Author rating

[EmilyMiller]

Is there anywhere where you can see an author rating? I mean I guess a weighted average of their story ratings. I know authors can hit gold with one story and effluent with the next, but an overall rating might be interesting, maybe with a standard deviation as well.

Maybe there is somewhere and I just haven’t come across it.

Em

 

[KeithD]

Not that I know of.

 

[SimonDoom]

No. It wouldn't be worth anything, either, because the average rating of an author's stories depends upon too many variables that make it impossible to compare different authors by their scores. The variables include things like a) which categories they publish in (different categories have different score averages), b) how long their stories are (longer stories tend to have higher scores), and c) whether they have many chapters to their stories (late chapters tend to have higher scores than early chapters or standalone stories). Plus, some authors get down-voted because they publish subject matter that pisses off some readers.

Find categories of stories that you like, and then check lists of stories and authors in those categories.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

There is also the favoritest authors list. Though I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.

 

[KeithD]

Each of the hubs does have a "most popular author" listing, but I wouldn't trust it. Since the new formatting came it, some of the names given on these lists are of writers who have few stories in that category on their list at all.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Thanks all. Was just wondering,

Em

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is there anywhere where you can see an author rating? I mean I guess a weighted average of their story ratings. I know authors can hit gold with one story and effluent with the next, but an overall rating might be interesting, maybe with a standard deviation as well.

Maybe there is somewhere and I just haven’t come across it.

Em

You can get some idea by looking at an author's story list, but only in terms of their stories measured as a totality against themselves, not against any other author. You'd need to parse some knowledge of different category voting habits too, if they write across a spread of categories, because category stalwarts each have their own voting criteria, and it's not always the same.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

Like we need one more thing for these writers to obsess over.

 

[SimonDoom]

Each of the hubs does have a "most popular author" listing, but I wouldn't trust it. Since the new formatting came it, some of the names given on these lists are of writers who have few stories in that category on their list at all.

I totally agree. I'm not sure exactly how the algorithm works to determine who gets on these lists, but it has very little to do with consistent success (views, stories, or high scores) within a particular category. I just published my first story in the Humor and Satire category a week ago, and I'm currently on the list of "Top" Humor and Satire authors, despite the fact my story is currently sitting with a 3.83 score and it's my only one in that category! it has something to do with total favorites or views or something combined with newness on the list.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I totally agree. I'm not sure exactly how the algorithm works to determine who gets on these lists, but it has very little to do with consistent success (views, stories, or high scores) within a particular category. I just published my first story in the Humor and Satire category a week ago, and I'm currently on the list of "Top" Humor and Satire authors, despite the fact my story is currently sitting with a 3.83 score and it's my only one in that category! it has something to do with total favorites or views or something combined with newness on the list.

This place has its own rukes, doesn’t it? None of us are smart enough to figure them out.

Em

 

[Blind_Justice]

There's no singular stat summing up an author's awesomeness, but for a quick glance, the number of red H's in their story list can help.

Which, admittedly, is a skewed metric and highly dependant on category. In my comfort zone, SF/Fantasy, I can get by mostly on the strength of my characters and world-building because the readers seem okay with fewer or awkward sex scenes.

There may be brilliant Loving Wife stories out there, but it will be hard to find something with a decent plot AND score because the trolls down there eviscerate everything not adhering to their predilictions.

 

[EmilyMiller]

There may be brilliant Loving Wife stories out there, but it will be hard to find something with a decent plot AND score because the trolls down there eviscerate everything not adhering to their predilictions.

I am never darkening that door! I’ll stick to Anal, BDSM, Erotic Coupling, Fetish, First Time, Lesbian Sex and Toys & Masturbation thank you very much.

Em

 

[BobbyBrandt]

There's no singular stat summing up an author's awesomeness, but for a quick glance, the number of red H's in their story list can help.

Which, admittedly, is a skewed metric and highly dependant on category. In my comfort zone, SF/Fantasy, I can get by mostly on the strength of my characters and world-building because the readers seem okay with fewer or awkward sex scenes.

There may be brilliant Loving Wife stories out there, but it will be hard to find something with a decent plot AND score because the trolls down there eviscerate everything not adhering to their predilictions.

That might work for some, but I don't personally put much credence on red H's when rating writers.

I have published 72 stories here, with approximately 92% (66) having red H's. The average rating for all my stories is 4.73, but I think that these numbers are skewed by me playing it safe sometimes.

Fifty-seven of my submissions have been in the Novels/Novellas category, which tends to be a writer-friendly catch-all category. By comparison, my average for stories in Celebrities/Fan Fiction is 4.58. For Incest/Taboo, my average is 4.67. Both are respectable, but when I stretch myself further by posting in Loving Wives, the average drops to 4.16. Romance stories have an average of 4.36.

