I have noticed that the last several stories I posted are not getting many reviews. Two years ago, it was common to get 20-30 reviews from a post and now it is a struggle to get 5.
The reason I write is primarily an outlet for myself and secondly to support the readers here and the site.
I admit that reviews of my stories help motivate me as I love hearing how what I wrote helped someone, even if it was just to take their mind to a better place for a few hours.
I have several more novels almost finished and I wonder if it is worthwhile to post them here. I feel bad even thinking these thoughts.
Are other authors seeing a decline in readership? How are you handling keeping yourself motivated?
Avia
Comments
A bit
The pandemic kind of knocked the socks off us for awhile, but we are recovering and are going to be doing more advertising. Not advertising on the site, advertising of the site. I was doing that with Google and Facebook before the pandemic but my health and energy are not what they were before.
But now I have Melanie and she is stepping in to help in a big way. We see a good future for BCTS and our associated projects. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
A regular refrain of mine
when authors ask about this kind of thing:
write for yourself, first and foremost. The people who need it will find it.
BCTS is what it is, and always has been. Stuff goes up and down a bit, but we have a strong core community that's still going strong.
We've got plans to increase the site's outreach (when we have time!)
Ultimately, though, if people want to see more community interaction, more people here enjoying stories... well, share BCTS with others!
Link to us on other sites! Talk about us! Spread the word! Word-of-mouth is our most effective tool in reaching folks, in no small part due to the fact that pretty much all TG content gets flagged as pornography by most advertising firms, making it hard for us to advertise in other ways while still allowing authors and readers the freedom to post the things they want to.
So, to *EVERYONE:*
If we want BC to grow, to keep going strong, to be able to serve as not only what it currently is, but the bastion of preservation of TG fiction we want it to become... then spread the word, and bring more people in.
I've been trying to advertise the site whenever I do a post on Mastodon for one of our books, or a Patreon post. If only a handful of us could do that, I think it would surprise everyone how quickly the site could grow.
Melanie E.
Things we can do.
I think there are a few things that we can do, too, in addition to your excellent suggestions, Melanie. By “we,” I mean all of us, this whole community, specifically including the authors who post here.
If we want to attract new readers, we should make this a welcoming place. First, by remembering the three golden rules before we post. Second, by welcoming new folks when they take the time to create a profile and post a comment. Make people feel like this can be their community too . . . and that they should want it to be.
And finally, we should model what we would like readers to do. We should try to read each other’s stories, and leave the sorts of comments we’d like to receive ourselves. Obviously, no one can read everything that’s posted, and some of us have more time than others. But still, if we make this a more engaged community, we won’t have any trouble attracting new readers.
— Emma
Tag line on published stories.
Some where in the into to a published (as Amazon/Kindle or Smashwords) it is simple to add the line:
I've published to of my contest entries (one a winner and one a tied for second) with stating that on the book cover. Cheap and doesn't take much effort.
All of my published work has an afterword titled: About the author. It would be easy to slip a website URL in there as well.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Great Idea
Not too long ago, Doppler started adding marketing to their online books -- cross selling at the end of the story. I experienced a huge jump in Amazon activity.
Marketing is not a nicety. It is a necessity.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
As I found out
As I found out the amount reads/kudos/comments is directly related to
- the time of the year when posting the story
- the temperature inside a random house in south alaska
- the moon phase 117 years ago
- and the color of the car just passing on the street
Martina
Couple of thoughts . . . .
Hi, Avia— I’m a new author here. It was a bit discouraging to see how poorly my stories were received compared to stories posted from a few years ago. At first I thought it was just me, but even the experienced authors were seeing some diminution in engagement. So, to your question. How to stay motivated?
Some of our best authors here write because they’re writers. They just don’t care about hit counts or kudo counts or comments. I admire them tremendously, but I’m not wired that way. If my stories aren’t connecting, I feel like I’m just doing it wrong.
So, I keep myself motivated by prioritizing people rather than numbers. I posted a story last month about four BC authors who get together for the first time at a B&B run by two characters of Ricky’s. Towards the end of the weekend, one of the authors tells the others that she’s gotten inspired to write a story about BC authors getting together for a weekend. When one of the older authors present — a mentor and friend— suggests that the audience for such a story could fit around the dining room table, she responds, “Oh, I don’t care about that — so long as it includes the five of you!”
