How many people read a later chapter in a story, without reading earlier chapters?

[GrantBricksly]

So...as most of you who know me, know by now...I'm working on a reasonably long WIP right now. And I currently have 7 chapters published...And I've noticed something interesting...

My most recent chapter, ch 7, is about to end up with more views than the previous chapter...which I find odd.

For me, when I see a story, and it's Chapter "X" of a series...and I haven't read any of it yet...I'm going to do one of two things. A: Go back and start at chapter 1. or B: I may not read it at all, depending on how much of a commitment reading it will require. (the plot/category plays a role in this decision here)

So, I guess what I am wondering... is: Are people really clicking on, and/or reading chapter 7, without going back and reading previous chapters? Otherwise, shouldn't the views be going up evenly for all of the chapters?

What are your thoughts? How do YOU do things when it comes to chaptered stories that you come across like this?

 

[TheLobster]

Views are just clicks on the story. When your chapter 7 pops up on various lists, people may click on it, then go to the end to find the link to the whole series and use that to jump chapter 1.

These wouldn't be "reads" in any reasonable sense, but they do appear as views in the stats.

 

[GrantBricksly]

Views are just clicks on the story. When your chapter 7 pops up on various lists, people may click on it, then go to the end to find the link to the whole series and use that to jump chapter 1.

These wouldn't be "reads" in any reasonable sense, but they do appear as views in the stats.

Ah...so in a sense, it may get a double hit...assuming they then read all the way back to chapter 7?

 

[TheLobster]

Ah...so in a sense, it may get a double hit...assuming they then read all the way back to chapter 7?

Yup. There is always noise like this in the view counter, since it's a very simple mechanism (unlike votes, which are being regularly "swept", i.e., the suspicious/fraudulent ones are removed0.

 

[Gamblnluck]

So, I guess what I am wondering... is: Are people really clicking on, and/or reading chapter 7, without going back and reading previous chapters? Otherwise, shouldn't the views be going up evenly for all of the chapters?

Views are not necessarily reads. I'll sometimes skim over a later chapter to determine if I want to go back to the beginning to see what happened. Often I don't. Even if the scores seems to be high enough (3.8 or so).
If I do decide it warrants a read, I start with ch 1 and go through the whole story. So that latter chapter gets an additional view.

 

[MelissaBaby]

The most likely explanation is that they are repeat readers who may have particularly enjoyed that chapter or are returning to the series after a hiatus and are refreshing themselves on the plot.

 

[iwatchus]

The novel I posted last week, divided into 6 parts, had some of that behavior. Part 4 has more reads than part 3 and part 6 more than part 5. The discontinuity is less significant than it was a few days ago, I assume as people read up again. Mine probably has less of it, since the parts posted on consecutive day, except for one when apparently Laurel rested. I had finished the entire novel before posting any of it.

 

[Writer61]

I don't knowingly read a chapter out of sequence. But, if I see a story that sounds/looks promising I will open it to find my way to the first chapter and bookmark that to read later. Both would clock a view but, at that point, neither have actually been read.

 

[Dearelliot]

I seldom read subsequent chapters if I haven't read the first...and I don't care for chapters, but I know it is necessary...I have that problem myself...the continuation of a story.... I'm thinking of just writing a new story that continues with the same characters from a previous story...maybe not as well described, and explained...tell the reader if he cares, he can read the earlier work, and let the chips fall ...

 

[BobbyBrandt]

There are several factors at work here:

1. The distinction between a chapter of a story that is truly only a part of the whole, and an episode that can stand alone. The first is hard to skip around on, the second is much easier.
2. How the chapters are titled. Is it clear to readers that there are sequential parts to the tale?
3. New lists. Depending upon the site traffic on any particular day, you might see more people clicking on a new submission and then backing out once they realize they have mistakenly entered a story somewhere other than the beginning.

 

[Writer61]

2. How the chapters are titled. Is it clear to readers that there are sequential parts to the tale?

Whether a series of episodes or a single story with chapters, I always include a note at the beginning to clarify the situation.

 

[GrantBricksly]

Whether a series of episodes or a single story with chapters, I always include a note at the beginning to clarify the situation.

Mine are DEFINITELY not stand-alones...but I also have not included notes indicating this...

 

[Writer61]

Mine are DEFINITELY not stand-alones...but I also have not included notes indicating this...

Unless the title makes it clear (e.g. Dirty Story Ch.2), then perhaps you should.

 

[GrantBricksly]

Unless the title makes it clear (e.g. Dirty Story Ch.2), then perhaps you should.

