The frustration of no comments

[NuclearFairy]

So I've got a series and a short story up, but no comments on either of them.

The series I know is a bit of a niche story it's about a straight merman (most popular merman/maid stories have a gay protagonist.) who is trapped in a domestic abuse situation. There are no human characters, and most of the sex scenes are between a merman and a harpy. So yeah not many people would be drawn into it. But each segment has high enough ratings, at least one favorite, and has gotten me at least one follower that I know that it's been well received by those that read it. But I really want to know their thoughts on what they liked about it. Should I start posting a bit at the end asking for feedback? Or would that be too intrusive? I do put authors notes at the top of a segment when there is going to be something that might be disturbing or triggering in it.

Whereas the short story I worried might get hated because the tentacle monster got killed and eaten before he could finish his deed. On second thought maybe I should have put that one in erotic horror, but I have an idea for a sequel that I want to put in nonhuman, and I don't like the idea have having different stories with the same mc in different categories. But while it doesn't have the red h, it does have a decent enough score that it seems to of been well received, and seven people favorited it. So it did better than I expected! But still I was really hoping to get some comments.

Anyways, I'm hoping that fellow authors can commiserate with me on how frustrating it can be to not get any comments.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Lots of electrons have been spilled over the "how to get more comments/engagement" issue.

Some people have had success with a short author's note saying they'd appreciate feedback.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

It's not too intrusive to ask for feedback. Literotica's readers are heavily spoiled with massive amounts of free content though, so don't be surprised if even that doesn't help much.
In theory, this whole thing should be a quid pro quo between the website, authors, and readers, each giving something and getting something in return. Yet it's us authors getting shafted most of the time

It's mostly a consequence of Literotica having such low requirements for story quality that almost anything that follows the content rules can get published. And with so many free stories being published every day, the website and readers don't feel like they need to give anything back. A small number of readers do give some feedback and are appreciative of the stories they get to read for free, but it's a minuscule percentage, like one in a thousand or so.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Should I start posting a bit at the end asking for feedback? Or would that be too intrusive?

That should be fine. I've seen other authors saying they tried this and it seemed to help with comments.

You could also post a request here: https://forum.literotica.com/forums/story-feedback.1/

 

[NuclearFairy]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

That should be fine. I've seen other authors saying they tried this and it seemed to help with comments.

You could also post a request here: https://forum.literotica.com/forums/story-feedback.1/

I tried posting the first segment in feedback, I got a resounding silence. So I've been kinda scared to try posting in there again. Although maybe the problem was I was mostly looking for feedback on tags, so maybe they thought I was only looking for feedback on tags?

 

[Naughtylit81]

Nothing wrong with requesting feedback and comments at the end of your story. It is lile youtubers asking people to like, comment, and subscribe.

Just understand that the comment-to-view ratio is low so if you have a niche story, like you described, your likelihood of comment let alone comments is significantly reduced.

 

[gunhilltrain]

So I've got a series and a short story up, but no comments on either of them.

The series I know is a bit of a niche story it's about a straight merman (most popular merman/maid stories have a gay protagonist.) who is trapped in a domestic abuse situation. There are no human characters, and most of the sex scenes are between a merman and a harpy. So yeah not many people would be drawn into it. But each segment has high enough ratings, at least one favorite, and has gotten me at least one follower that I know that it's been well received by those that read it. But I really want to know their thoughts on what they liked about it. Should I start posting a bit at the end asking for feedback? Or would that be too intrusive? I do put authors notes at the top of a segment when there is going to be something that might be disturbing or triggering in it.

Whereas the short story I worried might get hated because the tentacle monster got killed and eaten before he could finish his deed. On second thought maybe I should have put that one in erotic horror, but I have an idea for a sequel that I want to put in nonhuman, and I don't like the idea have having different stories with the same mc in different categories. But while it doesn't have the red h, it does have a decent enough score that it seems to of been well received, and seven people favorited it. So it did better than I expected! But still I was really hoping to get some comments.

