Do you prefer a story with a scheduled release?

[NiQuinn]

I'm asking both as an author (though haven't published anything in SH yet ) and as a reader. Do you prefer coming across stories with a steady and reliable schedule or you just don't care? As an author, do you feel pressured to release chapters regularly? As a reader, does it turn you off from reading when you see no schedule written?

Of course, from my perspective, authors who declare a schedule are great but we all know how hard it is to stick to it unless you already have a lot done in the first place. On the other hand, if you post just when you're free, I feel that it's unfair to the readers who are waiting for the next chapter of your story. As much as they get frustrated though, they have no choice but to wait with bated breath.

What do you think?

Thoughts about scheduled releases would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Eukro]

I just read what people write when they want to write. If I like a series or story I keep looking for more, if I don't I move on.

 

[OddJamm]

If I really like a series then I'll want a scheduled release of course since I'll be keeping up with it. For other series that I don't care for as much, I'll just let the chapters build up so I can binge read. Then the scheduled releases won't matter as long as I get chapters.
As an author the scheduled releases can give you pressure to stop procrastinating and get it done on time while having no set release time makes things much more easy going but you might not have as much popularity that way. There's both pros and cons for it but deciding what is best for you as the author is the most important. Some people might be writing for fun so they aren't in as much as a rush or others who write for money needs a schedule for their readers. If you can write lots and set a release schedule then that would be great for you and the readers!
Then again this is coming from me who is mostly a reader so... I want a story with a scheduled release!! More for me to read!

 

[S-Scherr]

Having a set schedule is a good thing, especially if you want readers to hang around. Readers have demands on their time, too. If someone is waiting on your latest update, they might be okay if your late a day or so... but once your updates become erratic, and they're always late and then suddenly two weeks late, etc., then it's easier as a reader just to wait until you've posted a lot of updates and then just catch up later. By then, they may forget your story entirely, or just move on to something more consistent. Also, if it takes too long to update, you run the risk of making readers believe you've abandoned the story. Just some stuff from the readers end to consider.

From a writer's perspective, having a set schedule forces you to be less complacent and 'get it done'. It's easy to write when we feel like it, and blow off the writing when we don't. That's not a good habit to get into. Writing requires discipline and pushing on even when it's hard. That's how we learn to overcome writing hurdles along the way and develop consistency for ourselves. Having a schedule is a good motivator for that reason.

Obviously, having a backlog is good, but it's not always easy to maintain. I would suggest sticking to a schedule but picking one that you can maintain. Two days a week works for me. I used to do three days, but that became too much too handle. Some post once a week, but I find that risky because it's a long wait between updates. Unless your updates are of considerable length, I wouldn't opt for once a week. The important things is sticking to a schedule that fits within the demands already pressing on your time and using just enough pressure to keep you writing consistently.

 

[TLCsDestiny]

If I'm into a story, I'd prefer it to be finished lol but I've grown used to waiting or even stopping completely (because it stopped being translated). I figured that it's different everywhere u go and u need to adapt. For instance i only know english so I've know grown used to chapters per day/week/fortnight and month. I never used to read this way! To be honest it's thrilling sometimes! The cliff hangers!
But now I'm in the middle of so many books...
There's translation reading and well there's nothing much i can do about it unless i learn another language! Otherwise, for english books like scribble hub, I'm reading only one atm.
As a writer, i tried to put out a lot, so that people will be satisfied if they have to wait. I have a schedule and so far I've had no complaints.
Scheduled releases come in handy both ways. To give translaters time, to make u wait impatiently and to help the writer stay up to date.
I say...each to their own, if a story doesn't have a scheduled release, just state it down.

 

[Phantomheart]

I'm asking both as an author (though haven't published anything in SH yet ) and as a reader. Do you prefer coming across stories with a steady and reliable schedule or you just don't care? As an author, do you feel pressured to release chapters regularly? As a reader, does it turn you off from reading when you see no schedule written?

