Newbie question about views

[FrancesScott]

But only people familiar with you know that prior to reading.

This comes full circle. What about the 18k people who at least opened Pumpkin Spice and The Soldier’s Widow (both in LS), don’t those people have at least some idea about what I write?

 

[old_prof]

This comes full circle. What about the 18k people who at least opened Pumpkin Spice and The Soldier’s Widow (both in LS), don’t those people have at least some idea about what I write?

As much as we would like to think otherwise, I think most readers ignore the author most of the time

 

[FrancesScott]

I tend to think of myself as writing for the female readers first and foremost.

To qualify, I do this in LS. I do write in other categories and it seems some men enjoy my stories too. I have some in which I intentionally veer toward male gaze. As I say in my profile, I’m often writing experimentally here.

 

[THBGato]

I think and this is just a guess that there are a lot of people who come to the LS category for a story of awakening to their sexuality and another group who come to LS for stories about romance. When you advertised your story as being about "a lesbian couple" you're telling both of those groups not to bother because they're not going to get what they want. This isn't a comment on your story, which I'm sure is good and worth reading.

Exactly this.

Look, I'm not a gatekeeper or anything. But of the readers currently active on the AH I've probably read more LS than anyone. My non-scientific conclusions are that readers there love:
- queer awakening stories
- slow-burn romances
- friends to lovers tales
- lonely girl finds true love

Ideally all 4 in combo (see JCMcNielly or BrokenSpokes). Rescue stories and rival to lovers also do well.

There's also a lot of D/S stories - I'm not (usually) a fan - and the better ones (GenZSub, Ripley) get lots of views.

That's not to say you can't or shouldn't write other types of stories. Write whatever brings you joy. But, in LS, temper your expectations if you aren't writing one of the popular plot types.

 

[THBGato]

What about the 18k people who at least opened Pumpkin Spice and The Soldier’s Widow (both in LS), don’t those people have at least some idea about what I write?

I have stories with 22k views and stories with under 4k views. It scales up too even among the very best - look at Wanda's stats. Why don't all her LS stories have the same number of views? Look at Limentina's view stats. It's not just you...

Some readers will go through your entire back catalogue. Others won't - they'll pick and choose. Readers are all different.

 

[YmaOHyd]

This comes full circle. What about the 18k people who at least opened Pumpkin Spice and The Soldier’s Widow (both in LS), don’t those people have at least some idea about what I write?

Honestly, no, I don't think they do. They read a story, they liked it or loved it, and they didn't think about you once.

I have stories with 22k views and stories with under 4k views. It scales up too even among the very best - look at Wanda's stats. Why don't all her LS stories have the same number of views? Look at Limentina's view stats. It's not just you...

Some readers will go through your entire back catalogue. Others won't - they'll pick and choose. Readers are all different.

Yes, this. Plugged In is closing in on 50k views; The Right Time, published six weeks later, has one thousand. What's Left chapter 1 has ~6k reads, What's Left chapter 5 has ~3k reads, What's Left chapter 3 has.... 1.5k reads.

 

[EmilyMiller]

My non-scientific conclusions are that readers there love:
- queer awakening stories
- slow-burn romances
- friends to lovers tales
- lonely girl finds true love

I often feel like Banquo’s ghost when commenting on LS. Though I write it, I don’t think I’m seen as sound on the subject as I write bi and hetero and just about everything else except the squick categories. But…

My most successful (ratings and views) LS story - Twleve Months - doesn’t fit into any of those. It’s more trauma-response meets traditional romantic melodrama meets Bildungsroman / personal growth - and the protagonists had their lesbian awakenings many years earlier.

I guess it’s an outlier.

 

[THBGato]

slow-burn romances

My most successful (ratings and views) LS story - Twleve Months - doesn’t fit into any of those.

You tagged it "slow burn" Emily

 

[SugarStorm]

It’s only 2k words, why not read it and tell me how you would have marketed it. I’d like to learn.

Hi Frances! I read Cupid’s Arrow of Time and thought it was lovely.

At its core, it feels like a love story. In fact, two love stories collapsing into each other: one representing young love, defiant and urgent; the other old love, shaped by care, memory loss, and grief. That’s how it landed for me, at least.

The emotional drive leans much more into love than desire, which I really appreciated.

For me personally, a tag line like “A lesbian couple revisit an old haunt” almost nudges expectations toward sex-romp territory. If it had been me, I might have kept it simpler, something along the lines of: "A poignant, romantic short story about love, memory, and time." (Or something similar.)

 

[FrancesScott]

Banquo’s ghost

This is what has been missing on this thread, Shakespearean references! Now my cup runneth over.

 

[YmaOHyd]

This is what has been missing on this thread, Shakespearean references! Now my cup runneth over.

We need to bring the readers of Birnam Wood to Frances Scott's castle at Dunsinane.

 

[FrancesScott]

Hi Frances! I read Cupid’s Arrow of Time and thought it was lovely.

Thank you!

At its core, it feels like a love story. In fact, two love stories collapsing into each other: one representing young love, defiant and urgent; the other old love, shaped by care, memory loss, and grief. That’s how it landed for me, at least.

