RoyalRoad vs Scribble Hub

[DarkWe]

The title pretty much explains it.

As an author, which of the above do you prefer? Scribble Hub or RoyalRoad?

Personally, I prefer Scribble Hub. Don't get me wrong, RoyalRoad is a great platform for writers - if you ever get noticed in the first place.
On RR, your chapter will get buried in mere seconds. On Scribble, however, you'll at least have some time on the front page (latest updates section).
You also have a fair chance of getting into trending on Scribble, and I do think Scribble's trending system is better since RR uses the number of ratings given within a certain interval (usually 1-3months). Of course, everything can be improved upon!

I also think that Scribble is better for writers with English as their 2nd language (like myself). On RR, readers will point out grammar mistakes - which is great and all but most of the other readers will just drop your story or complain about it in the comments. (For example "Low IQ Author, doesn't know how to write" VS "You can improve this by editing! Keep on going!"). These are of course extreme examples...

Anyway, give your opinion down below, I'm curious!

 

[Yorth]

I think they have their cons and pros. Scribblehub does give you more opportunities to be noticed, however, it lacks in other domains as well. For one, it's not as big, so your growth will hit a ceiling very fast. Secondly, readers on royalroad are much more likely to turn into patrons than scribblehub ones.
In counterpart, royalroad sucks if your story isn't a litrpg or a xianxia. You're much more likely to get a bigger audience here on sh.

 

[DarkWe]

I think they have their cons and pros. Scribblehub does give you more opportunities to be noticed, however, it lacks in other domains as well. For one, it's not as big, so your growth will hit a ceiling very fast. Secondly, readers on royalroad are much more likely to turn into patrons than scribblehub ones.
In counterpart, royalroad sucks if your story isn't a litrpg or a xianxia. You're much more likely to get a bigger audience here on sh.

Yeah, I've noticed that. Blue Boxes are your bread and butter on RR.

 

[CautiousTitan]

SH is more beginner-friendly than RR. However, I personally value the ratings and comments of RR more since it's more difficult to please RR's readership. If the story is anything less than great, you will absolutely be called out on it. If I have a 4.5 on RR and a 4.5 on SH, I value the 4.5 on RR more. I also notice the opposite effect when books are bad. RR ratings are lower than SH ratings If the books sucks. It also helps that RR is a massive platform which has helped many writers have successful patreons and even some book deals.

However, if we go by the community, I prefer SH. Despite the many positives of RR, I still like SH more. That's just my personal opinion though!

 

[Nerodith]

I personally prefer Royal Road, as this is where I started off.

For authors, Royal Road has a better dashboard. There is no glossary (but people hardly use it anyway, and you can always create extra chapters for random info) but you can see all your comments, all your reviews, stats etc.

When it comes to editing and formatting a chapter, RRL and SH are very similar. They pretty much have the same functions, to the point where I just copy-paste my chapters from one platform to another. The only difference are the tables on RRL. Huge pro for LitRPGs.

Community wise, it's debatable. The communities on SH and RRL are very different. On RRL, people are much more analytic and critical. While (most of the time) it's without any ill intent, they tend to be much harsher when reviewing a story. It's great if you're looking for constructive reviews to help you improve, but if you are weak to criticism, then it might not be for you. I've seen new authors get discouraged more than once after receiving RRL's criticism.

Now, when it comes to exposure, SH is definitely better. It's very hard to get noticed on RRL. If you do get noticed, then it's the jackpot. The community is quite active and you will most likely get a lot of comments. I personally get much more comments on RRL than SH (but then again, I have three times more readers on RRL). If you don't, however, then your story will quickly get buried. You'll have to be very prolific to be noticed on RRL. Daily releases at the beginning are almost a must. And if you don't fit the RRL niche, then it's over for you. You can still have readers, but not a lot. I don't think I've ever seen a non-fantasy story have more than 1000 readers on RRL for example.

And finally, for the interface, it's a tie for me. SH might be more intuitive, it's not necessarily the most practical.

 

[DarkWe]

I personally prefer Royal Road, as this is where I started off.

For authors, Royal Road has a better dashboard. There is no glossary (but people hardly use it anyway, and you can always create extra chapters for random info) but you can see all your comments, all your reviews, stats etc.

When it comes to editing and formatting a chapter, RRL and SH are very similar. They pretty much have the same functions, to the point where I just copy-paste my chapters from one platform to another. The only difference are the tables on RRL. Huge pro for LitRPGs.

Community wise, it's debatable. The communities on SH and RRL are very different. On RRL, people are much more analytic and critical. While (most of the time) it's without any ill intent, they tend to be much harsher when reviewing a story. It's great if you're looking for constructive reviews to help you improve, but if you are weak to criticism, then it might not be for you. I've seen new authors get discouraged more than once after receiving RRL's criticism.