Of course, from my perspective, authors who declare a schedule are great but we all know how hard it is to stick to it unless you already have a lot done in the first place. On the other hand, if you post just when you're free, I feel that it's unfair to the readers who are waiting for the next chapter of your story. As much as they get frustrated though, they have no choice but to wait with bated breath.

What do you think?

Thoughts about scheduled releases would be greatly appreciated.

It’s become easier for me to just promise a set amount of chapters a week, as set days can sometimes be pushed back. I try my best to update on Monday and on Friday, but I usually end up posting randomly XD

 

[Azrie]

I personally just write a lot, if I happen to feel pressured I will probably make one of those potato announcements posted as chapters, awful habit of mine but, I normally do not feel pressured. I feel more pressure from life itself rather than writing, maybe just me?

 

[whatsawhizzer]

As a writer, I've found reliable releasing to be extremely important to maintaining a readerbase. If you have any desire to make a living off what you write, I think it's extremely important. I have some fans that seem to want it down to the hour. I usually tell people to give me a 24 hour grace period off of the time it's "due".

Now, there are plenty of readers who will come and read all of your chapters in one sitting, then leave... with maybe a 10% chance of coming back and reading the rest later. They don't care when you release, because they'll just read what you have. This is fine, but these aren't the readers that are going to translate to long term support for you. The ones who will pay you a little bit every month on a subscribestar or Patreon account are going to want reliability. Either that, or come up with a "payperpost" system.

 

[Kotohood]

As a reader, I prefer things to be consistent.

Setting aside bonus chapters once in a while, I like a story better when I have an expected schedule and I know the Author can stick to it. Those that have a scheduled release usually has better and much thought out chapters. Usually.

I'm not against anytime releases or anything, but time and time again has shown me that those that write whenever they feel like it don't usually finish the stories. Especially those that has burst releases and post multiple chapters within the first days before getting rare and rare release and dying out on a permanent hiatus.

It's such a shame too when you don't get to finish a story!

On the other hand, scheduling too long of a release means that your story could take years to finish up, that can be quite frustrating as well.

 

[NiQuinn]

I'm not against anytime releases or anything, but time and time again has shown me that those that write whenever they feel like it don't usually finish the stories. Especially those that has burst releases and post multiple chapters within the first days before getting rare and rare release and dying out on a permanent hiatus.

Totally. Been burned a lot by this so I don't read incomplete works. So all WIPs here that I feel are promising are bookmarked and I just wait for them to end. Same with NUF. Works that have been abandoned by translators for one reason or another are just terrible. I used to binge read chapters but now I just wait for them to end altogether. Investing time on stories with 100s of chapters only for it to halt is painful.

 

[Acolyte01]

If the story is good I’d like the release to be consistent so that i can look forward to what it can bring not like some novels where multiple chapters are released then when you know it it’s not updating anymore

 

[tak]

Reader me want updates everyday
Writer me haven't update in 6 months & keep rewriting chapter 1

Forgot to add, reader me wants update depend on how long the chapter is. If it's long (line TNE translation), once a week. If it's short (about 500words), everyday. If it's so very long (like overlord LN translation) i'll drop it. Scrolling too much is tiring for me.

 

[Phantomheart]

On average, paper books have a chapter length ranging from 3000 to 5000 words. Average web novels that update quick range from 1000 to 2000 words per chapter. But you have to keep in mind while on an online platform that people can't save on pages, they have to bookmark through actual chapters, so you want to have your chapters long enough to satisfy your reader if you don't update quickly and on multiple occasions, but still short enough so that they can track their progress if they decide to come back to the novel later. Thus, I think chapters over 10k are a bit too long, my perfect range for reading chapters is 2000 to 4000, because it lets me stick around for weekly updates and allows me to keep track of my progress with the novel if I actually have to leave my phone after a quick 5-10 min read. However, in my personal experience, multiple short chapters begin to bore me, because it drags on a scene too long or lacks any development within a single chapter, making most of the novel seem too episodic and dull compared to those with over arching stories or longer scenes.