Appetite for contemporary fiction?

[LeslieLevendale]

Hi Folks,
Do you think there's any appetite for contemporary fiction?

 

[Paul__Michaels]

On SH? I don't know. But I feel like there is a lot of newer commercially published books on contemporary fiction that have done well. I don't know any off the top of my head, but my partner usually loves reading them, along with historical fiction.

It's not a definitive answer but I don't know if the audience on SH is big into contemporary fiction
I feel it might be something that it would be better to publish on Wattpad

 

[LeslieLevendale]

On SH? I don't know. But I feel like there is a lot of newer commercially published books on contemporary fiction that have done well. I don't know any off the top of my head, but my partner usually loves reading them, along with historical fiction.

It's not a definitive answer but I don't know if the audience on SH is big into contemporary fiction
I feel it might be something that it would be better to publish on Wattpad

Thanks. Yes, it does feel that on SH other genres do much better. Having said that, I've heard that on SH readers are gentler and more supportive in their comments. Haha

 

[LiteraryWho]

I don't think SH earned the nickname SmutHub for no reason, and I think the WN format/audience in general is probably incompatible with anything that would qualify as contemporary fiction. Normal novels have ends, and are often not much more than fifty thousand words long, WN are expected to last for hundreds of thousands. Also, I think WN are made on a "content" model, whereas contemporary fiction is meant to be a story. I don't think contemporary fiction would do numbers here, or on any of the popular WN platforms.

 

[LeslieLevendale]

I don't think SH earned the nickname SmutHub for no reason, and I think the WN format/audience in general is probably incompatible with anything that would qualify as contemporary fiction. Normal novels have ends, and are often not much more than fifty thousand words long, WN are expected to last for hundreds of thousands. Also, I think WN are made on a "content" model, whereas contemporary fiction is meant to be a story. I don't think contemporary fiction would do numbers here, or on any of the popular WN platforms.

As I'm absolutely a novice to all this I really appreciate your thoughtful perspective.
You make very good points about the differences between traditional novels and the web‑novel format, and I completely understand where you’re coming from.

For me, posting The Shape of Kindness on SH is mostly about finding a small corner of the internet where I can share the story, learn from readers, and improve my craft. I'm not expecting big numbers or trying to fit the usual WN trends — just hoping it might resonate with a few people who enjoy character‑driven contemporary fiction.

Your comment was genuinely helpful, and I’m grateful you took the time to explain the landscape so clearly. Thanks again!

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I don't think SH earned the nickname SmutHub for no reason, and I think the WN format/audience in general is probably incompatible with anything that would qualify as contemporary fiction. Normal novels have ends, and are often not much more than fifty thousand words long, WN are expected to last for hundreds of thousands. Also, I think WN are made on a "content" model, whereas contemporary fiction is meant to be a story. I don't think contemporary fiction would do numbers here, or on any of the popular WN platforms.

bite your tongue
lol
-------------------------------------------
I'll speak the truth.
we call it sprawl. its just over-writing.
characters introduced and written about, go nowhere.
side arcs, again, go nowhere.
"oh, my, god...millions of words! zillions of chapters! oh, my! (heart skips a beat)"
we ENCOURAGE shorter chapters, MORE chapters.
because the more "released" chapters float by, the more clicks, the more rankings. simple as.
Try this:
post your book. just DUMP it, whole thing at once. mark it completed.
now post it AGAIN (with a diff. title)
post it traditional. millions of words, short tiny chapters, LOTS of chapters. released on a schedule.
BOTH are the exact same novel.
but? see which one gets the attention. the views. the rankings.
"oh, just write something good. I'll read it..." (well meaning crap)
statistically, you won't.

I've done this experiment.

 

[Paul__Michaels]

Thanks. Yes, it does feel that on SH other genres do much better. Having said that, I've heard that on SH readers are gentler and more supportive in their comments. Haha

I will say that I do get more comments on my work here on SH over other platforms. But I feel like you get harsher commenters on RR. For Wattpad you have to deal with scam artists giving you copy-paste positive platitudes about how amazing your work is and if you pay them they will create (cover, visual novel, comic). Other then them, I have gotten positive comments from real readers. But they are fewer than in SH.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Hi Folks,
Do you think there's any appetite for contemporary fiction?

