How the heck to market a story?

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AnneOminous

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Scribblehub shadow bans mass uploads to prevent bots. If you post more than 3 a day then the site flags you as spam. You can appeal it but that won't change the upload rulings. Most of the people here aren't telling you to change your story but rather that 350 is pretty good for SH and that may be your market cap for this site. Fanfics in general do better on Ao3, fanfic.net, and wattpad. There is a market here and other sites but they are significantly smaller.
Getting decent on AO3 - Wattpad and FFN are ghost towns. So are Royal Road, WebNovel, Inkitt, Neobook, QuoteV...

If 350 is good for SH, why the hell is anybody here? That's nobody.
I understand frustration. I've been there myself. In a former life, I wrote clean, LotR-style fantasy (no smut, not romance, just adventure and action and a splash of comedy) and got MAYBE 2-3 views. 1-2 reads. 0 comments. I spent 5 years working on that daily. That is to say, 5 whole years dedicted every available moment to working on it. you have any idea how frustrating it is to spend literally every waking moment working on a single project and have nothing to show for it? And I do mean every waking moment. at work, I'd think and plan. on break, write down notes, at lunch, eat and type, go home and type some more.

So yeah, I get your frustration. but as has been said, you need to consider how many people like ranma 1/2, how many people like fanfics, and how many people like your writing style. make a venn diagram and that little section in the middle? That's your audience. and I'm not saying your writing style is bad. I don't know. I haven't read it. but each author has a style, just like each painter does. not everyone likes van gogh or da vinci, or rembrandt.

I know it sucks. I know it's frustrating. and I know it hurts. But the reality is that you limit yourself by calling it a ranma 1/2 fanfic. I LOVE ranma but i'm not a fan of fanfics. that said, if your story were original, I'd likely be more willing to read it, if it were "inspired by" ranma rather than a straight up fanfic.

You say you left canon behind in chapter 2. so why keep the fanfic tag? Why suffer under that banner? do you not have faith that your story could succeed without riding on the coattails of an existing title?

Finally, your uploading. Take advantage of the scheduled uploads SH offers. schedule maybe 2-3 a week, rather than a large dump that people have to slog through. My main stories aren't the most popular, but they are getting noticed. my key is that I planthe uploads carefully (if maybe a little playing dirty). My main uploads are AWLAYS on the same days at the same times. if I have an important announcement, I post it at any other time (helps increase exposure to a crowd that isn't on at my usual times). but most importantly, I plan each chapter to "take as long as a standard poop". the idea is that they can sit down and do their business while they read, then be done when they're ready to leave the toilet.

but in the end, you just sound bitter. you come here asking for advice then effectively shoot down and mock anyone that gives advice because it's not what you wanted to hear. so my advice? Take a step back. step back and consider if it's really worth it. consider what you want specifically. do you want to be noticed by more people? Then drop the fanfic tag and instead make it "inspired by" ranma 1/2. if you want a ranma fanfic, then give up your notion of being famed for your fanfic, because fanfic authors rarely if ever get major audiences.
I have a personal connection to the character. Ranma saved my life when I was a kid.

I know I can file the serial numbers off and do better, but in my opinion I would be flushing the *soul* of why the story matters to me down the toilet. I bring little bits of canon in where it makes sense - usually no more than 1 canon character every 25-30 chapters, and when I do, they are given the background treatment as if they were a new character.

I wanted to tell a story. I've done that. And now I see that the story has *profound impacts* on people who read it - and their comments have in turn had a *profound impact* on ***me.*** And it has made me crave more. It has made me want to reach more people. It has made me think there are more people out there who *need* the impact my readers tell me it has had.

Nobody cares about the fandom on this platform. I'm hoping the new anime helps there. The three stories in my series are #1, #2, and #3 in the Ranma tag on SH, and their readership all sucks.
I see, so your entitled and also vain. 350 readers for volume 1 puts you in the top percent of authors. People have written more than you for less. Even a packed bus in a third world country can't get 350 people on it. Take a moment to actually appreciate what you have.

Your audience is exactly the audience you signed up for when writing a fanfic of a semi-fringe show. Again, maybe the reboot will change that, but I don't know.

I also didn't say you needed to change the story and make it more sexual. The twilight fanfic was already sexual. Just rename characters from Ranma, and give them different descriptives, like change hair color, eye color etc. If you story already diverges heavily, then it doesn't change much.

Or you know, bang your head against the wall that people don't actually care that much about Ranma, but you desperately wish they did.
I don't need them to care about Ranma. I need them to care about the person I allowed her to be. The growth her creator refused to give her.
 
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RepresentingWrath

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Getting decent on AO3 - Wattpad and FFN are ghost towns. So are Royal Road, WebNovel, Inkitt, Neobook, QuoteV...

