Categories - take 247

[EmilyMiller]

So, I know it’s all a game and that I should try to learn the rules better, but…

I just posted a rather ugly, short story (more an exercise in therapy than anything else) in BDSM. It’s called Hood & Hole and it’s very, very far from my best work.

Prior to this, I posted what I think is one of my best and most mature stories, Determination (the follow-up to Coleoidphilia) in Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Now the ratings are about right. Determination is at 4.88 (my personal best) and Hood & Hole is at a well below par 4.38 (though some of that is a handful of 1 bombs). My point is not about ratings, but about views.

Hood & Hole has accumulated 4.4K views in less than two days. Determination has been out since April 3rd and is at a ginormous 2.3K views.

So, I know Sci-Fi is not popular and that Determination’s title and tag like are both anti-clickbait (Hood & Hole and its tag line are both a bit clickbaity ). The solution is clearly to write my best stories in BDSM (or LW FFS!), but it’s still frustrating.

I know there is no answer and I’m just venting. But I thought I’d go with the zeitgeist.



Em

 

[NotWise]

You gotta pick your path. Some categories give more views, others have more appreciative readers. There's a balance there you need to understand, and use to get what you need.

Personally, I like posting to Romance and I will if I have the right story. The readers's appreciation makes up for what I miss in views. If I really need a bigger response, then I'll publish in I/T. Other categories sit in the spectrum somewhere.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You gotta pick your path. Some categories give more views, others have more appreciative readers. There's a balance there you need to understand, and use to get what you need.

Personally, I like posting to Romance and I will if I have the right story. The readers's appreciation makes up for what I miss in views. If I really need a bigger response, then I'll publish in I/T. Other categories sit in the spectrum somewhere.

I guess the problem is that the two biggest categories (LW and I/T) are not in my wheelhouse (whorehouse?).

No point bitching about it, I guess.

Em

 

[NotWise]

I guess the problem is that the two biggest categories (LW and I/T) are not in my wheelhouse (whorehouse?).

No point bitching about it, I guess.

Em

Your still getting thousands of readers you wouldn't have otherwise. Just maybe not tens of thousands.

One of my stories I like the most is in SciFi. Not many reads, but I can still feel good about it.

 

[SimonDoom]

Neither BDSM nor Sci Fi are categories with high average view numbers. The difference in this case seems likely to be based on your choice of title and tagline. There's nothing enticing about the title or tagline for Determination, whereas the "Hood and Hole," the tagline of which is "Bound on my knees and used," is enticing to those who choose a story in that category.

There's also a certain random factor with views. Some stories may have better competition than others by the luck of whenever they get published.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Neither BDSM nor Sci Fi are categories with high average view numbers. The difference in this case seems likely to be based on your choice of title and tagline. There's nothing enticing about the title or tagline for Determination, whereas the "Hood and Hole," the tagline of which is "Bound on my knees and used," is enticing to those who choose a story in that category.

There's also a certain random factor with views. Some stories may have better competition than others by the luck of whenever they get published.

I know there’s a random element. And I don’t often like clickbait titles / tag lines, which tend to give the plot away.

I know, I can’t have my cake and eat it.

Em

 

[SimonDoom]

I know there’s a random element. And I don’t often like clickbait titles / tag lines, which tend to give the plot away.

I know, I can’t have my cake and eat it.

Em

People don't need to know the plot but they want a hook. It's no different from the stuff you see on the inside or back cover of paperback novels. Readers want a basic idea. It doesn't give the story away.

 

[SirBurnInside]

We all love the endorphin rush of seeing those views wrack up fast, but the real happiness will come long term seeing the appreciation over years that the stories you think were your best recieve.

It's hard to be patient sometimes, but don't chase a quick high by changing what you feel best doing with your writing just to get lots of clicks, that's my advice.

 

[EmilyMiller]

People don't need to know the plot but they want a hook. It's no different from the stuff you see on the inside or back cover of paperback novels. Readers want a basic idea. It doesn't give the story away.

I’ll have to think about it.

Em

 

[djrip]

My scifi story is by far my least viewed. I kinda like it though. It's got one of my favorite comments: "too weird."

 

[EmilyMiller]

My scifi story is by far my least viewed. I kinda like it though. It's got one of my favorite comments: "too weird."

I’m so lazy, can you post a link?

Em

 

[Djmac1031]

It's actually pretty simple, I think.

Determination is a story in a not very "popular" (or at least highly trafficked) category.

It was also 7 pages.

The average reader probably skipped it. But those of us who read it enjoyed it and gave it high ratings.

