ratings

[robertreams]

Can anyone tell me how the rating system works. Is it 1-10? Are consistent scores above four any good. i would appreciate haeing some measure to go by. What is good? what is average?

 

[lovecraft68]

Can anyone tell me how the rating system works. Is it 1-10? Are consistent scores above four any good. i would appreciate haeing some measure to go by. What is good? what is average?

Its 1-5 and yes over 4 is gpod although voting is so soft a lot of people get upset at anything less than a 5 vote

 

[robertreams]

Thanks. I guess I must be pretty good. I have 28 submissions and only one (non-erotic lol) has less than a four. This is truly good news.

 

[PennLady]

Good or average depends to some degree on the category you're writing in. A 3.5 in Loving Wives, for example, may be considered high, where it wouldn't be in another category, like Romance.

A 4.5 or higher (after 10 votes, I think) will get a red "H" displayed next to your story, to indicate it's "hot." It's a nice marker, but pretty common.

Don't live or die by your scores, or your feedback. Just write and enjoy and ignore the trolls.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

LIT Scores are a fools paradise, because its an American Idol style popularity contest. Over time youll chase the score and forget about writing better. That is, youll be a LIT hack.

 

[TxRad]

PennLady has the right of it.

 

[8letters]

Over the last 30 days, 237 incest stories have been submitted. Some statistics on them:
#1 - 4.82
10th percentile (#24) - 4.68
25th percentile (#59) - 4.57
50th percentile (#118) - 4.31
75th percentile (#178) - 4.00
90th percentile (#213) - 3.68
Last (#237) - 2.38

Over the same time period, 82 Romance stories have been submitted:
#1 - 4.87
10th percentile (#8) - 4.77
25th percentile (#20) - 4.61
50th percentile (#41) - 4.27
75th percentile (#61) - 3.93
90th percentile (#74) - 3.53
Last (#82) - 2.52

Over the same time period, 161 Loving Wives stories have been submitted:
#1 - 4.64
10th percentile (#16) - 4.29
25th percentile (#40) - 3.97
50th percentile (#80) - 3.49
75th percentile (#121) - 2.92
90th percentile (#145) - 2.54
Last (#161) - 1.61

 

[sr71plt]

Interesting stats. I'm not surprised, though.

 

[LOAnnie2]

Did the same for my most populous category

167 Non-consent/Reluctance stories submitted last 30 days
#1-4.91 (note this was submitted yesterday and only has 11 votes)
10th percentile (#17): 4.45
25th percentile (#42): 4.32
50th Percentile (#84): 4.05
75th Percentile (#125): 3.83
90th Percentile (#150): 3.52
Last (#167): 2.53

 

[Tyro999]

Shame on you 8letters and LOAnnie2; citing real facts and numbers to support an AH discussion. That sort of thing isn't done here.

 

[RoyceConnors]

Ratings are over-rated, lol. Write well, build a loyal fan base, forget the trolls and enjoy what you're writing. That's all that really matters. If you enjoyed writing every word, chances are the readers pick it out in reading it.
Got me over the ratings issue.

 

[horrorotica]

ratings fail to be a true reflection of the stories on this site because of the practise of some trolls to 1-bomb stories (thus driving the rating artificially low) or of some authors of 5-bombing their stories (thus inflating their score to appear higher than it should be). If the rating is all you're concerned about then like others have said you're not doing this for the right reasons.

 

[8letters]

Shame on you 8letters and LOAnnie2; citing real facts and numbers to support an AH discussion. That sort of thing isn't done here.

Let me disappoint you some more.

The top 5 rated incest stories in the last 30 days are:
Porn Shoot with My Sister
4.82 rating on 1578 votes, 95410 views, 130 favorites, 72 comments. The author lovecraft68 is a well-established author

The Afflicted Ch. 17
4.82 rating on 219 votes, 7321 views, 19 favorites, 19 comments. The author ChiShyGuy has posted only this series

Sell Me Ch. 04
4.77 rating on 228 votes, 11665 views, 11 favorites, 6 comments. The author KalIsBak has published only this series

Behind The Shed Ch. 03
4.76 on 748 votes, 52652 views, 29 favorites, 20 comments. The author Cphucker is a well-established author

Psychic Sister
4.75 on 668 votes, 41846 views, 51 favorites, 24 comments. The author Xarth is a well-established author

The stories in the Top 50 incest with over a 1000 votes
Porn Shoot with My Sister
4.82 rating on 1578 votes, 95410 views, 130 favorites, 72 comments. The author lovecraft68 is a well-established author

Mom Submission
4.70 on 1486 votes, 223064 views, 136 favorites, 53 comments. The author silkstockingslover is a well-established author. This was a Nude Day submission

My Sister's Mouth
4.66 on 1305 votes, 110515 views, 101 favorites, 19 comments. This was Intrigue4849's first story

Son's 18th Birthday Present
4.63 on 1054 votes, 99388 views, 51 favorites, 34 comments. The author alwayswantedto is a well-established author

Look Good Naked
4.59 on 1004 votes, 108637 views, 39 favorites, 21 comments. The author AffectionateFather has published four stories, all in the last five months