That was also my intent, pretty much precisely. It’s nice to have it understood.

The emotional drive leans much more into love than desire, which I really appreciated.

For me personally, a tag line like “A lesbian couple revisit an old haunt” almost nudges expectations toward sex-romp territory. If it had been me, I might have kept it simpler, something along the lines of: "A poignant, romantic short story about love, memory, and time." (Or something similar.)

Yeah I guess my subtitle sucked. I need to work on that.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You tagged it "slow burn" Emily

That’s because - unlike @FrancesScott - I’m a marketing slut

 

[AwkwardMD]

Is this the male readers of LS, or everyone. I tend to think of myself as writing for the female readers first and foremost. I guess this is born out by people like @redgarters (honorary lesbian), @THBGato, @onehitwanda et al liking at least some aspects of my work.

I'm gonna hazard a guess (and I picked my words carefully there) that it's all readers, and the only evidence I can point to is that the comments and favorites on the stories I post with the FIrst Time tag tend to have a better-than-1:1-ratio of F to M, but even that is 100% being run through the filter of my readership, which, like yours, I think skews F.

It's real hard to tell through the noise.

 

[SugarStorm]

Yeah I guess my subtitle sucked. I need to work on that.

I don’t think it sucked at all. And I’m definitely not saying mine’s better. I was only thinking in terms of the reader, you know, and how leaning into the romance aspect might help set expectations going in.

I’m still pretty new to the site and haven’t published all that much, so take it for what it’s worth.

You write both romance and love well. Looking forward to more of your writing!

 

[FrancesScott]

You write both romance and love well. Looking forward to more of your writing!

That’s very kind (and encouraging) of you to say. Thank you.

 

[redgarters]

I guess this is born out by people like @redgarters (honorary lesbian),

Oh wow, You made me a little mushy there. That's a compliment I'll be keeping close to my heart.

I loved CAOT, I think it's a beautiful, hopeful and very romantic story, and the sombre undertone where past speaks to present gives it weight far beyond it's 2.1k words.

I've had a story miss views because I included the word 'Domme' in the subtitle, just an example that those subtitles are important marketing (it's the hardest part of the publishing process, that damn subtitle!).

But I still think it's a bit weird if 'lesbian couple' in the subtitle is pushing LS readers away. I'm not convinced that's the issue. I think the subtitle is fine.

I think @THBGato 's analysis of what LS readers generally like is sound, and building on that, my (rather unacademic) guess is
that the story is under-tagged, in the sense that it only has two tags. Those both fit the story well, but one is very open (lesbian love) and the other is probably not very high up in the tags searches (memories). If we assume that a significant percentage of readers here search by tags, then the story probably isn't showing up in enough searches.

But that doesn't explain why readers of The Soldier's Widow wouldn't seek out a new LS story by the same author.

 

[FrancesScott]

Oh wow, You made me a little mushy there. That's a compliment I'll be keeping close to my heart.

I loved CAOT, I think it's a beautiful, hopeful and very romantic story, and the sombre undertone where past speaks to present gives it weight far beyond it's 2.1k

Thank you. And running the text (short as it is) by you gave me the courage of my convictions. I should have added an acknowledgement, which is most unlike me to omit. I think I was maybe a little frazzled by unrelated matters. So thanks for the push!

 

[FrancesScott]

But that doesn't explain why readers of The Soldier's Widow wouldn't seek out a new LS story by the same author.

Maybe they will in time. Who knows? Memories are short here I’ve observed.

 

[FrancesScott]

my (rather unacademic) guess is
that the story is under-tagged

I felt really uncomfortable tagging the coupling of Judy and Ellie, it felt wrong drawing attention to only the mechanics as the emotions were the real story. And with other potential tags I thought they would give the plot away. Maybe I need a plot doctor.

 

[redgarters]

I felt really uncomfortable tagging the coupling of Judy and Ellie, it felt wrong drawing attention to only the mechanics as the emotions were the real story. And with other potential tags I thought they would give the plot away. Maybe I need a plot doctor.

It is a bit of a tricky one to tag, for sure.

 

[FrancesScott]

It is a bit of a tricky one to tag, for sure.

Yeah - I guess it’s not really a sex story, though it has a sex scene. Then that’s not exactly atypical for my work here.

 

[ElectricBlue]

This comes full circle. What about the 18k people who at least opened Pumpkin Spice and The Soldier’s Widow (both in LS), don’t those people have at least some idea about what I write?

Probably not. Your Follower count is a guide to those who already familiar with your content, but I'd never infer "some idea" from raw Views.

I'd say those click-ins are more from your story title and sub-title, than from any knowledge of your content.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I felt really uncomfortable tagging the coupling of Judy and Ellie, it felt wrong drawing attention to only the mechanics as the emotions were the real story. And with other potential tags I thought they would give the plot away. Maybe I need a plot doctor.

Try to use all ten tags. Other than title and sub-title, tags are really all you've got to promote your story. Use them all!

Also, for short story (less than a Lit page) I don't think you need to worry about giving away the plot.

 

[FrancesScott]

Also, for short story (less than a Lit page) I don't think you need to worry about giving away the plot.

I think you need to read the story before leaping to that conclusion.