Proof that "Favorites" aren't all they're cracked up to be

[gunhilltrain]

So here's the question:

Which influences readers the most to read (and hopefully vote on) a particular story, the number of followers that an author has, or the number next to the little heart icon which indicates how many other readers have selected the story as a "favorite"?

I have one story with a 4.19 score, but 49 "favorites", and I also have a story with a 4.84 score and only 24 "favorites".

I can't really answer that because, sorry guys, I came here to write, not read. (And also to chew up time on the forums! ) I've got about forty favorites, which averages only about eight per year. Thus I have no idea what readers here are using for selections. The title, the category, the blurb?

 

[SimonDoom]

So here's the question:

Which influences readers the most to read (and hopefully vote on) a particular story, the number of followers that an author has, or the number next to the little heart icon which indicates how many other readers have selected the story as a "favorite"?

I have one story with a 4.19 score, but 49 "favorites", and I also have a story with a 4.84 score and only 24 "favorites".

This is all speculation but I don't think prospective readers pay much attention to the number of favorites a story has, except in these respects:

It helps a story to get views if it has visibility. The more likely prospective readers encounter your story, the more likely they are to click on it and give it a go.

Favorites can boost visibility in various ways.

By getting more favorites your story can get on a toplist, which is a great way to give a story long-term visibility and more views.

By getting more favorites your story can get on "similar stories" lists, which I think is another key way to get visibility and more views.

If somebody likes your story enough to favorite your story, there's a good chance they may follow you as an author. The more followers you have, the more visibility your stories have because every time you publish a story all of your followers get notice of the publication of the story.

There's a strong correlation between having many views and many favorites. There's a relatively weak correlation between having a high score and having many favorites.

 

[FifthEstate]

The weird thing I find is when readers 'favorite' a story, or even a whole bunch, without actually favoriting anything. One reader favorited almost almost all of my 160 odd stories, but none of them stuck. I guess it's like a tip of the hat, to try and tell me that they like what I write. But I don't why they bother, because it doesn't do much for me to see all these favorites that don't mean anything.

I don’t get that either. I just had a reader favorite each story in one of my series one at a time over like 36 hours, but none stuck. Seems like a strange process: Favorite-read-unfavorite, next chapter: Favorite-read-unfavorite…I guess I should be happy they likely read each one. I’d bet no votes were ever cast, but I can’t confirm that…

 

[KeithD]

Reading some of the comments here, maybe a distinction between "Favorites" and "Followers" can be agreed upon?

What is the effect of "agreed upon"? We get what the Web site provides. We don't have a vote in that.

 

[djrip]

What is the effect of "agreed upon"? We get what the Web site provides. We don't have a vote in that.

He's just saying it's confusing to refer to favorites and follows interchangeably. Favorites are for stories and follows are for authors.

 

[Imstillfun]

Ok, to me favorites are people who favorite a story
followers are those we favor me as an author.

I often wonder how new people Find my stories. Why me? especially after they’re off the first page and I am struggling to put out one story a year so it’s not volume like it was at first. I still get about 50+ followers a month.

i read many authors I think write stories better and certainly at least as good as mine. I think I show up “similar authors.” or top loving wives authors. I doubt people go and and look at the top authors list. I doubt many know it exists. Maybe they search through tags?

hmm. I think I’ll start a new thread.