The titles are all like that "Shoshana Ch. 1, Shoshana Ch. 2-3, Shoshana Ch. 4, etc...they are, I think clearly chapters in an ongoing story. And most, if not all, end on at least a little bit of a cliff hanger, something to hook you, and leave you wanting to continue to the next..

 

[MillieDynamite]

Not on purpose. When I do, I go find the preceding ones and start over.

 

[RejectReality]

There are enough unfinished stories that people click the final chapter to see if it's actually a final chapter before they consider starting the story.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I have published a 36 chapter series. Most of the chapters follow pretty closely to the usual pattern of diminishing views, with some statistical wobble. I believe that all of them spent at least some time in the Romance toplist. Several are still there.

There are two exceptions to the pattern, which saw a spike in views. One was a chapter which won the Monthly Award for highest score in the category (remember those?). The other was the final chapter. I think that Reject Reality has a point that some readers will open the last entry in a long series to see if it is final, but I think it's more common, with long series at least, for readers to dip in and out, not reading every chapter, but will come back to read the conclusion.

 

[ruddygore]

If the chapter looks interesting I'll take a look at it. If I like it I'll go back and read the earlier chapters. If not, I'll just move on.

 

[Britva415]

How many people read a later chapter in a story, without reading earlier chapters?

Not me. And I won't click on it to find Chapter 1 either

 

[THBGato]

Yeah I've done this a few times.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I might read a couple of paragraphs to see if the writing is any good and if what is there looks interesting enough to go back and start at the beginning.

 

[JayHawnee]

So...as most of you who know me, know by now...I'm working on a reasonably long WIP right now. And I currently have 7 chapters published...And I've noticed something interesting...

My most recent chapter, ch 7, is about to end up with more views than the previous chapter...which I find odd.

For me, when I see a story, and it's Chapter "X" of a series...and I haven't read any of it yet...I'm going to do one of two things. A: Go back and start at chapter 1. or B: I may not read it at all, depending on how much of a commitment reading it will require. (the plot/category plays a role in this decision here)

So, I guess what I am wondering... is: Are people really clicking on, and/or reading chapter 7, without going back and reading previous chapters? Otherwise, shouldn't the views be going up evenly for all of the chapters?

What are your thoughts? How do YOU do things when it comes to chaptered stories that you come across like this?

Currently, I don't see Chapter 7 of “Shoshana” topping the previous chapters, but I find Chapter 4 interesting, which tops Chapters 2-3, where I would normally expect a similar number of views or a decline compared to the previous chapter.

When I personally search for new stories, I look for specific categories and then see if I find the title and/or subtitle of a story interesting. I might click on the story, but also usually go back to Chapter 1 to check if I like the writing style and if the story appeals to me.

However, since Literotica only shows “views” and not actual “readers,” the choice of title and subtitle plays a big role in how many views a certain chapter of your story generates. If you publish your story in multiple categories (which you don't), the choice of category can also have a huge impact on the number of readers.

What particularly strikes me in chapter 4 of your story is the subtitle. While the subtitle of chapter 2-3 focuses on “training,” in this chapter you mention “magic,” which highlights the fantasy aspect of your story and might attract a certain number of people only interested in fantasy to click on it.

 

[GrantBricksly]

What particularly strikes me in chapter 4 of your story is the subtitle. While the subtitle of chapter 2-3 focuses on “training,” in this chapter you mention “magic,” which highlights the fantasy aspect of your story and might attract a certain number of people only interested in fantasy to click on it.

Yeah, Chapter 4 was a fun one for me...that and Chapter 5. They both start to really delve into the depths of magic, and I got to get REALLY creative. Chapter 4 actually worried me a lot though...because it was very lacking in Sex...so I worried that people here on Lit might not appreciate it as much...but it seems to be doing OK...

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't, but based on what I see from the numbers, I think a lot more people do this than logic would suggest. But it's possible that it is accounted for in part by repeat readers, as Melissa suggests.

For example, I've noticed that the last chapter of a series tends to have more views then the next to last chapter. The only explanation I have for that is that since the last chapter is likely to be the "climax" of the story, readers are more inclined to go back to it repeatedly than to the other chapters.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I don't, but based on what I see from the numbers, I think a lot more people do this than logic would suggest. But it's possible that it is accounted for in part by repeat readers, as Melissa suggests.

For example, I've noticed that the last chapter of a series tends to have more views then the next to last chapter. The only explanation I have for that is that since the last chapter is likely to be the "climax" of the story, readers are more inclined to go back to it repeatedly than to the other chapters.

It’s just anecdotal but I have had several readers tell me that they have read particular chapters over and over again, either just because they were their favorites, or because they prominently featured a favorite character.