Reader retention from one chapter to the next

[fargas111]

For authors writing multi-part stories, what is the usual retention you get from the first chapter to the end? Do you finish the story earlier if you find the readership collapsing? Have you ever been able to increase the readership with new chapters?

I am writing two stories.

In the first, I have 47% retention from ch.1 to ch.2
In the second, I have 58% retention.

Can I say that my second story is getting more acclaim with readers? Or does the category/genre of the story also plays part in the loyalty of readers?

Other factors, like the length of the chapters and the frequency, do you think they may affect these statistics?

Thank you

 

[sr71plt]

I post my chapters fairly close together (about two a week). The viewership generally goes progressively down through the chapters (except the last chapter usually has more readers than the one before it) and the ratings progressively go up (presumably the readers who stick with it are the ones who like it and vote accordingly).

 

[Darkniciad]

Your best chance with retention ( though that's not the only factor you should be looking at ) is to finish the story, add an author's note stating that the story is finished, how many chapters it is, and that it will post daily, then submit all chapters at the same time. Lit will post them one a day.

Here's three chaptered stories where I did that:
Score - Votes - Views

4.31 233 58540
4.66 316 50299
4.68 246 41546
4.71 268 40267

4.54 78 33710
4.61 75 18853
4.66 58 16989
4.60 67 21718
4.79 52 14387
4.74 43 17966
4.75 77 22099

4.46 65 27139
4.45 47 16675
4.61 57 21612
4.55 78 28463
4.59 71 21065

Contrast with one that posted over the course of 5 months with no set schedule

4.62 76 14640
4.71 80 7527
4.74 47 5810
4.82 51 6463
4.72 69 6307
4.79 66 5445

 

[DG Hear]

I post my chapters fairly close together (about two a week). The viewership generally goes progressively down through the chapters (except the last chapter usually has more readers than the one before it) and the ratings progressively go up (presumably the readers who stick with it are the ones who like it and vote accordingly).

I agree with SR, I usually post chapter stories progessively each day. I have the story finished before I post the first chapter and I let the readers know the next chapter is soon to follow.

Usually the only time I post on consecutive days is when I feel the story may just be too long for one posting. Subsequent chapters almost always get less reads but many times the score might get higher.

 

[Weird Harold]

Other factors, like the length of the chapters and the frequency, do you think they may affect these statistics?

As a reader, the length of chapters only really affects me if they're too short. If they're very long, it can be a problem if the posting schedule is too frequent.

Generally, I find that a posting schedule ad chapter size that averages out to two Lit-Pages (7,000 words or so) is a comfortable fit to follow and maintain interest. That can be 49,000 words every Saturday (with a traditional Saturday Matinee Cliffhanger ending) or it can be 7,000 words every day.

Knowing the story is finished and submitted as a serialization is a big plus. Nothing turns me off of a serial more than an author's note begging for suggestions on where the story should go -- generally those stories tend to wind up abandoned and unfinished, or rushed to a an illogical and unsatisfactory close, so they're not usually worth the time to download them.

 

[Bebeslut]

Speaking as a reader, I'm pretty lazy and I guess I have a short attention span.

If the story I have selected seems trite, I abandon it right away. But I might even do that if the story is pretty good and just seems too long to me. I started reading one of the annual contest winners (forgot the title) and it was good, but when I got down to the end of the first page, I found there were three more pages. Bye-bye!

As a porn reader and author, I tend to go for shorter pieces. Personal preference. Disagree if you like.