Does this story aim too high for ScribbleHub? Honest feedback wanted!

[SevianMorric]

Hi everyone,


I’m trying to write something that might—just might—reach a publishable level one day. But let’s be honest, that’s probably unrealistic, right? So I decided to post the first 3 chapters here on ScribbleHub.


Well… the result? Almost no readers.


So now I’m wondering:

• Is it because the writing is too serious?
• Does it fail to meet publish-level quality and also fail to be fun as a webnovel?
• Or maybe people here just prefer faster, lighter “webnovel style” stories?

I honestly don’t know. That’s why I’m asking for help.


What I really want is brutally honest criticism—
If it’s boring, tell me.
If it’s too slow, tell me.
If it’s pretentious, definitely tell me.


My story is called: Awakening in 1985: Bound by the Sultanate System
Here’s the link: Awakening in 1985: Bound by the Sultanate System | Scribble Hub


Any comment—good or bad—would mean a lot.
Thanks for taking the time to even click this. ?

What do YOU think ScribbleHub readers really want—polished publish-level writing or pure webnovel fun?

 

[Deleted member 84247]

You are writing genres that aren't popular on Scribble hub. Readers here prefer fantasy web novels. You're writing a historical mystery.

 

[SevianMorric]

You are writing genres that aren't popular on Scribble hub. Readers here prefer fantasy web novels. You're writing a historical mystery.

Thanks for the honest insight! Yeah, I figured historical/political mystery isn’t exactly ScribbleHub’s main crowd—most people here want fast-paced fantasy or system power-ups, right?


Do you think it’s still worth posting niche genres here for feedback, or better to aim at a different platform? I’m mostly looking for honest critique, even if the genre isn’t popular.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Thanks for the honest insight! Yeah, I figured historical/political mystery isn’t exactly ScribbleHub’s main crowd—most people here want fast-paced fantasy or system power-ups, right?


Do you think it’s still worth posting niche genres here for feedback, or better to aim at a different platform? I’m mostly looking for honest critique, even if the genre isn’t popular.

I think if you want feedback, it might be better to try and write on another site where they are more popular. Nothing is stopping you from posting on Scribble hub as well, but I don't think you'll get the feedback you desire. There are still forum people that give feedback sometimes like @Tempokai if you want harsh feedback.

 

[SevianMorric]

I think if you want feedback, it might be better to try and write on another site where they are more popular. Nothing is stopping you from posting on Scribble hub as well, but I don't think you'll get the feedback you desire. There are still forum people that give feedback sometimes like @Tempokai if you want harsh feedback.

Thanks, that actually helps a lot. I was wondering if it’s just me—or if it’s really more about the site’s audience. I might look into RoyalRoad or Tapas for this genre then.


And thanks for mentioning @Tempokai! I’m totally fine with harsh/critical feedback—honestly, I’d prefer it. I’d rather know the flaws early than keep guessing.


Appreciate you taking the time to explain this!

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I mean, I published my own historical stuff and started on this site. Tapas is better for historical stories but you can build an audience over various sites.

 

[Corty]

If anyone is expecting comments before at least 50-60 chapters are published they are just inexperienced.

Don't even expect it unless you already have a built-up following. You will need 50+ chapters out before anything starts to happen and you aren't already known for other works.

 

[SevianMorric]

I mean, I published my own historical stuff and started on this site. Tapas is better for historical stories but you can build an audience over various sites.

Oh, that’s really encouraging to hear—so it is possible to slowly build an audience for historical stories here? I wasn’t sure if anyone had actually managed it.


I might try Tapas as well then, since you say it’s a bit friendlier for the genre. Do you cross-post everywhere at once, or do you focus on one site first? I’m curious how you balanced it without burning out.


Thanks for sharing your experience—it’s good to know there’s at least a path forward even for niche genres.

 

[WhaleSprite]

Well the genre might be an issue, but generally on here, you need to also have a lot of chapters up before you gain any traction on here. Most people aren't going to pick up a story with only 3 chapters up. Not to mention, a story about someone trying to establish something like a theocracy, especially for a real life religion, might seem rather controversial for some.

 

[SevianMorric]

If anyone is expecting comments before at least 50-60 chapters are published they are just inexperienced.

Don't even expect it unless you already have a built-up following. You will need 50+ chapters out before anything starts to happen and you aren't already known for other works.

Yeah, I’ve heard a few people say the same—that you need a huge backlog before anyone even considers investing time in your story.


I guess I underestimated just how slow the initial traction can be here. Out of curiosity, did you just keep updating steadily until readers eventually showed up, or did you do anything extra (like cross-posting, forum engagement, etc.) to break that early wall?


