Authors who don't hang out on the AH

[Emilymcplugger]

Judging by this thread maybe they just want to avoid any drama?

Personally I enjoy giving opinions and asking others theirs but I also understand why sone people wouldn’t.

I never starts writing on the site to visit the authors hangout, but it is something that I do now.

 

[SimonDoom]

Like HectorBidon, I'm somewhat surprised by the numbers. I would have thought that natural curiosity would have led authors to this forum, but I guess not. It did for me. I started participating here right after I published my first story in December 2016. I don't recall what motivated me, but I think it just seemed like a natural thing to do now that I finally had joined the ranks of contributing authors.

This place can be a huge time sink, but I find it enjoyable and useful in a variety of ways. I've learned some things, as a newbie fiction writer. I've learned about writers whose stories I enjoy reading. And I've probably helped market my stories, as well.

 

[lovecraft68]

We all agree you're a heavy hitter, prolific at posting, and have many, many, many accounts.

His post reminded me of guys who drive those giant pick up trucks.

 

[KeithD]

This place can be a huge time sink, but I find it enjoyable and useful in a variety of ways. I've learned some things, as a newbie fiction writer. I've learned about writers whose stories I enjoy reading. And I've probably helped market my stories, as well.

I'd think the AH was used by some others as I use it--a short breather away from writing without getting too far away from the writing for very long.

 

[SimonDoom]

Judging by this thread maybe they just want to avoid any drama?

Personally I enjoy giving opinions and asking others theirs but I also understand why sone people wouldn’t.

I never starts writing on the site to visit the authors hangout, but it is something that I do now.

I'm sure that's part of it. There's way more drama here than there should be. It should be possible for people to express a diversity of opinions on subjects relating to erotica without it getting personal and rancorous, but it seems hard to achieve. I think that turns some people off.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I'm sure that's part of it. There's way more drama here than there should be. It should be possible for people to express a diversity of opinions on subjects relating to erotica without it getting personal and rancorous, but it seems hard to achieve. I think that turns some people off.

Wait! Are you saying I turn people off?!

I am deeply offended.



But the point is true, if all of us are smart enough to create stories with interesting plots and characters and twists and racey sex we should be able to get along.

 

[Beholders_Eye]

Slight non-sequitur: Literotica has three main parts that I frequent: Forum, Stories, Chat. I have often asked people I see in Chat whether they utilize the Forum(s): generally "no". And people I see in the Forum: generally do not use Chat. My sense is that many, if not most, Literotica users focus on one Lit section exclusively. Not everyone of course, but just interesting; almost as if it is three different blogs or sites. Just my observation.

 

[PennameWombat]

Slight non-sequitur: Literotica has three main parts that I frequent: Forum, Stories, Chat. I have often asked people I see in Chat whether they utilize the Forum(s): generally "no". And people I see in the Forum: generally do not use Chat. My sense is that many, if not most, Literotica users focus on one Lit section exclusively. Not everyone of course, but just interesting; almost as if it is three different blogs or sites. Just my observation.

I don't use Chat because it's synchronous. My visits are irregularly scheduled, and the Forum and Stories section (whether reading of posting) I can drop in, deal with, and leave, without needing to be concerned with immediate responses.

I have enough of that on my work chat .

I follow the official Literotica account on Twitter. If you tag it, they'll retweet your posting to their followers. As a result, I see a fair number of new story announcements by authors who use Twitter. Of that number, some are relatively prolific (by 'relatively' I mean much more so than me, not measuring against anyone else) and of those I can't recall seeing any of them on AH.

 

[HectorBidon]

Thanks to all who responded, especially to those who shared why they first came to the AH and why they continue to visit (or avoid) it. The purpose of the thread was not to throw shade on AH users—we all know that AH users write stories—but just to throw some light on how many authors there are who don't visit the AH.

Not sure 1.1 days of information is great enough source? You probably need a week or a month? To get across section of data to forum dwellers?

Yeah, but I don't think more precise numbers would necessarily be all that useful. My main point is just that there are a lot of authors who don't visit the AH.

Note that selecting by "authors with recently published stories" will bias your sample towards those who are more prolific, which may then bias the percentage who are on the forum.

I guess it would be more accurate to say that what I was interested in was the percentage of stories that are written by non-forum-visiting authors.

Your research numbers are off. ... So, I assume your research is just incomplete.