Assuming that my basic writing skills remain constant between categories and I don't totally 'screw the pooch' with plot, dialogue, and character development when I post in different categories, the greatest variable appears to be the readers who favor the various categories.

There are writers with far more red H's than others, but shouldn't diversity of category be a factor when using that single metric to judge a writer's abilities?

EDIT: I want to clarify something that IMO also contributes to the inconsistency and irrelevance of much of the scoring metrics here. I stated that I had 72 stories here. The reality is that I only have 23 stories, with 3 of my longer stories submitted in multiple chapters/parts to create 40 separate posts.

If I was to gauge the success of these multi-part stories by reader votes, I would probably take the average score for all the parts, which in itself is a distortion since views and votes can change drastically for longer multi-part stories versus stand-alone ones. (I count my series stories each as stand-alone)

 

[EmilyMiller]

That might work for some, but I don't personally put much credence on red H's when rating writers.

I have published 72 stories here, with approximately 92% (66) having red H's. The average rating for all my stories is 4.73, but I think that these numbers are skewed by me playing it safe sometimes.

Fifty-seven of my submissions have been in the Novels/Novellas category, which tends to be a writer-friendly catch-all category. By comparison, my average for stories in Celebrities/Fan Fiction is 4.58. For Incest/Taboo, my average is 4.67. Both are respectable, but when I stretch myself further by posting in Loving Wives, the average drops to 4.16. Romance stories have an average of 4.36.

Assuming that my basic writing skills remain constant between categories and I don't totally 'screw the pooch' with plot, dialogue, and character development when I post in different categories, the greatest variable appears to be the readers who favor the various categories.

There are writers with far more red H's than others, but shouldn't diversity of category be a factor when using that single metric to judge a writer's abilities?

So I have published only a sixth of what you have (and avoid Loving Wives like the plague), but I agree that rating at least appears to be somewhat correlated to category.

My lowest score is in Romance (why I thought I could write Romance remains a mystery).

What would maybe make sense is to have ratings in category X, say Anal (now why did I pick that?), normalized to the average rating for that category. Then you could roll things up with greater confidence. I agree there are other factors, e.g. length of piece, but you’d get a more robust metric that way IMO.

Em

 

[8letters]

So I have published only a sixth of what you have (and avoid Loving Wives like the plague), but I agree that rating at least appears to be somewhat correlated to category.

My lowest score is in Romance (why I thought I could write Romance remains a mystery).

What would maybe make sense is to have ratings in category X, say Anal (now why did I pick that?), normalized to the average rating for that category. Then you could roll things up with greater confidence. I agree there are other factors, e.g. length of piece, but you’d get a more robust metric that way IMO.

Em

First off, this site is very SLOOOOOW to add features, so proposing that they add an author rating is a waste of keystrokes. To do something like what you are discussing above would be very difficult to do. As most readers are interested in only a few categories, an overall author rating doesn't seem meaningful to me.

If what you are wanting is an alternative reading list to what the site has now, I suggest you check out this post and this post for alternative reading lists for Lesbian Sex stories. No one ever asked me to do the same for other categories.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm glad there's no universal "metric" of author quality. If the site attempted to create one it would be hopelessly flawed. There's plenty of data out there for readers to use to choose whom they want to read. They just have to work at it a little, and that's probably a good thing.

The closest thing to a universal list is the toplist of authors by the number of followers they have, but followers are to a significant degree a function of having many views, which is to a significant degree a function of publishing stories in well-viewed categories, like incest, and that has nothing to do with author talent or story quality.

It is possible to "game" the system to maximize one's chances of getting many red Hs, having a high average score, and garnering many favorites. Write lots of incest stories. Write lots of stories, period. Make your stories over 6 pages long. Avoid writing very short stories (under one Lit page). Write stories with many, many chapters. Write to meet the expectations of the readers of the category in which the story is published. These steps will increase your chances of "success" in a quantitative sense while having absolutely nothing to do with your skill as a writer.

I remember when I was a Literotica reader 15 years ago or so there was much less data than there is now, and fewer lists, and I did just fine finding the stories I liked.

 

[FromDarkwater]

I intentionally opted to hit up the LW category straight out of the gate. I figured if I started with the lowest ratings and shattiest comments possible, then I would feel more like an improving writer as I ventured into other genres and received better ratings.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I'm glad there's no universal "metric" of author quality. If the site attempted to create one it would be hopelessly flawed. There's plenty of data out there for readers to use to choose whom they want to read. They just have to work at it a little, and that's probably a good thing.

The closest thing to a universal list is the toplist of authors by the number of followers they have, but followers are to a significant degree a function of having many views, which is to a significant degree a function of publishing stories in well-viewed categories, like incest, and that has nothing to do with author talent or story quality.

