"Go figure" concerning the ratings

[Synthia]

I'm a fairly new author. (First story posted 8/17/05.) I thought I'd try to learn something from how the ratings come in, but not sure I have. "A (Very) Friendly Agreement, Ch.1" did well in the ratings as I had thought it would. Ch. 2 seemed hotter than Ch. 1 to me, but didn't quite get over the 4.5 mark.

On the other hand, I put on what I thought was just a fun little story, "Inspiring Mom", and it did almost as well as Friendly Agreement 1. Go figure.

Any thoughts on this? Synthia

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

A lot depends on category, story length, and who is reading it.

From my experience, the stories I think will do very well don't and the ones that I think aren't the greatest do better.

 

[Guest]

I'm probably like a lot of people. I'll read a story that stands on its own, or a Part 1, but rarely a part beyond one unless I remember very favorably the story before it.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

A lot depends on category, story length, and who is reading it.

From my experience, the stories I think will do very well don't and the ones that I think aren't the greatest do better.

I agree entirely. Choice of category is very important for votes and reads.

As long as you're up for it, turn the public comments on and you'll get some feedback. Also, create a sig line in you posts where you can give a hyperlink to your stories and promote them a bit.

Welcome to the asylum Syn

 

[rgraham666]

I haven't anything to add.

I still haven't figured out why my best stories did so well.

Welcome to the AH, Synthia.

 

[cantdog]

Synthia, it is a mystery. I always thought my Chapter three was the best thing in the series, but two has done better. Three just hovers, now H, now not. Makes you just say "?"

Another rating, if you like: Fire Pole is my most stolen story. I find it all over the net when I do the searches. It was a real sleeper, hovered for a year before climbing right up. It's an early work for me. I think I've improved since, but it still gets votes and still gets stolen.

 

[Guest]

Synthia, it is a mystery. I always thought my Chapter three was the best thing in the series, but two has done better. Three just hovers, now H, now not. Makes you just say "?"

Another rating, if you like: Fire Pole is my most stolen story. I find it all over the net when I do the searches. It was a real sleeper, hovered for a year before climbing right up. It's an early work for me. I think I've improved since, but it still gets votes and still gets stolen.

That's 'cause firefighters are so sexy, cant baby!

And it's a yummy story.

Syn? Glad you're having success with your stories. Personally, I enjoy the public comments board the most. Your stories seem to be doing well so don't worry about ratings - just relax and enjoy the ride!

 

[Synthia]

Thanks for everyone's help. After I looked at some things, including category, more closely I think I understand how the ratings came in a little better. "Friendly Agreement" is in Incest/Taboo, but there is lots of taboo but no incest. Readers found that out when I ended it in Ch. 2, and some may not have been too happy about it.

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature or the readers.

Thanks again. Synthia

 

[cantdog]

The Incest readers are the most exciting on Lit, in some ways. They vote! They really do vote, lots. Hundreds of votes, compared to dozens in some other categories in the same time period, or just a couple in Poetry cats.

They have Expectations, though. Any hint of force makes your story controversial there, just as it does, generally, in Group Sex. They want CLOSE relations to have sex. Closer the better. But they send lots of feedback and vote by the hundreds.

The very same story, in a different cat (and let's face it, most stories don't fit very neatly in only one cat) will score differently.

 

[JamesSD]

I'm a fairly new author. (First story posted 8/17/05.) I thought I'd try to learn something from how the ratings come in, but not sure I have. "A (Very) Friendly Agreement, Ch.1" did well in the ratings as I had thought it would. Ch. 2 seemed hotter than Ch. 1 to me, but didn't quite get over the 4.5 mark.

I'm guessing Ch.2 got less votes than Ch.1 did (this is often the case). Most stories get hit with at least one or two low votes. There are some very opinionated readers, who vote on almost everything.

A story with a lot of votes is much more capable of withstaining a handful of negative votes than a story with less votes. Of course, a lot of times readers for later chapters in theory are those who liked your earlier chapters. Of course, I've had readers make it through entire stories, giving every chapter 4s.

The short of it is, ratings do tell you something, but not everything. And a 4.5 in Erotic Couplings isn't the same as a 4.5 in Incest (which is generally a "softer" category). The number of votes, and amount and types of feedback also tell you how the story was recieved.