You're forgetting one fundamental thing... the most members of the forum are authors, not just casual readers. So if you're looking for answers that represent the opinions of casual readers (who dominate fiction readers), your vote will certainly be biased.
My suggestion: instead of voting on the forum... you'd be better off conducting an empirical trial and error experiment. Try releasing short chapters and then releasing long chapters and see what the difference in views is between the short chapters and the long ones. To be fair, you could equate fixed variables like the number of chapters, release time, and release range. That way, the results will at least represent empirical results.
Alternatively, conduct a Focus Group Discussion (FGD), gathering 6-12 casual readers and asking them for their opinions on their preference for short chapters over long ones.
Thank you for your opinion, Eldoria. It really adds value to this discussion.
Yes, the main idea was to hear from other authors, since you bring different perspectives. That is why I included an option in the poll for people to comment if they had a different view from the listed choices.
The goal was to get a general sense, and so far the results show that around 70% prefer to read or write what are considered “long” chapters. Of course, what counts as long, medium, or short varies from person to person.
After that, I also shared my own point of view on what I personally consider long, medium, and short, based on my preferences as both a reader and a writer.
I know that many people in the forum are other authors who are also promoting their own stories, but there are also very engaged readers who bring an important perspective on chapter formats.
In my case, I was already planning to move toward longer chapters, at least by my own standards. The poll mostly served as a confirmation that the majority also leans in that direction. This also matches the fact that I am finishing the third volume, and both the second and third volumes are already structured with longer chapters.
On top of that, in this new arrangement, the chapters that were merged are closely related and make more sense together from a narrative point of view.
In the end, the poll had several purposes. One was to promote my work. Another was to confirm something I already suspected, and also to interact with the community, meet new authors and readers, and exchange ideas.
Once again, thank you for your comment, and I hope your own works continue to reach more and more readers.