There are people here I care about a lot. If they are moved by my stories, it’s enough.
I hope that helps, and that you continue to feel inspired to post here!
— Emma
Yes
I’ve definitely experienced a reduction in story views – and would like to assume that’s why I’m getting fewer comments here.
At the same time, I’ve seen growth on the commercial side (books sold or viewed through Amazon) so I can’t just blame the economy or the pandemic. There is a readership out there.
‘Carbon’, a free short story I shared a year ago, has just 1,300 views here, but over 10,000 on Fictionmania, despite not being a ‘fetish’ story. I adopt a multi-pronged approach to reaching an audience (Wordpress blog, Goodreads, etc.) and all I can recommend is that you spread your bets. Also, in terms of motivation... developmental feedback from fellow writers is far more rewarding than the typical ‘review’ type feedback (e.g. “Cool story, thanks.”) Participate in workshops!
Sugar and Spiiice – TG Fiction by Bryony Marsh
Appreciate the responses
So… it does sound like readership is off a little. I have enjoyed this community and am somewhat surprised that fictionmania has a potential larger following than here. I do prefer quality over quantity and BC has the quality of people.
I would love to refine and publish the stories that I posted here, using them to advertise for BC in the process. I have yet to figure out a way to publish them without tying money/banking/taxes back to me. My family would wonder where the $.78 a sale is coming from. Maybe someone out there knows a safe way I can do that.
Please don’t take my original post as criticism. I want the site and authors here to be a success and recognize the effort it takes and even risks to run and promote the site.
Love you all,
Avia
DopplerPress?
You can keep your anonymity by using a pseudonym, and we can work out a discreet way to pay you. If you're interested, contact me or Melanie (Rasufelle) by direct message.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
A reader's view
I cannot commit my ideas to paper; I can compose them in my head, but getting them out never seems to work. I rely upon the accomplished authors here to offer the work product I cannot produce myself.
I don't often comment, as you lot often say my words before I do, and I am not a fan of repetition.
I have a subset of favorite authors, and eagerly await output from them. I find there are about a dozen or so whose stories fairly well match what I'd write if I could.
I do not often offer kudos, as I read a lot on my phone, and am rarely logged in on that device. I'm given to understand they come through as guest, and I suppose they might not mean as much if they are 'un-attributed' as a result.
I am grateful this site exists, so if there are ways I might be able to help, I'm glad to hear suggestions!
Steve
A Match?
If I am in your subset Steve, then I would be happy to help you turn an idea into a story.
I am very busy with work at the moment, but as you might see from my comment, good ideas drag me in.
DM me if you are interested.
Maryanne
Hi Steve!
I may be missing something, but as far as I know, no kudos have attributions. So it doesn’t matter whether you are signed in or not; a kudo is a kudo.
— Emma
The reason I write
It is the same as yours Avia - my writing is an outlet and my posting here is to support BCTS and the special community that has been built here. Unfortunately perhaps, I never do things by halves so my outlet is gushing. I recently had somebody help me "wrangle" my stories and we found a staggering 1,256 pieces of fiction! A good number are here - or perhaps that is not the right turn of phrase!
I don't need motivation. What I need is time, and that is becoming limited.
I also thought inspiration had a limit too, but now I am not so sure.
Like you, I love feedback, and that has declined lately. I put it down to seasonal factors and readers enjoying fine weather rather than being glued to their screens.
Like Emma, I too confess that look at hit counts, kudos and comments. On other platforms I have received some abuse, mainly for my prolificacy, but never here.
Unfortunately, the more I write, the less time I have to read. I would like to read more and to offer others here what I would like to receive from them, as Emma suggests.
The problem is that when an idea comes into my head, I have to write it down! Sorry!
Maryanne
Season of the year
It is, after all, the summer season. And therefor the time for travels and vacation. So having regular access to the Internet is a bit more difficult, since we are away from our usual devices and/or methods. Add a disrupted schedule, and it just becomes more difficult to visit our regular hang-outs. Even I am currently "on the road" and will definitely binge read after I return home to catch up with my favorite authors and stories.
