How do you engage readers on Literotica?

[Vintage_DM]

I wish it was as simple as tossing some birdseed on the ground and watching a flock of birds appear. I write what I like to read. For those who are kindred spirits, they will enjoy my mumblings. Others, at best, ignore what I've posted or, to express their opinion, give my story a one star rating. What I post I have enjoyed writing.

 

[THBGato]

My day job keeps getting in the way, and my writing habits are pretty undisciplined. Though I may do it by holding back on announcing things till they're basically in the can and ready to go through the submission process.

Oh yeah, that's basically what I do. It's the one area where Literotica's delay between submitting and publishing works in your favour: you then have a few days to announce a new story before it is published and build up some anticipation in your hardcore fans (all 8 of them in my case).

Sometimes I will also read and comment on other authors’ work- as you know, this can motivate them to read and comment on mine in reply.

This, definitely. All writers are readers after all. I've had some lovely interactions from writers here who have read one of my stories after noting one of my comments on theirs.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Personally, as a reader, I really like it when writers are a little bit chatty at the begining/end of their stories.

I don't like that. It takes away from the work. It's like the writer is pumping up his work or pre-explaining it because you might not like it or understand it or might judge it. I'm not saying that that that is always intended by the writer (although often it is) but it always feels like that is the case and gives me the notion that if the writer isn't confident enough to just put the story out there and let me read it without qualifications, then why should I bother reading it? The writer doesn't think that it's good enough to stand on its own, then why shoudl I? I'm probably in for an inferior read. That's the vibe that the pre-amble gives.

 

[AchtungNight]

To me, no preamble feels like the author is just saying "Here's my story, bye." No engagement with readers, the author doesn't really care what they think, and then later inevitably they act entitled to good opinions they did not bother to solicit. Yes, there is an overly friendly type of persona that can stab you in the back later too, but there's a difference between that and a sincere friend slash giver of entertainment. I want to be the latter- to my audience who are willing to accept it at least.

 

[THBGato]

I don't like that. It takes away from the work. It's like the writer is pumping up his work or pre-explaining it because you might not like it or understand it or might judge it. I'm not saying that that that is always intended by the writer (although often it is) but it always feels like that is the case and gives me the notion that if the writer isn't confident enough to just put the story out there and let me read it without qualifications, then why should I bother reading it? The writer doesn't think that it's good enough to stand on its own, then why shoudl I? I'm probably in for an inferior read. That's the vibe that the pre-amble gives.

But then I'm guessing you aren't the type of reader that likes to engage with the writer? That is absolutely your prerogative. However, perhaps those who do like to engage with the writer are encouraged to do so by such openings? I know I am.

The OP is asking what is likely to prompt readers to engage with the work/author: are you genuinely less likely to PM the writer/comment if there is such an opening?

 

[StillStunned]

 

[Bamagan]

View attachment 2344829

 

[intim8]

I don't like that. It takes away from the work. It's like the writer is pumping up his work or pre-explaining it because you might not like it or understand it or might judge it.

Yeah, pre-explaining the story would be a mistake. But a bit of a preamble that just helps the reader get settled in is useful to me as a reader.

If you pick up a book, you have some context before you ever start reading. A cover photo, a blurb, maybe some quotes from reviewers (that last does rub me the wrong way). Even thumbing past the title pages and stuff, it lets the reader take a breath, ready himself for immersion (hopefully) into a compelling (hopefully) fictional world.

I find that a short author's note in front of a story here serves a similar purpose, and allows for necessary disclaimers. It is also useful if it is part of a series, to let new readers know where they're at and let ongoing readers catch up a little.

And the other thing, if you follow the same format for pre/post notes on your stories, it works like branding. If readers recognize it, it triggers their memory about their impression of your writing, and then anchors their impression of this story to it, so it persists.

I put the following in my latest, following patterns and recommendations I've seen after looking around:

Author's note:

All characters involved in sexual activity are 18 years or older.

This is a standalone story in three acts.

I hope you enjoy it.

And then repeated the title and description in a header before getting right to the story.

 

[lovecraft68]

So, know your audience for the selected category. I KNOW that 50-60% of LW readers prefer BTB stories, awarding those with 5s.

Funny how some LW writers will try to tell people the BTB crowd is a minority, but here you are, someone very familiar with the category who's telling it the way it is.

Expect a few more ones on your next story for that.

 

[SofiaLaFrench]

I’ve tried responding to Comments with a comment, but Lit doesn’t have a way to notify them, so I stopped. I do reply to PMs. Sometimes I write an Author’s Note at the beginning or end of a story. Other than that, I try to write well.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Funny how some LW writers will try to tell people the BTB crowd is a minority, but here you are, someone very familiar with the category who's telling it the way it is.