If 350 is good for SH, why the hell is anybody here? That's nobody.
Because SH is a site primarily for those who write as a hobby. I am not sure how it happened, but thats how it is. SH originals prefer to not monetize their works or grow their readerbase beyond a certain point. Those who crosspost from other sites do it though. Anyway, a lot of authors are content with a couple of comments and faithful readers.
 

AnneOminous

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one of the most important things is, knowing a sites reading audience and community. Some things work here, but work horribly elsewhere. its fine to do a large post to catch up, but do it over the course of a few days (rather then 12 catch up chapters in a day, then 1 for the rest of the week, do 3 per day for the week)
people (atleast, I do) tend to be less likely to read immediately if a story suddenly goes up 12 chapters in a day, regardless of if it returns to 1 a day right after
I just don't fathom that. Disney Plus and Netflix drop their whole series at once. Some people binge it. Some people watch slower. But nobody says "8 episodes? I'm out."

Managing multiple platforms on different schedules is unmaintainable.
To make an over the top comparison, say I made a really nice TV, and it was well priced. Then, I decide to shape the TV like Shrek's head. The TV works great, and even comes with all the Shrek movies preloaded in it. Sure, I'd get some people who are huge fans of the TV, and put it in their Shrek rooms. However, a vast majority of people just want a regular TV they can display in their living room. I'm then upset that people don't want to buy my better-than-average TV. People tell me that if I made it non-Shrek themed, it'd do better, but I don't want that. I want everyone to have a Shrek TV in their living room.

Edit: They even tell me I can keep the preloaded Shrek movies, they like that!

This is the situation we find ourselves in here.
The difference is that your green ogre-shaped TV will always look weird in your house. Whereas, if you don't know who Ranma Saotome is, then by chapter two, you're saying "Okay, the main character is a red-headed girl I don't know anything about" and it's no different than if I called her Reina Sandoval and she was a black-haired girl you didn't know anything about" and you'd grow with her just the same.
Because SH is a site primarily for those who write as a hobby. I am not sure how it happened, but thats how it is. SH originals prefer to not monetize their works or grow their readerbase beyond a certain point. Those who crosspost from other sites do it though. Anyway, a lot of authors are content with a couple of comments and faithful readers.
I write as a hobby. I just need the art to matter to somebody.
How about re doing the first 2 chapters and not promoting it as a fanfic.
It's not the same story anymore.
 

CharlesEBrown

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I just don't fathom that. Disney Plus and Netflix drop their whole series at once. Some people binge it. Some people watch slower. But nobody says "8 episodes? I'm out."
Actually D+ drops two episodes on premiere night and one a week until everything is out for new content and only drops full seasons for older material.

Other streamers (Paramount+, CW App, Hulu, at least one other) release shows that are being broadcast the day after they show up on regular TV (I think at midnight), and follow the D+ model of 2 then one per week for new material, full seasons for older stuff.

Netflix drops about 7 out of 10 series in a lump, and the other three 1 episode per week until out.
They did have one they updated daily (the Fall of the House of Usher limited series, IIRC, ending on Halloween of last year, or maybe it was one of the Haunting of series) but that was the only deviation, other than "half seasons" I've seen in the last seven or so years.
 

AnneOminous

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If you write it, they will read.
The fact that I am here is every proof that this is a lie.
Actually D+ drops two episodes on premiere night and one a week until everything is out for new content and only drops full seasons for older material.

Other streamers (Paramount+, CW App, Hulu, at least one other) release shows that are being broadcast the day after they show up on regular TV (I think at midnight), and follow the D+ model of 2 then one per week for new material, full seasons for older stuff.

Netflix drops about 7 out of 10 series in a lump, and the other three 1 episode per week until out.
They did have one they updated daily (the Fall of the House of Usher limited series, IIRC, ending on Halloween of last year, or maybe it was one of the Haunting of series) but that was the only deviation, other than "half seasons" I've seen in the last seven or so years.
False. All of Echo was dropped at once. They do it both ways.
 

RepresentingWrath

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I write as a hobby. I just need the art to matter to somebody.
I'm not saying you are bad, I don't say a single thing about you. What I do say is that a lot of Authors on SH are more than ok with 350 readers, 50k views, and 2-3 comments on each chapter. To them, stats like that means their art matters. There is nothing wrong with wanting more(I am one of those who want more), but you should understand that not everyone shares the same goals and beliefs.
 

Representing_Tromba

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Getting decent on AO3 - Wattpad and FFN are ghost towns. So are Royal Road, WebNovel, Inkitt, Neobook, QuoteV...