Your new story is in a more popular category, and only one page.

More eyes + short = more people who read and rated = a more varied rating.

 

[djrip]

Of course

 

[EmilyMiller]

We all love the endorphin rush of seeing those views wrack up fast, but the real happiness will come long term seeing the appreciation over years that the stories you think were your best recieve.

It's hard to be patient sometimes, but don't chase a quick high by changing what you feel best doing with your writing just to get lots of clicks, that's my advice.

So patience is my kryptonite .

Em

 

[Djmac1031]

So, I know Sci-Fi is not popular and that Determination’s title and tag like are both anti-clickbait

I struggled with the story description for The White Room Revisited because it was pretty much impossible to make it attention grabbing without giving a lot away, or to make it sexy somehow.

So yeah, same problem; Nothing about my title or description drew NEW readers.

But I honestly didn't expect many new readers anyway. So I was fully prepared for that and went with the description I felt was best to encourage readers of the original to continue.

 

[EmilyMiller]

It's actually pretty simple, I think.

Determination is a story in a not very "popular" (or at least highly trafficked) category.

It was also 7 pages.

The average reader probably skipped it. But those of us who read it enjoyed it and gave it high ratings.

Your new story is in a more popular category, and only one page.

More eyes + short = more people who read and rated = a more varied rating.

Yeah. But life’s not fair, right?



Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Of course

Thanks. And as it’s short, I might just read it now .

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I struggled with the story description for The White Room Revisited because it was pretty much impossible to make it attention grabbing without giving a lot away, or to make it sexy somehow.

So yeah, same problem; Nothing about my title or description drew NEW readers.

But I honestly didn't expect many new readers anyway. So I was fully prepared for that and went with the description I felt was best to encourage readers of the original to continue.

It’s also my own hubris, I have two twists in quick succession at the beginning of Determination, neither of which would have worked if I had more explicitly flagged it as a sequel.

So it’s also partly my own fault.

Em

 

[MrPixel]

It was also 7 pages.

I know we've carried on ad infinitum about "ideal" story length, but speaking for myself, I'll drop out of a story once I get to the bottom of the first page and see that it is >4 pages. LitE pages are long, and even after adjusting the display parameters, I find the format fatiguing to read. But, frankly, I find reading from the screen fatiguing in general.

This is mostly why I organize and publish in chapters. Inception, development, climax and conclusion in a single satisfying chunk, typically roughly a half-hour to spend staring at the screen. Sort of like sitcom episodes. If the overall story seems like a fun/interesting read, I'll move on to the next chapter after giving my eyes a rest.

YMMV, of course.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I know we've carried on ad infinitum about "ideal" story length, but speaking for myself, I'll drop out of a story once I get to the bottom of the first page and see that it is >4 pages. LitE pages are long, and even after adjusting the display parameters, I find the format fatiguing to read. But, frankly, I find reading from the screen fatiguing in general.

This is mostly why I organize and publish in chapters. Inception, development, climax and conclusion in a single satisfying chunk, typically roughly a half-hour to spend staring at the screen. Sort of like sitcom episodes. If the overall story seems like a fun/interesting read, I'll move on to the next chapter after giving my eyes a rest.

YMMV, of course.

But then you get stars like @ChloeTzang who write much longer works. I am unsure that thee is a recipe for getting people to read.

Em

 

[Djmac1031]

So it’s also partly my own fault.

No "fault" about it.

We can write both popular stroke stories that appeal to a broad audience AND deeper, more complex tales that appeal to a select few.

It's not mutually exclusive.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I guess the problem is that the two biggest categories (LW and I/T) are not in my wheelhouse (whorehouse?).

No point bitching about it, I guess.

Em

Those categories aren't in my wheelhouse either, but I challenged myself to write for them to gauge what impact they would have on my other stories (mostly in N/N).

Not only were the views for the I/T and LW stories higher than my others, but they also sent readers to them in droves and increased my followers almost tenfold.

As I said, I/T in particular isn't my favorite subject matter, but I was able to come up with relationships (pseudo-incest) that satisfied the readers in that category. Challenge yourself like you did with your tentacle story and you might be surprised what you can come up with and what the results might be for your numbers here.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Of course

Read, rated, commented.

Thanks for sharing .

Em

 

[djrip]

Read, rated, commented.

Thanks for sharing .

Em

You're too kind
I appreciate it!

 

[EmilyMiller]

You're too kind
I appreciate it!

I’ll PM you. Don’t want to spoil it for others.

Em