What Makes You Actually Favorite/Follow a Story?

[rainchip]

Hello. I’ve been writing on SH for a little over a week now. In the past, I wrote crossover fanfics (Naruto x mainly) and had some success with them. But those always had the “safety net” of being attached to a well-known worlds. So engagement (favorites, comments, follows) came more naturally. Now I’m working on an original project and while the views are steady and even climbing faster than I expected, engagement feels a lot harder to come by.

Which got me wondering—from a reader’s side of things.

What makes you hit favorite on a story?
What convinces you to follow an author?
And what gets you to actually comment?

I know everyone’s habits are different, and on the surface the answers might seem obvious (good writing, consistency, enjoying the story). But I’ve noticed plenty of strong stories on the site that don’t seem to get the same energy back. That’s why I’d love to hear what makes you personally take that extra step.

 

[Snake99]

A story with an interesting theme, charismatic characters, and lots of ecchi.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

I guess I comment more for stories if some characters have debilitating social anxiety?

 

[Worthy39]

For me it depends, I would like to say a good plot and the right characters are all it takes, but I have genre preferences, too. I like a bit of everything in something, to be honest. Romantic tension between at least a few characters, really helps. It can still be good if you have really strong connections with the characters even without romance, but romance makes the tension more investing to most people.

The plot has to be gripping, not necessarily the best, but interesting enough that I want to know what's next, and manage to do that constantly to keep me invested the entire story. When it gets too dark, or too comedic, it can kind of make it more difficult to binge, so finding a balance between something more serious and something lighthearted is always a plus for me. Stories that lean too far into one or the other are good, sure, but they just don't usually make my favorites list.

And I guess last, I need a character to hate from it. Weird condition, I know, but usually the hate worthy character is a villain (if it's an annoying side character, I'm dropping it), and villains are kind of meant to be hated. It really makes seeing them defeated more satisfying, and seeing them succeed builds more tension. This is all just my personal opinion, though.

 

[BigBadBoi]

I hit favorite in any novel I'm reading as ling as it isn't AIslop.
I only follow stories not authors.
I comment if the chapter makes my brain think a lot and I want to type it out.

 

[rainchip]

For me it depends, I would like to say a good plot and the right characters are all it takes, but I have genre preferences, too. I like a bit of everything in something, to be honest. Romantic tension between at least a few characters, really helps. It can still be good if you have really strong connections with the characters even without romance, but romance makes the tension more investing to most people.

The plot has to be gripping, not necessarily the best, but interesting enough that I want to know what's next, and manage to do that constantly to keep me invested the entire story. When it gets too dark, or too comedic, it can kind of make it more difficult to binge, so finding a balance between something more serious and something lighthearted is always a plus for me. Stories that lean too far into one or the other are good, sure, but they just don't usually make my favorites list.

And I guess last, I need a character to hate from it. Weird condition, I know, but usually the hate worthy character is a villain (if it's an annoying side character, I'm dropping it), and villains are kind of meant to be hated. It really makes seeing them defeated more satisfying, and seeing them succeed builds more tension. This is all just my personal opinion, though.

This actually helped quite a bit. That last one I kind of understand myself. It's fun to be a hater. I'm also a fan of the classic evil/pure evil bad guys too. Probably just because there's been a huge influx of "I can fix them." characters.

 

[Cipiteca396]

What makes you hit favorite on a story?

If the story appeals to my personal preferences.

What convinces you to follow an author?

Typically, it's if they have multiple books that appeal to my personal preferences...

And what gets you to actually comment?

Aha. So for this one, it's completely random! Sometimes, I like to chat with other commenters about the most recent chapter. Sometimes, I like to complain or theorize about what's happening or what will happen. Sometimes I talk about how I would act in a situation or how I think it would work out irl. Sometimes I just point out relevant information from older chapters to remind people who are confused.
And then there are times when I think about commenting, and then don't because of anxiety or sudden loss of interest.

