Series With Different Chapters In Different Categories

[pink_silk_glove]

Where's the data? It's a genuine question. I don't ever recall seeing data, so it's not a matter of right or wrong or disbelief. Point me to the post which proves your point.

I've posted it two or three times and I know that you were in at least one of those threads. I'm not your researcher. I have better things to do and really by this point I really don't give the slightest fuck what you think.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I would. I have plans for a couple of stories that do. It's not like mainstream where the categories are broad. The categories here are mostly specific kinks. Many writers have difficulty fitting their stories into one category or another (or several others). There are many threads here by writers asking for such advice to prove that. Many stories span categories. There is no artistic reason not to split a story across categories. There is only the popularity/score protection reason not to.

You do you. Them do them.

Just because something can be done doesn't mean that it should be done. And yes, there are lots of artistic reasons why splitting a story fails almost every time from a literary perspective.

Category hopping is even frowned upon in porn. Interracial anal doesn't get split between "Blacked" and "Tushy", it gets one or the other.

 

[YmaOHyd]

You keep saying this, but what's the basis? Has anyone other than 8letters crunched the numbers?

Data from December 22, 2024 (just that one day): https://forum.literotica.com/thread...eaders-prefer-the-most.1624649/post-100142611

Here's her take on Emily Miller's 750-word data from March last year: https://forum.literotica.com/thread...arity-of-lit-categories.1606736/post-98540966 -- I don't agree with her methodology but it's a place where she's included numbers.

And here's her argument about EC viewership expanded out, I think in a discussion with you. It doesn't include much in the way of numbers, though: https://forum.literotica.com/threads/do-moderators-change-story-categories.1598367/post-97804690

 

[PennyThompson]

You do you. Them do them.

Just because something can be done doesn't mean that it should be done. And yes, there are lots of artistic reasons why splitting a story fails almost every time from a literary perspective.

Category hopping is even frowned upon in porn. Interracial anal doesn't get split between "Blacked" and "Tushy", it gets one or the other.

My rebuttal:

If I had the option, I would multi-class most of my stories! Non-Human/Romance/Erotic Couplings. Transgender/Group Sex/Comedy & Humor.

But since I can't do that, I feel the next best thing is to put each individual story where it fits best, and not feel overly constrained by the series it lives in. I don't think I've ever gotten a single negative comment about moving categories, aside from one person politely asking when I moved a series out of Sci-Fi.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I have one series that veers across category lines from chapter to chapter (Terrible Company). Nobody has ever complained. Views are generally consistent with how long series go, adjusting slightly for category readership.

It's not the correct solution for most stories, but it works for some.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

My rebuttal:

If I had the option, I would multi-class most of my stories! Non-Human/Romance/Erotic Couplings. Transgender/Group Sex/Comedy & Humor.

But since I can't do that, I feel the next best thing is to put each individual story where it fits best, and not feel overly constrained by the series it lives in. I don't think I've ever gotten a single negative comment about moving categories, aside from one person politely asking when I moved a series out of Sci-Fi.

The distinction between a chapter story and a series of stand-alone stories sharing characters, tropes, settings, or other elements, should be considered.

I have no problem with one part of a series of related stand-alone (comprised of a beginning, middle and end) stories being in a particular category with subsequent parts of the series being placed in others. That could be a logical and perfectly appropriate publishing strategy. Unfortunately, too many writers on this site can't appreciate the distinction, often referring to their chapter story as a "series" and treating it as such.

 

[YmaOHyd]

If there's any confusion about that, and I don't actually think there is, it's because the Story Series function on this site is for organizing chapter stories.

 

[FidelityBoss]

What are people's thoughts on writing a story series in which different chapters fall under different categories? I don't have any plans to write such a series at the moment, but I'd be interested to know people's takes on the practical considerations. There are any number of category combinations one could imagine that could form a coherent story series, and some combinations might work better than others, but the real concern is that fans of one might be alienated by the other.

Tags are useful for letting readers know what kind of story they're going to read so they aren't blindsided, but if they read chapter one in a category they like and then see that chapter two falls under a different category they don't like, you might lose those readers. But then some prospective readers who hate the chapter one category but love the chapter two category might not give the series a chance at all, or if they do, they might skip chapter one and all the important back story.

Has anyone tried writing a multi-category series like this? Is it OK to have different chapters of the same series in different categories as long as they all tie together into a single narrative? Or is it better to keep all the chapters in the same category and just rely on the tags and chapter descriptions to guide readers?

This is such an interesting idea! Mixing categories within a series could work if done carefully, like having a clear narrative thread that ties everything together, even if the tone or genre shifts. But yeah, the risk of alienating readers is real. Maybe using tags and a strong series description to set expectations upfront could help as some readers might love the variety, while others could bounce if it’s not their vibe.

If you’re going for it, maybe test the waters with a shorter project first to see how readers react. It’s a bold move, but if it’s executed well, it could be a fresh take that stands out.

 

[FidelityBoss]

Here's my thought: it's a fine idea if you already have a following that's large enough to support your ambitions. If you don't, don't do it. Stay in one category, even if your story is going to move through multiple erotic ideas.

As an example, BreakTheBar's story The OF Girl is about a guy who discovers that his fellow intern is an OnlyFans model who's trying to hide her identity. He then stumbles into a polyamorous relationship in the course of getting a girlfriend and helping his intern friend with her content. Many other sex adventures ensue, and none of them require massive leaps of faith once you accept the initial premise. That story has chapters, I think, in E&V, EC, Anal, Group Sex and Romance at least, and the story isn't any worse for it. The reason that works, though, is that BTB has a pretty significant following and a successful Patreon and The OF Girl is a subsidized work through Patreon. That it's posted on Lit at all is because the work is already paid for by his Patrons.

