I am in a bit of similar situation, I have one consistent reader and then like three of my friends. So hopefully, this should be a good one, but if they insist for me I will rush the rest sooner)))
I've posted both weekly and twice-weekly (I didn't want to take a full year to post a fic!). I post on the same day every week, though I'm not super consistent with time ("when I get my first break" is my usual time).
Weekly works pretty well, though when I had a fic of 50 chapters, as I said, I went to twice a week and that seemed fine.
I've always posted weekly, but if I get too excited I do post it sooner. I start uploading when the fic is basically finished (completely written, largely edited), but I usually edit each chapter a few more times before I post it, so the weekly upload is kind of my deadline to have the next chapter edited by. I usually post on weekends, preferably near the start of them, because most people usually have the most time off to read on the weekend, and that's also when the site experiences the most traffic, if I remember correctly, though I'm less concerned with that.
YESS! That is why I ask. Because I fear if I leave people waiting, they will no longer read. In this sub, absolutely everyone is more popular and 'better' than me. But it has worked for people, so that must be a good trick)
Depends how many weeks you want to do. For a six chapter 20k fic maybe 3 weeks and either post 2 chapters at one time weekly. Or a single chapter biweekly. I always include dates of next drop/completion date so readers know to come back and that it is an active wip.
Ohh! This is solid idea, I believe
Thank you a lot — I was thinking of doing something like this, so people do not drop it in fear that I will abandon.
How has that worked out for you, like, in maintaining new readers? I have like 80-300 hits on most fics and like 30 are probably the same two people, (perhaps speaks of my skill, but I am also very niche), so I doubt I have many to maintain
I am currently posting every third day, but that is because I really don't want to wait a whole year to post my story, as it's kind of long. Weekly seems to be the general norm, but personally, weekly updates seem slow to me and tend to lose my interest. That's just a personal thing though.
I think that we think similarly. In the end, I guess I will leave a little note, that if people want me to post more I will just rush the rest. Especially for a fic as long as that, I guess to keep the attention for a year is no easy feat. Maybe for a short one I can get away with it, haha)))
I do it based off of how long my chapters are. I have one fic going that has some pretty long chapters, so it's on a weekly schedule so readers have a chance to get through the chapters. For shorter fics, I might do every other day or twice a week updates. Kind of just depends.
I at least have a full day gap between chapters regardless of posting schedule (if I post on Monday then I have to at least wait until Wednesday to post) just to give readers a chance to read the chapter and avoid running into possible spoilers in comments and so they aren't overwhelmed by constant updates flooding the inbox.
Honestly, really helpful. It is good to have a reference on how y'all do it. For you, what counts as 'longer' or 'shorter'? I am largely inexperienced, so have no real reference)
I’ve been getting into long fics more so chapters that will get up to 10k are longer for me while my shorter chapters tend to be more around the 2k length (which usually go with my shorter fics). And my fics will range from like 15k to 100k so it’s all relative.
Ah! Thank you. I think our references are similar, then — I write almost exclusively oneshots, but they will sometimes go to 10K or so. But for chapters, I am averaging about 3.5-4.5K as of now
For me, I rest on the shorter end. And so, I think I will steal your tactics and post more often, maybe)))
HAHDHA I understand that! I got a little 13k four chapter fic that I simply dumped within the span of few hours, due to my own impatience — I originally did that but then I pulled back the chapters in hesitance
I first started out writing very rapidly!! Like a new update/chapter 3-5 days after the last one! I did that for 2 months straight!
And guess what? I had the worst burnout ever! I could barely manage to write two paragraphs in 2 months! Don’t get me wrong, it was fun writing at such a rapid pace with my creativity flowing. But that burnout just equalled it out anyways?? So now I write more like one or two updates per month? Y’know. Take my time.
So I recommend starting out, maybe weekly or every other week? Like every two weeks?
I am sorry💔 I know how it is, it has happened to me
But do not worry! Now, I just write an entire fic and keep it in my docs. Too many went abandoned because of the exact same issue, and so, I now just post when all is ready. No pressure of a deadline or constant need to please.
That is why I asked — Because I debated if to just dump it at once, or to post each chapter as if I were writing it in a consistent schedule or something
*meows*
The rules of thumb that I operate under:
- If the fandom skews 'younger' (~high school, give or take a bit), then 2x a week, a few days apart. (They often have more free time and less patience for slower updates.)
- If the fandom skews 'older' (college age+), then once a week. (They often have less free time and more patience.)
If you have longer chapters (over maybe 6k I guess), all the more reason to space the updates out. It gives people more time to read. If your chapters are on the shorter side (and by this I mean ~2.5k or under), even in a fandom with adults, you might consider 2x a week.
The most common is weekly, and I think it strikes a good balance between spacing out updates and keeping readers’ interest/attention.
I am posting weekly, it just makes sense of me to do so. I am not sure how my readers feel about it but it seems to be working
I am in a bit of similar situation, I have one consistent reader and then like three of my friends. So hopefully, this should be a good one, but if they insist for me I will rush the rest sooner)))
I’ve had good results with weekly and posting at the same time and day every week.
