An Underrated Section

[Lord_Drakonus]

So far, the only way for underrated novels to get more attention is by updating frequently and consistently, which some authors can't do.

We need a front page section where underrated novels get more attention. Trending and latest novels already got one on the front page, so why not underrated novels too?

And for that, we also need a criteria for what it needs to be an underrated one. Me personally, I'd like to give it this criteria:

1. At least a month old story.
2. At least having more than 4.0(Previously 3.5) story rating.
3. Having less than 10k pageviews.

Do note that Scribblehub is a growing website, so these criterias are bound to change.

 

[Agentt]

Hmmmm, I see no problem with this.
If people are ready to read shitty originals here instead of those written by professionals on NU, we can also have that section.

 

[AliceShiki]

Why would the site advertise the novels that failed to get a decent amount of readers?

I mean, they aren't as popular because they appeal to less people's tastes...

 

[Reisinling]

Why would the site advertise the novels that failed to get a decent amount of readers?

I mean, they aren't as popular because they appeal to less people's tastes...

That's an oversimplification, at least when looking at the data I can get. Many people just update in wrong ways/don't game the system enough to rise up in rankings independently of the quality of their writing (and I'm saying this as a person that did try to game the system, so not applicable to me), time of update does matter, relase schedule does matter, and finally, cover matters. Even the relase of first chapter matters. If you failt to get enough readers then, u are often out of luck, if you update in hours when few people are reading- you get no new readers- you are out of luck. (Well, luck here refers more to industrial spirit but still)

A new form of promoting novels would be nice, but you have to find a better way of finding underrated novels. As you can see on the stat thread i made some time ago, most novels on this website have over 3.5 rating.

 

[Lord_Drakonus]

Why would the site advertise the novels that failed to get a decent amount of readers?

I mean, they aren't as popular because they appeal to less people's tastes...

I mean, it's just a suggestion to help struggling writers. I have seen many good novels in this site that were underrated and needed attention.

Just because they aren't popular, doesn't mean that they appeal less. It could be because of their release schedule, their new chapter release getting buried because too many people were releasing chapters at the same time, and many more.

Point is, I just wanna suggest something that could help the underrated novels get more attention. It's up to the readers if the underrated novels suck or not.

As you can see on the stat thread i made some time ago, most novels on this website have over 3.5 rating.

Yeah, might have to increase it to 4.0 rating.

 

[Jessie_Emilyn]

Maybe instead of underrated just a random novel section. It would mean everyone in theory could get a little time to shine. It could also have a section for completed novels and in-progress ones to allow a resurgence of completed novels that won't see much more attention otherwise.

 

[Lord_Drakonus]

Maybe instead of underrated just a random novel section. It would mean everyone in theory could get a little time to shine. It could also have a section for completed novels and in-progress ones to allow a resurgence of completed novels that won't see much more attention otherwise.

True. But then again, random novels would mean that it'd promote even the popular novels. So the underrated ones have a less chance to shine.

 

[Napelynn]

Maybe instead of underrated just a random novel section. It would mean everyone in theory could get a little time to shine. It could also have a section for completed novels and in-progress ones to allow a resurgence of completed novels that won't see much more attention otherwise.

Implementing a "Random Series" div under the "Latest Series" div?

Hi, hello~ :blob_aww: I've been poking around and I haven't seen it yet, but would it be possible to implement a "Random Series" div under the "Trending" and "Latest Series" div? Something like this (marked in red): It will change each time someone visits or refreshes the page. I...

forum.scribblehub.com

 

[AliceShiki]

That's an oversimplification, at least when looking at the data I can get. Many people just update in wrong ways/don't game the system enough to rise up in rankings independently of the quality of their writing (and I'm saying this as a person that did try to game the system, so not applicable to me), time of update does matter, relase schedule does matter, and finally, cover matters. Even the relase of first chapter matters. If you failt to get enough readers then, u are often out of luck, if you update in hours when few people are reading- you get no new readers- you are out of luck. (Well, luck here refers more to industrial spirit but still)

A new form of promoting novels would be nice, but you have to find a better way of finding underrated novels. As you can see on the stat thread i made some time ago, most novels on this website have over 3.5 rating.

If you don't update often and are trying to compete in the webnovel market, you're just shooting yourself in the foot. That's not gaming the system, that's doing the bare minimum to gain exposure.

Like, sure, maybe you didn't get visibility one day because 30 other people released immediately after you... That's fine, you can release on the next day again, and you can get readers then.

The front page is a really easy way for readers to find your story, and pretty much all you need to do to get there, is to update frequently... If you can't even do this much, then the problem lies with you.

If your story is unpopular even after getting releases often, then the issue lies with the story. If your story is unpopular because you rarely make releases, then the problem lies with you. I don't see why the site should try helping out stories that are either poorly written or that don't have authors that try working in a way that functions properly within the system.

 

[lnv]

So far, the only way for underrated novels to get more attention is by updating frequently and consistently, which some authors can't do.

We need a front page section where underrated novels get more attention. Trending and latest novels already got one on the front page, so why not underrated novels too?