Outdoor activities
Since this time usually has the nicest weather a lot of people spend more time doing outdoor activities especially here in Vermont
During the fall and spring is when most people spend more time indoors
So there will probably be a low now and a increase come the fall
A Time to Scatter Stories
. . .and a time to gather them.
Turn, turn, turn.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Joined up to reply!
Hi Avia!
I have been a “lurker” or “guest reader” on this site for a few years now, and have never previously joined up in order to add comments, but having read your post I will try to rectify that. I have actually just signed up specifically to reply to your post!
My favourite genres are primarily Science Fiction or Magic, real world or real life not so much as I can get plenty of that just by leaving my house! I like a story that can transport me to somewhere I will never really be able to get to. Which brings me to why I wanted to reply. There are so many great authors on here, but I have to say that you are my favourite. It is always a highlight of my day when I come onto the site and find a new Avia Conner story. Thankyou for so many brilliantly written and highly entertaining stories.
If I had known how important it is for some authors to receive even a short review, I would have been doing so before now.
Thank you!!!
Hello Martin,
Thank you for registering so you can add comments and the very kind and gracious words. It’s humbling.
I can’t go through more than a few minutes a day without my mind constantly shouting at me. When I write, I transport myself into my main character giving me necessary relief. I even reread my own stories when I got writer’s block to help myself.
For me, the comments do two things. They let me know that I am not alone and they are a HUGE encouragement to me. They tell me I made a difference in someone else’s life that struggles like I do.
Thank you again! You made my day.
Avia
Kindle Kills Readership
My Kindle for PC is full and I notice that the way it works it is easy to forget stories. The stories I read on BCTS are easier to keep track of, so if I like them and the writers are diligent and finish the story in a timely fashion, it is nice. I don't know how much people make there, but it doesn't seem like much. The quality of stories seems down.
Kindle isn’t perfect, but...
If your Kindle for PC is full:
Delete books that you have finished reading. (Right-click and select "Delete.") Use the "Read" shelf to keep track of the books that you have read, so you don’t delete books that you still want to read. Similarly, use the "Archive" shelf as a place to put books that you might want to read again in the future.
You can move books to cloud storage. If you have a cloud storage account, such as Amazon Cloud Drive or Dropbox, you can move books to your cloud storage to free up space on Kindle for PC.
Disabling Whispersync frees up some space, too. Also, check you’re using the latest version of Kindle for PC, as you might find it’s been improved since.
Hope that helps a bit!
Sugar and Spiiice – TG Fiction by Bryony Marsh
At the risk of sending us off on a whole new topic ...
I'm not in a position to inventory things like number (or rate) of story postings, or note number of comments. For "kudos", so long as I see the count go up by one when I click that button ...
What I have noticed is that, on the whole, or as some kind of average, stories on BCTS have turned a bit 'darker' in the last 1-3 years. So much so, that I have gone to my 'bookmarks' to re-read some 'lighter', more 'feel-good' stories. And, I've been paying a lot more attention to the warnings/cautions that authors put on their stories. As a result I simply scroll past some stories on the front page. I'm sure I've gone past any number of very fine stories, without even 'ticking' their read-count.
Even so, there are many, many hundreds of stories here that have given me 'happy sniffles". For those, I am very grateful.
Related, I think, and maybe coloring my perception of "stories seem a bit darker on the whole", is this: I spend a lot, probably way too much, time on FB where I (unfortunately) see >a lot< of rather bad stuff - cruelty, violence, blood & gore. It maybe also does not help that I accepted the Honor of being a Moderator for an FB group (1). So I am part of the "shield wall" keeping our group mostly clean & pleasant - but it means that I'm (the) one who gets to see some really good posts, some mildly icky ones, and Approve them. But I also get treated (???) to posts that range from 'simply not right for our group', to inane, to irrelevant, to (stupid) time wasters, and (rarely) to XXX-rated videos.
And sometimes, I go into overload and must back away/back out for while. And every week or two, I grab Sandi (nee Teddy) Bear ...
-
PS: And yes, I was happy to get a few comments and kudos on my first (and, so far, only) story here.
---
(1) This is the group I moderate: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583888551756009/
I've missed
I've missed your story before. Good one. A kudo from me, too. But I would add two or three cautions in description. Because, you know, someone may be offended, or scarred, or frightened...
ps I've joined your group on fb.