fandom angsting and moaning

[lettered]

I also posted The Eighth Tale on AO3 herePeople say I suck at summaries, so I probably didn't adequately explain that fic. It deals with timey-wimey and time paradoxes, possible futures that might also be possible fanfics, Harry/Draco sex, and then a sad ending. The fic was actually the summary of a fic that I'm not actually going to write, so I

Comments

[deedlit50]

I feel like the window where people might read your fic is usually gone in about 3 days, unless it gets linked elsewhere, and what if in that time, not many people read it? Did that mean it was no good, you just posted at the wrong time, a catastrophe was happening, your header sucked, people just don't know your name, or what?

I don't know if this is a common problem but as a reader I sometimes feel like writers underestimate the importance of summaries. I should probably spend some time brainstorming about what exactly I look for in a summary and why certain ones stand out for me above others. That being said though, summaries are totally what convince me to read or not read a fic. Half the time I don't even bother reading the title or author name when I'm skimming communities or AO3.

But I agree with you that timing and heading art can totally make or break a stories potential readership. I actually try to avoid fic art until after I have already read the fic or if the art is implanted into the fic itself. And that's not because I'm not an art fan-- it's just that I don't want my impression of the art to influence my opinion of the story.

Another thing to consider when talking about why more people aren't reading specific fics is what fandom are the fics written for. I often feel like the larger fandoms like HP and SPN suffer from having too many options. There is just so much out there for readers to pick from that it gets completely overwhelming. And some posting websites just seem to attract specific fandoms in general- like LJ I'd say is the go to place for SPN. But if I was looking for Merlin fics I might try dreamwidth first or AO3 for fics on a brand new fandom.

And then there are all those other variables that can cause an increase in readership and that you have absolutely no control over like if a TV Cable station decides to hold a HP movie marathon or a new DVD is released with additional content.

It's a complex issue for sure!

[lettered]

It's hard to know what people look for in summaries, though. I like summaries that say exactly what the fic is. "Sam and Dean get amnesia. Then they fuck." You know? Most people would think that was a crappy summary, and you know, sometimes it's way better if the amnesia (or whatever) is a surprise. And yet, those are the summaries I look for. What do you look for in a summary?

larger fandoms like HP and SPN suffer from having too many options

Yup, definitely. I have no idea how to say my Sam+Dean gen brotherfic is different than a thousand other fics like it. And maybe it's not, and yet of course I think it is. How is anyone else to know?

It's a complex issue for sure!

Hahaha yeah. Obviously this is true irl as well--how do movie stars become movie stars? It's just weird.