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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better
Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69261] Wed, 11 March 2015 22:47 Go to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Not just a great novel by N Fourbois, but I have a question to resolve about the way it has been published. I commend Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better to you.

I make no promises that the answer will change the way I publish, but I am interested in the answer.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69267 is a reply to message #69261] Thu, 12 March 2015 01:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ChrisR is currently offline  ChrisR

Likes it here
Location: Western US
Registered: October 2014
Messages: 136



At 20,000 words it's too long for a short story, but somewhat short for a novel. AARGH! It's not only about tweens, it IS one! (I am become Tween, the Destroyer!)

It should be broken into chapters for ease of reading, though they could be published at one shot. But if you publish in chapters over time, I can always let a few build up before I tear into a story. And if I find myself falling asleep in the middle of a single story, I can put it off for another day. (Is there an electronic bookmark?)

HOWEVER - the real test is up to you, Timmy. Whichever method works best for you works fine for me. Thanks!
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69269 is a reply to message #69267] Thu, 12 March 2015 09:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
ChrisR wrote on Thu, 12 March 2015 01:59At 20,000 words it's too long for a short story, but somewhat short for a novel. AARGH! It's not only about tweens, it IS one! (I am become Tween, the Destroyer!)

It should be broken into chapters for ease of reading, though they could be published at one shot. But if you publish in chapters over time, I can always let a few build up before I tear into a story. And if I find myself falling asleep in the middle of a single story, I can put it off for another day. (Is there an electronic bookmark?)

HOWEVER - the real test is up to you, Timmy. Whichever method works best for you works fine for me. Thanks!

--
I'm most interested in what works to help ensure an author's readership remains a readership. Without readers it is not worth writing. Without writers there is nothing to read. From observation of stats, a serialised story published in closely sequenced and sequential sets tends to carry its readership with it much more. The drop-off rate on a monolith is exaggerated compared with one issued in serial form. It will be interesting if the simple survey reflects this or states a preference counter to it.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69271 is a reply to message #69269] Thu, 12 March 2015 10:01 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Now, here's the thing. These are the stats after 24 hours:

http://forum.iomfats.org/?t=getfile&id=1793&private=0

There are many things about the that are disappointing. We have a very high bounce rate here, higher than is typical for the site, but the story is good quality. I would not expect a story of this calibre to have such a high bounce rate. And the lack of continuing readership between parts is something I find upsetting. This is the more upsetting since N Fourbois has a loyal readership.

The story is a time consuming, pleasurable read. And that is not reflected, even in item 6 with low bounce rate, by the average time spent on the page. This is more than a four minute read. And what happened to chapter 3?

The current poll results are not yet significant. They may be, soon. If the existing trend continues the preference is split equally, and it will only take a few more replies with that trend unchanged to reach genuine statistical significance, even with so few replies





Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69273 is a reply to message #69271] Fri, 13 March 2015 09:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



The challenge that I see is that the story was advertised, once, and then does not appear again in the emails or the twitter feed, so no new readers are encouraged to read it:

http://forum.iomfats.org/?t=getfile&id=1794&private=0

There are also some things I don't understand. Not all the readers can be downloading for later perusal. So how come Part 5 readers spend so little time on the page? I know there are only 26 of them (or 19), but... And, so far, only 31 folk care one way or the other about the publishing method

I do not think this method of posting does the readership, and thus the author, any service. 



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69281 is a reply to message #69271] Sat, 14 March 2015 11:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ancient_richard is currently offline  ancient_richard

Getting started
Location: England
Registered: March 2015
Messages: 19



People who have so far read only one chapter may go on to read the rest later. When a new story appears, I often read the first few pages to decide whether I like it. If I do, I bookmark it so I can return to it later, when I've finished reading whatever else they are in the middle of reading. If a story is being released in instalments, I often wait till it's complete before tackling it. 

In the case of N Fourbois, I don't need even to look at it to know it's worth reading, so I shall save it up until I've finished current reading matter.



richard
Re: Just One of Those Days, but It Got Better  [message #69283 is a reply to message #69281] Sat, 14 March 2015 14:28 Go to previous message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
ancient_richard wrote on Sat, 14 March 2015 11:35 People who have so far read only one chapter may go on to read the rest later. When a new story appears, I often read the first few pages to decide whether I like it. If I do, I bookmark it so I can return to it later, when I've finished reading whatever else they are in the middle of reading. If a story is being released in instalments, I often wait till it's complete before tackling it. 

In the case of N Fourbois, I don't need even to look at it to know it's worth reading, so I shall save it up until I've finished current reading matter.

--
You make good points. People are seeming to start being pulled through to the next chapter. Even so it is by no means at the rate they are when a tale is released as a part work.

http://forum.iomfats.org/?t=getfile&id=1798&private=0

Put simply,. it is far slower than I would wish. And the time spent on the page, even averaged out, is too low.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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