How to reach a wider audience on scribblehub?

[SailusGebel]

I literally state my release date is tuesday and friday after releasing 5 chapters in a row (and realized I could not keep the pace). I literally state this in my story description.

You added it a few minutes ago. Look, I'm not here to bash you or insult you. I'm here to try and help you. I gave you my advice that stems from my personal experience and observations for over a year. It's up to you to follow it or not.

 

[JM_Webb]

You added it a few minutes ago. Look, I'm not here to bash you or insult you. I'm here to try and help you. I gave you my advice that stems from my personal experience and observations for over a year. It's up to you to follow it or not.

>be me
>Caught red-handed (also, to be fair, it is listed on the other place I serialize, so I honestly thought I had done it here)
>cries

Yes, I know you're trying to be helpful, but it's frustrating to hear advice that is literally "take everything you're doing, and don't do it."

 

[LoliGent]

I've actually have bookmarked your story. It's some of the best writing on this platform for sure. I'm actually using it as reference for my age gap story. It's pretty good.

But that's not enough, I'm afraid.

This is one of those situations where demographics come into play. I'm writing my story not just for Scribble Hub, but many other sites for the sole purpose of discovering the demographic for my stories. I've only been here for 2 months, but I've soon realized that there is a specific demographic here and they may be just looking for tags rather than an actual story. I'm sure that the way the discover stories is by tags, which is why they are so predominant here (i.e. the latest releases have tags underneath them, tags are in the sypnosis in contrasting blue buttons, you can turn on and off tags, etc). Tags are key to being discovered on Scribble Hub, but this is only for Scribble Hub. Every single site has their own culture that you got to learn.

You may want to ask yourself what do you want from your story. Do you just want views, do you want to make money, or do you just want to write the darn thing? It appears that perhaps you are writing this story, not thinking of the nuances when it comes to understanding why people check out anything, and expect results. I learned the hard way that is a false hope. You gotta do your research if you want to get attention.

 

[JM_Webb]

I've actually have bookmarked your story. It's some of the best writing on this platform for sure. I'm actually using it as reference for my age gap story. It's pretty good.

But that's not enough, I'm afraid.

This is one of those situations where demographics come into play. I'm writing my story not just for Scribble Hub, but many other sites for the sole purpose of discovering the demographic for my stories. I've only been here for 2 months, but I've soon realized that there is a specific demographic here and they may be just looking for tags rather than an actual story. I'm sure that the way the discover stories is by tags, which is why they are so predominant here (i.e. the latest releases have tags underneath them, tags are in the sypnosis in contrasting blue buttons, you can turn on and off tags, etc). Tags are key to being discovered on Scribble Hub, but this is only for Scribble Hub. Every single site has their own culture that you got to learn.

You may want to ask yourself what do you want from your story. Do you just want views, do you want to make money, or do you just want to write the darn thing? It appears that perhaps you are writing this story, not thinking of the nuances when it comes to understanding why people check out anything, and expect results. I learned the hard way that is a false hope. You gotta do your research if you want to get attention.

I've seen your name in the stats, and it has always given me a good chuckle.


I just know I had to write the damn thing, and I just want an audience to talk about the story with, because I'm genuinely invested in the things I am doing artistically for the first time in a very long time.

 

[Snusmumriken]

>be me
>Caught red-handed (also, to be fair, it is listed on the other place I serialize, so I honestly thought I had done it here)
>cries

Yes, I know you're trying to be helpful, but it's frustrating to hear advice that is literally "take everything you're doing, and don't do it."

I can offer you one.

Keep writing.

Ignore the lack of responses. ignore the lack of comments. Work on your baby. In the meantime be on the lookout for similar sites and diversify your readers base. if your prose is good you will be noticed by those who not only like your story but are excited by how well it is written. And they could be your first advertisement - either posting great reviews or recommending your story to your friends.

 

[longer]

I've seen your name in the stats, and it has always given me a good chuckle.


I just know I had to write the damn thing, and I just want an audience to talk about the story with, because I'm genuinely invested in the things I am doing artistically for the first time in a very long time.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to read our story to improve my own writing.

 

[SailusGebel]

>be me
>Caught red-handed (also, to be fair, it is listed on the other place I serialize, so I just forgot to do it here.)
>cries

Yes, I know you're trying to be helpful, but it's frustrating to hear advice that is literally "take everything you're doing, and don't do it."

I know. I have a lot of frustrations that come from my story as well. But sometimes you can't win the fight. It's sad, but what can we do about it? It's not like we can change the taste in novels of readers. Every writer(or almost every?) here wants to have a bigger following, but you need to make sacrifices to do so. As for advice on stockpiling chapters, I don't think it's so bad. You would still write the novel you want. It's just you would first write it, then release it with a delay when you have enough chapters written. But of course, it's not a panacea. There are a few more great pieces of advice over here so I can go to sleep in peace. Good luck with your problem, hope you will find a way to resolve this predicament.

