Contact With Readers

[J_Chemist]

Hello Fellow Scribes,

I have a question as it's been on my mind lately and I had a Reader recently comment asking about it. How many of you have a community of some sort set up for your books/novels? Do y'all have a Discord that you put out for your Readers to join? If so, how do you utilize it and manage it? If not discord, do you use other methods of communication?

This does not include Patreon, as I see Patreon more as a way for you as the author to push out more content but just behind a paywall of a sort. However, if it's how you push out your information, I still would like to know of that aspect as I'm also considering setting one up.

I'm more looking to see how you all directly contact your readers regularly and/or interact with your viewer base, if you do at all.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I used comments and authors notes.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Hello Fellow Scribes,

I have a question as it's been on my mind lately and I had a Reader recently comment asking about it. How many of you have a community of some sort set up for your books/novels? Do y'all have a Discord that you put out for your Readers to join? If so, how do you utilize it and manage it? If not discord, do you use other methods of communication?

This does not include Patreon, as I see Patreon more as a way for you as the author to push out more content but just behind a paywall of a sort. However, if it's how you push out your information, I still would like to know of that aspect as I'm also considering setting one up.

I'm more looking to see how you all directly contact your readers regularly and/or interact with your viewer base, if you do at all.

I've made a discord when I started publishing my story a month ago with different channel including one for Illusrations for my characters and monsters but since then only two readers have joined it last week and there practically no exchange for now but that just the begin. I think having a discord can be good but you have to have enough reader who join it to make it alive and have readers who want to talk with you, ask question or even giving feedback.

Most of time I exchange with my reader in the comment or with author thought.

Here an image of my discord if that can help you :

 

[melchi]

I think after a point the discord becomes a bit big to keep track of. Some of the stories with big follower count go weird places.

Like for example someone in he who fights with monsters made a topic to try to make the most Nazi skill set for example... The author didn't appreciate this.

 

[Seaspecter]

I have a discord but readers usually just comment or send me DMs.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I have a Discord, but I never put it anywhere, so of course no one is on it. It was an idea, but I started being more and more inactive, so I didn't feel like it's worth it.
I do still have a Facebook page, that I equally leave unused, I guess there's still a promotional banner from 2019 on, because back then, I had a reading and signing at a major book convention (don't mean to make it sound like a huge thing, I did have the big stage, but it was only on Sunday, when most people were through already). It marked the last of my active days with anything at all though.
Especially since I did have that one undying reader sending me a message every two years, asking for the continuation of my main novel series, which came out with the first book in 2017. Since I published that one myself, she could only ask me, but I didn't know how to respond, so I kinda ghosted her. Still feel bad about it.
Anyway, point being I don't prefer direct contact to readers apart from comment sections or author notes. Literally not a great plan for me.

 

[HelloHound]

I have a discord but that's just so I have a hosting site for my images, can't imagine a lot of people talking about fwoah so much I need to bring out the discord link

 

[Succubiome]

I have a discord, primarily because posting my stuff directly to Patreon could potentially cause issues, but also because I often find chatting with fans fun and interesting!

I think if you have a discord, you do have to either be prepared to moderate or have someone to moderate for you, though, which will take up increasing amounts of time if the community gets large.

 

[Corty]

Author's note, comments, and I have a discord if someone wants to contact me live. Most of my interactions with my readers are happening under my chapters.

 

[Erios909]

Really it depends on what your goals are, and how much online you are, how much you like to use discord...where you are at in your writing journey and how many readers you have already.

As a pretty heavy discord user for a very long time, I find my story discord invaluable.

It's extremely good for building up a community. That might not be a goal for some writers who are just writing for fun or a hobby. But for those of us whose primary income has become writing I think building a community around your fiction is a critical component of remaining successful.
So special discord roles for Patrons is a must for me.

Those who interact and post on the story discord often are your biggest fans, and your biggest supporters. Yes, once the discord reached several thousand members I had to step back a little and make moderators (usually from the most active who have been there a long time and can be trusted) to help manage things, but doing so is just another growing pain.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I have a discord, and I had one for an older novel. You need a general chat as people quickly stop talking about the novel itself, and perhaps some image sharing channel and stuff.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Mainly I just use comments and authors notes. I am not a big fan of discord and rarely use it so any community I start would be incredibly under monitored. I have a reddit group but of my readers, only about 2 of them actually subscribed to it. I would have to be a lot more known to even consider starting a discord. Plus, I am too busy with other stuff (like writing) to invest time into it myself and too poor to pay someone to do it.

 

[AverageMaidLover]

I usually leave author's notes or talk in the comment sections, although I wish there was a way to message my readers saying something like "Hey sorry I haven't uploaded a new chapter in a month, I swear I'm working on it"

 

[Syringe]

Discord and SH/RR mainly. Though I find Discord to be the best way to get in touch with readers and even other authors. Made plenty of friends through it.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

I used to chat with a reader before but eventually I realized they want things to happen.

I prefer not to talk to my readers until the novel is complete now.

 

[SummerSweetTea]

I made a Discord but I haven't done much with it yet. I would love for people to join it and talk to me about my story and my characters. I think that would be so much fun lol but for now, comments and such here on SH is how I've communicated with people so far.

 

[Deleted member 68927]

My readers are reading lurkers, I am a writing lurker. Most of the time I don't even leave so much as an author note. Not that I get much of a reaction when I do leave one.
But I got one heart for my latest project today, so I think that we, reading and writing lurkers, understand each other very good.
PS: Most of my stories can be binged read to the end. Binge readers are Mega Lurkers. Still, it is nice when you see that someone couldn't put your book down to the point this someone binged it one day.

 

[whitewoman]

My readers are reading lurkers, I am a writing lurker.
But I got one heart for my latest project today, so I think that we, reading and writing lurkers, understand each other very good.

What a beautiful sentiment. I adore your mind.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

My readers are reading lurkers, I am a writing lurker. Most of the time I don't even leave so much as an author note. Not that I get much of a reaction when I do leave one.
But I got one heart for my latest project today, so I think that we, reading and writing lurkers, understand each other very good.
PS: Most of my stories can be binged read to the end. Binge readers are Mega Lurkers. Still, it is nice when you see that someone couldn't put your book down to the point this someone binged it one day.

I am often a binge reader. I remember telling another author that, and they got upset. It is usually lurkers or cookie spam. Not that I don't like cookies, I love them!

 

[Major2501]

I wouldn't know, I think readers are allergic to me and barely comment no matter how much I beg and plead for constructive criticism/thoughts/interaction of any kind.


Really though, it's quite sad.