The Official Authors' Hangout Winter Holidays 2025 Support Thread

[Voboy]

I also wanna say that it's not just contests. I didn't realize how much the average rating of the top stories on the site has dropped in the last year. Everything that breaks into the all-time toplist overall or in certain categories is getting pushed down to 4.85 or lower. It's not uncommon for stories in these contests to get enough ratings to make them eligible for those toplists, so some of what we see might be the result of what's happening w/r/t toplists, not contest-specific behavior.

This is very likely, but I wouldn't know. I don't watch any of the toplists.

 

[YmaOHyd]

This is very likely, but I wouldn't know. I don't watch any of the toplists.

Here's the Novels + Novellas toplist as it stood on July 16, 2024:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240716140905/https://www.literotica.com/top/Novels-and-Novellas-33

The top three stories had ratings of 4.92; the next five had 4.91. One of those 4.91s has 4766 votes, and there's a 4.90 with 8718 votes. The top 50 stories are all on 4.89 or higher.

Novels and Novellas today has no stories above 4.88.

Romance all-time toplist: 136 stories at 4.86 or better on April 6, 2015. 201 on February 23, 2017. The links for 2020-2024 are basically broken, but on May 11 2024 there's 75 stories at or above 4.90; going to page 3 breaks everything. But it's fair to say that there's a lot of stories above 4.85 at that time. ALSO EDIT: the link for August 31 2022 works but only shows you the first two pages. There's 22 stories at 4.90 or higher, and the bottom of page 2 (story #100) is 4.89 with 105 ratings.

Today, the all-time Romance toplist has 23 stories at 4.86 or higher, and four of them are from this most recent contest. We'll see how long they last.

...
Third edit: Sci-fi/fantasy: the #50 story in 2017 is rated 4.90. The #50 story is rated 4.92 in 2024 (these are the only links I can get to work). The #50 story today is rated 4.85, and so in fact is every story all the way on up to #11. Five of the stories in the top 11 just broke 100 ratings, so we'll see if they're still up there in the next week or so.

Of those five stories I mentioned there, none of them are in the top 11 anymore, and the all-time sci-fi/fantasy toplist has no stories above 4.88. I don't think 4.88 would have gotten anyone into the top 100 in 2024.

One last one, I think: the #250 all-time on Feb 23, 2017 had 161 ratings at 4.89. May 17, 2021, #250 is at 4.89 and 934 ratings. Today, that would get you #5 all-time.

That's for all categories.

On April 5, 2024, the top story in Non-Human was at 4.96, and there were 123 stories 4.89+. Unfortunately there are no crawls in 2025, but today December 11 2025, there's only one story above 4.88, and it's the most recent release of the author who absolutely owns that category and has nearly 13k followers. It's only at 4.91, which on April 5 2024 might not have been good enough for the top 50.

There's two stories above 4.88 now as one of the 4.88s ticked back up to 4.89, potentially as a result of this wave of sweeps.

 

[old_prof]

I'd say there are about three dozen comments from me over the last six months or so that might answer that question.

The voting patterns have changed. The sweeps have changed. The glitches are more noticeable. The tone of the support threads has changed. Much of that is part and parcel with how the site has changed overall, but not all.

My apologies for not digging back through it.

Six months ago was my first contest and I had no basis to understand much of what was being said. I was also still figuring out AH at all at that point.
Then I largely ignored the Summer contest.

The helped. I'm still curious what it was like. I only have the "new" versions to draw on.

I did see the debacle of the pseudo-sweep for the Halloween contest, but it seemed more like what I was expecting this time.

 

[Voboy]

My apologies for not digging back through it.

Six months ago was my first contest and I had no basis to understand much of what was being said. I was also still figuring out AH at all at that point.
Then I largely ignored the Summer contest.

The helped. I'm still curious what it was like. I only have the "new" versions to draw on.

I did see the debacle of the pseudo-sweep for the Halloween contest, but it seemed more like what I was expecting this time.

The AH (and the site at large) is constantly changing.

When I first got here, there was a palimpsest of missing posters who had just recently departed, amid what I gather was quite a lot of bad blood. That blood had left its mark here on the AH. Then, when I started entering contests, I got used to the kinds of people who entered with me.

The dynamic has changed. New people come, old people go. Existing people change their views or their manner. I don't know whether these changes make this place better or worse; I don't think it matters, since one person's "worse" is always another person's "better."

I just know it feels different.

 

[dreams_in_words]

I think I'm going to start worrying less about ratings. I put out a rhyming story, put my brain power to the extreme, did the best I could.

From what I've learned about the Romance category is that it's pretty ruthless and those readers have certain metrics they want

 

[Actingup]

I think I'm going to start worrying less about ratings. I put out a rhyming story, put my brain power to the extreme, did the best I could.

