Paul_Tromba
Sleep deprived mess of a published author
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2020
- Messages
- 4,179
- Points
- 183
It's normal. People don't like to review for some reason.
Thanks, I updated my signature. Hopefully that gets me more readers :)I can share some observations I've made in my time here.
1. Commenting seems to happen mostly between people who are familiar with each other, so try to make some friends.
2. Put a link to your story in your signature here so we don't have to stalk you to check out your story. (I totally did, and it looks interesting, and I put you in my TBR list (don't get excited, I have like, 10,000 miles of TBR list, but I'll try to get there)).
3. After reading your story's description, I must warn you that if you plan to have any M/M romantic interaction, even if it doesn't get explicit, you should tag that or mention it blatantly and prominently somewhere, or the straights will have tantrums (although here on SH it's less "tantrums" and more passive-aggressive stuff like putting you in a dropped list, which is... nicer than other places.) You are likely to get slapped with a 1-star rating for surprise M/M.
4. With LGBTQ+ content, you'll get a lot of "ghost readers". This is an international site, and a lot of folks still have to be very careful, so they probably don't even have SH accounts, no reading lists, and you'll get no interaction at all from them. You'll just see your read numbers accumulate, and smile to yourself and hope they're enjoying it. A lot of them are using VPNs and you'll see a lot of (empty) in your traffic list. That's them.
5. That list where you can see readers' chapter progression only includes people who've put you in a public reading list. If they put you in a private list your reader count will go up, but they won't appear there. Try not to get too hung up on all that. I have "81 readers" on my novel, but only about 3-4 of those are actively reading, and then I have a bunch of "ghost readers" - impossible to tell how many. And then there are the people who chucked me directly into a dropped list, but that still adds to thetotal reader count (mwahahaha).
It's because of the genre.It's been a full month and I only got 43 readers so far.
Sigh...
you are handily kicking my butt. 1.5 years and im at 31 and the majority seem to be inactive.It's been a full month and I only got 43 readers so far.
Sigh...
Thank you so much for that advice!Edit to Add: I didnt know i wanted something techy to broaden my list, but I did. I checked the tags and will be wandering in at my own risk. If I for some reason do drop, it is most likely the subject matter itself and NOT anything you did! Don't change yourself to fit your audience. it will be a crime to yourself.
I checked your stats (not read them yet), and you have 4k+ words per chapter. That is commendable, but here is a tip that may (or may not) work: Try splitting the chapters into two 2k-ish word chapters. That way, you can have more chapters out more frequently, increasing the chance of catching more readers' eyes.
Many don't start reading until they see 30+ chapters. My most liked book only picked up speed after around 60 or 80 chapters. Then it started to snowball.
Thanks!Many are like me in this regard: Monkey brain sees big numbers, me likey. When I was reading instead of writing, I also looked for stories with 100+ chapters before even starting. It is a bad habit, but hey, that is how it is. Hope this helps a little. Don't give up!
Don't get discouraged. It can take time for readers to find you, especially if your writing does not hit the "sweet spot" of the site in terms of readers' preferences (Mine most assuredly does not.). I am new here but not new to writing across very different fields. Generally, though, posting new chapters regularly and participating in discussions helps in the long term. You will connect with readers that love your work, though perhaps not as many as those who write material that readers on any given site prefer.It's been a full month and I only got 43 readers so far.
Sigh...
Most readers--even those who buy our books for those of us whose books are available at booksellers--simply don't bother to review or even rate them. It is just what it is.I fear that my first chapter is not very appealing to people so they just stop reading, but I have at least half of readers for chapter 2 compared to chapter 1. So why are most of my readers' bookmarks still on chapter 1? I don't understand
And why don't I have even bad reviews, like "your chapter sucks" or "this is boring"?
Is this normal for new works? Any feedback appreciated.