And for that, we also need a criteria for what it needs to be an underrated one. Me personally, I'd like to give it this criteria:

1. At least a month old story.
2. At least having more than 4.0(Previously 3.5) story rating.
3. Having less than 10k pageviews.

Do note that Scribblehub is a growing website, so these criterias are bound to change.

I think you have thing backwards. If people are abusing the system, then the correct thing is to fix the abuses. If you start creating criteria for special featuring, people will still complain about them not being featured or etc. Not to mention, new stories do get featured.

Now of course some good practices should lead to more featuring. Because you do want to encourage activity. The things that are in the grey area is people taking a single chapter and breaking it up to release it multiple times per day. Though I think something was done about that.

Overall, even a writer who doesn't write quickly can get trending by prewriting a volume and releasing a chapter per day when done.

End of the day, if you keep releasing chapters, if your story is good people will notice it and you will slowly get readers. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[K5Rakitan]

What about giving the one-star stories some love?
Actually, I have a plan for that. Submit some lewd poems to my collection along with a link to a story you would like to promote, and I will schedule them for release! If people like your poems, they may check out your story!

Lewd Poems

Do bodily functions amuse you? Are you intrigued by reproductive organs? Does simply being a placental mammal tickle you? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, this book is for you! This is a collection of lewd poems from various authors. My husband either inspired me or...

www.scribblehub.com

 

[COLOC_Kid]

Why would the site advertise the novels that failed to get a decent amount of readers?

I mean, they aren't as popular because they appeal to less people's tastes...

probably but you seem to attribute the reason it's unknown is because it's always bad. this site views consistently updating ok novels as diamonds while viewing great novels on par or even better than quality of popular novels as coal just because they are unable to have weekly updates. therefore I believe this will help gifted authors that don't have the time for weekly updates.

 

[Motsu]

Alright.

 

[SootShade]

I don't see why the site should try helping out stories ... that don't have authors that try working in a way that functions properly within the system.

The OP's made an argument based on the idea that this system has a flaw, and suggested a possible correction. Whether or not you agree with this assessment, reiterating the situation that he takes issue with seems to miss the point.

For the record, I'm in favor of the idea. Seeing as the front page is presently fairly sparse, I don't see any harm coming from such an addition.

 

[morhamza]

If you don't update often and are trying to compete in the webnovel market, you're just shooting yourself in the foot. That's not gaming the system, that's doing the bare minimum to gain exposure.

Like, sure, maybe you didn't get visibility one day because 30 other people released immediately after you... That's fine, you can release on the next day again, and you can get readers then.

The front page is a really easy way for readers to find your story, and pretty much all you need to do to get there, is to update frequently... If you can't even do this much, then the problem lies with you.

If your story is unpopular even after getting releases often, then the issue lies with the story. If your story is unpopular because you rarely make releases, then the problem lies with you. I don't see why the site should try helping out stories that are either poorly written or that don't have authors that try working in a way that functions properly within the system.

Bit harsh, but fair. I do disagree with you though. Some authors aren't full-time authors. I myself have a job that pays me peanuts and I contemplate quitting everyday, but I need to at least feed myself if nothing else. I'm fairly fast, I write my chapters on weekends and edit Sunday nights.

My situation is still better than a lot of author's. Imagine having a tight schedule and then battling with procrastination as a lot of authors do.

Daily uploads will get you more visibility, but unless the book was pre-written, daily uploads will also create shoddy work. Weekly uploads are nice too, but some authors for various reasons can't even stick to a chapter a month schedule.

I get it, hard work should pay off. I respect that. That's why I don't advocate for removing any section from the front page. However, judging a writer's work only by how often they upload is harsh. Sometimes really well written stories die simply because the algorithm never allowed them the opportunity to get readers.

So, I agree with the OP. There should be a way to reward authors who create good work that don't get pushed enough by the system.

 

[Yairy]

If you don't update often and are trying to compete in the webnovel market, you're just shooting yourself in the foot. That's not gaming the system, that's doing the bare minimum to gain exposure...

I understand this but I actually have to disagree to a point in what you're saying. Granted, I'm not saying you're wrong, I just have a different opinion on that matter.

I understand the web novel market very well by this point I believe. Update frequently and others will see your works more often. But there are also works that have longer chapters for various reasons. Yes, you could argue the fact that they should just shorten the chapters or cut them to update frequently but what if their story style isn't like that? It sounds more like a personal problem, and it is, but that doesn't mean the story is a failure because of it.

I'm not really offering a solution, I know...I'm just pointing out that just because a story doesn't have high views doesn't mean it failed in any way. I'm not sure if the underrated novel is the best idea to help this but it would be nice if readers can find novels that had been buried by the mountain of 1k chapter novels. (No offense to the writers who write 1k chapters.) As it stands, there's no reliable way for readers to find slower updating novels and that's a shame.

I know my story was updating 1 time a week with a high word count because it was easier for me. I couldn't reliably update a chapter daily or multiple times a week and because of that, I had extremely low view counts and reader engagement. However, to combat that I had to change my update method and I saw an explosion of readership because of it. But it's still very taxing for me to update 3-5 times a week compared to my original way of doing it.

