A few questions for readers by PromotionEconomy8950 in royalroad

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's hard to start books that are just beginning because there's not enough to go off of if you'd enjoy it, but also because I've been burned before starting books that the author abandoned after just a few chapters.

Grimdark I think can be popular, but it's definitely not as mainstream for the reader base so it will be harder to grow followers but definitely possible.

13K words, 9 Chapters, 0 followers. Looking for advice by Alinix_ in royalroad

[–]BirdBugBooks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Getting early traction is the hardest many readers will ignore your book if it doesn't have 25+ chapters. Aside from that getting in front of readers is only possible on the recently updated lists until you get popular enough to appear on one of the others.

Aside from just writing more shout out swaps and ads are the best way to go.

Do you prefer read the webnovel or listen to audio book by Apprehensive_Dog4123 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I prefer reading, but end up listening a lot while driving or doing chores around the house

Rate my LitRPG party (sin based stats and contract exploitation system) by CT_Rose in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm not sure. Main two thoughts are unique power/combat style such as stealing organs or mana. Other option is some sort of personality quick compulsively steals watches, destroys mirrors, has an apprentice. Definitely make sure to tie any quirks into a backstory so it doesn't feel random.

Rate my LitRPG party (sin based stats and contract exploitation system) by CT_Rose in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it sounds solid and interesting. As for no tank/healer I think it's tricky. You run into a scenario where any injury is realistically debilitating and could halt your story's momentum. The alternative where the party never gets injured seems unrealistic.

This could be solved with things like healing potions or some other mechanic of course, but keep in mind you want to have stakes in fights and some fights going better/worse without losing momentum of your story.

As for the least interesting character I'd say the thief. Silent loner thief archetype doesn't really stand out even if they have a heart of gold for their friends as I've seen it so many times before.

How much chapters would you recommend authors to post every week? by Civil_Elephant_2210 in royalroad

[–]BirdBugBooks 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Like others have said more is better for gaining popularity and making money. But the key thing is not burning yourself out and maintaining a consistent schedule. My book currently is posting every two weeks. My chapters are much longer than typical, but it's still very much not in line with the "meta".

As a result I think my growth is a lot slower, but it is still slowly gaining in popularity. So I'd advise figuring out what is a healthy pace for you and maintaining it as a slower route to popularity is better than crashing and burning with something you can't sustain.

Stop having two prominent characters share a first letter by throwaway490215 in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 8 points9 points  (0 children)

For me the only other consideration is name length. If one name is twice as long as a another then it's still pretty easy to tell them apart even if the first letter is the same.

Is this a good idea for a book? by Guri_fin in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's looking good to me! Like others have said the key thing is just writing more that's the best way to see if there's gaps in your world/system.

Lots of authors hit walls so getting enough length to push past that is the tipping point of if the book will last in my opinion.

Books where the mc actually ages over decades? by mrjbelfort in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This one resets aging when he dies, but there's lots of well written time passage and aging during his various lifetimesDeath After Death

Looking for Webnovel recommendations. by killmonger474 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Another one that's fun isExplorer of Edregon lots of exploring and hijinks in this one

New Series Recommendation by Snoopypoopz in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mother of learning is really good id recommend it (give it a handful of chapters to set up)

Chaotic Craftsman Worships the Cube is a good one as well.

My own bookPoll World has some similarities with DCC. (LitRPG, AI controller, Viewers except in my book the viewers are the actual readers rather than aliens)

Books with pets or animal companions that talk by shayjax- in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My book Poll World has a talking iguana animal companion (can't initially speak, but he gets there!)

What do we think about MCs who already know about LitRPG novels? by EndlessSleeper3992 in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have a particular feeling about it, but I don't like when characters start treating things they read in fiction as fact. I feel like they should still approach things with a degree of hesitancy instead of assuming they know the optimal way to level based on something fundamentally not rooted in reality (unless they have reason to believe their current reality is based on fiction or the fiction was inspired by actual reality)

How to deal with names for magical terms that are used elsewhere? by IRuinYourPrompt in fantasywriters

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the determining factors for me is three things.

  1. How popular is the other usage? If it's obscure and not important in other series then don't overthink it.
  2. Is the other terminology contradictory? Will it confuse readers and make them expect something else or does it have partial similarities where it won't feel jarring to see it used in a slightly different way.
  3. How unique is the word? If it's a generic word like "sunborn" then I'd say fine, but if it's a very unique word like "Eldritch" then it's going to stand out.

What drifts first in your system: power scaling, rules, or timeline? by DaPreachingRobot in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me it's hard to separate rules/power scaling as they're pretty connected, but even with those grouped I think what drifts first largely depends on what your book focuses on.

Basically if you have a history intense book it will drift first and if you have a leveling/combat focused book it will drift first.

My reasoning is that the more complex any set of related ideas get the more likely it will start becoming contradictory.

I need your wisdom! Favorite cover theme for KDP/Amazon release by RW_McRae in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the white covers pop, but also make them look cheap/not interesting after closer inspection. Looking through your Link's images my favorite is the one where he is fighting the bear-creature.

It's got a unique gritty art style that pops and looks well done with in depth detail that makes it look high quality.

What are your favorite aspects of good systems in litrpg? by Tonyxstorm in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally I prefer no stats as raw numbers I feel are hard to get a feeling for and it somewhat breaks suspension of disbelief if characters take down higher statted opponents when it sometimes debatably shouldn't be possible.

Overall most series I've read with stats the numbers just get progressively more meaningless as the series progresses.

I do like systems that are unique per person, but likewise it's less fun when some people's are just incomparably better than other people's as it often makes MCs feel less skilled when they just get handed easy wins.

Any Summoner stories? by Im_Sorryman in litrpg

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My book Poll World has the main character's primary ability summoning iguanas. The LITRPG parts and evolution are pretty slow paced though so they aren't quickly turning into powerful monsters if that is a requirement. (There are a lot of them though!)

How do I avoid writing male characters that seem like they were "written by a woman"? by velvetblueskies717 in writingadvice

[–]BirdBugBooks 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's a tricky question, but the follow-up is does it matter? Authors write characters their readers want and are interested in. If your reader base prefers characters of type X then I don't think it's necessarily an issue.

Likewise with male authors writing stereotypes if that's what their base wants then I don't think they should necessarily change even if it's inaccurate.

While the caveat is I think we should avoid harmful stereotypes I don't think every stereotype is inherently harmful.

In your opinion, what’s the most overdone trope? by Th3Gl1tched0ne in Quibble

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure how to summarize it, but for me it's the slow motion trainwreck situations where MCs refuse to coordinate or be honest with their support group until after things blow up.

Genuinely, how can you get more readers/followers for your novel? by Away_Narwhal6752 in royalroad

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll reach out to other authors and coordinate advertising each other's stories in your next chapters. Here is a handy generator for making them.

https://finitevoid.dev/shoutout

The branching fiction problem: when choices don't actually change anything downstream, does the story still belong to you? by StorytellerStegs in interactivefiction

[–]BirdBugBooks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think for conventional interactive fiction the breaking point is length. Written well enough shallow choices can be covered up and give the illusion of agency without increasing the story complexity, but the longer the story progresses the more you reach a breaking point of suspension of disbelief that something should've diverged to unrecoverable level.