Either way, thanks for the reality check—it’s good to hear it straight from someone who’s been through it.

 

[Arkus86]

The theme of building an Islamic state in Britain might also not be very popular here.

 

[SevianMorric]

Well the genre might be an issue, but generally on here, you need to also have a lot of chapters up before you gain any traction on here. Most people aren't going to pick up a story with only 3 chapters up. Not to mention, a story about someone trying to establish something like a theocracy, especially for a real life religion, might seem rather controversial for some.

Yeah, that makes sense. I can see why most readers wouldn’t commit to a story with only 3 chapters—it doesn’t give them much reason to invest yet. I guess I underestimated just how important backlog really is on SH.


As for the premise, yeah—it’s definitely a risky one. I wanted to explore the idea of someone reshaping a nation legally, but I can see how involving a real-life religion might be controversial for some readers.


Do you think it would help if I simply reframed the synopsis and tags to emphasize the political/intrigue aspect more, even if the religious angle is still part of the story?

Or is it better to just be upfront about the premise so readers know exactly what they’re getting into?

The theme of building an Islamic state in Britain might also not be very popular here.

Yeah, I figured that might be a tough sell here. The idea of reshaping Britain into an Islamic state is definitely controversial—even if the story is more about the political process and moral compromises rather than promoting any ideology.


Do you think it would help if the synopsis framed it more as political intrigue / social manipulation and left the specific “Islamic” angle vague until later? Or would it still turn readers away either way?


Alternatively, is there a platform you think is more open to niche or controversial themes?

 

[Tempokai]

First, blatant use of LLM in your responses. Once or twice I understand, but using to everything and anything shows that you're either lazy as hell or trying so hard to sound like a professional that your credibility is already low even before I open the first chapter. Second, when I opened the first chapter, I was met with this:

It's basically ChatGPT prompts stacked together that somehow try to resemble a story. Sure, maybe some people have kinks for such storytelling that makes them to love these short sentences with "this is not X, it's Y" in their stories, but I don't have it. Sure, it's great in rhetoric, in trying to persuade someone, but in storytelling such rhetorical techniques makes you look either like The ButlerGPT or a dumb consumer of LLM generated text, that you forgot what makes storytelling good enough to pass as authentic. I don't see any authenticity in these sentences.

How sentences are written, how they're stylized, how they show the world outside the words makes the story great. I don't see none in this. Because The Butler with his Dao Of Efficiency showing his ugly face, I can't take it seriously. I can't take YOU seriously too, because all I see is either some teenager drunk on LLM powah or deliberate agent who wants to test the gullibility of people to LLM. Also, once the credibility of your storytelling is broken, with deliberately bad descriptions due to maximum word efficiency that The Butler does, readers who know him will 100% bail in the first chapter. You didn't even remove the blatant titles the LLM does in the chapters, what are you doing? If you're using LLM at least try to make it presentable, not just copy and pasting the damn text. I give you F for failing the basic LLM obfuscation techniques. If you cheat, cheat well without no one noticing.

 

[SevianMorric]

The theme of building an Islamic state in Britain might also not be very popular here.

Yeah, just to clarify—the story isn’t meant to “promote” any ideology. It’s more of a what-if social experiment: what would actually happen if someone tried to reshape Britain step by step—legally—into an Islamic state?


It’s really about the political process, social manipulation, and unintended consequences, rather than religion itself. I wanted to see if such a transformation is even plausible, and if so, what the final state might look like.


So in a way it’s more of a hypothetical simulation than a traditional “pro-Islam” or “anti-Islam” narrative.

 

[Arkus86]

Yeah, I figured that might be a tough sell here. The idea of reshaping Britain into an Islamic state is definitely controversial—even if the story is more about the political process and moral compromises rather than promoting any ideology.

Yes, any story leaning so heavily into real, present-day (and particularly Abrahamic) religions like this is going to be controversial. No matter how you frame it.

Do you think it would help if the synopsis framed it more as political intrigue / social manipulation and left the specific “Islamic” angle vague until later? Or would it still turn readers away either way?

No. It might trick some readers that will give your story a try, yes, but it will not retain them. Only your chapters can do that. And trust me, lying to your readers will come back to bite you.

