FanFiction.net How To Get Your Stories Read (or in other words become popular) on ff.net

EppofangirlXD posted on Jul 22, 2011 at 01:41PM
We'll share our ideas on how to get our stories read and then put it in an article for all to see!

FanFiction.net 19 balas

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hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Well, I have some ideas. To get your stories read, you should at least make them GOOD so people would actually want to read and review them! Make them readable, and do not make them all bunched up in one big paragraph. It's hard to read. Make them enjoyable and entertaining, if that's what you're going for.

Also have a good title and summary. Those will catch people's attention. But don't put every letter in uppercase for the title and summary. Sure, it will get attention, but it's also really, really annoying,
last edited hampir setahun yang lalu
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Also, to get your stories read, you should read OTHER'S people fanfics, too! Review often, and PM people. Show yourself to the fanfiction world.

hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Write good stories (there are a lot of advice online)––and also update regularly! Post things often, or else your readers will start to disappear. It's true. I know.

Also, remember to be optimistic about your stories, no matter how bad they get. If you critisize and insult yourself and your own story, people will follow you and start to hate it, too. Again, I know.
hampir setahun yang lalu BookJunkie44 said…
smile
Writing for at least one popular fandom helps -- although I am very intent on writing more pieces of fiction for the fandoms I like that don't have as many stories (to try to stimulate others to write more), I find that having posted fics in a fandom that already had over a thousand stories gave me quite a few followers.

Making pairings known is important (although the _main_ pairing matters most, having a list of all of the possible _slight_ pairings may just dash the hopes of some of your readers who wanted you to pay more attention to one couple). Using the option (when available) of choosing your primary and secondary main character will bring more readers who are specifically searching for these characters.

Don't put your rating higher than it needs to be - the higher the rating the fewer the readers. M should only be for especially violent or sexual content. T for some (non-descriptive) sexual content, some violence, and/or cursing. A few curse words are okay in K+ provided the majority of the story would be suitable for younger readers and the language isn't too graphic -- this is the same rating as PG in other cases (such as in films), it doesn't have to be suitable for all children - stories under K have to be!
hampir setahun yang lalu SydneyLouWho said…
crying
Let's face it, most FFN writers nowadays are fangirls. Especially in the PJO fandom. *shudders*

And fangirls only read fangirl stories. In PJO that would be most of the Percabeth and Thalico fics. The sad truth is, to get an outstanding amount of views/reviews you have to be either:

A. Fangirl. Even though you will get a mix of the 'OMGZ THIS IS SO COOLZ' kind of reviews and CC.

B. Troll. If you're an attention whore, this is the way to go. You'll get tons of reviews (think 'My Immortal'), but they will all be flames. Just think, you may get the great and powerful Theia 47 to come to flame you. If one of those famous flamers comes back from the dead to flame you, you must be special, right? Well, only if special refers to special-ed.

C. Abnormally fantastic. This is very VERY hard to do. You'd have to compare to those like Storm-Brain, Theia 47, Kay Celestine, Xed Alpha, and Zoe Nightshade to fit this role. Trust me, if you've read any of their stories, you know what I mean. The sheer greatness will cast your slightly-above-average fic in its gigantic, ego deflating shadow.

Us mediocre kiddies don't stand a chance, unfortunately.
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hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
tongue
^haha. This was supposed to a factual forum, without any emotion, but oh well. I never said so. Except for now. And it doesn't help that I don't know any of those people...but then I went to check and saw that Theia 47 had 60 reviews for a one chapter! And I thought I was popular with my 18 reviews for a one-shot O_O. Because in my fandom, you'll be lucky if you got 2 reviews...eh. I don't feel like writing all of my other ways to get popular on ff at the moment~
hampir setahun yang lalu SydneyLouWho said…
big smile
What fandom do you write for? I write for Percy Jackson,
which is an unbelievably fangirl and crap!fic filled fandom.

You only get reviews if you write sappy and unrealistic fluff fics, or if you're Theia.

Theia is probably the most talented PJO writer EVER.

What's your penname on FFN? I can review some of them if you want.

Mine is SydneyLouWho in case you want to return the favor. ;)

Sorry about the lack of factual information in my last post. In the PJO fandom, all of that is fact.
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
big smile
Oh, sorry I haven't replied. ^_^ I'm not sure you would be interested in my stories, because I write under the Penguins of Madagascar category. My username is EppopinkfangirlXDXDXD (it's long––a lot of people call me EppogirlXD for short).