Expect a few more ones on your next story for that.

The BTB crowd there is 50-60%, as evidenced by the ratings on my sharing stories.

The reason the BTB stories do so well there is the 40% of us LOOKING for swinger/sharing stories avoid those cheaters and revenge stories.

But go ahead and 1-bomb the shit out of my stories! I'm just amazed you even read my post here, since a year ago you SWORE you were going to block me.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

But then I'm guessing you aren't the type of reader that likes to engage with the writer? That is absolutely your prerogative. However, perhaps those who do like to engage with the writer are encouraged to do so by such openings? I know I am.

The OP is asking what is likely to prompt readers to engage with the work/author: are you genuinely less likely to PM the writer/comment if there is such an opening?

I've sent a PM a time or two when I read something very good that moved me to reply, so I'm not against engagement at all.

There are a number of things that various pre-ambles say between the lines:

1 ~ I wrote this about (blah-blah-blah) I know that has detractors so don't judge me. This message is just pleading not to get downvoted because the writer feels that that the work is not going to be popular but still wants a score, which means that the writer is writing for accolades first and entertaining me is a lower priority. Wow, don't I immediately feel special?

2 ~ I wrote this while I was (yada-yada-yada) or in response to (blah-blah-blah) so keep that in mind while reading. Again, this is a desperate plea to keep the votes up from a writer just not confident in their own work. I'm expected to read something that the writer himself knows is inferior yet I'm expected to like it and vote it up anyways?

3 ~ Hope you enjoy. Please leave me lots of feedback. Subscribe! Subscribe! This kind of thing isn't so bad but it still shows me a priority of writing for accolades first and actually entertaining me second. I wrote this amazing thing so everybody all form a queue to love ME! Aren't I just great? It's just a bit of a turn off.

4 ~ Thanks for all the amazing feedback on the first three chapters, so here's chapter 4 since you all like this so much, and keep it up so I can write chapters 5 and 6! Like fuckin' don't say that. You are literally telling the audience that you don't have a plan or a clue how this is going to end up, and are writing this purely for the applause to feel great about yourself. This is probably the most egotistical jive-baloney-garbage someone can write. God, this writer's shit is so hot let me stick it in a bun with ketchup and mustard and wolf it down before I kiss his feet. Fuck you.

Again, these interpretations may not be intended (but often they are - and that last one always is) but that's the message that they put out there.

Now sometimes there are pre-ambles that are fine, like when they give credit to an editor or a collaborator, or if they dedicate to someone or something. Those aren't a problem at all.

 

[alohadave]

I just write more stories.

The ways I've found to try getting more VIEWS

Every time I post a new story, I see a bump in the number of views on all my other stories.

 

[AlexBailey]

I don't like that. It takes away from the work. It's like the writer is pumping up his work or pre-explaining it because you might not like it or understand it or might judge it. I'm not saying that that that is always intended by the writer (although often it is) but it always feels like that is the case and gives me the notion that if the writer isn't confident enough to just put the story out there and let me read it without qualifications, then why should I bother reading it? The writer doesn't think that it's good enough to stand on its own, then why shoudl I? I'm probably in for an inferior read. That's the vibe that the pre-amble gives.

Really? This take on it seems silly to me.

How do you decide to start reading a story? Do you simply read whatever falls before you?

It can be a simple curtesy for an author to provide a descriptive blurb.

I don’t feel insecure about my stories, but I understand that my interests and subject matter are for a narrow audience.

I feel like I could be catfishing readers if I don’t give them some insight to the subject matter. I post in CD/TG yet I don’t feel that label alone is very informative. I provide a blurb and tags as a matter of being considerate - and to make it easier for the readers who share my interest to find them.

 

[intim8]

Hope you enjoy. Please leave me lots of feedback. Subscribe! Subscribe! This kind of thing isn't so bad but it still shows me a priority of writing for accolades first and actually entertaining me second.

Why does it imply anything about the priority of motivations for writing the story? Is it a dichotomy, that you are either writing for "the sake of art" or for commercialism, with nothing in between? That if you have any commercial-ish interest at all, it moots your artistic interest?

 

[pink_silk_glove]

How do you decide to start reading a story? Do you simply read whatever falls before you?

Category, title, description, tags.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Why does it imply anything about the priority of motivations for writing the story? Is it a dichotomy, that you are either writing for "the sake of art" or for commercialism, with nothing in between? That if you have any commercial-ish interest at all, it moots your artistic interest?

Yes it does moot it. You can't write 100% for artistic story telling and also 100% for accolades/success. It's a spectrum, a pie chart. As soon as you start writing 10% for success or reactions (I won't call it commercial on free lit but I do get your point) you are now only writing 90% for art and/or storytelling. So the more that a writer cries "please like me!" proves that their intent is inherently less artistic.

