Who is the average Lit reader?

[KillerMuffin]

What do you think the demographic is? Who are they? What age range? What are their reasons for coming here? What do you picture when you think of the average Lit reader? What kinds of qualities does the average reader possess that makes the choose which stories are good and which stories aren't good? How do they define "good" when it comes to stories? How do they define "bad"? What motivates them to click or not click? What motivates them to keep reading? What motivates them to read completely through to the end? What motivates them to stop reading and go do something else?

How and/or why did you form your opinion?

I ask because I've been reading a few of the threads on writing here and I'm curious about how the authors frame their readers in their minds. I don't mean by a subject/category specific audience, but the entire Lit audience. Obviously, people who write about BDSM or gay males are writing to people who like those subjects. What I mean is not "genre" so much as the entire readership themselves. Who is the average person that clicks open the New Stories category and starts surfing for something "good" to read, whatever "good" may mean?

I've put a lot of thought into it way back when and came up with some things. I'm wondering if anyone else has, as well and what those things might be.

 

[xssve]

Lit readers? Average?

I found some statistics a while back, forgot the link, I think I left it on my other hard drive, try google.

 

[sr71plt]

I like to think that my average reader is a shapely lass wearing only bikini bottoms and holding a pink water pistol behind her back.

 

[princessjennie]

Interesting question

How and/or why did you form your opinion? I can only may assumptions based on feedback I receive. I don't know any one from the site in real life. I do sometimes wonder if I walk past anyone in the street that would recognise my user name and vice versa (probably more than 1 given lit is in the top 600 websites in the world based). I did find it a really big shock when i found this site in my parents bookmarks, and have never told them

How do they define "good" when it comes to stories? I am a firm believe that the saying 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' definitely applies to Lit. One person will hate my story, the next will love it, and everything in between.

What motivates them to click or not click? Good old fashioned advertising and marketing. Anyone who denies this needs a reality check. It has to be catchy. But marketing isn't everything, or perhaps it is better to say, it isn't always as predictable as that. I had a story where lit changed the description of a story in a low-read category, and I couldn't believe the response in terms of clicking on the story. Getting people to click is half the battle, keeping them reading and having them interested enough to vote is the other half.

I'm curious about how the authors frame their readers in their minds...Who is the average person. There is no average person in my mind. I think they are all ordinary people, leading sometimes the same and most times different lives.

The unasked question - how do readers picture the author?

Hmmm

 

[impressive]

I can only answer based of the data I have from the people I know who came to Lit first as readers, then became writers.

That demographic is entirely: horny, bored, lonely, frustrated half of a physically and emotionally unsatisfying partnership.

 

[oggbashan]

What do you think the demographic is? Who are they? What age range?

The users of Literotica are so numerous that I think they would cover all age ranges from those officially too young to be here to very old. I would expect a dent in the curve in the early twenties when people are doing it rather than reading about it.

What are their reasons for coming here? What do you picture when you think of the average Lit reader?

I think most come here for titillation but stay because the place becomes addictive. There are so many stories here and it's all free. I think that the average Lit reader is slightly more educated than the norm otherwise they wouldn't use READING as a way of exciting themselves. The average Lit reader doesn't like Og's work because it isn't mainstream.

What kinds of qualities does the average reader possess that makes the choose which stories are good and which stories aren't good? How do they define "good" when it comes to stories? How do they define "bad"?

I don't think there is a single answer to any of those questions. The reader must have the ability to read and understand text and become excited by situations expressed in words. Unfortuantely that makes them unusual in modern society where the visual is more important than verbal. I think "good" and "bad" are expressed subjectively - "good" = works for me, reinforces what I consider to be desirable sexual practices either in reality or as fantasy, and "bad" = doesn't stimulate me at all or disgusts me. For example in the Loving Wives category there are at least two types of reader who comment - those who want slut wives who do it with their husband's consent and participation, and those who want cheating wives. What is "good" for one group will be "bad" for the other. My Loving Wives stories are bad for both because my loving wives are just that - loving and monogamous.

What motivates them to click or not click? What motivates them to keep reading? What motivates them to read completely through to the end? What motivates them to stop reading and go do something else?

To click or not? TITLE
A title with a trigger word such as "breast", "sister", "virgin" will attract more clicks than a more mundane title such as "The History of Mr. Polly".

To keep reading? A Hook in the first few paragraphs, preferably in the first sentence - something I'm not good at and frequently don't even try to do.

To read to the end? Cliffhangers, interesting characters that they can visualise and want to find out about. But most of all - BREVITY. Short stories get read to the end. Longer ones lose readers ON LITEROTICA very quickly. Multiple chapters lose readers after the first chapter. I would expect the number of views to drop for chapter 2 because only those who have read chapter 1 and liked it would go on. The number of votes, PCs and feedback drops like a stone after chapter 1.

What stops them reading?
As above - length. Also long prefaces, long exposition, lack of action and muddled plotting.

How and/or why did you form your opinion?

I've formed it after 6 years of writing for Literotica and over 170 stories currently posted. I know which of my stories are likely to attract views and votes but I'm writing primarily for myself. If I want to write and post a particular story - I'll write it even if I know it will be unpopular and/or have a very limited audience. Sometimes I'm surprised by the positive reaction of a few e.g. for Bagged at the Opera, and unsurprised by the violently negative reactions e.g. for Trapped.