 

[SevianMorric]

First, blatant use of LLM in your responses. Once or twice I understand, but using to everything and anything shows that you're either lazy as hell or trying so hard to sound like a professional that your credibility is already low even before I open the first chapter. Second, when I opened the first chapter, I was met with this:

It's basically ChatGPT prompts stacked together that somehow try to resemble a story. Sure, maybe some people have kinks for such storytelling that makes them to love these short sentences with "this is not X, it's Y" in their stories, but I don't have it. Sure, it's great in rhetoric, in trying to persuade someone, but in storytelling such rhetorical techniques makes you look either like The ButlerGPT or a dumb consumer of LLM generated text, that you forgot what makes storytelling good enough to pass as authentic. I don't see any authenticity in these sentences.

How sentences are written, how they're stylized, how they show the world outside the words makes the story great. I don't see none in this. Because The Butler with his Dao Of Efficiency showing his ugly face, I can't take it seriously. I can't take YOU seriously too, because all I see is either some teenager drunk on LLM powah or deliberate agent who wants to test the gullibility of people to LLM. Also, once the credibility of your storytelling is broken, with deliberately bad descriptions due to maximum word efficiency that The Butler does, readers who know him will 100% bail in the first chapter. You didn't even remove the blatant titles the LLM does in the chapters, what are you doing? If you're using LLM at least try to make it presentable, not just copy and pasting the damn text. I give you F for failing the basic LLM obfuscation techniques. If you cheat, cheat well without no one noticing.

Fair criticism—and I appreciate you taking the time to spell it out this bluntly. You’re right: this story started as a social simulation / what-if experiment, with AI-assisted drafting mainly to shape the ideas into a readable form.


But I can see now that the lack of lived-in detail and texture makes it feel hollow, even manipulative in tone. If the core is about the political and social process, then it still needs authentic scenes, emotions, and a world that feels alive—otherwise it just reads like prompts stitched together.


I’m taking this feedback seriously. I’ll go back and rework the chapters to add real narrative weight instead of leaving it in this overly rhetorical, skeletal style. At the very least, I’ll make it clear up front that this is an experimental piece and not a fully polished novel yet.


Thanks for calling it out—this actually helps me see what needs fixing the most.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Just delete the story.
Rewrite it without AI.
Delete the profile.
Create a new one.
Then publish it.
Because.
What you have right now is unreadable.
Totally.
You’re even writing here using AI.
Why?!

 

[Deleted member 206441]

What in the red hot cyberpunk dystopia is this dumpster fire of a thread?

 

[WhaleSprite]

Yeah, that makes sense. I can see why most readers wouldn’t commit to a story with only 3 chapters—it doesn’t give them much reason to invest yet. I guess I underestimated just how important backlog really is on SH.


As for the premise, yeah—it’s definitely a risky one. I wanted to explore the idea of someone reshaping a nation legally, but I can see how involving a real-life religion might be controversial for some readers.


Do you think it would help if I simply reframed the synopsis and tags to emphasize the political/intrigue aspect more, even if the religious angle is still part of the story?

Or is it better to just be upfront about the premise so readers know exactly what they’re getting into?

Yeah, I figured that might be a tough sell here. The idea of reshaping Britain into an Islamic state is definitely controversial—even if the story is more about the political process and moral compromises rather than promoting any ideology.


Do you think it would help if the synopsis framed it more as political intrigue / social manipulation and left the specific “Islamic” angle vague until later? Or would it still turn readers away either way?


Alternatively, is there a platform you think is more open to niche or controversial themes?

I'm not sure that changing the tags and synopsis will help much. It's a pretty tough subject you're touching on and can be seen just by the title. To be honest, the audience will probably pretty small and niche even if you change the tags or synopsis.

 

[SevianMorric]

[UPDATE] Chapters 1–5 Fully Rewritten – Looking for Fresh Eyes!


I took the feedback seriously and rewrote the first 5 chapters to feel more like an actual novel—more scene detail, natural dialogue, and a slower build of intrigue.


If you tried it before and found it too stiff or “AI-ish,” I’d love for you to take another look and tell me if it finally works for you.


This is still an experimental story about political and cultural transformation disguised as peacebuilding. I know it’s niche, but maybe it will click with the right readers.


Let me know your honest thoughts.

I'm not sure that changing the tags and synopsis will help much. It's a pretty tough subject you're touching on and can be seen just by the title. To be honest, the audience will probably pretty small and niche even if you change the tags or synopsis.

You’re right—this subject will probably always be niche, no matter how I tag it.


But that’s also why I’m treating it as an experimental piece. It’s less about chasing a big audience and more about exploring how far a political/cultural transformation story can go.


I’ve just finished a heavy rewrite of the first five chapters to make the style more immersive and character-driven. Even if the theme stays niche, I hope it now feels alive enough to pull in the few readers who do enjoy this kind of slower, layered story.


If you’re curious, I’d really appreciate it if you’d take another look and let me know if the new style works better.