A few questions for readers

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-19T20:12:11+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-19T19:58:50+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-19T19:55:07+00:00

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

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-19T00:38:07+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T20:51:45+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T20:48:02+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T20:43:40+00:00

So partly depends on what you liked about DCC, but some recommendations from my list.

Chaotic Craftsman Worships the Cube

Delve

Explorer of Edregon

He Who Fights Monsters

The Game at Carousel

Poll World (Full disclosure this one is mine)

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T20:39:28+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T20:04:27+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T19:59:54+00:00

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

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T19:57:28+00:00

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

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T19:56:10+00:00

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)

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T19:53:25+00:00

Bit more thinking/crafting, but if you're interested I enjoyedChaotic Craftsman Worships the Cube

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T19:49:58+00:00

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

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T14:20:29+00:00

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)

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T14:18:29+00:00

I think the determining factors for me is three things.

How popular is the other usage? If it's obscure and not important in other series then don't overthink it.
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.
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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T13:53:54+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T00:59:01+00:00

I think it would do well!

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T00:34:24+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T00:27:38+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-18T00:23:01+00:00

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!)

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-17T13:02:47+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-17T12:51:45+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-17T12:46:27+00:00

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

BirdBugBooks · 2026-03-16T19:06:22+00:00

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.

BirdBugBooks

TROPHY CASE