If 350 is good for SH, why the hell is anybody here? That's nobody.
Since covid lockdowns began to stop, many webnovel and fanfic sites lost a lot of traction, Scribblehub included. The biggest issue being a lack of time. People don't have the time to fully embrace their hobbies of reading and writing. Some people want to monetize their works or just garnish a reader base but they still need to time to commit to that. Scribblehub is a smaller community for a variety of reasons, including what Sailus said. Very few of us have the time, money, or resources to do much, forcing us to pick and choose, unlike Netflix and Amazon, which have tons. A lot of the people who visit these sites have a few selected series or a specific genre we stick to because of that so even with a large amount of site visits, many already know what they want and don't have time for anything new at the moment.
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CharlesEBrown

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I'm not saying you are bad, I don't say a single thing about you. What I do say is that a lot of Authors on SH are more than ok with 350 readers, 50k views, and 2-3 comments on each chapter. To them, stats like that means their art matters. There is nothing wrong with wanting more(I am one of those who want more), but you should understand that not everyone shares the same goals and beliefs.
2-3 comments a CHAPTER? I've been seeing that a month (and have been here for almost three now)...
 

AnneOminous

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Oh no, it is true... but they will read it VERY SLOWLY and in disappointingly small numbers Unless you find a way to aggressively market it without spamming or just get insanely lucky finding an audience.
Almost like "find a way to market" was the LITERAL SUBJECT OF THIS THREAD before the entire braintrust told me "the problem is you wrote the wrong story and you should feel grateful that your story almost sold out a Taco Bell"
 

Representing_Tromba

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Oh no, it is true... but they will read it VERY SLOWLY and in disappointingly small numbers Unless you find a way to aggressively market it without spamming or just get insanely lucky finding an audience.
This is fact. Most published books can take decades before they take off. Webnovels can do the same.
 
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The fact that I am here is every proof that this is a lie.
You are complaining even though you have over 300 readers? You even said you got some comments. People are reading your story. The majority of readers are silent. The percentage who actually comment is very small. It is less than 10 percent usually.
 

CharlesEBrown

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Almost like "find a way to market" was the LITERAL SUBJECT OF THIS THREAD before the entire braintrust told me "the problem is you wrote the wrong story and you should feel grateful that your story almost sold out a Taco Bell"
The best marketing advice I've seen so far, other than a thread copied from Royal Road in the Advice section here, is on SubStack. Haven't been able to follow much of it (and there was a lot) but there is some good stuff there.

One is about "How to market your novel as the side-hustle it is" and I'm blanking on the other one at the moment.
 

AnneOminous

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Since covid lockdowns began to stop, many webnovel and fanfic sites lost a lot of traction, Scribblehub included. The biggest issue being a lack of time. People don't have the time to fully embrace their hobbies of reading and writing. Some people want to monetize their works or just garnish a reader base but they still need to time to commit to that. Scribblehub is a smaller community for a variety of reasons, including what Sailus said. Very few of us have the time, money, or resources to do much, forcing us to pick and choose, unlike Netflix and Amazon, which have tons. A lot of the people who visit these sites have a few selected series or a specific genre we stick to because of that so even with a large amount of site visits, many already know what they want and don't have time for anything new at the moment.
My story is on ALL of those platforms - except Tapas where I would have to post 4-5 chapters to 1 because of their asenine character limits per chapter.
 

Representing_Tromba

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Almost like "find a way to market" was the LITERAL SUBJECT OF THIS THREAD before the entire braintrust told me "the problem is you wrote the wrong story and you should feel grateful that your story almost sold out a Taco Bell"
The issue is that it is very difficult to market without money and/or time, and lots of it. @Corty probably has some of the best marketing I've seen work and it required a lot of their personal time, starting a discord, and managing it amongst other things.
 

AnneOminous

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You are complaining even though you have over 300 readers? You even said you got some comments. People are reading your story. The majority of readers are silent. The percentage who actually comment is very small. It is less than 10 percent usually.
I struggle to believe that half of those aren't bots and spiders.
The issue is that it is very difficult to market without money and/or time, and lots of it. @Corty probably has some of the best marketing I've seen work and it required a lot of their personal time, starting a discord, and managing it amongst other things.
I have invested hundreds of hours, have a discord, and have put thousands of dollars into the story. Look at all the crickets I was able to buy with it.
 

Representing_Tromba

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My story is on ALL of those platforms - except Tapas where I would have to post 4-5 chapters to 1 because of their asenine character limits per chapter.
Tapas currently has the best marketing platform where you can promote endlessly on their forums and it works. Royal road allows you to promote by paying for their ads and it's okay. The rest are dead marketing-wise besides word of mouth and the forums, which are a hellscape for some.
 

CharlesEBrown

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I struggle to believe that half of those aren't bots and spiders.

I have invested hundreds of hours, have a discord, and have put thousands of dollars into the story. Look at all the crickets I was able to buy with it.
Well, maybe you've found your target audience then, a host of bots and spiders... rally them behind your flag and rule the world. Or check out threads like How to Better Market Your Story | Scribble Hub Forum in Writing Tips and Advice.
 
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