Anyways, I'm hoping that fellow authors can commiserate with me on how frustrating it can be to not get any comments.

Please don't feel like you've done anything wrong. This site is a mass medium (500 K stories) and I don't know how many new ones each week. Readers are glutted with content and many of them have short attention spans. To actually write a comment takes more effort than some of them care to put into it. If they do comment, it may be a line or two and likely won't be that notable. So well over half of my stories have no comments.

Another way to nudge them is to post in a link in the Story Feedback Forum and ask for opinions. Maybe specify some details of the story you'd like to have feedback on. Usually there will be responses.

https://forum.literotica.com/forums/story-feedback.1/

 

[RetroFan]

So I've got a series and a short story up, but no comments on either of them.

The series I know is a bit of a niche story it's about a straight merman (most popular merman/maid stories have a gay protagonist.) who is trapped in a domestic abuse situation. There are no human characters, and most of the sex scenes are between a merman and a harpy. So yeah not many people would be drawn into it. But each segment has high enough ratings, at least one favorite, and has gotten me at least one follower that I know that it's been well received by those that read it. But I really want to know their thoughts on what they liked about it. Should I start posting a bit at the end asking for feedback? Or would that be too intrusive? I do put authors notes at the top of a segment when there is going to be something that might be disturbing or triggering in it.

Whereas the short story I worried might get hated because the tentacle monster got killed and eaten before he could finish his deed. On second thought maybe I should have put that one in erotic horror, but I have an idea for a sequel that I want to put in nonhuman, and I don't like the idea have having different stories with the same mc in different categories. But while it doesn't have the red h, it does have a decent enough score that it seems to of been well received, and seven people favorited it. So it did better than I expected! But still I was really hoping to get some comments.

Anyways, I'm hoping that fellow authors can commiserate with me on how frustrating it can be to not get any comments.

I've noted before that the Erotic Horror, Non-Human and Sci-Fi Fantasy readers rarely leave comments on stories, whether good, bad or indifferent. It is frustrating given you have to use your imagination to write in these categories.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Anyways, I'm hoping that fellow authors can commiserate with me on how frustrating it can be to not get any comments.

My rules of thumb: one Vote per hundred Views, one Comment per thousand - applies to most categories except LW (the comment rate is far higher, but consider the nature of the comments).

Lit is a feedback-lite zone. Write really well or really badly, you'll get comments, write in the middle of the bell curve, not so many.

 

[SmokingFap]

So I've got a series and a short story up, but no comments on either of them.

The series I know is a bit of a niche story it's about a straight merman (most popular merman/maid stories have a gay protagonist.) who is trapped in a domestic abuse situation. There are no human characters, and most of the sex scenes are between a merman and a harpy. So yeah not many people would be drawn into it. But each segment has high enough ratings, at least one favorite, and has gotten me at least one follower that I know that it's been well received by those that read it. But I really want to know their thoughts on what they liked about it. Should I start posting a bit at the end asking for feedback? Or would that be too intrusive? I do put authors notes at the top of a segment when there is going to be something that might be disturbing or triggering in it.

Whereas the short story I worried might get hated because the tentacle monster got killed and eaten before he could finish his deed. On second thought maybe I should have put that one in erotic horror, but I have an idea for a sequel that I want to put in nonhuman, and I don't like the idea have having different stories with the same mc in different categories. But while it doesn't have the red h, it does have a decent enough score that it seems to of been well received, and seven people favorited it. So it did better than I expected! But still I was really hoping to get some comments.

Anyways, I'm hoping that fellow authors can commiserate with me on how frustrating it can be to not get any comments.

I have no comment.

Actually, I think it's perfectly fine to actually ask for comments and input, especially if you're just like, "Hey, I'm just trying to be a better writer, and maybe you can help me with that."