The numbers pertain to the 92 authors who had stories published on 10/11/22. Admittedly an incomplete sampling.

The numbers pertain to the 92 authors who had stories published on 10/17/22. Admittedly an incomplete sampling.

 

[elizaloo]

I'm an author and while I don't 'hang out' here, I do stop by to read, and potentially comment should a topic catch my eye, although my main focus since joining has been to publish. Albeit with a significant gap in doing so. A stop here means I will also head into the Forums and scroll - there are some interesting folks hanging out in there.

 

[Bramblethorn]

The Story Tags Portal says that as of today this site contains 533,682 stories by 94,815 authors. (Per a fairly recent discussion, it's probably more accurate to say 94,815 "accounts," since this number probably doesn't factor in that some authors have more than one account.) In any event, that's a lot of accounts, and it dawned on me that I don't think I've ever come across anywhere near that many authors here on the AH.

To investigate this more fully, I looked at the 100 most recently published stories as of today. This included 90 stories published on 10/17/2022 and 10 stories published on 10/16/2022. I looked the author of each story up on the Member Search Page and the Forum Search Page to find the number of his or her stories, followers, and forum posts.

There turned out to be 92 distinct authors in all (some had had more than one story come out). Of these, only 18 had ever posted on one of the forums. There were two heavy posters: SusanJillParker (2,155 posts, 675 stories, 8501 followers) and Pixiehoff (10,197 posts, 330 stories, 907 followers). The next three highest posters had 64, 23, and 17 posts, and all the rest had less than 10. A full 74 authors had never posted on a forum at all. I didn't analyze which forums were posted to, but it's pretty clear that at least 90 of the 92 authors were not regular contributors to the AH.

Your research numbers are off. My sr71plt account, for instance, has posted to the AH as recently as last week, is the fourth most productive account at Lit. for all time, has 1,019 posted stories, two recently, nearly 52,000 discussion posts, and 2,745 followers. And yet it's not mentioned in your reporting at all. So, I assume your research is just incomplete.

I don't see anything from you on the New Authors list for the dates that Hector mentioned. AFAICT your two most recent stories are "You Got The Power" (posted October 18 2022, after Hector compiled his numbers) and "Night Assault" (posted October 11, which wouldn't have been near the "100 most recently published" at the time Hector looked).

That's the nature of a sample. It doesn't catch everything, it's not meant to catch everything, that's not the point of the exercise. Hector was looking for general patterns in how activity on the story side related to activity on the forum side, not trying to compile a Biggest Authors list that already exists.

Some of those you do index are long gone.

SJP is indeed long gone from AH (last active in 2018, I think maybe banned?) but still prolific on the story side. Something like 44 stories so far this year, including one during the period Hector looked at.

Even this, my KeithD account (23,799 posts, 373 stories, 961 followers), dwarfs the numbers of at least one you list as a heavy poster (Pixiehoff). Your thread specifies hanging out in the AH. I see no evidence that Pixiehoff posts to the AH at all.

Not recently, but she did so back in 2019-20. Mostly in the Coffee Shop thread, occasionally in other AH discussions.

https://forum.literotica.com/threads/your-first-person-characters.1536317/post-93179261
https://forum.literotica.com/threads/historical-settings.1507523/post-91164637
https://forum.literotica.com/thread...ding-room-04-come-on-in.1496486/post-91203720
https://forum.literotica.com/thread...ding-room-04-come-on-in.1496486/post-91193952
etc. etc.

 

[KeithD]

The numbers pertain to the 92 authors who had stories published on 10/11/22. Admittedly an incomplete sampling.

A KeithD story was published on 10/11/12. So, I think my point holds. Sort of a meaningless research attempt, I think. And, no, above whatever else, a one-day sample of anything here doesn't mean much.

Folks here are just continually trying to make too much out of available stats, I think.

 

[SimonDoom]

A KeithD story was published on 10/11/12. So, I think my point holds. Sort of a meaningless research attempt, I think. And, no, above whatever else, a one-day sample of anything here doesn't mean much.

Folks here are just continually trying to make too much out of available stats, I think.

This does not rebut HB's basic point: a surprisingly small percentage of people who publish stories at Literotica participate in this forum. Despite the smallness of the sample size, I think the point is true, and you've said nothing to rebut it. You don't contest it, do you?