From what I've learned about the Romance category is that it's pretty ruthless and those readers have certain metrics they want

I think that's true of all categories. You have to know your audience and then make a choice about how you're going to write for them (or not). You can choose to write your story on your terms, of course, and it will have an audience, but I think that it does help if you lead the readers in a category gently into your world. I can certainly point to some stories of mine where I haven't done that as well as I should have and have paid the price.

 

[WriterPerson314159]

The thing that frustrates me the most are the people who clearly are watching the top lists and looking to hammer any story that dares get too high. I’ve had a couple finally break into the top of the Romance list, but with just over 100 votes, and a single 1 knocks them down a few hundredth of a point. When numbers 21-250 (and beyond) are all tied at 4.85, that’s a big hill to climb. It’s not that I get anything out of being at the top except exposure, but (a) it’s nice thinking that more people will see your work and (b) it’s jus immature on the part of whoever’s doing it.

On the other hand, it does give me great admiration for the stories that manage to stay up there, because they’re clearly finding a large, appreciative audience, and that’s awesome.

 

[taytay4eva]

My submission to the competition is sitting above a 4.5 score! After the low votes got purged, it soared up from 4.33. I'm pretty happy, not gonna lie. I thought that I'd written an A-grade story, and it's nice to have that belief confirmed.

I hope everyone else got great bumps as well!

 

[old_prof]

The thing that frustrates me the most are the people who clearly are watching the top lists and looking to hammer any story that dares get too high. I’ve had a couple finally break into the top of the Romance list, but with just over 100 votes, and a single 1 knocks them down a few hundredth of a point. When numbers 21-250 (and beyond) are all tied at 4.85, that’s a big hill to climb. It’s not that I get anything out of being at the top except exposure, but (a) it’s nice thinking that more people will see your work and (b) it’s jus immature on the part of whoever’s doing it.

On the other hand, it does give me great admiration for the stories that manage to stay up there, because they’re clearly finding a large, appreciative audience, and that’s awesome.

I hate them with a passion I cannot reasonably express. I think it is just pure spite on their part. Whether they hate successful stories or hate erotica in general, I don't know. I lean towards the former.

I have had seven stories make a top ten appearance in four different categories in the last several months. Only one of them is still as high as 4.85. I had three stories all approaching that 100 vote mark at similar times, all with ratings in the upper 4.8's. Two of them are now at 4.81 after having the audacity of making the all time list. The third one, still at 97 votes had the good fortune of getting a couple of 4's to drop to 4.85. Hopefully it can continue to keep it's head down and avoid the bombs.

And I hate that I have to think that way. People wonder about author's creating alts to upvote their stories. Right now if the story crept back up to 4.86, I would think about creating an alt to give a 4, leading it back to safety.

 

[old_prof]

My submission to the competition is sitting above a 4.5 score! After the low votes got purged, it soared up from 4.33. I'm pretty happy, not gonna lie. I thought that I'd written an A-grade story, and it's nice to have that belief confirmed.

I hope everyone else got great bumps as well!

Clearing the contest 1's left mine at the perfect 4.85 score, up 0.08 (and 17 votes lighter)

 

[taytay4eva]

Clearing the contest 1's left mine at the perfect 4.85 score, up 0.08 (and 17 votes lighter)

Oh nice! That's awesome, congrats!

 

[McQueen127]

I debated all day whether to post something here or not. And I’m not sure where to even start to be honest, so please forgive me if this comes off wrong in any way (and apologies in advance for how long this got)

I found this site nearly 20 years ago. Over the years it went from being a guilty pleasure to being a security blanket of sorts. A place I could go to escape whatever else was going on in the real world. But I had always remained one of those anonymous folks who reads and appreciates from the shadows.

Until 2023 when I decided to work up the courage to post a story of my own. My fingers aren’t as fast or accurate as they used to be, my eyesight is fading and I still can’t copy edit my own stuff to save my life. But, after years of wondering, I decided to try. And I’ve posted a few more here and there since. This year, I decided to try participating in a contest and Christmas seemed as good a choice as any. I entered with no expectations, but simply for the experience of participating.

But you don’t know what you don’t know and I quickly learned I knew nothing about how contests work here. Especially the subtle and not so subtle intricacies involved with voting. I won’t rehash what all of you have already been discussing, but it’s what led me to finding the forums. Specifically the Authors Hangout, and the Winter Holidays Contest thread in particular.

I noticed what I thought was a “glitch” with regards to my votes shortly after Thanksgiving. After looking through the FAQ for answers, I followed the breadcrumbs to this thread and discovered everything there was to know about the issue. The information and advice from so many of you here on things like bombing and sweeps was very helpful in trying to make sense of things.

Before I went to bed last night, I noticed that I had lost a couple of votes and my score had gone up slightly. I assumed that was the final sweep. It was just a small change in score. Seemingly not enough to be a winner, but still respectable. I was happy.

