Preferred Story Ongoing Length

[DubstheDuke]

As a reader, do you have any preference as to how far along the story is when you first start it?

Do you want to start a story with only 1 chapter released, and then view it ongoing as each chapter gets released, or does this discourage you from reading a story if there is only a single chapter out?

Do you prefer the story to have a good amount of chapters out when you start so that you can binge, but not a ton so that you can eventually catch up and then read ongoing? If so, about how many chapters would you prefer to be out?

Or, do you prefer stories that have so many chapters out at the time you start that there is no way you will ever catch up, so you can binge endlessly without restraint?

This isn't asking whether you prefer long or short stories, but rather whether you would like to start a story at the beginning of its release, or further down the line along its release.

 

[Moctemma]

It depends on what the story is about and how much time I have.

My favorite stories I read them since the first chapter, the synopsis and tags were enough to make me interested and give them a chance. Because I can become addicted to a story, I try to avoid stories with lots of chapters (or words) that'll take me days or weeks to catch up; I give them a chance, to only one, when I have time.
I enjoy interaction, so I prefer ongoing stories with few chapters where I can catch up easily and the readers comment about the chapters. That's why series that are released daily or in packs of chapters (generally posted here from other site) I don't read them until they finish. If they get reviews things change.

 

[TRNRLogan]

Not really. But i don't read Xianxias so most stories i read are like max 300 chapters. (A couple slice of life are longer but those i actually like being longer)

 

[yansusustories]

I wouldn't start a story with less than 50 chapters out (unless the story itself has less than that and is clearly marked as finished, of course). I've seen original authors/translators (I actually read way more translations) abandon their stories way too often to gamble on that no matter how good it looks. I'd just throw it on a reading list and then remember it half a year later or so.

As for this 'never catching up' ... I've actually never had that happen. I'll just read a few more chapters when I finally start reading ~

 

[Alienix]

If it is comedy or slice of life, I will start reading it. If it is action fantasy, I will hoard it till it has many chapters to be read.

 

[atgongumerki]

I do not like starting to read stories that have less than15 to 20 chapters.
Cause a lot of stories are abandoned before they reach that point.
Also, a lot of stories with too many chapters have a sharp decline in quality along the way, so I mostly avoid stories with multiple hundreds of chapters and no end in sight.

 

[AliceShiki]

I'm fine with any length tbh, like...

Starting when there is already a good amount of chapters out is nice as you can binge through more, but... There is a real nice feeling that comes from reading a story from day 1 and seeing how much it changed on the process~

So... Either is fine for me~

 

[aattss]

For me, it's a minimum of like 20k word, preferably 50k more. If I see a fic that seems interesting with just 10k words, I'll put it aside and if the author continues updating it then it'll eventually get long enough for me to check out. If not, as is common, then at least I didn't waste time with a fic that didn't go anywhere because the author abandoned it.

 

[Goswick]

I'll read stories with very few chapters. Hell, I just read a story with literally only one chapter. As long as the summary's good enough for me, and I feel like you have a good grasp of the English language, I'm usually open to reading nearly anything of any length. I might be in the minority though.

 

[Nyaa]

Stories with few chapters are nice because you can follow them from the beginning.
Stories with many chapters are nice because you can get started with a binge.
I do a bit of both. It just depends on how many chapters there are when I find it. If it interests me enough, I'll pick it up anyway - regardless of the chapter count.

That being said, I generally like to see around 8 or so chapters before I start reading:

• I don't want to get stuck on a cliffhanger part-way through the intro.
  • I want to read enough to get a feel for the story.
• I want to see come commitment from the author.
  • Authors are more likely to continue a story after they've put in some time and effort.
  • Too many story get dropped right at the start.