 

[KeithD]

This does not rebut HB's basic point: a surprisingly small percentage of people who publish stories at Literotica participate in this forum. Despite the smallness of the sample size, I think the point is true, and you've said nothing to rebut it. You don't contest it, do you?

No, primarily because I spent the day actually writing stories rather than helicopter parenting a few I've written. I think my suggestion on why a low percentage of the writers are participating on the AH holds--it can be hostile, petty, and cliquish and it's a springboard for stalking and petty competition, guidance down false paths and toward false praise, not to mention that the norm here is to look down noses at what the majority of readers are coming here to read. And there's no ipso facto need to spend time on a discussion board to participate in the story file. They are largely different functions.

And now you or someone else is going to ask me why I don't just go away--because I want to be here, I enjoy the short breaks from writing, and because I fully pay my dues to feeding the product base to be here.

And now I have the concluding chapter of the number ten Hardesty mystery novel to finish, a bit more to add to a story for the Grab Bag 29 series of anthologies, and a story to review for the Grab Bag 28 anthology (which will be entered in the 2023 Lit. Halloween Contest) before going to bed. And I can get there without any statistical analysis what I or anyone else has written to Lit. Of course I'll be taking a couple of breaks while doing that and checking into what's going on in the AH--because I can.

 

[KeithD]

Oh, yes, I'll be checking in to the (entirely irrelevant to Lit.) Political Board too. Because I've found that's a mind cleanser in the process of writing erotica.

 

[SimonDoom]

No, primarily because I spent the day actually writing stories rather than helicopter parenting a few I've written. I think my suggestion on why a low percentage of the writers are participating on the AH holds--it can be hostile, petty, and cliquish and it's a springboard for stalking and petty competition, guidance down false paths and toward false praise, not to mention that the norm here is to look down noses at what the majority of readers are coming here to read. And there's no ipso facto need to spend time on a discussion board to participate in the story file. They are largely different functions.

And now you or someone else is going to ask me why I don't just go away--because I want to be here, I enjoy the short breaks from writing, and because I fully pay my dues to feeding the product base to be here.

And now I have the concluding chapter of the number ten Hardesty mystery novel to finish, a bit more to add to a story for the Grab Bag 29 series of anthologies, and a story to review for the Grab Bag 28 anthology (which will be entered in the 2023 Lit. Halloween Contest) before going to bed. And I can get there without any statistical analysis what I or anyone else has written to Lit. Of course I'll be taking a couple of breaks while doing that and checking into what's going on in the AH--because I can.

Please don't make assumptions about what I'm going to ask or do. I don't want you to go away. I sometimes disagree with you, but so what? I think you are a valuable contributor to this forum, and I've always thought that.

 

[amandamagik]

Literally my first post here in any forum let alone AH. I am more here to publish and provide an outlet to for the creative ideas that (occasionally) bubble up in my brain. It's also a bit intimidating to post here, as in the past few days of browsing I see the same names over and over. I'll say that at least for me, I rather like the idea of simply publishing and let whatever following I may gain occur naturally. I read once long ago that writers writer for their own reasons and pleasure...and I suppose that I subscribe to that notion. If you like it, I'm glad. If you don't, I'm not offended. But for what it's worth...there's the opinion of merely one published author on the reasons why she doesn't hit forums often.

 

[HectorBidon]

A KeithD story was published on 10/11/12. So, I think my point holds. Sort of a meaningless research attempt, I think. And, no, above whatever else, a one-day sample of anything here doesn't mean much.

Folks here are just continually trying to make too much out of available stats, I think.

The date that I looked at was actually 10/17/22. I had this right in the original post, but mistyped it in post #34. Sorry for the confusion. The stories that the Search Stories Page shows as being published on that date (and the next 10 from 10/16 that I included to have a round 100) didn't include any of yours.

The only important data point I wanted to convey is that of the 92 authors who wrote that group of stories, only a fraction have ever posted on any of the forums, and (as you helped clarify) none are current active participants in the AH. The only inference I tried to draw is that there are a lot of authors who are not active participants in the AH.