 

[LoliGent]

I've seen your name in the stats, and it has always given me a good chuckle.


I just know I had to write the damn thing, and I just want an audience to talk about the story with, because I'm genuinely invested in the things I am doing artistically for the first time in a very long time.

As noble as it sounds, I'm afraid you are limiting yourself by that passion.

Consider this: You are passionate about the color orange. You love the color orange. You color everything in orange. Everything about you is about the color orange. And now you want to share this passion with the world.

So you go to Scribble Hub to share your passion for orange, but everyone is more interested in blue. They like blue, the want blue, the desire blue and nothing but blue. But you don't have blue, you only have orange. You get a few people who love orange as much as you do, but you want a lot of people to love orange, but they just want blue. They ONLY want blue.

That's pretty much the situation summed up in simple words. Doesn't matter what kind of prose you have, that's its the most beautiful poetic writing in the world, to the person who wants smut or fantasy stories that involve a truck hitting the MC before being dropped off, your story is not for them and move on without a second thought.

You really got to consider this, that your story is simply not going to get their attention. As many have already said, your best bet is to write something they want here on Scribble Hub and hope it leads people to checking out your passion project.

 

[JM_Webb]

Alright, this has actually been very helpful (a little upsetting, but at least my expectations have been tempered). Thanks everyone

 

[Moonpearl]

If I can offer my individual opinion as a fantasy lover, can I suggest trying a different tactic for your cover and description?

Currently, neither tell me very much about your story, which means I don't really feel a draw to click to read it.

In terms of your cover, the scenery is pretty empty (the eye is drawn to the negative space instead of the tree), the colours aren't very eye-catching, and a tree doesn't say all that much about the contents of your story, at least from a newcomer's perspective.

The description also only provides me with very vague hints of setting, characters, plot, etc. Just enough to know it's a dark fantasy with some sort of traditional medieval/magical setting, but nothing about what sets it out from others of its kind.

Usually when I come to read a story blurb, I want to get a strong sense of the story's tone, setting, what the characters will be like, what their relationships might be, and what's going to be at stake.

I can see you've tried to hint at the stakes by saying the village is wracked with misfortune and that there's a god of decay but, since I don't know anything about your lore yet, that means very little and doesn't create an impact as a result.

I'm not saying this is the trick to gaining fame - but it might help grow your audience among the readership that enjoys this type of novel, if that's enough for you.

 

[JM_Webb]

If I can offer my individual opinion as a fantasy lover, can I suggest trying a different tactic for your cover and description?

Currently, neither tell me very much about your story, which means I don't really feel a draw to click to read it.

In terms of your cover, the scenery is pretty empty (the eye is drawn to the negative space instead of the tree), the colours aren't very eye-catching, and a tree doesn't say all that much about the contents of your story, at least from a newcomer's perspective.

The description also only provides me with very vague hints of setting, characters, plot, etc. Just enough to know it's a dark fantasy with some sort of traditional medieval/magical setting, but nothing about what sets it out from others of its kind.

Usually when I come to read a story blurb, I want to get a strong sense of the story's tone, setting, what the characters will be like, what their relationships might be, and what's going to be at stake.

I can see you've tried to hint at the stakes by saying the village is wracked with misfortune and that there's a god of decay but, since I don't know anything about your lore yet, that means very little and doesn't create an impact as a result.

I'm not saying this is the trick to gaining fame - but it might help grow your audience among the readership that enjoys this type of novel, if that's enough for you.

I've rewritten it a few times, and am honestly uncertain what to do about that description. The cover I am working on replacing.

If you have any specific suggestions on the description, I would be more than happy to hear them. Part of me feels like I might be emphasizing the wrong part of the story

 

[Moonpearl]

I've rewritten it a few times, and am honestly uncertain what to do about that description. The cover I am working on replacing.

If you have any specific suggestions on the description, I would be more than happy to hear them. Part of me feels like I might be emphasizing the wrong part of the story

Maybe give the village itself a little more characterisation, if it's going to be a main setting and the villagers key characters? Some hints about what their misfortunes have been and what the villagers are like might help, and it could be used to set the tone right away.

Then maybe some hints about the personalities of the paladin and his wife, or at least a little more vivid detail on what they represent to the villagers respectively?
Giving a real sense of why one inspires hope and the other fear beyond just telling us their roles, really.
(Although, if the misfortunes of the village would very clearly benefit from a paladin's help after you provide them, the paladin maybe needs less justification than his wife.)

I'm not sure the last line about the necromancer giving everyone her secrets because she needs their help thanks to the god is good information to give in the blurb.
It tells the reader what to expect later on in the story and sort of kills the mystery and tension that's most useful for drawing people in with a description.
Not knowing whether she really is something to fear or not is a useful hook.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Write a Lewd Poem for my collection, and I'll include a link to your story along with your poem!

