good points BJ and I'd add this sounds like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist ... but then so was Facebook! I often save my stories as pdf that I can read it on any platform. Maybe they simply didn't like your story

 

[JoeyAcrimonious]

Kudos for trying something new. Personally I find the ones without graphics much easier to read and more aesthetically pleasing. But hey, if it works for your audience, it works.

I'd be curious to hear more about the reception that the graphic version has received. You say that it is successful at pulling readers in - is that based on number of views, or the reception of a test group, or...? Where is it published, and how are you driving traffic toward it?

Have you considered turning the story into a visual novel? It's a well-known medium with a decently-sized existing audience, and the standard design seems like a good fit for your goals: short snippets of text presented alongside graphics, albeit with the text set apart in a dedicated textbox so that it is easier to read.