Now I'm not saying that the pre-amble disclaimer will stop me from reading, but it almost always starts me off on the wrong foot as a reader and the writer has more work to do to win me over. The vast majority of pre-ambles are disclaimers against downvotes. Don't make excuses for your writing, just write with confidence. If you tell me before even the first sentence that you're not completely confident in writing the story, how excited do you think I will be to read it?

 

[AlexBailey]

Yes it does moot it. You can't write 100% for artistic story telling and also 100% for accolades/success. It's a spectrum, a pie chart. As soon as you start writing 10% for success or reactions (I won't call it commercial on free lit but I do get your point) you are now only writing 90% for art and/or storytelling. So the more that a writer cries "please like me!" proves that their intent is inherently less artistic.

Now I'm not saying that the pre-amble disclaimer will stop me from reading, but it almost always starts me off on the wrong foot as a reader and the writer has more work to do to win me over. The vast majority of pre-ambles are disclaimers against downvotes. Don't make excuses for your writing, just write with confidence. If you tell me before even the first sentence that you're not completely confident in writing the story, how excited do you think I will be to read it?

Fair enough. Move right along.

Honestly, I’m not being sarcastic here, but if a reader is put off by a descriptive blurb, I have no interest in trying to connect with them anyway.

Come to think of it, I suppose that helps with my intention for the including the blurb in the first place. Win, win.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Fair enough. Move right along.

Honestly, I’m not being sarcastic here, but if a reader is put off by a descriptive blurb, I have no interest in trying to connect with them anyway.

Come to think of it, I suppose that helps with my intention for the including the blurb in the first place. Win, win.

Well then aren't you holier than thou?

 

[intim8]

Yes it does moot it. You can't write 100% for artistic story telling and also 100% for accolades/success

Why does asking for votes, etc, when you submit imply that during the writing, even 1% of that effort was for accolades? But even if so, it certainly doesn't imply that accolades were the priority.

 

[intim8]

Well then aren't you holier than thou?

Pot...kettle

 

[AlexBailey]

Well then aren't you holier than thou?

Nope. I’m just not going to make negative assumptions about a writer’s intentions when they provide more information than just the text of the story.

 

[lovecraft68]

Why does it imply anything about the priority of motivations for writing the story? Is it a dichotomy, that you are either writing for "the sake of art" or for commercialism, with nothing in between? That if you have any commercial-ish interest at all, it moots your artistic interest?

I write whatever I feel compelled to at the time. Sometimes its something that would have appeal and hit the sweet spots in the genre, sometimes its a piece that has some speed bumps along the way as I tend to write some train wrecks that bring shitty reality into my smut. I don't realize which I'm writing until I'm into it, and whatever direction it goes it goes.

I do open with an author's note, maybe something about the story, and I close one with saying hope you liked it, thank you for reading. I used to put something in that votes are appreciated, but I gave that up a long time ago. The story for the most part will speak for itself.

 

[Paul_Chance]

I think the best advice is write well and write often. Literotica's tools for engaging are basic - view, rate, favorite, follow, and comment. The way to drive those numbers up is write well and write often.

Beyond Lit, then the standard engagement tools are available - X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook being the big three, in each, you would make posts to tantalize and then draw them back to your Lit stories. You could also use the standard email subscription list.

I'm torn on the use on chatty forewords or afterwords. I've seen it done well. If you take that approach, remember to put as much (writing/creativity) effort into the afterward or the forward. The other thing you can do is use the afterward to cross-link to another story of yours in the same vein.

All that said, the process of reader engagement is as much work, if not more, as writing stories. Since most people here are hobbyist writers, I'd question the value of building a Literotica following, simply because the return on investment is low and mainly comes in "feel good" currency, which, with five dollars, can buy you a cup of coffee.

*A large portion of my previous career revolved around various methods of corporate engagement, so there are tricks, tips, and strategies that are universal to any sort of web engagement.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Why does asking for votes, etc, when you submit imply that during the writing, even 1% of that effort was for accolades? But even if so, it certainly doesn't imply that accolades were the priority.

Because writing and submitting are not separate actions. They are inseparably linked. You are writing because you want to submit it.

Nope. I’m just not going to make negative assumptions about a writer’s intentions when they provide more information than just the text of the story.

The story is the information. It shouldn't need any more. Storytelling is explaining. If your explaining needs explaining then you didn't tell the story well enough. If you disclaim extra info about the story off the top, you are admitting to me that they story could have been told better. This is not an assumption. This is literally the message that you are sending about your craft.

The story for the most part will speak for itself.

I would say for its whole part actually.