Data and Insights from an RR Experiment
(Yes, I am presenting this as a research paper. It's the closest I'll ever get to my own academic publication.)
Abstract/Summary
I posted Volume I (40 chapters) of a planned four-volume series on Royal Road as free serialized fiction. My main goals were to see what would happen and whether I could learn anything about readers. The following turned out to be important: a good enough cover/blurb/first few chapters, regular consistent chapter updates, and a protagonist with strong and believable motivation and agency. The following were revealed as less important: fabulous language and a plot cast in stone.
Introduction
I needed to prove to myself that I can write a human protagonist in a recognizable genre. I wanted to explore platforms and avenues. I also know that I work really well under strict deadlines. Royal Road seemed like the best place to start this experimental journey. So I threw together the first couple of chapters from an idea I've had, decided on a no-nonsense thrice-a-week chapter posting schedule, and set off.
Methods
I wrote one day and edited/posted the next, with Sundays off. Chapter lengths were strictly 2000-2500 words. It was gruesome. It was insane. I had the great idea of taking kids on vacation halfway through and found myself writing a chapter on a flight and posting it when we landed. Bad idea.
As for, the actual written outcome....well, my German literature teacher would have scathingly called it 'trivial', and that was fine by me. Things that I would ponder over for days in my normal writing I would now slap on a huge piece of It's RR, the bar is low! tape and carry on. It worked, mostly. When it didn't work, I could go back and edit. Readers didn't care. In fact, when I had to almost completely rewrite three chapters (see the results section below), I told readers in the author notes and they went back and read the rewritten chapters! No one complained.
An important part of this particular phase of the experiment was zero advertising. No ads, no review swaps, no shoutout swaps, no telling anyone anywhere. The only ways readers could find it were (1) through the 'latest updates', where my new chapter would be on the RR main page for about 30 seconds and (2) through browsing the tags or the sci-fi list. When I was posting chapters, I could expect 40-50 views in the first 24 hours. Now that I have finished posting (i.e., near-zero visibility), I still get around one reader per day starting at chapter 1 and then working their way through.
Results
It was fun, it was stressful, it was informative. I shall definitely continue with the next phase of this experiment (first potential research question: how many followers will I lose by taking a two-week break between volumes?).
And now for the stats!
Figure 1. Page views per chapter over 2.5 months; please note there are gaps in the data because I do have a life, contrary to appearances.
Three main points emerge from the data:
1. The gap between chapters 1 and 2 and the third chapter. This gap is a problem. It suggests that readers found the book, liked the cover, liked the blurb, liked the first chapter and then read the second chapter and thought actually, this isn't for me. Now, while not every story is for everybody, the fact that they thought it might be for them and were then disappointed is a problem. For the next phase, I need to better align the cover, blurb and first chapter with the story as a whole.
2. The point where I improved the blurb. My original blurb was pitiful. I rewrote it to fit with that is expected on RR and was rewarded by greater interest in the first chapter.
3. The point where I addressed a reader turn-off. If readers got past the issues with the second chapter, they happily chugged along until chapter 9, after which I suddenly lost about 1/3. I initially thought it was a language thing and edited the chapter 9 into the ground. No change. Then I realized the deeper issue: the protagonist needs to leave her home setting, but the way she does this is through happenstance, as if she conveniently falls into a passing shuttle. So, I completely rewrote chapters 7, 8 and 9 to give her strong inner motivation that lets her choose to launch herself in her own shuttle (metaphorically speaking). That did the trick, and readers no longer abandon the story in disgust.
Discussion
I'm happy with the experience. I learnt a lot and gained a couple handfulls of followers. Some began commenting, and engaging with them was a lot more fun than I had expected. Phase II will definitely involve more talking to readers through the author notes (I post under a bland one-word pseudonym, which creates a nice insulating layer between us).
(Yes, I am presenting this as a research paper. It's the closest I'll ever get to my own academic publication.)
Abstract/Summary
I posted Volume I (40 chapters) of a planned four-volume series on Royal Road as free serialized fiction. My main goals were to see what would happen and whether I could learn anything about readers. The following turned out to be important: a good enough cover/blurb/first few chapters, regular consistent chapter updates, and a protagonist with strong and believable motivation and agency. The following were revealed as less important: fabulous language and a plot cast in stone.
Introduction
I needed to prove to myself that I can write a human protagonist in a recognizable genre. I wanted to explore platforms and avenues. I also know that I work really well under strict deadlines. Royal Road seemed like the best place to start this experimental journey. So I threw together the first couple of chapters from an idea I've had, decided on a no-nonsense thrice-a-week chapter posting schedule, and set off.
Methods
I wrote one day and edited/posted the next, with Sundays off. Chapter lengths were strictly 2000-2500 words. It was gruesome. It was insane. I had the great idea of taking kids on vacation halfway through and found myself writing a chapter on a flight and posting it when we landed. Bad idea.
As for, the actual written outcome....well, my German literature teacher would have scathingly called it 'trivial', and that was fine by me. Things that I would ponder over for days in my normal writing I would now slap on a huge piece of It's RR, the bar is low! tape and carry on. It worked, mostly. When it didn't work, I could go back and edit. Readers didn't care. In fact, when I had to almost completely rewrite three chapters (see the results section below), I told readers in the author notes and they went back and read the rewritten chapters! No one complained.
An important part of this particular phase of the experiment was zero advertising. No ads, no review swaps, no shoutout swaps, no telling anyone anywhere. The only ways readers could find it were (1) through the 'latest updates', where my new chapter would be on the RR main page for about 30 seconds and (2) through browsing the tags or the sci-fi list. When I was posting chapters, I could expect 40-50 views in the first 24 hours. Now that I have finished posting (i.e., near-zero visibility), I still get around one reader per day starting at chapter 1 and then working their way through.
Results
It was fun, it was stressful, it was informative. I shall definitely continue with the next phase of this experiment (first potential research question: how many followers will I lose by taking a two-week break between volumes?).
And now for the stats!
Figure 1. Page views per chapter over 2.5 months; please note there are gaps in the data because I do have a life, contrary to appearances.
Three main points emerge from the data:
1. The gap between chapters 1 and 2 and the third chapter. This gap is a problem. It suggests that readers found the book, liked the cover, liked the blurb, liked the first chapter and then read the second chapter and thought actually, this isn't for me. Now, while not every story is for everybody, the fact that they thought it might be for them and were then disappointed is a problem. For the next phase, I need to better align the cover, blurb and first chapter with the story as a whole.
2. The point where I improved the blurb. My original blurb was pitiful. I rewrote it to fit with that is expected on RR and was rewarded by greater interest in the first chapter.
3. The point where I addressed a reader turn-off. If readers got past the issues with the second chapter, they happily chugged along until chapter 9, after which I suddenly lost about 1/3. I initially thought it was a language thing and edited the chapter 9 into the ground. No change. Then I realized the deeper issue: the protagonist needs to leave her home setting, but the way she does this is through happenstance, as if she conveniently falls into a passing shuttle. So, I completely rewrote chapters 7, 8 and 9 to give her strong inner motivation that lets her choose to launch herself in her own shuttle (metaphorically speaking). That did the trick, and readers no longer abandon the story in disgust.
Discussion
I'm happy with the experience. I learnt a lot and gained a couple handfulls of followers. Some began commenting, and engaging with them was a lot more fun than I had expected. Phase II will definitely involve more talking to readers through the author notes (I post under a bland one-word pseudonym, which creates a nice insulating layer between us).
Last edited:
