What makes a story successful?

[sarah_shriner]

I recently submitted the entirety of my series.

And I've been refreshing my profile everyday to see the reader stats lol.

Currently, the number of readers for each of my 5 parts of the series are as follows:

12.8K, 9.9K, 3.5K, 4.9K, 4.3K

The ratings for each of these 5 parts are:

4.49, 4.53, 4.49, 4.31, 4.75

Is there a general metric to determine if your story/writing style has resonated with readers?

 

[lovecraft68]

You're showing the typical pattern of a series, more views and votes on the first chapters, but as it progresses you see less views and votes, but better scores.

This stems from people checking out the first chapter or two and deciding its not for them and probably voting lower. Accordingly the people who stick with it are voting higher and with the uninterested dropping off you're seeing the uptick in score.

I do notice a dip in score for #4...wondering if you had some type of speedbump they or twist they didn't like or introduced another kink?

Try not to get caught up on the numbers, and just keep writing the story.

 

[SimonDoom]

As LC said, you don't want to get too caught up in evaluating "success" merely by looking at numbers. A few thoughts:

1. Keep in mind that "views" are not necessarily "reads." A "view" simply means that someone clicked on your story. They may or may not have read the whole thing. The total read number likely is somewhere between views and votes.

2. You can see a big dropoff between 2 and 3, which is explained by the long delay before publishing chapter 3.

3. Your final chapter's score is excellent. I checked it a moment ago and it was at 4.86, which is an exceptionally high number. But keep in mind that until a story has about 100 votes or more its score is subject to wild fluctuations.

4. I'm very familiar with Exhibitionist and Voyeur stories and their scores, having published many such stories, and these are good scores, especially the last chapter.

5. Your chapters are very short. For whatever reason, many Literotica readers like longer stories -- at least 8000 words or so. You could have submitted this as a single story and it would have done better with readers, or have submitted the first two chapters together as one chapter and then submitted the later chapters as one or two chapters.

6. You've gotten some excellent comments and a relatively high number of comments for the number fo views the story has had, so that's very good.

 

[Comshaw]

I recently submitted the entirety of my series.

And I've been refreshing my profile everyday to see the reader stats lol.

Currently, the number of readers for each of my 5 parts of the series are as follows:

12.8K, 9.9K, 3.5K, 4.9K, 4.3K

The ratings for each of these 5 parts are:

4.49, 4.53, 4.49, 4.31, 4.75

Is there a general metric to determine if your story/writing style has resonated with readers?

Yes, there is. Invest in a pair of these:

https://www.boardgamesmaker.com/AttachFiles/WebsiteImages/Product_Show/FI_8333.jpg

I'm just funnin'.


But sometimes, on some of mine, I feel that's the only way I can guess at what will be acceptable to the readers. Looking at your scores though, the number of readers for the last part are mostly those who have read through the whole series. With the score you received for that part I'd say those who did read through it liked it, a lot.

Comshaw

 

[ScrappyPaperDoodler]

None of the stats (or even comments) offer a perfect picture of a story's 'performance'. There's a bit of bias in every metric and art is ultimately subjective.

I think any feedback (good or bad) that leaves you wanting to write more, means you've been successful. Whether that's in the form of ratings, views, comments, or just the way you feel? Doesn't matter!

Your ratings are great, views are on point, and I can tell you're invested in writing more.

I'd say that's success.

 

[SamScribble]

The ratings for each of these 5 parts are:

4.49, 4.53, 4.49, 4.31, 4.75

4.49? Congratulations. It would seem you have got your own troll following. I've lost count of how many of my stories have had their scores smashed back from 4.5-something (or 4.6-something) to 4.49. As soon as the trolls see the red H gone, they seem to be happy and leave things alone.

Good luck

 

[lovecraft68]

4.49? Congratulations. It would seem you have got your own troll following. I've lost count of how many of my stories have had their scores smashed back from 4.5-something (or 4.6-something) to 4.49. As soon as the trolls see the red H gone, they seem to be happy and leave things alone.

Good luck

Be interesting for one of the real stat geeks here to see how many 4.49 stories there are on the site....and how fast any 4.5/4.51 story reverts back to it

especially if the title starts with A and is on the top of your list.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is there a general metric to determine if your story/writing style has resonated with readers?

The only metrics are those you can derive from your scores: votes per view, comments per view, the overall score, the number of faves and followers a story attracts.

Your story has the typical profile of a chaptered series - chapters two onwards having lower view counts than the first, a roughly steady state view count from chapter three, and a stronger final chapter in terms of score. The hiccup in chapter four (higher views, lower score) is odd - it might suggest more clicked in on it based on the sub-title (you changed your approach), or a bunch read it twice, but overall, it was less liked than the rest.

The main take-home, though, is you do have a fair idea how many actually read the whole thing - your view count on the last chapter. Overall, that's not a bad retention ratio - I usually figure about 20% - 25% will stick around to the end.