It is possible to "game" the system to maximize one's chances of getting many red Hs, having a high average score, and garnering many favorites. Write lots of incest stories. Write lots of stories, period. Make your stories over 6 pages long. Avoid writing very short stories (under one Lit page). Write stories with many, many chapters. Write to meet the expectations of the readers of the category in which the story is published. These steps will increase your chances of "success" in a quantitative sense while having absolutely nothing to do with your skill as a writer.

I remember when I was a Literotica reader 15 years ago or so there was much less data than there is now, and fewer lists, and I did just fine finding the stories I liked.

Very much agree. Just as story rating we have now is not really a true indicator of story quality, adding to this flawed metric would just result in more flawed data. I would like if some redesigning of the scoring system would be considered instead. Surely, after so many years of data and experience, readers' habits can be predicted to some degree at least, so some data-correcting measures could be applied, if one wanted a scoring system that reflects reality somewhat better. Although, I seriously doubt that is what ONE wants

 

[SimonDoom]

Very much agree. Just as story rating we have now is not really a true indicator of story quality, adding to this flawed metric would just result in more flawed data. I would like if some redesigning of the scoring system would be considered instead. Surely, after so many years of data and experience, readers' habits can be predicted to some degree at least, so some data-correcting measures could be applied, if one wanted a scoring system that reflects reality somewhat better. Although, I seriously doubt that is what ONE wants

I think the long-term answer is not to add more data or lists, but to add tools that allow readers to customize their Literotica experience and find the stories they want. I could see, for example, giving readers the chance to create a customized home page, with links to whatever categories, data sets, new story lists, and toplists they prefer. More nuanced and advanced categorization. More comprehensive search capabilities: the current story search tools are far, far too limited.

We're a long way away from this, but I think it makes sense.

 

[KeithD]

Each of the hubs does have a "most popular author" listing, but I wouldn't trust it. Since the new formatting came it, some of the names given on these lists are of writers who have few stories in that category on their list at all.

Received a cowardly anonymous e-mail through Literotica to this today by someone so cowardly they couldn't post their comment to this thread (Hi, Lovecraft68). It says, "The popular author lists in the categories are based on POPULARITY of the author or story not who floods the category with endless tripe."

The fun thing is that this doesn't apply to me, as both my sr71plt and keithd accounts regularly list on the "top authors" listing on the GM hub.

"Someone" is just consumed by sick little puppy dog hatred.

 

[cattales333]

My below comment is only a preference. Not a complaint! I'm loving the platform and community.

Rather than spending time and resources to add new features or tools, I would prefer the site creators/operators work towards bringing on support staff that can help troubleshoot issues and respond to inquiries. Though I'm fairly certain they are already much too busy as is.

 

[8letters]

Received a cowardly anonymous e-mail through Literotica to this today by someone so cowardly they couldn't post their comment to this thread (Hi, Lovecraft68). It says, "The popular author lists in the categories are based on POPULARITY of the author or story not who floods the category with endless tripe."

The fun thing is that this doesn't apply to me, as both my sr71plt and keithd accounts regularly list on the "top authors" listing on the GM hub.

"Someone" is just consumed by sick little puppy dog hatred.

I'm sorry you have to put up with such nonsense.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I don't get it. A person wakes up feeling insecure about their appearance. Instead of looking in the mirror, they turn to external sources of validation, such as looking at their social media followers or comparing themselves to others online, in order to feel better about themselves.
Tragic.

I was feeling overwhelmed and turned to OpenAI for guidance on the topic of self-judgment and seeking validation from others. This is their response:

"Self-judgment and seeking validation from others can be harmful because they can lead to a negative self-image and low self-esteem. When we constantly judge ourselves and compare ourselves to others, we may find ourselves coming up short and feeling unworthy. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and inadequacy, which can have a negative impact on our mental health and overall well-being.

"Additionally, seeking validation from others can be damaging because it puts the power to determine our self-worth in the hands of others. We may find ourselves constantly seeking approval and validation from others, rather than developing a sense of self-worth and confidence from within. This can lead to a lack of authenticity and a reliance on external sources of validation, rather than being true to ourselves and trusting in our own abilities.

"Overall, self-judgment and seeking validation from others can be detrimental to our well-being and happiness, and it is important to work on developing a positive self-image and sense of self-worth from within."

Where in the hell did this come from?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Received a cowardly anonymous e-mail through Literotica to this today by someone so cowardly they couldn't post their comment to this thread (Hi, Lovecraft68). It says, "The popular author lists in the categories are based on POPULARITY of the author or story not who floods the category with endless tripe."

The fun thing is that this doesn't apply to me, as both my sr71plt and keithd accounts regularly list on the "top authors" listing on the GM hub.

"Someone" is just consumed by sick little puppy dog hatred.

Really? Does that happen here?



Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Where in the hell did this come from?

I just sort of breezed past it, seemed best.

Em