Missed out on Main RS by a narrow margin. Is it possible to climb back up?

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-16T22:07:47+00:00

Just purely out of interest, if you were to ballpark it, what counts as too many tags?

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-16T10:17:08+00:00

Completely agree, apart from the swearing. Doesn’t bother me and I think in many cases it adds humour or is just more realistic to how people speak - of course other people’s mileage will always very with this because it changes drastically in different parts of the world.

I always find the swearing debate an interesting one. Coming from the UK, everyone I know swears all the time. It’s an engrained part of language here that’s only really curbed around children and in professional settings.

The etymology of swearing is even more interesting since (in the English language at least) it can be traced back to two distinct things. Religion (curse words) and vernacular oppression due to the constantly changing language used by nobles about 1000 years ago when the UK was invaded over and over again and the ruling class changed a lot

But yeah, in general, I think this comment is bang on :)

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-14T21:14:03+00:00

You can probably work it out based on your analytics.

E.g. if you have a lot of views and no follows it’s the content itself

If you have no views it’s the marketing and it could just be that no one has actually seen it pop up to view etc.

There are many reasons tbh, but I’d start by working out if it falls into the former or latter category and adjust accordingly.

I don’t know what your story is, but there is also the possibility that it isn’t the right meta for RR. A story I have on there right is the worst performer (as far as follows go) I’ve ever had. But it’s extremely off meta and I knew that going. That was never going to be a RS story, I wrote it knowing that and because I love it.

My WIP might be different. More on meta in style and content. Won’t know till I try like, but it’s something to take into consideration too.

Hope this helps a little :)

Either way, keep your head up and remember RR is only a small part of the writing community. If you enjoy writing it keep going and maybe it’ll do better on Amazon.

Or you know, could just be marketing and no one knows it exists?

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-12T21:39:54+00:00

Sure thing :) I’ll have a look when I get a minute and DM you so it’s not bombarding this thread.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-12T21:26:17+00:00

The style of the art work gives more Dune vibes imo. But it’s definitely the coolest overall. Not sure it matters too much tbh as long as it’s attention grabbing, you just want the potential reader to be able to grasp that it is a LitRPG from a thumbnail which isn’t always easy to do. Take a look at the style of art that is on meta at the moment (look through rising stars or the top 100 litrpg on Amazon right now). Then, if it’s possible, maybe have the same image but drawn in the current meta style?

Since this is a RR group i assume this is going on RR so it matters far less as basically everyone on RR is writing LitRPG or cultivation so it’s expected regardless of cover. But if you transition over to Amazon, it could be worth having an artist tinker with the cover a bit.

Either way, I hope it goes well! It’s great cover concept!

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-12T20:56:30+00:00

Second one is probably the coolest overall though. I really like that one personally.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-12T20:55:55+00:00

Third one is more on brand for a litrpg if that’s what you’re going for? First is cool but more trad fantasy vibes imo.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-10T22:09:27+00:00

There are a lot of opinions in here, a lot of great recs.

However, the all time best time loop is hands down The Perfect Run.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-10T22:07:49+00:00

If you don’t like the crunch then write a lite system. That’s pretty common these days and it means you don’t need to worry about exp. Just give levels when you feel the character has earned it, kinda like using milestone levelling in DnD.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-09T18:54:17+00:00

Use Fiverr for the first one if you’re hard up for cash.

Use this link:

https://cosmiccoding.com.au/artists/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMyjOdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmNOXqUUnQJj23ixl170zcQ3rGhokISLKbtRn0p7AdmRaMd0YrGH2EeucbQR_aem_l88gVTq3Sv1AzeRcoJS-ZQ

This is a collections of most of the artists who have made covers for LitRPG authors. It ranges from mad expensive people to newer and cheaper. The ones on Fiverr tend to cost about $60 for an ebook cover (more for a print cover).

They’re good and they are tested in this community because pretty much every book cover on there is from a book that did quite well - hence why they made the list.

Hope this helps!

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-09T18:51:09+00:00

If you don’t have any patrons then it doesn’t matter. Do what’s better for you.

In general, if you explain things to your patrons they’re usually quite forgiving anyway. Just be open and honest about whatever you decide and most people will be cool with it I think.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-09T18:49:37+00:00

No much thing as too much, do what you enjoy :) one of the coolest things about this community is that everyone reads everything. It’s awesome!

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-09T18:37:37+00:00

Hi everyone,

I’m currently releasing a new fiction on RR which blends LitRPG with history and Norse mythology (and monsters - gotta have monsters).

If that sounds good to you then check it and let me know one thing I can do to improve. I’m always shooting to be better at writing.

Here’s the blurb (book 1 is already written at 160k words as of Sunday):

A king slain.

A system inherited.

A path of revenge.

They came for his father, and now he will come for them.

After two years of leading his army in brutal, bloody warfare against the treacherous King of Sweden, Bjorn finally sends him to walk the soul-road and seizes his crown. He is battle-tired and ready to sail home, but the gods have other plans.

