I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this but here goes. I have had my first short story published but was a bit disappointed to find that after 10 days only 8 people had scored it and only 2 had left a comment (one of which I didn't really understand). Yesterday I realised that on your profile page it shows how many people have viewed ( read ? ) your story. I was amazed to find that over 2000 had viewed it . Is this a normal ratio ? Do so few people give any feedback at all ? Or should I take it as a reflection on my story ? I have a couple of other episodes in the pipeline and had hoped to have a bit of constructive feedback before deciding whether to publish them or not. Any info from you authors would be welcome.
Yes, that's to be expected.
My most viewed story has over 335,000 views. It has 127 votes and only 27 comments.
Thanks for your replies. From what seeker4 and Buz say this is a pretty normal level of feedback so I guess I shouldn’t take it as any reflection on my story.
Rumpleforeskins advice is a little surprising to me ( and seems to contradict the other 2 ). Is getting feedback on a story really dependant on making lots of forum posts ? Surely writing stories and taking part in forum discussions are 2 completely different things .
The tip about adding a link to the story when I post on a forum discussion might be useful however. Although I can see that it may get more people reading it, will it get a higher proportion of people giving feedback ? Anyway your replies are appreciated.
Listen to the curvy one. She is wise (and an very good Lush author herself). Rump is good, too. Just watch out for Terrance, guardian of the nuts, if you venture into the bar.
Wouldn't you rather have a nice cup of tea?
I don't think the number of views translates accurately into actual readers. Some people might click on a story multiple times (if they really like and want to re-read it, or stop halfway through and then come back to it later). Others might get a few sentences in and realize it's not for them. I'm not sure whether search engine web crawlers (like Google) also add to that number.
Anyway, as others have noted, there's something to be said for 'brand recognition.' Get your name/avatar out there in the chat or forums or by publishing more stories, and people will be more likely to click on your stuff. And if they like it, they might get into some of your back-catalogue. I've been on the site for about three years or so, and my first stories still get views (and occasionally a score or comment), even though I don't really aggressively promote them. Personally, I'm content to let them find whatever audience they may. However, there are a lot of authors on LS who are more active in obtaining a readership.
Don't believe everything that you read.
Thanks for clarifying that curvygalore and thanks for the advice seeker4 and just_a_guy. I will take it all on board.
Might I just add this. I am sure that Rump man was strongly implying that to get comments you might want to start giving them out yourself. I don't know if you are doing so, but I know that it really gives other writers incentives to comment on your work if you are kind enough to reciprocate. Perhaps that was said earlier and I simply missed it.
I enjoy a good feed back, but my main concern, is getting my lines posted. I 'think' i have a loyal following of a handful, because my writing dosen't fall between the bed-folds of what many like. That said, I don't practice reading other's if they brush my words off. I am not into the numbers game, or playing go fish. Like all other's, I like recognition, but I don't bonkers over it. Writing is my game, Adagio (Al) is my name.
I enjoy a good feed back, but my main concern, is getting my lines posted. I 'think' i have a loyal following of a handful, because my writing dosen't fall between the bed-folds of what many like. That said, I don't practice reading other's if they brush my words off. I am not into the numbers game, or playing go fish. Like all other's, I like recognition, but I don't bonkers over it. Writing is my game, Adagio (Al) is my name.
Yeah, what they all said. Self-promotion on the sig line or a promotional thread might help a little, but I haven't found it that effective. Read other people's stories and make meaningful comments is the best way to grow an audience. Think of it as a writing community, where we support each other and help each other improve. I don't have a large following, maybe mid-20s in votes on a good day (and I am sometimes lax about commenting on other stories), but I really appreciate those that read me.
Getting a buzz on at Rump's afterwards helps too.
I would also add that replying to comments, even with just a simple thank you, seems to help people realize that you appreciate the fact that they took time to read, comment, and maybe vote.
I try to always reply, though often not as quickly as I'd like, and let everyone know that I've read and appreciated their comment and their time. That said, the ratio of people that don't even say thanks for the free entertainment always amazes me. All the more reason to acknowledge and maybe build a relationship with those that do.
Good luck, and welcome to your new endeavor. Congratulations on getting your work published by Lush.
Thanks everyone for all the help and advice . I feel I understand the way things work a little better now.
;)