Again, I'm not sure if the underrated novel section is the best idea but something along those lines would be a nice touch. And I think readers would appreciate seeing more novels that update slower featured in some way.

 

[AliceShiki]

Bit harsh, but fair. I do disagree with you though. Some authors aren't full-time authors. I myself have a job that pays me peanuts and I contemplate quitting everyday, but I need to at least feed myself if nothing else. I'm fairly fast, I write my chapters on weekends and edit Sunday nights.

My situation is still better than a lot of author's. Imagine having a tight schedule and then battling with procrastination as a lot of authors do.

Daily uploads will get you more visibility, but unless the book was pre-written, daily uploads will also create shoddy work. Weekly uploads are nice too, but some authors for various reasons can't even stick to a chapter a month schedule.

I get it, hard work should pay off. I respect that. That's why I don't advocate for removing any section from the front page. However, judging a writer's work only by how often they upload is harsh. Sometimes really well written stories die simply because the algorithm never allowed them the opportunity to get readers.

So, I agree with the OP. There should be a way to reward authors who create good work that don't get pushed enough by the system.

I'd just like to point out that almost all webnovel writers either have another job or are students.

Full-time writers are super rare, and usually are already pretty successful, to the point they could quit their previous job.

 

[CadmarLegend]

So far, the only way for underrated novels to get more attention is by updating frequently and consistently, which some authors can't do.

We need a front page section where underrated novels get more attention. Trending and latest novels already got one on the front page, so why not underrated novels too?

And for that, we also need a criteria for what it needs to be an underrated one. Me personally, I'd like to give it this criteria:

1. At least a month old story.
2. At least having more than 4.0(Previously 3.5) story rating.
3. Having less than 10k pageviews.

Do note that Scribblehub is a growing website, so these criterias are bound to change.

However, there are a few flaws with this:

1). Most novels that are 'underrated' are there because the audience isn't interested.
2). If novels have less than 10k views, which do you mean? Pageviews or valid reads?
3). The requirements for the 4.0+ story rating must vary more. After all, if there are only 2 votes and they're both 5 stars, it really wouldn't make the story underrated. It would just be that the voting has been biased.
4). More talk about chapters? What if the story is only one prologue and meets your requirements? Wouldn't that just mean that the story is — once again — looked upon biasedly? After all, you wouldn't even know if the rest of the story's good and that this was just some beginner's luck... *looks away from his own shame*
5). Problems would again arise since I guess there would have to at least be a ranking system to sort the underrated novels, right? The same thing as with just regular rankings would happen: not a lot of people sifting through the rankings looking for novels. That is a reason we have trending and latest updates. Because face it, you will not look through many different pages hoping to just get a good novel that often. If we wanted to implement a fair type of setting for everyone, then the site itself would have to eliminate rankings and every time you search, different stories are the first thing you'd see. However, then the site would be a mess because it wouldn't be easy to find a novel that you saw from the rankings again if you forget it. So, I really don't support this, but still am kinda fascinated by the prospects....

 

[CookieCrumble]

Maybe instead of underrated section, which I think poorly defined. It could be series of thumbnail buttons with simple stackable filters for readers who don't do advanced search like the one used on fanfiction/fictionpress.

For example

1. 3 month / 6month /1 year /2year story
2. Story with 10-20/50/100+ chapter
3. Etc... insert other criteria here

It could be placed by cutting the latest update front page in half. Now here's the important thing. As long as the story FILLED the defined criteria, it could be featured by the system RANDOMLY without order (either chronologically or by chapter count). Sort of like surprise me in Royalroad, but with 10-15 stories featured instead of just one.

 

[BenJepheneT]

1). Most novels that are 'underrated' are there because the audience isn't interested.

Then it becomes this endless feedback loop. How would the audience be "uninterested" if it never took off in the first place? Yes, the genre or content itself might put off the initial few who see it from the Latest Series section, but is that it? We give them this ONE SINGULAR CHANCE to prove himself in a one-way time window and if they fail, it's on them? What if it's sandwiched, yet again, among three other LitRPGs with no chance to breaking past the mould? Time of upload is a non-factor; I can attest to that. The site BARELY gives any mention to recent, smaller series anyway.

It's not really fair to dictate the audience interest of it's never given the chance market itself in the first place.

Meanwhile, all the other genres gets this MASSIVE feedback loop where they gain readers through popular tags alone, jump on the springboard, and reach terminal velocity, whereby the system notices and puts them on YET ANOTHER pedestal via the Other Series or the Trending section. Hell, maybe even an ad on NUF.

So what does this leave for the other series? False flag? """Game""" the system by adding fake tags? Yeah, it's definitely their fault, but what other choice were they given? They saw the system, understood it, and exploited it the only way they knew how.

Or, they could just write the most popular shit, regardless of personal interest.

But at that point, is the system serving the author, or is the author bending to the system?

3). The requirements for the 4.0+ story rating must vary more. After all, if there are only 2 votes and they're both 5 stars, it really wouldn't make the story underrated. It would just be that the voting has been biased.

I second this; one-star drive-bys aren't gone, you know?