Now, when it comes to exposure, SH is definitely better. It's very hard to get noticed on RRL. If you do get noticed, then it's the jackpot. The community is quite active and you will most likely get a lot of comments. I personally get much more comments on RRL than SH (but then again, I have three times more readers on RRL). If you don't, however, then your story will quickly get buried. You'll have to be very prolific to be noticed on RRL. Daily releases at the beginning are almost a must. And if you don't fit the RRL niche, then it's over for you. You can still have readers, but not a lot. I don't think I've ever seen a non-fantasy story have more than 1000 readers on RRL for example.

And finally, for the interface, it's a tie for me. SH might be more intuitive, it's not necessarily the most practical.

It's true that RR has a better dashboard, I've been premium on their platform for a while now and the extra amount of stats and options you get on RR (if you go premium) are great. And yes, if you get noticed on RR than RR is definitely better to transfer traffic from your web novel to amazon or any other publisher.

It's not that I can't take criticism but some reviews aren't constructive at all. When one of my stories hit trending on RR it got quite a few troll 0.5/5 ratings. And yes, they're trolls because I know that my story is at the very least better than a 0.5/5. But in general, RR does have a large userbase that interacts with what it reads.

 

[Nerodith]

It's not that I can't take criticism but some reviews aren't constructive at all. When one of my stories hit trending on RR it got quite a few troll 0.5/5 ratings. And yes, they're trolls because I know that my story is at the very least better than a 0.5/5. But in general, RR does have a large userbase that interacts with what it reads.

Unfortunately, that is true for any platform. As long as there is a ranking system, there will be trolls.
But hey, if you get a lot of trolls, it means your story receives a lot of attention ! :p Moreover, the number of trolls you get tend to be proportionate to the legit ratings you receive, so I believe it's worth it. Most people don't pay attention to the ratings anyway (unless it's less than 4 stars and has a lot of ratings, then it means people generally agree the story is mediocre). Reviews are what's important ^^ And be it in the comments or the reviews, the critism is just generally more constructive on RR, athough, once again, it's also harsher. They're the two sides of the same coin, I guess To take or to leave ! ^^

 

[Azrie]

I like SH because the site is more snappy, on the other hand RR readers are much more lenient with their wallets. So, I would say they both are great in their own way. I hate RR's ui, and editor, I hate both of those. But the readership is much more broad. As a "seasoned" author, I would say that there is a very closed off demographic here in scribblehub. If it doesn't have an anime cover or anime tropes it's going to have a hard time. The only one that isn't anime-esque that has done really well in scribblehub is "He who fights with monsters." Now, you might mention world keeper, but that one gets early adopter benefits. But now let us keep in mind that He who fights with monsters is in the top best rated in RR and has over 10000 followers. And yet, even though it objectively is better than a lot of stories here, it has a lot less viewership that some "worse" stories. This is because of demographic.

So, in conclusion. SH is for people that take it as a hobby, and RR is for people that take it more as a job. RR is not kind to new authors at all, I will say from experience. Your self esteem will get absolutely crushed and people will say some soulless things. Here in SH, people read pretty much anything and are willing to give things a try, albeit there is also the anime trope thing. So if the story happens to be dark it might not do well at all in SH. Since, what anime is dark? Aside from edgy ones I can't recall one.

My opinions might get me some hate, but this is just what I think about it.

Also call me crazy, but I feel like there is almost no 3rd person stories with a lot of views here, as for RR it's kind of the opposite. Seriously though, I can only think of like two stories here that have more than 100k views and are on 3rd person. Although, maybe I am missing something.

 

[Ral]

There are pros and cons with both.

I think it is easier to get visibility in SH because there is just not that crowded. This will not remain true as SH gets more and more writers. On the other hand, not much monetary potential because of the smaller audience.

I'm not a writer but to me, SH overall has a very terrible structure for the readers and pretty much clumsy to hostile in terms of infrastructure for reader interactions.

Visually, SH is just ugly. I used a reader view add-on for a better reading experience.

On the other hand, I think, SH is more favorable towards writers who just writes for enjoyment or just started writing. I know many would still complain about trolls and one star ratings and such but it is really not that bad especially if you compare it to other sites. On the other hand, there is fewer feedback

There is also less drama in SH. That might make SH much more boring but many would appreciate it.

 

[gaylolis]

i never post on RR anymore, it's suffice to say where's better for me.

what really ticks me off was their increase of 'censorship' towards stories with sexual content. when they bring that sjw bullshit right there, i just yeet over.

also seconded that RR isn't really for new authors. i find their readerbase too toxic for my liking, so i'd rather frequent SH where it's more casual and fun.

most of all, when they start policing lewd content, it's far more irritating. i still can't forgive them when they started to remove 'futanari' stories just because one of the admins didn't like them.

but my last straw broke when they also banned the lolis, even though they're over 18 and thinking of them as child pornography regardless. it's so dumb and stupid, that i end up getting kicked out of their discord since the admins couldn't stand me posting about lolis.

it's a FRIGGIN CARTOON, for goodness sake. and their age is listed over 18. it's fictional character, why don't you blokes mind your own business instead trying to kinkshame everyone just because it sound morally just to you?

but i guess it's mostly my fault, since i mingle around with the wrong community.

overall I prefer Ao3 over SH and RR since I could just write whatever I want (including all the lewd things that might be banned elsewhere).