 

[pink_silk_glove]

You just have a low profile and write niche stuff. Write more, keep going, write the stories inside you begging to get out, eventually you will get noticed. I've been writing here for a few years and outside of the AH forum I'm still unknown and get little feedback.

 

[jezzaz]

Be careful what you wish for.

My latest has managed to attract some really nasty snide and spiteful commenting. Loving Wives recently has really started to look like 4 Chan in its commenting.

One thing I’ve really started to notice is that people will comment if you are have god level stories, and then it’s a stream of ‘this is so great!’ Over and over again. Lovely for the ego, but it doesn’t do much to make you a better writer.

Otherwise it’s a litany of complaints about anything and everything, real or imagined. Very little constructive criticism, mostly just complaining that it’s either too short or too long, not enough details, too much detail, and my favorite ‘this character wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) behave like that’. As though characters are real and have their own lives.

There’s this weird need for a specific type of reader to project themselves - or an idealized version of themselves - onto the characters and what they do, and they get majorly bent out of shape if they don’t behave as the reader ‘thinks’ they should.

There’s a tremendous amount of entitlement from readers, that you as an author, because you’ve decided to spend the time and effort to write something, somehow owe the reader exactly what ever they think they want. Because they’ve decided to read it, you somehow owe them a story tailored to their desires.

Lit commenting is a post child for the old adage ‘if something is given freely, it is considered of no value by those receiving, and treated as such.’

 

[LiterallyLiterate]

I’m shamelessly asking for comments and feedback every chance I get, and I frequently answer comments to my stories with comments of my own, if only to show future readers that I read and consider the comments I get.

And don’t be afraid of negative comments, just be thankful someone took the time to write it out. I started out quite good with my first few stories, then posted a chapter or two that missed the mark and gave some rather harsh, if honest, critisism.
I replied, took it to heart, adjusted my story for the next chapter. Got the highest rating yet by a good margin, and not a single comment on it…

For your own peace of mind, I’d use the ratings as a measure of success and take comments as a bonus (or warning that you’re straying off the path.)

 

[Bramblethorn]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!


I tried posting the first segment in feedback, I got a resounding silence.

Ah right, I looked in feedback to see if you had, but I didn't go back far enough to see your post. I've posted some feedback on that, maybe bumping it back to active threads will get you some more comments there.

 

[karina_jayde]

Unless you're writing in a comment heavy category (Loving Wives in particular), it's really just a numbers game. The more stories you have and the more followers, the more likely you'll be to get comments. But even then, feedback isn't guaranteed.

 

[yowser]

If you go the 'ask for comments' route, I urge you to think carefully and say what you mean.

At this point, I will only offer 'critique' comments if the author explicitly solicits them in either the story or their bio, and even then, I have more than once taken the request at face value only to discover that the author really only wants accolade commentary, not constructive suggestions.

Good luck, most of us do prize the thoughtful responses we (occasionally) get.

 

[SimonDoom]

NuclearFairy, here's a suggestion: Add a link to your submission page to your signature here. That way, everybody who responds to your thread can instantly see, and link to, your stories. Make it as easy to access your stories as possible. You are more likely to get attention that way.

Your lament is common and understandable. Comments are typically few and far between. Even for very popular stories, the ratio of views to comments is usually unimpressive. If it's important to you, try writing a variety of stories in different categories, and try to reach different groups of readers. Always try to keep getting better.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Be careful what you wish for.

My latest has managed to attract some really nasty snide and spiteful commenting. Loving Wives recently has really started to look like 4 Chan in its commenting.

One thing I’ve really started to notice is that people will comment if you are have god level stories, and then it’s a stream of ‘this is so great!’ Over and over again. Lovely for the ego, but it doesn’t do much to make you a better writer.

Otherwise it’s a litany of complaints about anything and everything, real or imagined. Very little constructive criticism, mostly just complaining that it’s either too short or too long, not enough details, too much detail, and my favorite ‘this character wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) behave like that’. As though characters are real and have their own lives.

