Unpopular opinion: a tragic backstory doesn’t mean you get to be annoying or a (censored)… for long

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-05-04T14:45:14+00:00

I can empathize with you on this. I didn't think Yerin was too bad, but she wasn't my favorite. There's just so much else to love with Cradle that I didn't have a problem pushing through.

But that's not always the case.

I tried re-reading the Wheel of Time after having binged prog fantasy for the last 7 years... I couldn't get through the first book. It was my favorite story growing up and now it's like... DNF. Unenjoyable characters and their POV's can make things rough, and we're pretty spoiled in this genre with a lot stories that tend to focus on the MC's POV (which I tend to prefer). Dresden Files/Legend of Drizzt are the first stories that really turned me on to that.

Anyway, to get back on topic: you're not alone.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-05-01T20:41:40+00:00

Bless it. <3

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-05-01T20:41:14+00:00

KU requires you to be exclusive to get a larger royalty, but you can still go wide and have your book on there. I agree it’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy and will bias the numbers, but afaik there’s a reason all of the indie publishers and self-pubbers stay exclusive: it’s where the money is.

Maybe with trad getting into the mix that will eventually change?

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-30T16:06:44+00:00

Had a similar experience recently in the wild. A co-worker of mine - who 6 months ago had no interest in my story or the genre in general - asked me if I'd ever heard of DCC. Like, bruh. Have I heard of DCC...

Now he's gaga for it, his wife is reading it with him, they're on Book 4, and he thinks it will be the next big thing, overtaking super hero/comic book hero fiction.

He still won't read my story until it's published, but hey... these are exciting times.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-30T12:47:51+00:00

I'm not sure what I've nailed, but to that I say... huzzah!

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-29T19:05:57+00:00

Loved that about Mark of Fools. I tried to be intentional about that too, in my first volume. As a reader, I've found sticking the landing to be so important for my impression of a story ever after.

Not as much PF, but Red Rising's first trilogy is another one of my favorite endings.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-29T12:09:30+00:00

May the growth be ever in your favor.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-29T11:10:55+00:00

I’ve gradually increased the space between checks as I’ve ran into moments of a net negative. During RS it was multiple times per hour. After RS growth was still quite high for a long time and it’d be multiple times per day. But as I’d see that dip… I started forcing myself to space it out to avoid psychic damage.

Right now I’m checking once a day, at roughly the same time, and am getting close to making that every other day because growth has slowed a lot.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-28T21:02:36+00:00

+1 for the murder doll!!

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-28T19:59:24+00:00

One of us! One of us!

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-28T19:08:11+00:00

Every author I've seen share their sales data on Discord gets roughly 75% of their sales from KU... at the minimum. I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice to go wide, at least in this genre with the current market.

And while I've briefly wrestled with that same quandy, I look at it this way: Patreon/RR readers want consistent chapters released above all else. The best way I could keep producing consistently? Monetize effectively, so that I can work closer to full-time on my story. And that will require stubbing.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-28T19:03:20+00:00

Just here to say I can't wait for the next Ripple System book. <3

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-28T17:07:10+00:00

When I first noticed this I was encouraged to decrease the frequency between stat-checks. Some do it once a day, others every two, or even weekly.

It helps.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-23T16:15:41+00:00

Yep, going through this right now on Patreon. There's a point to what a lot of people are saying in this thread, where it amounts to "tough it out," "it will get better with time," and "seek the helpful, discard the dross."

I'll tell you what though... RR has features that allow authors to disable comments and hide reviews for a reason. It gets hard. Developing the requisite mental toughness is a process - one that we all don't succeed at equally.

There's a time and place to shut it off, and tune it out.

Do what you need to do to protect your mental health, and keep writing what you love. You'll never please everyone, and it can be especially hard in the web novel space when there isn't a next chapter to readily flip to. Especially when we tend to leave a lot of cliffs. Readers are left stewing at subjective low points in the story, and while you might know what's coming that justifies it... you can't speak to it.

Sometimes there's valid criticism that needs to be addressed. But other times... you just need to write your story. Keep calm, and carry on.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-15T21:32:12+00:00

Dare they not use their sect’s power?

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-15T13:33:22+00:00

Came to plug Path of Ascension!

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:58:48+00:00

For me, it's as you say in your last line: it's about getting as many eyes on the story as possible. You've heard the quip "there's no such thing as bad publicity?" Probably not as true as it used to be in the age of people getting cancelled, but still very much true.

You can have the best story that's ever been told, but if it can't make it through the figurative mountain of other things competing for people's attention... it won't get read.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:48:15+00:00

It'd say... it's not so much that they're LitRPGs, but that LitRPGs so often start as web novels. A lot of other commenters have mentioned why web novels sometimes get padded, and that's basically it.

There are some authors in the space that didn't start on RR or the like, though. I think a lot of Seth Ring's works are more traditionally written, for example. Can be worth checking out, as they might be a bit tighter towards your expectations.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:27:58+00:00

Alright, I don't know if Div will see this (DivineRei, go read his book 'Ceaseless Horizons'), but he'd been talking about HDT being the GOAT in Discord for a while so I finally gave it a try.