 

[FlutterOfCrows]

3rd person? I should go look for some.

 

[FlutterOfCrows]

I think I know with a reasonable gander that any of my future novels probably would not be allowed or heavily diluted if presented on RR if I did choose to write them as they are. and it would have little to do with sexual qualities, but they deconstruct the nature of those who use pretext over substance.
And choose to use mature elements as a focal point, and I rather take a low viewing audience who read my work as it is, over the complete rewriting and loss of the point I wrote my stories instead. RR is good for professional writers, but as time goes by, scribble will become a prominent site.

 

[Nanakawaichan]

Everything has pros and cons, but I prefer SH than RR. My first story is about the kingdom and war. I need a lot of explanation about location, route, map, weapon and there was no glossary in RR to put the explanation, so I write it in the story. A reader immediately writes a review of his objections regarding these explanations. Meanwhile, if I cut it, the reader will be confused about what I write. If I write it in one chapters, people won't read it. They will end up confused anyway...

 

[FlutterOfCrows]

Though I don't read Dark moon often, and the additional work was something good to add.(I have no idea how to phrase my intent better here, best i got is, I liked the maps and locations, even if I don't read your work often, its still some a breath of fresh air.)

 

[Nanakawaichan]

Though I don't read Dark moon often, and the additional work was something good to add.(I have no idea how to phrase my intent better here, best i got is, I liked the maps and locations, even if I don't read your work often, its still some a breath of fresh air.)

I made a lot of changes lately. I re-edit my previous chapter about the mc past, adding some of his thoughts, adding/cutting some scene and make it shorter to 20 chapters. I will say it quite stressful to write that story than my second story since it's heavy conspiracy story.
Now, I need to complete the sequel and reused my old page, which give me trouble. Since the readers think I didn't update for a long time and after I uploaded it my new page didn't show up at the last updated section.

 

[BenJepheneT]

RoyalRoad's user interface is dogshit. That's all. ScribbleHub might be lackluster but at least I don't need three keyboards, a console command and an Ouija board to operate unlike that toxic cesspool.

 

[GDLiZy]

SH is more accepting, but also is the place of fetish-fest. It's easier to get noticed, and the audience has a lower standard, but you won't find success, unless you come from RR, or you make basically fetish porn.

RR is harsher, but I think that it has a wider audience, and less fetish.

 

[Owl]

So if the story happens to be dark it might not do well at all in SH

I write BL, and my interests are pretty much either very cute and fluffy, or pretty gory. I didn't want to write a darker story at first because I was worried it might not be accepted but....
Well, that exact story is number one on BL and my readers are happily screaming in the comments whenever I get to the cruel parts (It's also third person, but I have a feeling that's more common for BL) And while "dark" is a subjective thing, my story does get pretty damn cruel at times, including body-horror

 

[AliceShiki]

I haven't used RR myself, but they don't have lesbian romance and/or gay romance genres or anything equivalent to it... I honestly have a terrible first impression of the site because of that, especially because some authors already mentioned that gay romance gets hated there just for being what it is.

So uhn... I'll probably post my next story there too anyways because I want money, so the more readers the better, but I'll probably ignore all comments and stuff I get there... >.>

 

[Nerodith]

My first story is about the kingdom and war. I need a lot of explanation about location, route, map, weapon and there was no glossary in RR to put the explanation, so I write it in the story. A reader immediately writes a review of his objections regarding these explanations. Meanwhile, if I cut it, the reader will be confused about what I write. If I write it in one chapters, people won't read it. They will end up confused anyway...

A little bit out of topic, but I do believe if your readers get confused, then it mean the explanations were meant to be included in the story. Glossary should be used for recaps, abstracts, non-crucial details. As a reader, I wouldn't want to have to refer myself to a glossary to understand a story. But if the story is engaging, then having a glossary is a pro, as I would naturally want to know more about the characters or the world. But it absolutely shouldn't be necessary. Anything necessary for the comprehension of a story has to be included in the story, not as a bonus. The trick is just to avoid info dumps.

I haven't used RR myself, but they don't have lesbian romance and/or gay romance genres or anything equivalent to it... I honestly have a terrible first impression of the site because of that, especially because some authors already mentioned that gay romance gets hated there just for being what it is.

So uhn... I'll probably post my next story there too anyways because I want money, so the more readers the better, but I'll probably ignore all comments and stuff I get there... >.>

You definitely should try RRL ! Haters will be inevitable, but like I said before, the community isn't stupid there. People know how to make the difference between a work that gets bad ratings because it's lacking and a work that gets bad ratings just because "reasons". Most people don't pay attention to ratings. They pay attention to reviews. And yes, clearly, you won't get the same audience on RRL than on SH, but you don't lose anything at trying to widen your audience by posting on as many platform as you can. Moreover, the rare readers you gain on RRL when your story doesn't fit the RRL niche will tend to be more active and loyal than your average reader