Series across multiple categories

[PriestOfIshtar]

Another thread on this topic was alive recently, and now that I have some data, I can confirm that publishing chapters across different genre categories leads to discontinuous reader experiences. In my ongoing series, I have two chapters dropped into different genre categories because the specific content was very divergent from the series theme.

The results are: those chapters have far, far fewer reads and the comments are from baffled readers with comments along the lines of "WTF is this and where did it come from, this makes no sense."

Which, if you weren't reading the rest of it, would make sense.

More concerning, one chapter with 1/3 as many readers as the rest of the series is actually very important to the overall structure of the story, so while readers may not have noticed the missing chapter, later chapters aren't going to make nearly as much sense.

Conclusion: it would be better to keep all chapters in the same genre, and presumably throw some tidbit in to justify the genre inclusion.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Conclusion: it would be better to keep all chapters in the same genre, and presumably throw some tidbit in to justify the genre inclusion.

I'm not sure if you need to throw in tidbits. In my experience, Laurel has usually been fine with categorising chapters based on the series as a whole rather than the specific content of that one chapter. Both of my stories in Lesbian Sex have no-sex chapters which still posted to those categories.

 

[jaF0]

I'm not interested in comments or ratings, but what I'm working on crosses some lines. It's heavy incest for the most part, but goes into group, Ex/Voy. One part is kind of deep into mild BDSM, though it could go into Ex/Voy also since it really doesn't have I.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm not interested in comments or ratings, but what I'm working on crosses some lines. It's heavy incest for the most part, but goes into group, Ex/Voy. One part is kind of deep into mild BDSM, though it could go into Ex/Voy also since it really doesn't have I.

If it's predominantly incest then all of it should be published in the incest category, without hesitation, regardless of what other categories your story touches. You'll get a much bigger readership that way. Incest is a trump category. Some incest readers may not care for some of the subject matter, but that's not important. By publishing the chapters in incest you maximize your chances of connecting with readers who will appreciate your story.

 

[Ian_Snow]

Both my series took a dip in readership across genres but I also didn't want to surprise anyone into reading something they didn't want to, particularly when a pair of twins were heavily involved with each other in one story. Sometimes taking the hit is the right thing to do.

 

[Daddysgirlfl]

I believe you're referring to my questions awhile back.

THanks for the follow up. I decided, at least for now, keep everything in one cat for the reasons you mentioned.

But as someone down the thread mentioned, if it's terribly different, I'll change cats and what will be will be. In my book it's important to stick to reader's expectations to a degree.

Another thread on this topic was alive recently, and now that I have some data, I can confirm that publishing chapters across different genre categories leads to discontinuous reader experiences. In my ongoing series, I have two chapters dropped into different genre categories because the specific content was very divergent from the series theme.

The results are: those chapters have far, far fewer reads and the comments are from baffled readers with comments along the lines of "WTF is this and where did it come from, this makes no sense."

Which, if you weren't reading the rest of it, would make sense.

More concerning, one chapter with 1/3 as many readers as the rest of the series is actually very important to the overall structure of the story, so while readers may not have noticed the missing chapter, later chapters aren't going to make nearly as much sense.

Conclusion: it would be better to keep all chapters in the same genre, and presumably throw some tidbit in to justify the genre inclusion.