@bbbrdwngs82 At least your readers know you read and listen to their comments which for me makes a big difference. But I also know silent readers can be frustrating. Even me as a reader, I hate that most people don't leave comments :/

@Tatari Oh I understand with so much effort you put into your comment that no reply would make you feel ignored. But I'm glad no author has made you feel that way.
I think replying to comments is a great way for authors to get to know their readers and make a loyal fanbase. And I know it can be hard to reply when you don't really have much to say but kudos to you for doing so anyways.

@PsychoWolf I think I'm like that too. I just want to know that the author has actually read my comment but I guess it's not really that important. The important thing is that I've read their work.

@jiminaura I think it's great you always reply. Of course, I can understand the "update soon" comments. I think those are kinda rude anyway.

I always reply to the comments that I get, just to show my gratitude that they read and left a comment for me~ I usually dont mind when a writer doesn't reply to my comments. I rather have them writing new stuff than replies to my comments~ Also many people get so many notifications that they cant go through all of them, so I understand~

Hurt? Yeah...I guess, but I always bear in my mind thAt, my comments are nothing compared to how much effort the authors have put..it somekind of, well, somebody already make you happy, of course you should show some gratitude, he or she already give you enough, should you expect more? Of course it would be better if you get the reply. Toward certain extend, I do think, an author don't need to reply, but it's always good to be in courtesy and being extra. Another thing that bother me is, why reader only comment popular ff, there is a lot of underrated ff that need more love and comments, and they are good to read too.

When I was new I never reply to comments for fear of sounding,,, Idk too needy? I didn't even know about the comment upvotes before so my readers basically get nothing in exchange for their comments aside from my thank author notes, and, well, the story itself. I mean I did put a lot of efforts into writing it, and I guess that should have been enough. I never replied to comments before because I feel like we're already even, what with them reading my story, and me reading their comments. However I did take time to acknowledge them in my author notes, and express my gratitude through it. I would also tell them how happy I was for receiving the comments, and that I'm just too awkward to respond to each of them.

Now I've learned to reply because I've finally learned the concept of showing and giving thanks when I still can, and besides, this is the internet, so I have fewer reasons to get crippled by my social anxiety amirite lol.

So yeah. Maybe other than being shy, the writers have a hard time expressing their feelings that's why they don't comment back. That doesn't mean they are unappreciative or they ignore the comments.

actually as an active writer here that gets almost to nothing comments, I value each comment and I encourage them to comment more. I reply to them, maybe not instantly especially if its a tough comment to answer but I reply. I also want to see replies from authors in fics I comment on. *shrugs*

I reply to all my comments although I do admit that I take a while to do so ~ when I started getting more, it started taking me longer. As for when I leave comments, I don't mind if authors don't reply to my comments but I do think it's kind of weird and when some authors practically beg for comments but when they get them, they don't reply to them or even acknowledge them????? idk, that could just be me tho

Personally, I make sure to reply to comments whenever I update and such but at times, I feel like it's hard to reply. Whenever they're theorizing the something about the future of the story, I never really know what to say because I might spoil the real future to them. "Update soon" is also something I don't know how to respond to, really, but I always try to leave a thanks for most comments! As someone who comments, I mostly used to not being replied to so it doesn't bother me when they don't reply. If anything, I'm a little surprised when they do, which is probably why I don't think too much of it when I don't reply to my comments... I think that knowing some people feel ignored when not replied to, I'll reply to more these days :-)

I tried to reply to a few comments a while ago but for some reason it didn't work. It might have been that my internet service wasn't good and sometimes my phone glitches. I haven't tried since then but I felt really bad that I couldn't reply. I wanted to show my appreciation to the people that commented because it's my first time writing stories and I was happy that someone actually liked it. But in the future I'm going to try my best to reply to comments.

I really appreciate it when authors do reply to my comments, but I'm fine if it's just ignored (especially since I tend to leave comments on really old fanfics that haven't been updated in a while.)

I can't really answer this as a reader since I don't really read any fics any more, but as an author, I LOVE interacting with my readers, when they comment, I will reply. Comments not only are motivating, but they can help me to improve my writing. And it's fun getting to know my readers more. :)
I admit though it is hard coming up with something to reply when you get, "Update soon!" or something like that. Then I feel kinda stuck with giving some general remark like, "Thanks for reading! I'll update as soon as I can." But I always kind of hate just responding with something so basic. (It almost makes me not want to reply to those comments, but I do anyway out of both politeness and gratefulness over the fact that they actually read the chapter.)

I don't mind if the author has too many comments to reply but I mind if it is not that many. But I am more like mind than not mind if I give a serious comment.

to be frank, i don't really mind if an author doesn't reply to a comment. i don't know, maybe it's just in me, but maybe also, i used to quite frequently not reply to comments. not because i was lazy or there was too many - but because i was busy and the time i have on this site is far too limited, or i had chosen a bad time to read the comment and had to leave. when i've left a comment without replying to it for long, i'd get the feeling that it would be awkward - albeit, even rude - to reply to it. :c (((or, y'know, maybe i've just got a massive obsessive case with overthinking. Dx)))

I love to reply to comments, but I find I have lots of silent readers so there is rarely much to reply to lol

I'm not someone who comments often but when I do, they're endlessly long. (To give you a picture of that: Most of the time I have to break them down in three parts because of the charachter limit I always surpass.) I never had an author ignore my comment until now but if they would not reply, even though I had spent a good time of an hour+ writing it plus multiple times of proofreading, I would feel ignored, very ignored. That would bother me a little.

I also take the time to reply to comments because it feels nice just chatting a little, answering questions etc, even when it's sometimes difficult to answer to some comments because there's not a lot to refer to or something, but I do answer every single one.

xo Tatari

It does bother me to some degree. But I'll still leave a comment even knowing the author won't reply. However, for the authors that do reply, I'm more faithful to leaving comments on their works. So I'll leave a comment on like every update. For authors who don't reply, I might leave one comment every few chapters (it's not out of spite though).

I'll always reply to comments. The only times I won't are if there's nothing to say (like an "update soon!" comment), and sometimes I don't know how to respond. I try to keep that in mind when my comments aren't responded to, but usually it's praise or criticism, so I know it's not difficult to say "thank you" or make a comment on my judgement.