As long as it falls into one of the other niches as well.
Comedy
Slice-of-Life
Gender Bender
Smut.

 

[LeslieLevendale]

As long as it falls into one of the other niches as well.
Comedy
Slice-of-Life
Gender Bender
Smut.

I'm grateful for your insight.
What if comedy is woven into the story? What if there are scenes where you roll on the floor because of laughter?
And yes, what if it's a contemporary fiction with slice‑of‑life elements. Not a sweet, low‑stakes webcomic in prose form, but rather a quiet emotional journey with depth and resonance?

I will say that I do get more comments on my work here on SH over other platforms. But I feel like you get harsher commenters on RR. For Wattpad you have to deal with scam artists giving you copy-paste positive platitudes about how amazing your work is and if you pay them they will create (cover, visual novel, comic). Other then them, I have gotten positive comments from real readers. But they are fewer than in SH.

Thanks for your response and the warning. Much appreciated.

 

[Th3Breadnought]

In my experience contemporary means different things to different people. The story I'm posting here is technically contemporary, I think. Takes place in 2031, has slice of life, comedy, satire, and supernatural elements.

I'm very much writing what I want to write, not something optimized for broadest reach and retention. Less than a month and I've gotten a supportive comment, a like, and if I'm interpreting the statistics correctly; three to four people who've quietly and anonymously read through I everything.

Hardly a viral breakout, but people have found it.

 

[LeslieLevendale]

bite your tongue
lol
-------------------------------------------
I'll speak the truth.
we call it sprawl. its just over-writing.
characters introduced and written about, go nowhere.
side arcs, again, go nowhere.
"oh, my, god...millions of words! zillions of chapters! oh, my! (heart skips a beat)"
we ENCOURAGE shorter chapters, MORE chapters.
because the more "released" chapters float by, the more clicks, the more rankings. simple as.
Try this:
post your book. just DUMP it, whole thing at once. mark it completed.
now post it AGAIN (with a diff. title)
post it traditional. millions of words, short tiny chapters, LOTS of chapters. released on a schedule.
BOTH are the exact same novel.
but? see which one gets the attention. the views. the rankings.
"oh, just write something good. I'll read it..." (well meaning crap)
statistically, you won't.

I've done this experiment.

Wow! Thanks for your perspective. A lot to take in but it will certainly help me understand how things work here.

In my experience contemporary means different things to different people. The story I'm posting here is technically contemporary, I think. Takes place in 2031, has slice of life, comedy, satire, and supernatural elements.

I'm very much writing what I want to write, not something optimized for broadest reach and retention. Less than a month and I've gotten a supportive comment, a like, and if I'm interpreting the statistics correctly; three to four people who've quietly and anonymously read through I everything.

Hardly a viral breakout, but people have found it.

Oh, thank you. This is very reassuring. My take on being here is exactly the same as yours. And I not for a moment confuse appetite with popularity. My question might have been clearer if I had made the distinction between:

“Is there appetite for contemporary fiction on SH?”
versus
“Will contemporary fiction become algorithmically popular on SH?”

What I really meant was whether or not I shall find my niche on SH for my contemporary fiction however miniscule that "fan club" might turn out to be.

I don't dream of "viral breakout" either. I'd be delighted with silent engagement.

So, thanks again. You've been the most helpful.

 

[Th3Breadnought]

Wow! Thanks for your perspective. A lot to take in but it will certainly help me understand how things work here.

Oh, thank you. This is very reassuring. My take on being here is exactly the same as yours. And I not for a moment confuse appetite with popularity. My question might have been clearer if I had made the distinction between:

“Is there appetite for contemporary fiction on SH?”
versus
“Will contemporary fiction become algorithmically popular on SH?”

What I really meant was whether or not I shall find my niche on SH for my contemporary fiction however miniscule that "fan club" might turn out to be.