Now I’m working on an original project and while the views are steady and even climbing faster than I expected, engagement feels a lot harder to come by.

Hm. The thing that I see increase engagement most is polls and author's notes that ask questions. People will happily interact with you if you give them an excuse to do so. Otherwise, it's kinda tough to put yourself out there not knowing if the author actually wants to be distracted from writing / their own stuff.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Not sure what makes me favorite a story or not.
I usually comment when something impresses me, good or bad.
I follow something if I can either keep pace with releases or if it is finished and not too long when I start.

 

[KidBuu699]

First off the follow the author point. I don't think I've ever followed an author on this site or any others. I have remembered certain author's names, usually for bad reasons so I can avoid them, but outside of that its the stories that are the focus.

Now I think you are skipping a couple of steps. I think its easier to have someone favorite a story then it is to get them to read in the first place.

People don't try every story that comes across the latest updates. We all pick or choose depending on our own personal taste. However, some advice on that. Now for original content the following stuff is more important then fanfic because at least with fanfic a reader will have a general idea of what the story will be like.

First a big thing you need to do first is a either a small mass release(5+) followed by a steady release rate or a fast paced release (chapter every day) to a certain point and then a steady release. For myself and many others we don't start actually reading a novel until it hits a certain chapter count. For myself its 5 chapters. I have a number of stories that I have bookmarked in my web browser that I check every once in a while to see where they are at. Personally I suggest going with the fast paced into steady release. Will get people to notice the story name pop up more in the latest update section and more likely to be in the trending list.

Next is the synopsis. I don't think people realize how important a synopsis is. It is the readers first real introduction to your story. It should be a small taste/general idea about what the story is about. Not giving away key details or future events, but a general thing. If I had a dollar for every story that I never read because their synopsis was a philosophical throw up piece that said nothing about their actual story I could probably buy at least a full price AAA game.

The above mentioned stuff will make it more likely for people to give a story a try, but to keep them you need the surface answers that you said in the original post. Good writing, good plot/ idea, etc etc. With a large dose of luck.

Honorable mention: Comments - I don't know what it is on this site but commenting, in my opinion, has never been its strong suit. Other sites have such strong comment sections but here its usually either blank or a handful of people who all read the exact same genre of stories.

Side note: Sometimes even with all the above mentioned stuff sometimes I still "favorite drop" a story. What I mean by that there are a number of stories in my reading list that I still keep there, but just haven't gone back to them. They aren't bad enough to drop/remove from my list, but sometimes a story just feels like a chore to read and I think to myself; "I'll catch up later." Sometimes later never comes.

 

[Arkus86]

I only hit favourite on chapters I consider exceptionally good or particularly interesting within the story, and even then not always. Which is to say, I almost never favourite a chapter. If it's about actually reading a story, not just bookmarking it in a reading list (and I have a reading list specifically for stories I want to avoid, too) or checking it out briefly, then it's a combination of decent plot, characters and writing, as well as genre I actually want to read.

When it comes to following authors, I followed two or three in nearly seven years on this site now, so best to think I don't.

And as for commenting, it mainly takes something in the chapter or comments I actually want to comment on, both good or bad, or anything inbetween, but I'm more likely to comment on stories I enjoy more.

 

[Alski]

What makes you hit favorite on a story?

Adding it to my reading list is enough, I don't use the favorite heart at all.

What convinces you to follow an author?

I don't follow authors, I only follow stories.

And what gets you to actually comment?

Usually it's inconsistencies, plot holes or things that don't fit with your world setting. Or I'm replying to some post that's got the wrong idea.

 

[Corty]

I don't use the favorite heart at all.

Typical cat behavior

 

[JustNoob]

Hello. I’ve been writing on SH for a little over a week now. In the past, I wrote crossover fanfics (Naruto x mainly) and had some success with them. But those always had the “safety net” of being attached to a well-known worlds. So engagement (favorites, comments, follows) came more naturally. Now I’m working on an original project and while the views are steady and even climbing faster than I expected, engagement feels a lot harder to come by.

