Subscribers that don't comment: a rant. (+ my petty resolution lol)

Hi.

Let me start off by saying I know this is so, very, very petty of me to be frustrated over this but I'm sure many authors can relate. And let me be clear, I write for my own enjoyment. I write what I want to write. But I'd be lying if I said I don't care about the feedback I receive.

Imagine having +1600 subscribers on a story but only getting ~15 comments per update even though 571 people read the chapter and 18 bookmarked it (I love you fifteen you have no idea how much they make my day <3). But those stats are crazy.

So I decided to make my story (We Live Together! Deleted Scenes) an invitation-only story. (I was going to make the original story invite-only too but I thought it would be TOO petty. But who knows, I might change my mind lol.)

I invited all the users who upvoted the story or commented recently or who I have interacted with in the past. I feel like that's what would be fair.

That doesn't mean I want people upvoting my story just so they can read it, btw. I'm doing this because I want comments and interaction with my readers, not ghost readers. I've brought this up in the past but I feel like it's just getting worse.

Yes I know it's VERY petty. But I'm frustrated and an impulsive person so :)))

Comments

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pandoh #1 Jun 30, 2018 05:50:12

I feel selfish for never really commenting despite all the efforts you put in. I will keep it in mind, thanks! Always looking forward to more chapters! :)

Hyerim_b #2 Apr 27, 2018 05:34:31

yes ma`am

marione_0824 #3 Apr 1, 2018 12:49:32

Me too. I do feel you. It's frustrating when you keep on asking feedbacks from your subscribers but only a few give their comments. But what can we do...

yoongsjen #4 Mar 22, 2018 15:34:21

Girl, I really support this! It's really frustrating not to receive comments, we don't even expect huge paragraphs (God bless those) but at least something like "hey, this was good" or "hey, this was not so good lol". Silent readers don't know that the amount of comments in a story encourages the author in an impressive way. Hell, YOU HAVE POWER IN YOUR HANDS, USE IT. So, yes, you're not being petty, you just want your work to be appreciated. I try to comment in everything I read (sometimes I'm busy or the author updates so quickly that I miss the opportunity) because I know the importance of it. So girl, keep it going, this is a free world, I'm glad that you acknowledge your own value! :)

Jumpdiva #5 Mar 22, 2018 14:55:40

I'm a silent reader. I only comment to a story if something stands out -for example it's poorly written, or very awesomely written, if I'm engaged and interested or I want to provide critiques, for exam lack of proof-reading. Otherwise, I won't comment. I don't feel obligated to.

I don't think what you did is petty either. If you prefer to build a community of engaged readers, you are entitled to that. If an author was upset with me not commenting and made their stories private, I would simply find another story to read. *shrug*

baeirenie #6 Mar 22, 2018 03:50:24

Wow! I always try to comment, especially for stories I enjoy. Because the authors work so hard and deserve every bit of recognition they can get

LilMinMinniexx #7 Mar 22, 2018 02:08:24

I support this 100%, why sub if you're just silent and not gonna say a word? TALK TO THE PEOPLE YOURE SUBBED TO! We love the comments! Omg.

rourou #8 Mar 22, 2018 01:52:39

First of all I'm commenting so soon after you posted this because I was putting some finishing touches on my story's final chappie. So I'm not stalking or anything; pure coincidence!
But also GIRL you have every right to do what you want with your stories. If you want WLT to be invitation only, do it! It's your choice. The harsh reality is that most people don't comment, and it's so annoying because all us authors are like "please lmk what you thought". I feel like it helps our sanity in ways XD because it's like "so was this garbage or not LMK PLS".
That said, I guess some people just don't like to comment. I mean, I get it. But I wanna know if they liked what I wrote? i.e. on Chasing Scandals I'm freaking out about it and it's the story that I really want comments on, but there haven't been too many. I recently got a huge paragraph from someone and I was BLESSED. But those are so rare. Hell, even "liked it. Update" comments are rare. I'm okay with even criticism because it helps me improve. But oops little to no comments.
ALSO I've noticed that you (as in authors) only get more comments when some huge thing happens? i.e. if I post a regular chapter with no big events I get 5 comments, but something big happens/ it's a cliffhanger so I get like 12+? I mean, yay I'm glad people are reacting to it but I'm not going out of my way to write big things left and write (although I do cliffhangers ALL THE TIME to motivate myself to continue writing, not for comments)
I think what you're doing isn't petty at all tbh; you know the people who give you feedback, which is what you want, so you're finding ways to get it! It's totally fine. Bless you. Okay bye miss you <3