The stories in the Top 50 incest with less than 100 votes
The Other Side Ch. 02
4.70 on 69 votes, 4471 views, 6 favorites, 6 comments. The author AnsemRei has published 7 stories over 4 years, 5 of which have H's

A Hero's Welcome Ch. 04 Pt. 01
4.68 on 91 votes, 12741 views, 9 favorites, 4 comments. The author beachbum1958 is a well-established author

Opposites Attract Ch. 02
4.68 on 25 votes, 3943 views, 1 favorite, 1 comment. The author joshy029 had published two transsexual series before this incest series

Lindsay Gets a Special Gift Ch. 04
4.64 on 25 votes, 6662 views, 2 favorites, 0 comments. The author has published 5 other stories, none of which were incest. The first 3 chapters were in the Sci-Fi category

A Proper Young Woman's Guide to Anal Etiquette Ch. 05
4.62 on 26 votes, 11202 views, 2 favorites, 2 comments. The author lordodie has published one other story besides this series. This series had chapters published in Anal, Incest, Incest, Anal, BDSM and Incest

My First (Time) Taboo Ch. 27
4.62 on 26 votes, 6768 views, 2 favorites, 3 comments. The author Lucy_P has published only this series

And to provide a completely different baseline, the two chapters of my story
Heather and Michael Ch. 01
4.33 rating on 467 votes, 44916 views, 10 favorites, 8 comments

Heather and Michael Ch. 02
4.61 on 372 votes, 28389 views, 12 favorites, 14 comments

Thoughts
* The stories I consider successful - high ratings; lots of views, favorites and comments - were all complete short stories.

* If you write a story with many chapters, you are mainly writing the later chapters for yourself.

* Having a title and description that pulls people in appears to me to be a big factor in a story's success

* I think I would have been better off not splitting my story into two chapters. I did it to keep the size of each down and to make it easier to add sequel chapters later. From what I can see, the audience tails off after chapter 1, particularly if you switch categories in later chapters (as I plan to do)

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Sure.

Title is everything, as is the teaser-hook. Follow it up with a drive-by shooting, brawl, seduction, murder, and you're on your way till your writer friends one-bomb you to hell.

But Lovecraft is right. Once your fan base is large enough the AH writer-trolls are fucked.

 

[sr71plt]

But Lovecraft is right. Once your fan base is large enough the AH writer-trolls are fucked.

Or if you've managed to discover the secrets of generating views/votes all by yourself that beat the sweeper, as some here evidently have. The Scouries approach.

And if you also write in genres that are more accessible here than anywhere else, and so attract a large readership.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Or if you've managed to discover the secrets of generating views/votes all by yourself that beat the sweeper, as some here evidently have. The Scouries approach.

And if you also write in genres that are more accessible here than anywhere else, and so attract a large readership.

I don't know, and I'm weary trying to do the LIT math to find out. Looking at FAWC scores yesterday it do seem that many here get harpooned for no apparent reason.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't know, and I'm weary trying to do the LIT math to find out. Looking at FAWC scores yesterday it do seem that many here get harpooned for no apparent reason.

Not to mention the outrageous sales job going on (including you in the cheering section). I can see that some are finding this friendly little exercise a threat they want to destroy.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Not to mention the outrageous sales job going on (including you in the cheering section). I can see that some are finding this friendly little exercise a threat they want to destroy.

Its Bush's fault.

 

[sr71plt]

Its Bush's fault.

Barbara Bush. She was always the one doing the mischief.

 

[StrangeLife]

Its Bush's fault.

You hardly ever see one these days except when watching old porn...

 

[TxRad]

You hardly ever see one these days except when watching old porn...

When you get to be JBJ's age, they are more bush than bush.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Let me disappoint you some more.

The top 5 rated incest stories in the last 30 days are:
Porn Shoot with My Sister
4.82 rating on 1578 votes, 95410 views, 130 favorites, 72 comments. The author lovecraft68 is a well-established author

The Afflicted Ch. 17
4.82 rating on 219 votes, 7321 views, 19 favorites, 19 comments. The author ChiShyGuy has posted only this series

Sell Me Ch. 04
4.77 rating on 228 votes, 11665 views, 11 favorites, 6 comments. The author KalIsBak has published only this series

Behind The Shed Ch. 03
4.76 on 748 votes, 52652 views, 29 favorites, 20 comments. The author Cphucker is a well-established author

Psychic Sister
4.75 on 668 votes, 41846 views, 51 favorites, 24 comments. The author Xarth is a well-established author

The stories in the Top 50 incest with over a 1000 votes
Porn Shoot with My Sister
4.82 rating on 1578 votes, 95410 views, 130 favorites, 72 comments. The author lovecraft68 is a well-established author

Mom Submission
4.70 on 1486 votes, 223064 views, 136 favorites, 53 comments. The author silkstockingslover is a well-established author. This was a Nude Day submission

My Sister's Mouth
4.66 on 1305 votes, 110515 views, 101 favorites, 19 comments. This was Intrigue4849's first story