Which got me wondering—from a reader’s side of things.

What makes you hit favorite on a story?
What convinces you to follow an author?
And what gets you to actually comment?

I know everyone’s habits are different, and on the surface the answers might seem obvious (good writing, consistency, enjoying the story). But I’ve noticed plenty of strong stories on the site that don’t seem to get the same energy back. That’s why I’d love to hear what makes you personally take that extra step.

as long the story make sense, i read it.

 

[GlassRose]

Hello. I’ve been writing on SH for a little over a week now. In the past, I wrote crossover fanfics (Naruto x mainly) and had some success with them. But those always had the “safety net” of being attached to a well-known worlds. So engagement (favorites, comments, follows) came more naturally. Now I’m working on an original project and while the views are steady and even climbing faster than I expected, engagement feels a lot harder to come by.

Which got me wondering—from a reader’s side of things.

What makes you hit favorite on a story?
What convinces you to follow an author?
And what gets you to actually comment?

I know everyone’s habits are different, and on the surface the answers might seem obvious (good writing, consistency, enjoying the story). But I’ve noticed plenty of strong stories on the site that don’t seem to get the same energy back. That’s why I’d love to hear what makes you personally take that extra step.

I follow a story that I'm actively reading, have caught up with/completed, or caught enough of my interest that I might try and read it when I run out of things more enticing. I will favorite every chapter I read of a story that I think is good enough to bother reading, -atleast until I stop reading it (when I start a story, I don't do favorites for the first few chapters until I've decided I like it or not, and if I do I go back and favorite all of them). If a story particularly stands out to me or I just get the urge, I'll rate it.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I rarely follow stories that long these days, but I do comment on every story I'm reading, especially if I am already friends with the author. #favoritism #blehpotism

 

[zephyrtrillian]

I have no idea how people get readers, honestly. ? Seems like luck? Having someone catch your chapter when it posts new.

 

[Alski]

Typical cat behavior

Expecting me to waste extra paw pats on the screen is a mistake.

 

[Eldoria]

It seems that liking or disliking is more of a personal preference... even if a particular novel's content is mainstream or even nonsensical, as long as readers are happy, they will willingly press the favorite button.

 

[rainchip]

If the story appeals to my personal preferences.

Typically, it's if they have multiple books that appeal to my personal preferences...

Aha. So for this one, it's completely random! Sometimes, I like to chat with other commenters about the most recent chapter. Sometimes, I like to complain or theorize about what's happening or what will happen. Sometimes I talk about how I would act in a situation or how I think it would work out irl. Sometimes I just point out relevant information from older chapters to remind people who are confused.
And then there are times when I think about commenting, and then don't because of anxiety or sudden loss of interest.

Hm. The thing that I see increase engagement most is polls and author's notes that ask questions. People will happily interact with you if you give them an excuse to do so. Otherwise, it's kinda tough to put yourself out there not knowing if the author actually wants to be distracted from writing / their own stuff.

I'm going to try the poll/reaching out to any potential readers. I was worried maybe my content was too dark/depressing. I'm having a lot of success (at least I think) with my current story but it feels I can't find a way to engage with current readers. I'd just like to know their opinions as when I originally decided to post on Scribble Hub it was cos I heard it was great for feedback.

I rarely follow stories that long these days, but I do comment on every story I'm reading, especially if I am already friends with the author. #favoritism #blehpotism

No shame in that. I'm sure your friends really appreciate the support. They better!

I have no idea how people get readers, honestly. ? Seems like luck? Having someone catch your chapter when it posts new.

I'm on the same boat. I can't say I'm innocent as I've done my fair share of "Oh wow I really liked this!" and then just walked away for whatever reason. Sometimes it just feels like my support won't make THAT much of a difference especially if it's already popular. I deserve my fate at times.

 

[Golden_Hyde]

I follow a story if they don't fire a cuss machine gun from the beginning like some asshat.

Unserious reply aside, anything that doesn't make me roll my eyes. I read basically anything