 

[JayDirex]

I am trying to reacha wider audience on scribblehub with a story I am writing, and it's a little frustrating that I just cannot (for whatever reason) seem to get clicks.

What can I do to get people to actually click the damn story?

story, for reference: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/314639/drinker-of-the-yew-a-necromancers-tale/

Do I need a picture of an anime girl or something??! Gah.

challenge yourself my man. Go ahead and write a harem, Isekai, power up with a handsome protagonist and a waifu cover. watch your numbers soar

when in Rome...

 

[CupcakeNinja]

If you are not writing an op mc with the harem or an ecchi story, you won't be gaining a big audience at the start. This isn't about scribble or royal road though. Most people like to consume these types of stories. Just look at all the harem mangas or fan service animes coming out every year.

But who knows some of the biggest web novels are also the stories that are not dependent on these tags. So, keep writing, try new platforms, try to update daily, join groups, interact with people on forums, and do not forget to drink enough water every day.

No, it IS about SH and RRL. The problem is these websites cater to a specific type of reader. We're weebs. Weebs love most isekai, harem, smut, comedy, Litrpg and otome game, school life, wuxia, xianxia type of genres these days.

If your story doesn't fit into at least two or three of these genre then you wont get many clicks.

Another problem? The cover. No sexy cover? Alright buddy, good luck getting clicks.

The story he or she wrote isn't the problem. The problem is this isn't a platform suited to the kind of story he's writing, and he isn't marketing it in the right way on top of that--which is fine, its false advertising otherwise but yeah. Its still a factor, even if you call it click bait.

This isn't to say the story CANT get popular here, just that the odds are stacked against him here.

 

[Mechaphobic]

This feels like really traditional fantasy, and I feel like that is going to hurt you. I would say you are better off releasing on a traditional format like Kindle unlimited. This lacks the personality I traditionally associate with Light novels, it is also too far away from cultivation. I would say you are going to be better going to a more serious format than these.

 

[MissPaige36]

I am trying to reacha wider audience on scribblehub with a story I am writing, and it's a little frustrating that I just cannot (for whatever reason) seem to get clicks.

What can I do to get people to actually click the damn story?

story, for reference: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/314639/drinker-of-the-yew-a-necromancers-tale/

Do I need a picture of an anime girl or something??! Gah.

Whatever genre you choose, don’t make your first novel BL. It’s rough getting a lot of views since it’s looked down upon by others. even if the genre is nice. I sadly made that mistake…

 

[Cipiteca396]

I just want some amount of reader engagement for what I am writing. I just feel like I'm yelling into the fucking void because I don't write fuckign smut.

You are yelling into the void. It just so happens that there might be things listening.

Tags are key to being discovered on Scribble Hub,

They ONLY want blue

I noticed your story in the Latest Releases tab and overlooked it because of the Tragedy tag. It's not just that you lack tags people want, you also have to be aware of the parts of your story that will drive people away.

Someone mentioned that a lot of stories get dropped or abandoned, and so people are less likely to try and read a new novel. Once you have more chapters, people may try to pick it up and binge read it. I had a sudden burst in readers when I hit 11-15 chapters, though I was lucky enough to have regular comments from 2 or 3 readers before that.

Just keep writing, without worrying about feedback, and eventually you'll get it. And don't be afraid to ask for input. Ask for comments, make polls, that kind of thing. Sometimes it's easy to just click the Next Chapter button without thinking about anything. If you remind your readers, they can go 'Oh yeah, that's a thing.'

Also link your story in your signature so the people you talk to on the forums might look at it.

 

[JM_Webb]

Signature done

I'm also not sure if my story qualifies (strictly speaking) as tragedy, so I've removed that tag.

 

[LinXueLian]

Hmmmm. It could be the case that the demographic of readers for fantasy isn't on SH yet. You might want to consider promoting your story outside of the platform to get more of those demographics to join and read your story here. In the long run, it just might sway and change the current demographics of the site. Once more of your targeted demographic join, you'll probably be able to find more readers who'll partake in said types of genres - this includes any of your future works.

I won't name names, but I'm one of those who write a genre called BL and I've definitely been pushing for more of its demographics to join this site, offsite, as a reader-base. So far, we have seen some results where BL titles have hit trending and stayed on for more than a few days. It's not long, but we're getting there. I'm still in the process of making surveys and fine-tuning some of the suggestions for offerings in that category.

Marketing towards a demographic isn't something a single person can do so easily, though. You might want to consider creating a group of fantasy writers and the like to push for it. Create some hype for your fantasy genre by creating community-based activities for it, etc. You'll never know who will join, and who will lift your genre up.

Whatever it is, good luck!