Do you start at the end of a novel before reading?

[Corty]

When you pick up a story that is finished, do you go and read the ending first? To know if you even want to read it? Or is it a kinda self-spoiling fetish? Is this a valid option or thing people do? Or are the numbers lying? The numbers... MASON THE FUCKING NUMBERS!

Here is why I got curious. My finished book's last chapter has almost double the views of the previous 3 which is simply... baffling as it is too big of a difference if I go by continuity. THE NUMBERS MASON, WHAT DO THEY MEAN?!

 

[DarkeReises]

The numbers mean numbers

 

[TotallyHuman]

probably people seeing the end of a book, seeing it is completed, clicking on last chapter and moving over to the main page to see what kind of book it is.

 

[Corty]

probably people seeing the end of a book, seeing it is completed, clicking on last chapter and moving over to the main page to see what kind of book it is.

Huh. I did not think about that at all. Don't mind me then.

 

[Traineye]

I usually start reading at the beginning, maybe your chapter title was just that enticing?

Edit: nvm just read TrashyHuman’s reply probably just that (then again who doesn’t just click on the novel and read the synopsis?)

 

[Corty]

(then again who doesn’t just click on the novel and read the synopsis?)

By some comments, I received... I wouldn't be too surprised.

 

[LesserSarcasm]

Poeple like me with fat fingers

 

[Zirrboy]

Could also be people dropping the book halfway and checking how it turns out.
Haven't read the thing, so this is a general statement, but I've come across plenty of long running series that put off the things I read for once too many.

 

[LilRora]

It's also possible people are refreshing the page to check if there is any new chapter. I think it counts that as another view, I had that happen in my story, where I stopped posting for a few months at chapter 46 and it now has almost three times the views of the previous chapter.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

If it's a physical book, I'll flip through to a random page and see how it is. If it's good then I'll read it

 

[Aaqil]

It's also possible people are refreshing the page to check if there is any new chapter. I think it counts that as another view, I had that happen in my story, where I stopped posting for a few months at chapter 46 and it now has almost three times the views of the previous chapter.

Fascinating,

 

[TotallyHuman]

Poeple like me with fat fingers

that Poeple was like the icing on the cake

 

[georgelee5786]

No

 

[J_Chemist]

If it's a physical book, I'll flip through to a random page and see how it is. If it's good then I'll read it

I too am like this. I read the prologue, jump to a random part of the book and read a page or two. If I find myself still staring and flipping along, I generally snap myself out of the trance and keep the book.

Gotta catch myself though. I do remember reading a third of a book in the store from some random midpoint once. My missus at the time left me to read and came back to find me still standing there.

 

[Cipiteca396]

It's also possible people are refreshing the page to check if there is any new chapter. I think it counts that as another view, I had that happen in my story, where I stopped posting for a few months at chapter 46 and it now has almost three times the views of the previous chapter.

Definitely this. Had the same thing happen. 800 views instead of the 2-300 on the nearby chapters.

However, it's also be due to comment spam. Each time someone leaves a comment, anyone who gets notified about that comment will come to see what it's about, and maybe leave a new comment as well.
See how you have 26 comments on that chapter, but 5 on the others?
Each comment creates 2 to 10 views, with more for every person who gets a notification.

Lastly, people might just be rereading parts of it. Finales tend to be longer and have more interesting things, so it's a good place for people to get hung up on something and go back to figure out something they missed.

 

[K5Rakitan]

It's a thing people do. I'm not one of those people, but I've heard of it before.

 

[BearlyAlive]

What kind of monster does start with the last chapter?!?

 

[OP1000]

I really do not see the point of reading the last chapter before I even start reading a book. If I wanted to know the ending of a story without even reading it in its entirety, then I would only do so if the story has lost most of its appeal for me after I have read a few chapters of the story(which I would not do often).

 

[proxybaba]

I do,
I usually scan the completed novel's last chapter, mostly the last paragraphs to check for cliffhangers and open endings. Mostly because authors tend to create series and I don't like to wait for the next book.

ps- if it is mentioned that a book is in a series then that's a different story

pps - I really hate open endings

 

[Missivist]

Sometimes I look at the last chapter, if only to confirm that the author has not just abandoned it or cut it off after they painted themselves into a corner and the storyline was lost beyond salvation.