And, okay, I'll go check out your stories. :)

Some more ways to get popular on ff:

Be known for something. Either have a witty username, or an really unique and interesting (but not Mary-Sue!)OC, or have LOTS of OCs, like an author I know, or be like this other person and write humanized stories all the time, or have a comment/story signature, or be really old, or have an astonishing secret, or just write good and legendary stories, and the list goes on!
hampir setahun yang lalu MrsSiriusB said…
big smile
Okay, this is sorta off topic, but are you going to start on the main article soon? If not, can I pleaseee make the article? I'll check up on this forum regularly for any new ways, and update that article too. And of course, you'll (and any other person who contributes a way) get credit. So can I? :D
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
big smile
@MrsSiriusB: You will have to contribute a lot of ways to get popular if you want to make an article out of this. After all, there ARE lots of ways...INCLUDING:

Write up and publish/update a lot of stories at the same time, or very often. You will definitely be noticed, especially if 10 of your stories in a row are just suddenly up on the very front page...XDXD
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Also, here's a big one: BE FREAKING MODEST. No one likes a braggart. You get respected and maybe even popular with no haters if you are modest!
hampir setahun yang lalu Samantha1297 said…
smile
Can't we just advertise authors on here? We can set up a post and the author has to add their username, what stories they write for, and what stories they read, etc.

(I write stories for Titanic, Les Miserables, Wicked, The Luxe, and Misc. Games. I mainly write stories for Titanic, though, so if you love the movie, my user is:

Elphaba-Eponine-Rose-1232

Thanks!)
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
tongue
This isn't the forum for that. This forum is for ways to get popular WITHOUT stooping low.....
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
smile
Recognize your reviewers. You could thank them in the next chapter or in your profile, and maybe state their usernames, too. :) People will love it when they see their names among the list because it makes them feel special. That will make them review again to see their name another time....

You could answer their reviews in your story to make them feel even more special, and not only that, but sometimes people forget what they said in their review so they go to your review page to see
what they said, and they can't help but see all your other reviews, too.
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Want to write a one-shot series, with a lot of one-shots in just one handy little fanfic? DON'T. Not unless you want less reviews. Put your one-shots seperately, in their own fanfic thingies. For some reason, when you pile them all into on fanfiction, people are more reluctant to read them because there are different plots in every chapter, and the title and summary probably aren't attention-grabbing unless you put the summary of the latest chapter in the summary box. :P
Daniella38 commented…
Really? Because I have a series of one-shots telah diposkan in the one fic that's gotten375 reviews and 325 followers - and still going and I've seen many ohtwer successful examples of this. The key is to stick with a clear theme (eg, each chapter a different song tajuk that relates to the story in that chapter; different proposal scenarios for a SHIP;). I got about thrityu reviews before I started putting excerpts form chapters; and the excerpts I do put are not from the latest chapter (which I've gotten exactly one complaint for - out of 37000 visitors). hampir setahun yang lalu
hampir setahun yang lalu EppofangirlXD said…
Make friends, improve on writing, respond on forums, be active!

Make your profile and avatar picture attracting too.

And don't EVER write a truth or dare or self-insert, unless you can make one really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really reallyy really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really reallyy really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really reallyy really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really amazing. And face it, I've only read two truth-or-dares that completely blew my mind away. :P
hampir setahun yang lalu zara19 said…
heart
Very helpful and a amzing I am going to give yoy props xxxx
hampir setahun yang lalu Aria-DiAngelo said…
I'm new to Fanpop, I just made my account about 5 minutes ago and I have a question: Where do I post stories on this site?
hampir setahun yang lalu peacebaby7 said…
If someone gives you constructive criticism, accept it. Work with it. Ask questions. If you love to write, make sure you try to improve too. If I never tried to improve, I would still suck as bad as I did when I started.

Look at other people's profiles and if they have any stories in a category you like, try to read and review their stories. That's one of the main ways I find good stories is going to my reader's profiles and reading theirs. Don't feel like you have to read their fics if they don't write for a fandom you like, though.

Stop begging for attention. That just annoys people, including me. Saying "Please R&R!" or something is fine, but out and out begging for reviews is very annoying and unattractive. Other ways people beg for attention is re-posting a story because it didn't get any reviews the first time. I've seen someone do that. I get that you want reviews, but that's probably one reason you aren't getting them. Don't say things like "this isn't that good, so I understand if you don't read" because that repels readers, too. If you don't feel like it's that good and you haven't done your best on it, then you shouldn't have posted the story in the first place. You should be proud of you work. If you don't think it's good, get someone to beta read it and help make it better. Don't just post your story and hope for the best.