My experience, dropping chapters 1 and 2 of a series in Romance and chapter 3 in Erotic Couplings, was that it was a terrible horrible no-good very bad idea and I regret doing it. I don't think there's a significant difference in quality in my chapters, but chapter 1 has a rating in the 4.5s and 2800 reads. Chapter 2 has a rating in the 4.6s and 2400 reads. And chapter 3 has a rating in the 4.3s and 484 reads; it has the second-lowest readership of anything I've published despite being in one of the most active categories. My 750-word story in the same category has 3x the reads, and my 750-word reflective essay about my poorly-rated 750-word E&V story only has 30 fewer views than the third chapter in that series. I absolutely shot myself in the foot by changing categories and I hope dropping chapter 4 back in Romance where it belongs will help fix that, but it's also possible I've just killed my readership for that series entirely.

Oof, that’s a tough lesson, but super insightful! It sounds like sticking to one category, especially early on, is the safer bet unless you’ve already got a solid fanbase willing to follow you anywhere. BreakTheBar’s success with The OF Girl seems like the exception, not the rule, and even then, it’s backed by a Patreon following.

Your experience with the category switch is a great cautionary tale, readers can be fickle, and changing lanes mid-series can really throw them off. Hopefully, moving chapter 4 back to Romance helps recover some momentum. Either way, it’s a learning experience, and your honesty about it is gold for other writers.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

If I had the option, I would multi-class most of my stories! Non-Human/Romance/Erotic Couplings. Transgender/Group Sex/Comedy & Humor

Me too.

I think, generally speaking, for those of us who have fewer than 300 followers and are not Penny (because she is a unicorn farting beautiful rainbows filled with humor and futas) it’s probably best for us to stick with one category. The one thing I’ve noticed about everybody who has said they’ve done this successfully is they’ve got a buttload of followers who are probably reading everything they do. Yma is spot on.

Would that we all had such freedom, alas.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Data from December 22, 2024 (just that one day): https://forum.literotica.com/thread...eaders-prefer-the-most.1624649/post-100142611

Here's her take on Emily Miller's 750-word data from March last year: https://forum.literotica.com/thread...arity-of-lit-categories.1606736/post-98540966 -- I don't agree with her methodology but it's a place where she's included numbers.

And here's her argument about EC viewership expanded out, I think in a discussion with you. It doesn't include much in the way of numbers, though: https://forum.literotica.com/threads/do-moderators-change-story-categories.1598367/post-97804690

Thank you for catering for my laziness or inability to research old threads.

 

[karina_jayde]

I've done it a few times, partially as an experiment to see if I'd get more views.

I tend to write fantasy series here and a few times I've submitted the first entry in the category that caters to that specific kink. So in my fantasy adventure story about a barbarian who gets dommed by horny nuns (where the first story is focused almost entirely on the sex) I put it in BDSM to test the waters. Later chapters switched to the fantasy category as the focus shifted. It definitely got more views than other first chapters of other fantasy stories, but the read-through rate was consistent with my series where I stayed all in the same category.

So depending on the category, a change up might get you a boost in views, but in general it's not some silver bullet in the long run

 

[TheLobster]

Would that we all had such freedom, alas.

If it’s really mostly about the number of followers, then all you need to do to gain that freedom of cross-category posting is to first do your time in the Incest Mines

 

[pink_silk_glove]

You do you. Them do them.

I agree completely. What's your point?

And yes, there are lots of artistic reasons why splitting a story fails almost every time from a literary perspective.

Name some.

 

[VallesMarineris]

I tried it once and it worked out fine:


EC: 1
NC/R: 3
LS: 1
GS: 4

Only chapter 2 missed the red H, because (duh!) I forgot to put a sex scene in it.

You can check it out here if you're interested.

 

[WittyUserName]

What are people's thoughts on writing a story series in which different chapters fall under different categories? I don't have any plans to write such a series at the moment, but I'd be interested to know people's takes on the practical considerations. There are any number of category combinations one could imagine that could form a coherent story series, and some combinations might work better than others, but the real concern is that fans of one might be alienated by the other.

Tags are useful for letting readers know what kind of story they're going to read so they aren't blindsided, but if they read chapter one in a category they like and then see that chapter two falls under a different category they don't like, you might lose those readers. But then some prospective readers who hate the chapter one category but love the chapter two category might not give the series a chance at all, or if they do, they might skip chapter one and all the important back story.

Has anyone tried writing a multi-category series like this? Is it OK to have different chapters of the same series in different categories as long as they all tie together into a single narrative? Or is it better to keep all the chapters in the same category and just rely on the tags and chapter descriptions to guide readers?

When I started my first series I'd use different categories. I had a few people complain that they missed new chapters because of the different categorization. Most people don't have an account and they might only frequent categories they like. Switching it up can cause people to not realize you have a new chapter out. I use the same category for the entire series now.

 

[badnews79]

I have been a long time reader but only just started trying to write.
My 1st story was split into 2 chapters and I put the 2 chapters into different categories. (A 3rd one to follow will be in a 3rd category)
Until now I was aware of the the usual convention was.
I did this because it was what felt right, chapter 1 was about a husband and wife so went into the loving wives category, the second chapter involved 5 people having sex so it went into group sex.
I have since learned about the snobbery around certain categories but I wouldn’t change what i did.