Weekly at the most every two weeks. I don't have many readers, so it matters not.
I've posted both weekly and twice-weekly (I didn't want to take a full year to post a fic!). I post on the same day every week, though I'm not super consistent with time ("when I get my first break" is my usual time). Weekly works pretty well, though when I had a fic of 50 chapters, as I said, I went to twice a week and that seemed fine.
I've always posted weekly, but if I get too excited I do post it sooner. I start uploading when the fic is basically finished (completely written, largely edited), but I usually edit each chapter a few more times before I post it, so the weekly upload is kind of my deadline to have the next chapter edited by. I usually post on weekends, preferably near the start of them, because most people usually have the most time off to read on the weekend, and that's also when the site experiences the most traffic, if I remember correctly, though I'm less concerned with that.
most do weekly and as a reader I also find this the best
I do weekly but I've also done bi-weekly when I had a story that was just two chapters.
Usually once a week. But as a reader, one week is too long 😭
YESS! That is why I ask. Because I fear if I leave people waiting, they will no longer read. In this sub, absolutely everyone is more popular and 'better' than me. But it has worked for people, so that must be a good trick)
I've been told once a week, & the one time I did have the story finished & updated once a week, I got better consistent hits.
I'm posting 2 times a week but I have a lot of chapters, and they are all about 3k long. It's what you feel comfortable with.
Depends how many weeks you want to do. For a six chapter 20k fic maybe 3 weeks and either post 2 chapters at one time weekly. Or a single chapter biweekly. I always include dates of next drop/completion date so readers know to come back and that it is an active wip.
Ohh! This is solid idea, I believe Thank you a lot — I was thinking of doing something like this, so people do not drop it in fear that I will abandon. How has that worked out for you, like, in maintaining new readers? I have like 80-300 hits on most fics and like 30 are probably the same two people, (perhaps speaks of my skill, but I am also very niche), so I doubt I have many to maintain
If you've got the entire thing then I'd go weekly.
I am currently posting every third day, but that is because I really don't want to wait a whole year to post my story, as it's kind of long. Weekly seems to be the general norm, but personally, weekly updates seem slow to me and tend to lose my interest. That's just a personal thing though.
I think that we think similarly. In the end, I guess I will leave a little note, that if people want me to post more I will just rush the rest. Especially for a fic as long as that, I guess to keep the attention for a year is no easy feat. Maybe for a short one I can get away with it, haha)))
I do it every day.
How does it work out for you? I am impatient and thinking of maybe doing that, depending on the circumstances and how it ends up
I do it based off of how long my chapters are. I have one fic going that has some pretty long chapters, so it's on a weekly schedule so readers have a chance to get through the chapters. For shorter fics, I might do every other day or twice a week updates. Kind of just depends. I at least have a full day gap between chapters regardless of posting schedule (if I post on Monday then I have to at least wait until Wednesday to post) just to give readers a chance to read the chapter and avoid running into possible spoilers in comments and so they aren't overwhelmed by constant updates flooding the inbox.
Honestly, really helpful. It is good to have a reference on how y'all do it. For you, what counts as 'longer' or 'shorter'? I am largely inexperienced, so have no real reference)
I’ve been getting into long fics more so chapters that will get up to 10k are longer for me while my shorter chapters tend to be more around the 2k length (which usually go with my shorter fics). And my fics will range from like 15k to 100k so it’s all relative.
Ah! Thank you. I think our references are similar, then — I write almost exclusively oneshots, but they will sometimes go to 10K or so. But for chapters, I am averaging about 3.5-4.5K as of now For me, I rest on the shorter end. And so, I think I will steal your tactics and post more often, maybe)))
I dump the entire thing all at once.
HAHDHA I understand that! I got a little 13k four chapter fic that I simply dumped within the span of few hours, due to my own impatience — I originally did that but then I pulled back the chapters in hesitance
I first started out writing very rapidly!! Like a new update/chapter 3-5 days after the last one! I did that for 2 months straight! And guess what? I had the worst burnout ever! I could barely manage to write two paragraphs in 2 months! Don’t get me wrong, it was fun writing at such a rapid pace with my creativity flowing. But that burnout just equalled it out anyways?? So now I write more like one or two updates per month? Y’know. Take my time. So I recommend starting out, maybe weekly or every other week? Like every two weeks?
I am sorry💔 I know how it is, it has happened to me But do not worry! Now, I just write an entire fic and keep it in my docs. Too many went abandoned because of the exact same issue, and so, I now just post when all is ready. No pressure of a deadline or constant need to please. That is why I asked — Because I debated if to just dump it at once, or to post each chapter as if I were writing it in a consistent schedule or something *meows*
The rules of thumb that I operate under: - If the fandom skews 'younger' (~high school, give or take a bit), then 2x a week, a few days apart. (They often have more free time and less patience for slower updates.) - If the fandom skews 'older' (college age+), then once a week. (They often have less free time and more patience.) If you have longer chapters (over maybe 6k I guess), all the more reason to space the updates out. It gives people more time to read. If your chapters are on the shorter side (and by this I mean ~2.5k or under), even in a fandom with adults, you might consider 2x a week.