Soliciting Comments from Readers

[nylonpunkie]

I am grateful for positive responses to my stories.
I get liked or favourited or followed (or whatever is the correct jargon), I've even got a little H in a red box a couple of times. But oh so rarely will someone leave a comment. I welcome all comments, even unfathomable or insulting ones. A nice, brief "I liked this" means the world to me.

I wondered how other writers solicit feedback, do any of you actually ask for readers to leave a comment at the end of your stories?
Do you think that'll come over a bit needy?

I suppose I'm just longing for human contact

 

[mfan2112]

I am grateful for positive responses to my stories.
I get liked or favourited or followed (or whatever is the correct jargon), I've even got a little H in a red box a couple of times. But oh so rarely will someone leave a comment. I welcome all comments, even unfathomable or insulting ones. A nice, brief "I liked this" means the world to me.

I wondered how other writers solicit feedback, do any of you actually ask for readers to leave a comment at the end of your stories?
Do you think that'll come over a bit needy?

I suppose I'm just longing for human contact

I say something like

I consider feedback a gift, so I endeavor to read your comments and PMs​

I used to put it at the beginning, now I put it at the end, so only those who actually read the whole story see it.

 

[NotWise]

I am grateful for positive responses to my stories.
I get liked or favourited or followed (or whatever is the correct jargon), I've even got a little H in a red box a couple of times. But oh so rarely will someone leave a comment. I welcome all comments, even unfathomable or insulting ones. A nice, brief "I liked this" means the world to me.

I wondered how other writers solicit feedback, do any of you actually ask for readers to leave a comment at the end of your stories?
Do you think that'll come over a bit needy?

I suppose I'm just longing for human contact

I did it once -- maybe twice. I didn't notice that it worked and I stopped because, to me, it did seem a little needy.

Another approach is to write stories that elicit comments, and to write them for categories where the readers are more likely to comment.

The surest way to get comments is to make some glaring error -- or at least something the readers think is a glaring error. In my limited experience, the more pleasant way to elicit comments is to keep readers emotionally engaged all the way to the end of the story.

If you really don't care what they say, then LW is a great place to get comments. Romance readers seem to comment quite a bit. I don't think that I/T readers are more prone to comment than anyone else, but there are so many of them that stories typically get comments anyway.

 

[mfan2112]

If you really don't care what they say, then LW is a great place to get comments. Romance readers seem to comment quite a bit. I don't think that I/T readers are more prone to comment than anyone else, but there are so many of them that stories typically get comments anyway.

I used to publish on the "blue" site and as a percentage of times a story has been read (comments/views), I get way more comments here. And fewer stupid ones.

 

[RejectReality]

It's part of my standard closing note. I ask readers to vote, ( once per reader ) and let them know that comments and favorites help raise the profile of the story, as well as provide me with a welcome boost.

 

[MColton84]

I wondered how other writers solicit feedback, do any of you actually ask for readers to leave a comment at the end of your stories?
Do you think that'll come over a bit needy?

I suppose I'm just longing for human contact

I will often ask for feedback from my readers. I want to know what they like about a particular story I've published, as well as, what they didn't. You can discover mistakes missed in editing and identify your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. You can learn a lot about your target audience that way. I will say that you should read the comments objectively. Some people can be hateful for the sake of it, where others will fault you for the simple matter of a difference in tastes. If you want their opinions and it's perceived as needy, so be it. At least that's my take on it.

 

[KeithD]

I don't solicit comments from readers. Yes, I think it shows neediness. It's so much more meaningful when I do get comments. Comments criticizing the technicals or nitpicking on content are sort of coming too late for me to do anything about. Posting here is usually the last stop for my stories. Most of them have been through the marketplace already.

 

[AvroAnson]

How to get feedback from readers: Post in LW, get hundreds of comments.

(Sometimes the ones that actually refer to what you wrote even outnumber the death threats.)

 

[MColton84]

How to get feedback from readers: Post in LW, get hundreds of comments.

(Sometimes the ones that actually refer to what you wrote even outnumber the death threats.)

So far I have only received one death threat. I guess I gotta work on my street-cred.

 

[Omenainen]

I’ve done that but I don’t think it works. I ask for comments on my bio. I’ve added a request for comments on the stories I added an author’s note for other reasons. Then I think I added something like “this is my entry for thus-and-thus contest, please vote”, and I don’t think it made any difference. Plus it gets old kinda fast once the contest is over. So then I didn’t bother, and my winter competition entry where I didn’t ask for comments was my most commented ever. So, who knows.

Needy? Might be, but if you are needy, what else can you do?

As a reader, one thing that encourages me to leave comments (in addition to now knowing how nice it is to receive them) is if the author answers them. It makes it apparent they receive the comments and are interested. I don’t answer each and every one myself, but try to answer something to each of my stories for this reason. Not that it seems to make a difference, there are a few comments (if any) when story gets out, and then it gets so silent.

 

[SisterJezabel]

I find I get a lot of the same people commenting and often comments aren't necessarily that helpful- "great story 5*' is not that helpful when it comes to feedback, but I am still glad that the same commenter comments on all my stories as it shows they are appealing to some people.

I have commented on stories and received an email from authors which is a lovely touch, especially if you have time.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I find it makes no difference whether I solicit comments or not. I get the same # of comments per story regardless. But I do it anyhow.

 

[nylonpunkie]

Thanks to all who joined in and gave me your thoughts ~ much appreciated, x

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Since I frequently post stories on Literotica specifically to gauge reader interest before submitting to my publisher, feedback is quite valuable to me.