Then I woke up this morning and checked to see if the winners had been announced before I went out to start a long day of moving snow. I was shocked. I went and looked at my vote totals to find an additional number of votes had been swept after I went to bed. Enough to place in the top three. Which I am still stunned by, considering all the amazing stories entered this year.

I debated whether to say anything here in the forum or not. I’ve been lurking the last several weeks, but didn’t feel like I had anything to add. Do I look like a jerk for doing so now, but only after placing in the contest? Hopefully not. Because before I go back to lurking, I do want to say thank you to all of you. For all the reasons above and more. I also wanted to congratulate the other two winners - CleverGenericName and Jorunn - as well as everyone else who entered a story in the contest, you have my utmost respect and admiration. Thank you all for entertaining me with your stories.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays to all.

 

[talemestories]

View attachment 2583204
Congratulations! @CleverGenericName , @McQueen127, @Jorunn

Congratulations to all the winners and a big well done to all that entered stories.

 

[Actingup]

I debated all day whether to post something here or not. And I’m not sure where to even start to be honest, so please forgive me if this comes off wrong in any way (and apologies in advance for how long this got)

I found this site nearly 20 years ago. Over the years it went from being a guilty pleasure to being a security blanket of sorts. A place I could go to escape whatever else was going on in the real world. But I had always remained one of those anonymous folks who reads and appreciates from the shadows.

Until 2023 when I decided to work up the courage to post a story of my own. My fingers aren’t as fast or accurate as they used to be, my eyesight is fading and I still can’t copy edit my own stuff to save my life. But, after years of wondering, I decided to try. And I’ve posted a few more here and there since. This year, I decided to try participating in a contest and Christmas seemed as good a choice as any. I entered with no expectations, but simply for the experience of participating.

But you don’t know what you don’t know and I quickly learned I knew nothing about how contests work here. Especially the subtle and not so subtle intricacies involved with voting. I won’t rehash what all of you have already been discussing, but it’s what led me to finding the forums. Specifically the Authors Hangout, and the Winter Holidays Contest thread in particular.

I noticed what I thought was a “glitch” with regards to my votes shortly after Thanksgiving. After looking through the FAQ for answers, I followed the breadcrumbs to this thread and discovered everything there was to know about the issue. The information and advice from so many of you here on things like bombing and sweeps was very helpful in trying to make sense of things.

Before I went to bed last night, I noticed that I had lost a couple of votes and my score had gone up slightly. I assumed that was the final sweep. It was just a small change in score. Seemingly not enough to be a winner, but still respectable. I was happy.

Then I woke up this morning and checked to see if the winners had been announced before I went out to start a long day of moving snow. I was shocked. I went and looked at my vote totals to find an additional number of votes had been swept after I went to bed. Enough to place in the top three. Which I am still stunned by, considering all the amazing stories entered this year.

I debated whether to say anything here in the forum or not. I’ve been lurking the last several weeks, but didn’t feel like I had anything to add. Do I look like a jerk for doing so now, but only after placing in the contest? Hopefully not. Because before I go back to lurking, I do want to say thank you to all of you. For all the reasons above and more. I also wanted to congratulate the other two winners - CleverGenericName and Jorunn - as well as everyone else who entered a story in the contest, you have my utmost respect and admiration. Thank you all for entertaining me with your stories.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays to all.

No need to be shy! The congratulations are well deserved. Make sure you follow through to claim your prize soon - it won't happen automatically!

 

[CleverGenericName]

Thank you to everyone for the best wishes, and congratulations to the other winners and to everyone who participated in this year's contest. A sincere thanks as well to the folks who contribute to making these contests/these forum threads work behind the scenes. I am brutally critical of my own writing, so even after posting 20+ stories now, I am constantly amazed and grateful that people want to read and enjoy my stories.

 

[CleverGenericName]

Quick follow-up question: Does anyone happen to know how to claim a prize? I tried looking through the FAQ and other posts, as well as the contest rules and guidance, but I couldn't find any instructions on the process. Any help/guidance would be appreciated.

CGN

 

[old_prof]

Quick follow-up question: Does anyone happen to know how to claim a prize? I tried looking through the FAQ and other posts, as well as the contest rules and guidance, but I couldn't find any instructions on the process. Any help/guidance would be appreciated.

CGN

Send a note to Laurel. It's one of the few notes she will reply to reliably. And congratulations!

 

[Voboy]

Quick follow-up question: Does anyone happen to know how to claim a prize? I tried looking through the FAQ and other posts, as well as the contest rules and guidance, but I couldn't find any instructions on the process. Any help/guidance would be appreciated.

CGN

They used to send out an email. You might want to check whatever account your Lit username is linked to.

 

[old_prof]

They used to send out an email. You might want to check whatever account your Lit username is linked to.

They did not contact me and the now have a note on the announcement of winners for the winners to contact them