The thing about Lit is that it provides an extensive, rich, and reasonably accessible database of information that at least some authors find very intriguing and just can't help mucking around in. It would be nice if there were a statistical subforum, but until that happens, posts of a statistical nature will arise here in the AH from time to time. We can just hope that non-statisticians will tolerate them as they would a fetish that they are not particularly into.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I’ll offer a hypothesis and then get out of the way. Maybe there are Lit authors who prefer not to be known as such, including by other people in their households. They may try to minimize their internet time at a site for sexually explicit written material, especially if there’s only one internet device in the household. As a result, they devote that time to posting stories, and even if they’re aware of forums, they choose not to spend time on them. What we’re doing here gets loud disapproval from many, many people, and I think it’s understandable for a writer to hope to avoid becoming a target.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

I’m going to give my two cents worth here. From what I see in the threads, there are a few people who poke and prod at one another. The offending remarks seem to start by both sides at different times in the discussions. Why don’t one of you folks stop responding directly to the others? Be the bigger person, and don’t take the bait. Without returning fire, the mutual dis-admiration society falls apart, and you have a bully pushing hot air and nothing more.

Again, only my opinion and not worth a pinch of table salt, but both sides are to blame for the disharmony.

 

[Imstillfun]

until About a month ago i did not know this thread existed. I rarely read the forums. Truthfully I’m still uncomfortable posting to it as I feel I’m tooting my own horn. I’ve been lucky to be successful as an author and when people talk numbers mine are way out of whack, so I’m uncomfortable with those threads.

 

[TadOverdon]

I’m going to give my two cents worth here. From what I see in the threads, there are a few people who poke and prod at one another. The offending remarks seem to start by both sides at different times in the discussions. Why don’t one of you folks stop responding directly to the others? Be the bigger person, and don’t take the bait. Without returning fire, the mutual dis-admiration society falls apart, and you have a bully pushing hot air and nothing more.

Again, only my opinion and not worth a pinch of table salt, but both sides are to blame for the disharmony.

To the extent that people who just want to post and chat are equivalent to a single paranoid, self-aggrandizing stalker, you're correct.

 

[SimonDoom]

until About a month ago i did not know this thread existed. I rarely read the forums. Truthfully I’m still uncomfortable posting to it as I feel I’m tooting my own horn. I’ve been lucky to be successful as an author and when people talk numbers mine are way out of whack, so I’m uncomfortable with those threads.

Interesting. I think you just provided the answer that probably accounts for the bulk of what HectorBidon is talking about. Many authors don't even know this forum exists. They never bother to look for it, and it's easy to go through the story writing process without ever encountering the forums. I read stories here for about 15 years before I ever published on, and I don't think I ever checked out any of the forums during that entire time.
I don't think you should feel uncomfortable. Precisely because you have been successful, you have information that other authors might be interested in. In particular, you've managed to be very successful in the Loving Wives category despite writing the kinds of stories that draw such negative reactions in that category. I'm sure many are interested in your perspective.

 

[Imstillfun]

Interesting. I think you just provided the answer that probably accounts for the bulk of what HectorBidon is talking about. Many authors don't even know this forum exists. They never bother to look for it, and it's easy to go through the story writing process without ever encountering the forums. I read stories here for about 15 years before I ever published on, and I don't think I ever checked out any of the forums during that entire time.
I don't think you should feel uncomfortable. Precisely because you have been successful, you have information that other authors might be interested in. In particular, you've managed to be very successful in the Loving Wives category despite writing the kinds of stories that draw such negative reactions in that category. I'm sure many are interested in your perspective.

I will have to say that LW is my least successful category, but I can’t help it. I love that the trolls get so upset. I can picture them redfaced banging out paragraphs in a comment.

Lately I’ve been getting far less views than I used to. That effects my scores. The 1* bombers come in first and hit my stories. Then as I get more readers the stories go up. I think the new format moves stories off the first screen too fast.

 

[dmallord]

Well, I stumbled into this morass just a few minutes ago. It seems to have prickled the hairs on my neck and given my blood pressure a few degrees of elevation. I'm with anyone who would comment on just sharing a seat in the AH boat on the ride across the river: don't rock your side, it affects every other passenger's personal space, just sit still in the keel and step out lightly on the other bank then go your own way in peace.

I've posted a few stories here, not much to brag about, and then found the coffee shop group quite sometime later. As noted, it was a nice break between writings and trauma management episodes. That's a calming respite. I'm too old for anything more! The group has a dragon, only one flavor of coffee, one tea drinker that I recall [accepted by all], and is a nice place to sit and slurp a bit while listening to the gentle banter. TxRad says the door is always open, just be mindful of others as you step through the door ... Lord knows what would happen if you pissed off the dragon.