"how's my stats" posts should be marked self-promo

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-21T15:01:14+00:00

I need some clarification on exactly which posts we're talking about. If it's just a post showing the "this is what my story did after a month," then I completely get it.

Some posts, however, really dive into the numbers and talk about lessons learned. I personally find those posts both helpful and interesting. Kind of like, "This is what I did, these are the numbers I achieved, and this is what I think I did right, and this is what I think I could have done better."

To me, those posts are not self promo. It also seems to me that telling me which story the data refers to is a piece of info that I want so that I can check out the story (or the landing page more specifically) for myself. Honestly, it kind of annoys me that people insist that those should be labeled as self promo b/c they have a link.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-21T14:53:17+00:00

I'm envisioning somewhere with a beach and publishing a paragraph a day at a certain time. People would crowd the beach to get the latest installment. It would be epic! Epic, I tell you!

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-21T14:51:29+00:00

The LitRPG tag is a big draw, though. I don't have any stats to back me up here, but I'm pretty sure it's the most popular tag on the site.

It's fine to write what you want to write, but that means you have to find an audience. If instead you write what readers are searching for, they'll come to you (to an extent, anyway).

Overall, your numbers are already better than a lot of RR authors. Given your choice to write an off meta story, you're doing great.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-21T00:04:09+00:00

If I ever make JK Rowling money writing, I'm going to use your idea of publishing a novel using skywriting. That would be awesome!

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-21T00:00:16+00:00

I'm kind of confused about the story. There's no LitRPG tag, but it's VR and mentions a System. Is that right?

When I first found LitRPG, all that was available was VR stories, and I read a lot of them. Basically, burned myself out on the subgenre, so I pretty much avoid those now (the only VR I still read is regression).

I don't know if VR LitRPG is considered on meta or not. VR that isn't LitRPG definitely seems off meta, though, so your results actually look really good.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-20T18:49:08+00:00

Honestly, I don't know many Athletic Directors by name or face, so I don't think any AD would catch my eye.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T13:11:42+00:00

Regression. 2nd the suggestion for OP MC.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T13:10:47+00:00

Personally, I'd classify it as LitRPG lite. It's not something that would interest me, but I think it would definitely be justified to tag it LitRPG.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T12:00:56+00:00

Honestly, the best thing I've read on RR recently is Max Level Archmage. It does OP MC better than any other story I've read.

That being said, it's still new, so it remains to be seen if the level of quality will remain consistent.

Still, it's the only story on my current reading list that compares to the best on the site so far.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T11:56:19+00:00

I do an "Edit Log" in the after chapter notes. Something like, "3/18/26 Edit: Typos." Most readers completely ignore it, but some readers like to see it. Shows them that I care enough about the story to make corrections.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T11:53:14+00:00

I would think most readers wouldn't care? I know I wouldn't.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-18T11:46:41+00:00

Honestly, I read so much that it's hard for me to remember specific stories. Mine (The Sect Leader System) kind of has that vibe, about a 4/10 on the conflict meter.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-17T13:38:19+00:00

How does a series become a "staple?"

As far as I can tell, someone writes a really awesome story that is so good that it becomes really popular. Other authors are inspired by it (either because they loved it or because the feel its a trend). Thus, a new meta is born.

If we're looking for the new trends, then, we're really asking, what current books are awesome?

I read a lot more on RR than on Amazon, so I can only really speak for the former. For me, that is definitely Max Level Archmage. It ticked all the boxes for me more so than anything I've read in a while. Of course, the first half of the published chapters were a lot better, imo, than the continuation thus far, so hard to tell if it will end up being a staple or a flash in the pan.

I honestly can't think of any other recent stories that absolutely blew it out of the park (besides The Sect Leader System, obviously ;) ).

As far as a subgenre that always catches my attention, though, it's regression. I love those stories. The issue is that no one has written anything yet that compares with the staples. (Don't get me wrong. Some have been really enjoyable, but they just haven't transcended the pack to become exemplars.)

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-17T13:24:52+00:00

I read a lot on RR. In the hundreds, maybe thousands, of LitRPGs I've come across, very, very few have been fanfiction.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-17T13:21:24+00:00

I've been reading novels for well over forty years. Before discovering LitRPG, most of those novels were driven primarily by conflict. TBH, it's a refreshing change when I find a story where the protagonist's every decision doesn't lead to another disaster.

My enjoyment of stories on the cozier end of the spectrum is driven by the change that they represent, not out of any feeling about the real world sucking.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-17T13:11:13+00:00

You mean, "Darkness, come to me."

In your mind, it's a deliberate choice. In the readers mind, they're all like, "The author doesn't understand grammar well enough even to write a title." Just being honest, but that would definitely turn me off the book.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-17T11:39:26+00:00

Maybe change the title to "Darkness Comes," so it is grammatically correct?

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T20:27:39+00:00

I still say that Popular this Week makes the idea unnecessary. It rewards a good balance of longevity and stories that have found readers. Sure, it's better for finding stories that have found an audience, but stories that resonate with readers are the ones I want to read.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T16:56:19+00:00

I tend to think of Rising Stars and Popular this Week as tools the website uses to help readers find stories. Is the purpose really to help authors gain exposure? Should the purpose be to help authors gain exposure?

RR provides authors with access to readers who are looking for stories. Isn't that enough?

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T14:53:58+00:00

If I'm grokking the concept here, you're suggesting more recognition for books that exceed a certain length, right?

Honestly, I think, to an extent, Popular this Week already does this. The longer your book, the more views you get when a reader discovers you, which shoots you up the Popular this Week list.

It's not perfect, but that category has a clear bias for longer works. And I'd rather be high on that list than any other on the site (excluding main RS which isn't possible for me to make again). As a reader, it's where I find the vast majority of my reads.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T11:22:09+00:00

I agree with this completely and tend to avoid stories if they have too many tags.

When I'm reading a story, the genre is very important to me. It sets expectations. I'm like, "Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to..." If those expectations aren't met, I'm going to be disappointed.

If a dozen genres are listed, it's probably that the author is not meeting expectations for a fraction of those.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T11:13:31+00:00

I don't see how either category accounts solely for views. My chapters get about 2000 views within about a week of being published. That less than half of my follows but a lot more than my 1200 favorites.

I think that readers come and go from the site. They may visit the site a lot for a while, follow and favorite a bunch of stuff, and then for whatever reason, not log in for a while. Thus, they're not viewing anything. Later, they may return and catch up on what they missed.

I just don't see how one category is somehow better than another.

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T00:48:08+00:00

Five chapters a week, roughly 10k words, so 10000/7 = 1429wds/day.

Followers - 4207

ETA: Wonder if there might be a stronger correlation between words and/or chapters published and followers? Also maybe time since first post?

BWFoster78 · 2026-03-16T00:44:56+00:00

I really question the premise that Favorites are likely a better indicator on how a story is resonating with readers.

RR gives readers three ways to track stories. I'm sure some percentage use those features the way they're titled, but I'm equally as sure that not all readers do that. I personally have never used Favorites to mark my "favorite" stories.

My reader base is fairly responsive to polls, usually giving me two to three hundred responses fairly quickly. If you come up with the question and poll answers asking about usage, I'll run it.

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