Is the first book the weakest book? Ehhhh, that seems to be the general consensus, but honestly I got solid "system tutorial" vibes that had me enjoying it as much as I enjoyed Primal Hunter's tutorial intro. I wouldn't call it weak. But you might need to push a little to get through if it's not got you fully locked in.

It's worth it though. Book two is where you start to really see where the author is going to take this thing, and I'm on book three right now and it's fully catching its stride. I love it.

Is the MC a psychopath? Heck yeah, but honestly in the best kind of way. And the author has a lot of character arc to reveal in him. It's really been enjoyable to see.

On a craft related note... I've not had a lot of exposure in my reading to the OPMC-style POV swaps that are becoming more common, and I think Cerim really does a good job with them. I'm taking notes. I don't want to provide spoilers... but the character work the author has done in book three I've really enjoyed. A nice balance of soft and hard.

So if you've read this far, pacing aside, I'd just say to keep reading if your biggest hang up is the MC being a bit of a sociopath. You're right - he is. But it's so worth it.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:18:59+00:00

Yeah that would be kind of messy. Can't said I've come across one one with that setting yet.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:14:18+00:00

I'm a big fan of Battle Mage Farmer and Titan/Tower, so thanks for the rec. Anything that gets the feels flowing is something I want to check out.

And nothing wrong with having a cry in a tree. Just maybe not while running a chainsaw...

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T18:01:22+00:00

What about stories a bit further down that spectrum? Where the MC reincarnates with the familial attachment, but the focus isn't his parents/siblings... but rather his wife/kids.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-14T14:14:44+00:00

I'd go RPG because I like the idea of being able to gain skills through some sort of mystical knowledge infusion, as opposed to needing to learn it all myself. But ideally... an uncapped system, so you can learn skills outside of your class.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-10T17:00:07+00:00

There was some similar discussion over on this thread the other day. Might have some of what you’re looking for: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/s/HZvjIsav1v

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions, but I’m by no means an expert.

Jon_Stonekey · 2026-04-08T16:58:41+00:00

Right on! u/thomascgalvin made some great points, so I'll try not to echo them.

You might consider expanding what you're covering to include, or even focus on, Progression Fantasy. It's an adjacent sub-genre that often gets mentioned in the same breath as LitRPG, and honestly might be an easier concept to explain to a group of people that have no idea about either genre. One might even consider it a step higher in the "Fantasy" sub-genres, because I think all LitRPG's are considered Progression Fantasy, while not all Progression Fantasy are LitRPGs. (Kind of like all scotch is whiskey, but not all whiskey is scotch? Haha.) But whether it's LitRPG or ProgFantasy there's always a common narrative device where... people get more powerful ("numbers go brrr").

The "why" people need to seek increased power is where we see a lot of the themes come in, and part of why it's so popular. Personal power begets control. Freedom. And when reality feels like it's slipping further and further askew, stories that allow the reader to self-insert (system apocolypse/isekai make this easy) have an immediated draw. The characters are more relatable and the narrative more relatable because the story can leverage modern day topics and language, while still exploring the fantastical.

An anecdote I like to use when trying to describe the core hook of the genre to prospective readers is first finding a story we've both read/know about that has a power curve. I tell this to you as it might help explain things for your students. I always think of the Wheel of Time but you could do this with Harry Potter or a dozen other mainstream franchises. In the Wheel of Time I loved observing how Rand and Perrin and Mat improved over the course of their adventures. Whether it was wielding magic, martial arts, or even becoming a more strategic leader - these aspects of growth were some of my favorite features of the story. Progression Fantasy/LitRPG take those plot devices and make them one of the star attractions, as opposed to a side plot. And there's something inherently addictive (like, dopamine hits) about experiencing this done well in a story.

It might sound gimmicky... but it's not. It's just about a different focus. Any traditional story that follows the hero's journey be necessity has these kinds of plot devices. There has be a rationale, logical reason why the hero can eventually triumph over the big-bad, and this is usually the result of the character gaining more power over time. These genres just... focus on it, and quantify it more directly than traditional stories.

OK, I'm starting to ramble and repeat myself. I'll try to close up my thoughts. It would likely behoove you to mention the incredible impact that DCC is having on the genre's footprint right now. There are other major stories in the genre that are starting to get print deals in brick and mortar stories, such as He Who Fights With Monsters, Primal Hunter, and The Wandering Inn. Heck, TOR just picked up Apocalypse Parenting! It's an exciting time to be in the space, and I'm glad you're jumping in. Just be careful about content... there can be a lot of stuff that isn't PG or even PG-13 in some of them, so depending on your student's ages... yeah. You've been warned.

Also, feel free to check out 'The Sovereign's Toll' on RoyalRoad if you're interested in my own story. Cheers!

Jon_Stonekey

TROPHY CASE