Finally - I have been pleased to find that it is impossible for me to write anything that is beyond the capacity of Literotica's readers to understand. It is easy to underestimate the depth of knowledge in the audience and to write down to the readers. The sheer number of visitors to Literotica includes people who want every possible variety of sexual fantasy from realistic descriptions of basic rutting to involved role-play, fetish and just plain weird sex.

Og (purveyor of obscure fetishes)

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I stumbled upon LITEROTICA when I was looking for some tutelage relevant to porn. The HOW TO section, here, provided me with some of that.

I also wanted to collect examples of how writers depict specific human actions. Fortunately & unfortunately I discovered a couple of LIT writers who are so good they make virtually everyone else look bad.

I suspect most LIT readers come to steal stories. This wont work for me because my forte is over-the-top violence and underage sex. Which explains why I dont post my stories here. THEY WILL REJECT THEM for the subject and content.

My audience is 40ish very educated women with fantasies of teens. The violence tends to hypnotize them. One woman, a publisher, told me: Its so repulsive I couldnt stop reading it.

I think writing should be exactly like watching a bridge, filled with school buses, fall.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

The average Literotica reader...hmmmm.....I'd say:

dreamers with a desire to capture in story form what they lack in their lives or alternately, people seeking to find representations of what they have done and wonder if others actually do or write about.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

That demographic is entirely: horny, bored, lonely, frustrated half of a physically and emotionally unsatisfying partnership.

Nuh-uh!
Well except for the first one...

I don't know that you can "average" Lit readers, honestly. I think the audience is pretty diverse. I've received lots of feedback over the years and have gotten to know some of those Lit readers as well and I don't think I could classify all of them in one lump category. They range in every sort of location, class, race, gender, idealogy you could think of...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Theyre all degenerates and perverts and depraved, except for me.

 

[impressive]

Nuh-uh!
Well except for the first one...

I wasn't talking about the writers, dear. And, to my knowledge, you didn't come to the site as a reader first.

 

[xssve]

Her ya go muff: http://www.quantcast.com/literotica.com

Lol, "addicts".

 

[Green_Gem]

I don't know that you can "average" Lit readers, honestly. I think the audience is pretty diverse. I've received lots of feedback over the years and have gotten to know some of those Lit readers as well and I don't think I could classify all of them in one lump category. They range in every sort of location, class, race, gender, idealogy you could think of...

I agree completely with everything Selena has said. That's been my experience from the feedback I've received.

 

[xssve]

Interesting that the male:female ratio of approx. 70:30 is pretty stable across related websites, the only exception being chyoo, which is an interactive story site.

 

[shereads]

I like to think that my average reader is a shapely lass wearing only bikini bottoms and holding a pink water pistol behind her back.

Close. But that's no water pistol.

 

[hmmnmm]

This is informative.

Of the few people who seem to like my stuff, a distinct majority are women. I bet it's something like the reverse of Lit's gender demographic. So if the overwhelming percentage of visitors/readers are men... well now it begins to make sense.

Thanks OP for this topic.

And Og? You always cheer me up.

 

[Safe_Bet]

This is informative.

Of the few people who seem to like my stuff, a distinct majority are women. I bet it's something like the reverse of Lit's gender demographic. So if the overwhelming percentage of visitors/readers are men... well now it begins to make sense.

Thanks OP for this topic.

And Og? You always cheer me up.

That because we always say your name at least once when we masturbate!

 

[PrincessErin]

.....

 

[hmmnmm]

That because we always say your name at least once when we masturbate!

Rays of light just poked a hole in the clouds...
and talk about some audio poetry. Think of the harmonies. A touch of reverb? wow.

sometimes a door can entice you into some wonderful world that's full of promising rooms, but you begin to get the feeling that as beautiful as it is, you're just never going to connect. But it's hard to get out of it and go look for a more suitable match because... well, it just smells so sweet. So if a world could be found where the gender demo is more even-steven, or steven-stephanie or stephanie-stephanie. Or stephanie-steven-vanessa.

Really helpful info here.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Most of my readers (based on my feedback) are male. I'm wondering if female writers have more male fans and vice versa.

I have more male fans (from Lit) than female. Probably that 70/30 split.

Although my published work with eXcessica seems more 50/50... which is interesting!

 

[rgraham666]

Most of my fans are female judging from my feedback. And that applies to my e-books as well as my Lit work.

About 80% I figure are women.

 

[JustLikeEwe]

Another good question would be, what percentage of readers that claim to be women actually are?

 

[WRJames]

Most of the feedback I've had where gender could be determined was for You're Never Too Old to Get Laid -- almost all of it from men over 70.


I've also had negative feedback from folks in the "dirty old man" category that my stories don't have enough "action" in them -- so much for plot and character development!

As for women -- my wife won't read my stories, but she assures me anyway that the are too gross for a female audience. That may be backed up by this one I got recently

This message contains feedback for: WRJames
About the submission: The Descent Ch. 01
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous

Comments:

It was a good story until you mentioned about the "turd" then that got gross. Women dont want to read about crude stuff..sorry.

On the other hand, I had a complaint about Baby Changing Station that I wasn't descriptive enough about the scene that put it into the Fetish category.

I will say that outside of this forum I have not heard any demands for more literary quality.

 

[princessjennie]

Imp, I do get a few comments from couples as well, so at least they are exploring thier physcially unsatisfying relationship

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Whats odd for me, I never imagine a wide range of an audience. I know that more than one person will read it but each story and poem I've written as been written thinking of an individual (not the same one every time, just certain muses and angels who kiss my brain). I've never considered readership other than 'I hope she likes it."