 

[sarah_shriner]

thanks for all the great insights everyone. You guys are right. I think worrying about the numbers won't help me write any better.

I'll definitely keep writing about the stories that keep me excited

 

[Zeb_Carter]

What makes a story successful?

Readers.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

There's two possibly conflicting measures of success;
1. Giving people what they want (and satisfying them)
2. Getting people to read your story even when they didn't know they wanted to (and they end up liking it).

For the former type, think carefully about your title, tagline and tags, and ensure your story fits what readers of that category want and expect.

For the latter - title and tagline to entice them in, then I recommend reiterating category and tags and perhaps a warning up front - then those up for a different type of story will read and perhaps be won over by your ideas or quality of prose or both.

Lit readers don't like surprises that they aren't prepared to have.

One of my only useful pieces of feedback in comments was on a story (Mummy Porn) which went 'Interesting. Not the story I was expecting, and judging by the score, not what others were expecting either, but it's not like you could have posted it anywhere else'. It's about the feelings of a mother getting back into BDSM after giving birth, nothing to do with pregnancy fetishes etc - I'd warned people not to expect incest but hadn't thought about what else they might be expecting.

I try to put off people who won't like my stories and hope to please those willing to try them.

 

[SimonDoom]

The best measure of "success" at Literotica is your own satisfaction with what you've written. After all, none of us are being paid for this. If you derive enjoyment from the publication of a story, then it's a success.

For me, personally, success means 1) writing a story that gives me pleasure, 2) feeling like I'm getting better at what I do, and 3) connecting my stories with as many readers who enjoy and appreciate them as I can.

The numbers are a tool, not a goal. I strongly believe that by paying attention to the numbers and the data and deriving from them what useful information I can, I can better achieve success on my terms. That's not quite the same thing as believing that the numbers themselves are meaningful measures of success.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The best measure of "success" at Literotica is your own satisfaction with what you've written. After all, none of us are being paid for this. If you derive enjoyment from the publication of a story, then it's a success.

For me, personally, success means 1) writing a story that gives me pleasure, 2) feeling like I'm getting better at what I do, and 3) connecting my stories with as many readers who enjoy and appreciate them as I can.

The numbers are a tool, not a goal. I strongly believe that by paying attention to the numbers and the data and deriving from them what useful information I can, I can better achieve success on my terms. That's not quite the same thing as believing that the numbers themselves are meaningful measures of success.

And all the congregation said, "AMEN."

As a writer I hope my readers have an emotional response to what I have written. If they like or love it, that is the best reward. If they hate the story, well that is also an emotional response. I'd prefer they enjoy what I write as opposed to hating it. Still, my greatest reward is enjoy what I'm doing, it's a bonus when others enjoy my work as well.

 

[LilyWaters]

"The best measure of "success" at Literotica is your own satisfaction with what you've written. After all, none of us are being paid for this. If you derive enjoyment from the publication of a story, then it's a success.

For me, personally, success means 1) writing a story that gives me pleasure, 2) feeling like I'm getting better at what I do, and 3) connecting my stories with as many readers who enjoy and appreciate them as I can.

The numbers are a tool, not a goal. I strongly believe that by paying attention to the numbers and the data and deriving from them what useful information I can, I can better achieve success on my terms. That's not quite the same thing as believing that the numbers themselves are meaningful measures of success."


As somebody brand new here who feels nervous as her first story sits in pending, nothing could have made me feel better than this answer. Thank you.

Edit: OMG I am not SUCH a newb that I don't know how to properly quote a previous message - I just hit the wrong button this time. I'm not wearing my glasses. LOL. Jeez. Get it together, Lily!

 

[gordo12]

Forget it. You can't post info about changing quotes without it becoming a quote. Useless!!!

 

[Athalia]

What makes a story successful?

Readers.

Yeah, sorta. But I measure the success of a story in its ability to express what I'd wanted to express.

One of my favorite stories is "Daughters of Priapus" because it introduced so many elements that I've used (and perhaps over-used) in my stories: the reclamation of a woman's libido, a lesbian dalliance, and a bit of a mystery involving code-breaking. Other stories in the series have earned that red "H" but the original story seems to have fallen short of that goal. That doesn't bother me. I still consider the story a ripping yarn, and will continue to do so.


Another one of my favorites is "The Path of Pain." While it's done pretty well on this site, it's among the lowest-ranked of my stories on another site, which indicates that their readership isn't into that sort of psychological profiling. I suppose that proves Zeb's point: One type of readership can come away with a different judgment than another type.So always bear in mind that, if your story strikes out with one bunch of readers, another bunch may find it just their cup of tea.

 

[LAHomedog]

The best measure of "success" at Literotica is your own satisfaction with what you've written.

Yes!

For some reason this makes me think of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux and a quote I read from him. When asked "what did he consider his best and most successful game?" The Hall of Fame pitcher, who in his career started 740 games, won 355 games, and struck out 3,371 batters, won a zillion awards and was the best pitcher of his day, said that the greatest game of his illustrious career was one game where he threw 107 pitches and 104 went exactly where he wanted.