I don't dream of "viral breakout" either. I'd be delighted with silent engagement.

So, thanks again. You've been the most helpful.

Gotcha. I think they're here. And at minimum they lass by. The fact that I've even had close to a half dozen people read through mine, one positive comment, and a like in less than a month when I do some genuinely controversial things- dream sequence opening, lack of explosions and dopamine in early chapters that are focused on character dynamics, touching political subject matter without hesitation- tells me the audience is there, and has compounding potential.

Steady on

 

[LeslieLevendale]

Gotcha. I think they're here. And at minimum they lass by. The fact that I've even had close to a half dozen people read through mine, one positive comment, and a like in less than a month when I do some genuinely controversial things- dream sequence opening, lack of explosions and dopamine in early chapters that are focused on character dynamics, touching political subject matter without hesitation- tells me the audience is there, and has compounding potential.

Steady on

I shall persevere.

 

[Daeron]

Hi Folks,
Do you think there's any appetite for contemporary fiction?

Not many actually, I don't know the actual statistic, but definitely very few.

My works all contemporary though, especially heavy on realism and character growth. The crowds not much, but i have some loyal readers, and I'm happy with it.

 

[LeslieLevendale]

Not many actually, I don't know the actual statistic, but definitely very few.

My works all contemporary though, especially heavy on realism and character growth. The crowds not much, but i have some loyal readers, and I'm happy with it.

Thank you ever so much for responding. This is exactly the kind of reassurance I need that I have not miscalculated posting my novel on SH.

 

[Daeron]

Thank you ever so much for responding. This is exactly the kind of reassurance I need that I have not miscalculated posting my novel on SH.

Of course! Don't be hesitate to post your art here, the people here mostly very helpful.
As beginner writer, i learn much from them and improve my writing and approach too.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I'm grateful for your insight.
What if comedy is woven into the story? What if there are scenes where you roll on the floor because of laughter?
And yes, what if it's a contemporary fiction with slice‑of‑life elements. Not a sweet, low‑stakes webcomic in prose form, but rather a quiet emotional journey with depth and resonance?

Well... my one that adds in superheroes and gender bender has all of that too, I think (well, not sure of the comedy going THAT far) and was fairly successful, until life made me put it on hiatus.
My two that don't have gender bender never really caught on but didn't do too poorly either (both have superheroes, though).

 

[LeslieLevendale]

Well... my one that adds in superheroes and gender bender has all of that too, I think (well, not sure of the comedy going THAT far) and was fairly successful, until life made me put it on hiatus.
My two that don't have gender bender never really caught on but didn't do too poorly either (both have superheroes, though).

Cheers. All in all, you have done really well.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I write... well, perhaps I should say I "try" to write...
as if its a paperback.
the sort of thing I would have read growing up, I read a lot of vintage paperbacks.

there's really not a lot of success to be found in web novel land, for that traditional paperback format.
"what's with the long paragraphs?"
"people want to read on their phones, dude."
"Chapters shoudl be about 1.5k words, guy."
"Why are you going on describing things? One sentence, then move on!"

you'll hear a lot of that sort of thing.

Now, that said. writing like that,
I "dumped" novels on three different web novel sites.
pretty much zero reads, zero interest.

posted here? I now have almost 65 readers. which is light years ahead of *no* readers.
so, this is the place so far, for any kind of traditional writing.

if you're not writing in the web novel "format", things are rough out there.
but then again, I'm trying to sell apples on an orange site, lol.

 

[Eldoria]

Hi Folks,
Do you think there's any appetite for contemporary fiction?

Personally, I'm drawn to contemporary fiction. However, that's probably a minority opinion. If you're chasing popularity on the platform, your fiction will likely be very niche.

On SH, fantasy fiction is more popular. I've compromised as a writer by incorporating contemporary fiction issues into the fantasy fiction.

Readers can enjoy it as an imaginative story. But behind the story lies a deeper meaning relevant to current modern issues.

It's my compromise as a writer. You may have other opinion. Please write the story that you want.