There’s this weird need for a specific type of reader to project themselves - or an idealized version of themselves - onto the characters and what they do, and they get majorly bent out of shape if they don’t behave as the reader ‘thinks’ they should.

There’s a tremendous amount of entitlement from readers, that you as an author, because you’ve decided to spend the time and effort to write something, somehow owe the reader exactly what ever they think they want. Because they’ve decided to read it, you somehow owe them a story tailored to their desires.

Lit commenting is a post child for the old adage ‘if something is given freely, it is considered of no value by those receiving, and treated as such.’

If you believe the Lit about page, 50 million people visit here every month. A lot of those are repeat visits, but it it still more than the population of California. And the site is completely "Hello World" open to anybody who wishes to drip in. Who knows the mental state or attitudes of all these people? It could be worse (and in Loving Wives it certainly is).

Over the years, I've gotten some nitpicking. I answer if there is something to say or otherwise I just ignore it. It it makes no sense, I might simply delete it. I haven't had one person answer a second time. So this isn't The Paris Review. As Hyman Roth would put it, "Lit is the business we have chosen."

 

[NuclearFairy]

Please don't feel like you've done anything wrong. This site is a mass medium (500 K stories) and I don't know how many new ones each week. Readers are glutted with content and many of them have short attention spans. To actually write a comment takes more effort than some of them care to put into it. If they do comment, it may be a line or two and likely won't be that notable. So well over half of my stories have no comments.

Another way to nudge them is to post in a link in the Story Feedback Forum and ask for opinions. Maybe specify some details of the story you'd like to have feedback on. Usually there will be responses.

https://forum.literotica.com/forums/story-feedback.1/

No don't worry, I don't feel like I've done anything wrong. Like I pointed out my ratings are high enough that I'm satisfied that people like it, I'm just insanely curious to know what exactly they like about them.

NuclearFairy, here's a suggestion: Add a link to your submission page to your signature here. That way, everybody who responds to your thread can instantly see, and link to, your stories. Make it as easy to access your stories as possible. You are more likely to get attention that way.

Your lament is common and understandable. Comments are typically few and far between. Even for very popular stories, the ratio of views to comments is usually unimpressive. If it's important to you, try writing a variety of stories in different categories, and try to reach different groups of readers. Always try to keep getting better.

Oh, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll have to go figure out how to do that then.

Geeze a signature, I haven't even bothered with those since I frequented Gaia Online I think it was well over fifteen years ago. I feel old now.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Geeze a signature, I haven't even bothered with those since I frequented Gaia Online I think it was well over fifteen years ago. I feel old now.

I don't know what's in my signature block any more. I got sick to death of the clutter on my page from everyone's sig blocks, so I turned sigs off years ago. It's a much cleaner feed, and it's not hard to find people's stories.

 

[TheLobster]

I don't know what's in my signature block any more. I got sick to death of the clutter on my page from everyone's sig blocks, so I turned sigs off years ago. It's a much cleaner feed, and it's not hard to find people's stories.

Outside of a few absolute muppets who thankfully limit their activities to the Politics Board, I found that user signatures aren't too distracting these days. And I've definitely clicked on more than one 'My Stories' links in them.

 

[gunhilltrain]

No don't worry, I don't feel like I've done anything wrong. Like I pointed out my ratings are high enough that I'm satisfied that people like it, I'm just insanely curious to know what exactly they like about them.

Yeah, we'd all like to know that, but sometimes we can't. If it really intrigues you, I guess you could send them a PM (assuming they are not anonymous) and ask them. I've never done that myself, by the way.

The Story Feedback forum will usually generate some responses, Of course, you'll have to take the bad with the good.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

NuclearFairy, here's a suggestion: Add a link to your submission page to your signature here.

I should do that too, so then the forum trolls can bomb my stories even quicker! ; )