That was it! Not the stats, not the awards, his personal goals and personal satisfaction of his performance in one game. The athletic equivalent of what Simon posted.

 

[SimonDoom]

Y said that the greatest game of his illustrious career was one game where he threw 107 pitches and 104 went exactly where he wanted.

.

Part of what made Maddux so amazing is that he probably did remark exactly what the game was, how many pitches he threw, and how many of them went where he wanted, years later.

I wish I were the writing equivalent of Greg Maddux.

 

[SaintCordelia]

5. Your chapters are very short. For whatever reason, many Literotica readers like longer stories -- at least 8000 words or so. You could have submitted this as a single story and it would have done better with readers, or have submitted the first two chapters together as one chapter and then submitted the later chapters as one or two chapters.

Apologies for late comment, but in your experience, is it really 8000 words? That's about almost double what I've been drafting. I guess I should expand a little bit more to hit that sweet spot.

 

[Abbafan]

Be interesting for one of the real stat geeks here to see how many 4.49 stories there are on the site....and how fast any 4.5/4.51 story reverts back to it

especially if the title starts with A and is on the top of your list.

I imagine a 4.5 score would be very tempting to any troll types. They have a chance at possibly (depending on the numbers) taking away a red H just by smashing that 1 button.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

Apologies for late comment, but in your experience, is it really 8000 words? That's about almost double what I've been drafting. I guess I should expand a little bit more to hit that sweet spot.

Anything that goes past a Lit single page (> 3,750+/- words) will generally be enough for most readers, though 8,000 will stretch you to a third page, which some readers like. For my current story, I shot for a minimum of 8,000 words per part and I don't see that it's made much of a difference in any of the metrics versus other stories.

That said, my best advice is to write what's needed to tell the story well and don't add useless filler to reach an arbitrary number of words.

 

[SimonDoom]

Apologies for late comment, but in your experience, is it really 8000 words? That's about almost double what I've been drafting. I guess I should expand a little bit more to hit that sweet spot.

About two years ago, 8Letters did some analysis of different story categories and their views and votes and scores, and he included consideration of the story length in the analysis. He started several threads on the subject. The word "statistics" shows up in the thread titles, so you can search for the threads and read them yourself.

The bottom line is that it's VERY clear that scores go up as stories get over 1 page (3750 words), and the sweet spot, for purposes of maximizing reader reaction, is something well over 2 Lit pages. There is no question whatsoever that 10,000 word stories tend to do "better" than 5,000 word stories, in terms of scores, and, somewhat surprisingly, in terms of views and votes, too.

Contest winners are almost always long -- 6 pages are more.

I think there is a practical, perhaps salacious, reason for this. People read stories to have an erotic experience. To get off. I suspect that for many readers there is a certain minimal story length that will give them the experience they are looking for. Stories that are too short leave them frustrated.

None of this is a compelling reason why you shouldn't write whatever you want to write, however long you want to write them. But if you DO care about reader reaction, these are things to consider.

 

[SaintCordelia]

Thank you both for the replies! I will take a look at that statistics post, sounds like a valuable resource. I'd like to find a good balance between writing for myself and an audience, if working on extending the conflict in the story and writing stories with a bit more depth to please readers, then I think I will work on it, it shouldn't compromise my vision really. It'll be good to get in the habit to progress to longer form stories, especially to one-day try my hand at contests.

 

[LAHomedog]

The bottom line is that it's VERY clear that scores go up as stories get over 1 page (3750 words), and the sweet spot, for purposes of maximizing reader reaction, is something well over 2 Lit pages. There is no question whatsoever that 10,000 word stories tend to do "better" than 5,000 word stories, in terms of scores, and, somewhat surprisingly, in terms of views and votes, too.

I think there is a practical, perhaps salacious, reason for this. People read stories to have an erotic experience. To get off. I suspect that for many readers there is a certain minimal story length that will give them the experience they are looking for. Stories that are too short leave them frustrated.

I think this is right on and there are also a few variations upon the theme. When I was younger -- way younger -- and I first started coming to Lit as a reader, it was late at night and I was looking for a story to get me hot and get me off.

When I would find one, I'd read it, have my jollies and leave. But, the next night I'd go back to the same story, pick it up where I left off and do the same thing, read the next parts until I got off.

Until this moment I hadn't thought about that in terms of story length, but the length of the story was a primary factor in my arousal and payoff. and why I would go back to it. I wonder how many of times that comes -- sorry for the pun -- into play in terms of story length and votes.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Until this moment I hadn't thought about that in terms of story length, but the length of the story was a primary factor in my arousal and payoff. and why I would go back to it. I wonder how many of times that comes -- sorry for the pun -- into play in terms of story length and votes.

It's a fairly obvious connection, I'd have thought - give the reader lots of time, with a couple of pauses for breath along the way, before the final scene. Otherwise you're just mowing the lawn, and all you need is a two-stroke .