Son's 18th Birthday Present
4.63 on 1054 votes, 99388 views, 51 favorites, 34 comments. The author alwayswantedto is a well-established author

Look Good Naked
4.59 on 1004 votes, 108637 views, 39 favorites, 21 comments. The author AffectionateFather has published four stories, all in the last five months

The stories in the Top 50 incest with less than 100 votes
The Other Side Ch. 02
4.70 on 69 votes, 4471 views, 6 favorites, 6 comments. The author AnsemRei has published 7 stories over 4 years, 5 of which have H's

A Hero's Welcome Ch. 04 Pt. 01
4.68 on 91 votes, 12741 views, 9 favorites, 4 comments. The author beachbum1958 is a well-established author

Opposites Attract Ch. 02
4.68 on 25 votes, 3943 views, 1 favorite, 1 comment. The author joshy029 had published two transsexual series before this incest series

Lindsay Gets a Special Gift Ch. 04
4.64 on 25 votes, 6662 views, 2 favorites, 0 comments. The author has published 5 other stories, none of which were incest. The first 3 chapters were in the Sci-Fi category

A Proper Young Woman's Guide to Anal Etiquette Ch. 05
4.62 on 26 votes, 11202 views, 2 favorites, 2 comments. The author lordodie has published one other story besides this series. This series had chapters published in Anal, Incest, Incest, Anal, BDSM and Incest

My First (Time) Taboo Ch. 27
4.62 on 26 votes, 6768 views, 2 favorites, 3 comments. The author Lucy_P has published only this series

And to provide a completely different baseline, the two chapters of my story
Heather and Michael Ch. 01
4.33 rating on 467 votes, 44916 views, 10 favorites, 8 comments

Heather and Michael Ch. 02
4.61 on 372 votes, 28389 views, 12 favorites, 14 comments

Thanks for sharing this information (and the previous even more so) It's quite interesting.

Thoughts
* The stories I consider successful - high ratings; lots of views, favorites and comments - were all complete short stories.

* If you write a story with many chapters, you are mainly writing the later chapters for yourself.

* Having a title and description that pulls people in appears to me to be a big factor in a story's success

* I think I would have been better off not splitting my story into two chapters. I did it to keep the size of each down and to make it easier to add sequel chapters later. From what I can see, the audience tails off after chapter 1, particularly if you switch categories in later chapters (as I plan to do)

I disagree with some of this.

Title and description will bring in people, no doubt about that.

For multiple chapter stories, quite often in later chapters, the views go down (you get rid of people who don't like that type of story early) but the scores go up. Votes usually congregate at the first and last stories. This is especially true of longer stories (4+ chapters), not so much for 2 chapter stories.

My last three serialized stories, Gamer Goddess, The Last Boy Scout, and Two Moms, Two Laps, all exemplify this. The first two have manage to snag the top of the TopList with their later chapters, not the first one. Two Moms, Two Laps isn't done yet, but unless I screw up the ending, I expect it to follow suit (Not the TopList, but the higher vote, higher score final chapter)

 

[sr71plt]

I think this listing shows that multiple chapters do unproportionally well in the top lists--including later chapters (one of these chapters high in the lists is a chapter 27, another one is chapter 17). There are far, far, far more standalone stories on Lit. than chapters, I think.

 

[8letters]

For multiple chapter stories, quite often in later chapters, the views go down (you get rid of people who don't like that type of story early) but the scores go up. Votes usually congregate at the first and last stories. This is especially true of longer stories (4+ chapters), not so much for 2 chapter stories.

My last three serialized stories, Gamer Goddess, The Last Boy Scout, and Two Moms, Two Laps, all exemplify this. The first two have manage to snag the top of the TopList with their later chapters, not the first one. Two Moms, Two Laps isn't done yet, but unless I screw up the ending, I expect it to follow suit (Not the TopList, but the higher vote, higher score final chapter)

I think we have different definitions of success. I agree that with a multiple chapter story, you are likely to have your most views and lowest score on the first story and then on the later chapters, lower views and a higher score. If I had combined my chapters, I think I would have had a score between that of the first and second, but more views, votes, favorites and comments for that one story than what I got on each of the other (but not combined) and I would define that as "more successful".

As it stands, 45K readers read my first chapter and of those who bothered to vote, they found my tale to be average for a story in my category. Only 28K continued on to the second chapter, which those who bothered to vote deemed to be a very good story for my category. I would have preferred that more people had read both halves and deemed the whole tale to be above average. Maybe my preference is stupid as I am a newbie author.

I really should be finishing up my second story and sending it off to my editor.

 

[mikoli5763]

Don't worry about ratings

I feel that if you're writing for ratings, you're writing for the wrong reason. Same with comments that are posted at the end of your stories. I first began to write to see if I could and then continued because of the enjoyment it gave me. Most of my submissions are in "Loving Wives" and that is one category where no matter what you do some one is not going to like it. If I'd have let negative comments and low ratings stop me from writing, I wouldn't still be writing. I think I'm getting better as a writer and hope to continue improving. So like one of the other authors said, "Write because you enjoy it and don't worry about the ratings". Hope this helps, good luck, and keep writing!