While I welcome and value feedback and constructive criticism, I encourage readers not to embarrass themselves by making comments that prove that their reading comprehension skills are stuck at a third-grade level, or their knowledge of the proper use of grammar is obviously for some language other than English.

More than anything else, I take the good with the bad, never deleting any comments and replying to any where the reader has used their name to comment.

 

[KeithD]

Since I frequently post stories on Literotica specifically to gauge reader interest before submitting to my publisher, feedback is quite valuable to me.

Errck. Hope you haven't told your publisher you're doing this. You're destroying profit value. I don't know of any publishers who will take a work that has already been out there (except for republishing big sellers and classics), especially for free, like this.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Errck. Hope you haven't told your publisher you're doing this. You're destroying profit value. I don't know of any publishers who will take a work that has already been out there (except for republishing big sellers and classics), especially for free, like this.

Depends on the publisher and the reaction to the story on free sites. It can bode well that a story concept has been favorably accepted by readers and give especially small publishers greater confidence in its marketability.

Not much different than someone self-publishing on Amazon, selling hundreds of thousands of e-books and then getting a publishing deal for the print versions.

 

[William_Wood]

I don't think it's worth trying to ask for comments. It will only inspire uninspired comments.

As a reader, I try to comment as often as not, since I so much appreciate the few comments I get on my own works. Problem is I find myself only voting if I can give it 5 stars. I know. Too many stories are 'hot' when they're 'not'. I should hand out other star values too. I feel bad giving someone less than 5, but I'll at least leave a comment.

 

[KeithD]

Depends on the publisher and the reaction to the story on free sites. It can bode well that a story concept has been favorably accepted by readers and give especially small publishers greater confidence in its marketability.

Not much different than someone self-publishing on Amazon, selling hundreds of thousands of e-books and then getting a publishing deal for the print versions.

I don't buy it, and I've been in publishing for a very long time. Legitimate publishers don't invest time and effort in a work that's already had potential sales and attention drawn from it.

Being with a publisher is entirely different from self-publishing. A publisher is investing time and money off the top and justifiably is concerned about turning a profit. They aren't a charity. A self-publisher (and someone going with a "you pay it all" packager calling themselves a publisher) is accepting all of the cost and risk themselves up front. A world of difference between these two and you specified "publisher" in your OP.

Sorry, but suggesting that prospective publishers of your works are just fine with you floating them on free-read Web sites first is damaging misinformation to your fellow writers.

 

[8letters]

I put Author Notes at the end of every story. Here's the Author Notes from my latest:

Author's Notes:
* A huge thanks to my editor Tigersman and the others who contributed to this story: haplessfool, footlovin69, TM, Zoomie69, mycuriousnature and Vix Giovanni
* Please vote and comment! They are my only "payment" for this story
* If you liked the story, you should read my extended Author's Notes here
* If you find any typos or grammar problems, please PM them to me and I will post a cleaned up version of this story
* If you send me a PM, please have a valid email address on your LitE account so I can reply back if I choose
* I have several other stories similar to this one. Click here to read them.

 

[MColton84]

I put Author Notes at the end of every story. Here's the Author Notes from my latest:

I like that. I do something similar at the beginning of my stories. I like the way you've written that out. It seems like an approach that I would like to adopt.

 

[RejectReality]

Mine varies depending upon the story, and whim, but generally follows the same structure.

Thanks for reading! As always, please take a moment to vote ( once per reader! ) because that's the coin in my tin cup. Us free authors are in it for the feedback. To those ends, comments and favorites are certainly welcome, because they increase the visibility of the story, and attract more of the same.

 

[LexxRuthless]

It never occurred to me to solicit feedback, but when (much to my astonishment!) I started getting feedback in my e-mail, I immediately sent a reply. Occasionally, someone has posted a particularly thoughtful comment, and I have reached out to them via their member page to thank them for it (even when it was a scathing review, twice) and to ask how they would change the story if they were writing it.

Some of those early feedbacks turned into ongoing e-mail exchanges. Several of the members who reached out to me early on were subsequently happy to get a "sneak peek" of the stories I had in progress, and they often provided invaluable feedback before I submitted the final draft.

Perhaps I have indirectly solicited feedback, although that wasn't my intent. I always want to give credit where it is due, so I often mention other members who have given me feedback or requested that I write their story idea. This probably resulted in other folks reaching out and sharing their story ideas, since they knew I would be open to them.

 

[Athalia]

I appreciate all comments, but find that very few of them are actually informative. Comments "Great story!" or "I really enjoyed your story about Dick and Jane, and hope you write more about that. Maybe include Spot." don't do very much for me.

OTOH, a comment that tells me something about how the story evoked a personal response is always welcome. I really feel I've made a connection there.

 

[jehoram]

I appreciate all comments, but find that very few of them are actually informative. Comments "Great story!" or "I really enjoyed your story about Dick and Jane, and hope you write more about that. Maybe include Spot." don't do very much for me.

Well, since the site doesn't allow bestiality, I'm afraid that Spot isn't going to be included. Sorry, reader!

I enjoy reading the comments. In fact, I'm more interested in the readers' comments than their votes. But adding a note to the end of the story asking for them does seem to be on the "needy" side. The site already has a prominent box for adding comments, so I figure I'm covered there.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Since 2019 I've put in a closing note politely asking my readers to vote and/or comment. Haven't seen any marked improvement in that regard though. My non-contest/non-event stories still end up with votes in the low 100's and I can count myself lucky if anything breaks the 20 comments barrier. Sad bottom of the barrel is "Nikym's Predicament", one of my favourite stories with 52 votes.