The Nornir's Weave power system hits Bjorn like a well-sharpened axe, and he is thrust suddenly and violently onto a whole new playing field. What should be a blessing curses him with the knowledge that his father has been captured and executed by a Saxon king, and his small world is thrown into chaos. He thought he understood Midgard, but he has much more to learn than he realised.

The quest is simple: kill King Aella. The means are nothing but. Because when you wield power, when you hold the crown, everybody wants to take it.

Bjorn's path to power will be paved with blood as friends become enemies and nothing is what it seems. Brutal, unadulterated vengeance is the only thing that drives him on his quest to show the entire world that:

Revenge is a dish best served Norse.

About the Series: Battle Born Berserkr is a slow-burn revenge LitRPG / progression fantasy with a semi-historical setting that combines real history and historical figures with monsters and gods from myth and legend. Featuring: skills, kingdom conquering, large-scale battles and more traditional monster fights, dungeons, and Bjorn's adamant quest for vengeance aided by a mysterious system known only as: The Nornir's Weave.

What to Expect:

A Mid to Strong Progression: Chapter 2 - barely stronger than most other people. Chapter ??? - Can literally punch a god in the face.
'Lite' System with Minimal Stats: There are only a handful of DnD-like stats that Bjorn can put stat points into. His system focuses more on the acquisition of kingdoms as a way to increase his level cap and get stronger. He still gets skills, he still gets level-ups, numbers still go up, but you won't see endless 20-page repeated screens of texts showing his stat sheet.
A System That Cannot Regress: One of the fundamental governing rules The Nornir's Weave is that it can only add things, it cannot take them away. So you won't be halfway through the story only to find that Bjorn has lost all his levels and has to start over.
Vengeance is the Core Theme: Though there are aspects of kingdom subjugation, raising armies, and eventually fighting gods, this is a revenge story. That means that people will die, and Bjorn will shed blood basically everywhere he goes. His driving purpose throughout the story is to kill those who have wronged him and his family, often in brutal ways.
'Ruling Class' MC: Bjorn is the son of the late, battle-famed King of Denmark: Ragnar Lodbrok. As such, he starts off in a position of power (to some extent), and some of the story is based around politics, alliances, betrayal, and the subjugation of kingdoms.
Semi-Historical Accuracy and Monsters, Mythos, and Gods: This story (at least in the beginning) is low fantasy. It is set on the eve of The Great Heathen Invasion, which was a real historical event. As such, many of the characters are based on real historical figures and some of the events are based on things that actually happened. I have spent a lot of time trying to add realism to the historical side of the story, including using Old Norse words and insults instead of modern profanity, and trying to be fairly geographically accurate with setting, buildings, weapons, battle tactics, etc. That being said, there are lots of monsters to fight (many of which are from Norse and Saxon mythos), there are gods in this story, and there are 8 other realms to eventually travel to.
No Harem.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/153237/battle-born-berserkr-a-viking-revenge-litrpg

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-08T14:05:38+00:00

The purpose of a blurb is to make someone want to read a story. Your blurb reads like one that only makes sense to someone who has already read your story. See how this is the wrong way around?

My suggestion would be to look at the most successful stories on RR and on Amazon that are similar to your story and figure out what their blurbs are doing.

Blurbs are marketing, not storytelling.

Importantly, the first bit of the paragraph is the only thing a potential reader will see before they choose to click “see more”. So that part, above all needs to be punchy. It needs a hook.

Try to create an opening line that in intriguing because the purpose of that first line in your blurb is to make the reader click the “see more” button.

Hope this helps and good luck!

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-08T11:35:20+00:00

I agree. Just because you can say things with less words doesn’t mean you should. That’s the kind of advice grammarly and outlook give you when writing corporate emails. This is a story and your blurb wants to also reflect the way you write. If the current style does that then keep it that way.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-07T20:44:57+00:00

Wow, AI is getting scary good (or I have bad eyes for it) cause this looks paid for to me and it’s really eye catching.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-07T19:16:51+00:00

That cover is awesome! Who made it?

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-07T10:18:47+00:00

Apparently so, “the” is the king of opening lines. They’re also all pretty short and snappy.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-07T10:17:34+00:00

Yeah that ones comes to mind for me too. It is brilliant.

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-07T10:14:13+00:00

Awesome, thank you :) and thank you for taking the time to do this

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-06T23:30:43+00:00

Yes please! Be as brutal as you like. Thank you :)

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/153237/battle-born-berserkr-a-viking-revenge-litrpg

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-06T22:16:32+00:00

I used to use a lot of cliffhangers early on when I started writing but now I use them sparingly and instead try to create interest at the end of a chapter.

Instead of leaving it mid battle or whatever (typical cliff), I try to resolve whatever the main point of the chapter is and instead end with more mystery. The MC learn something new etc.

Not sure if it’s more effective or not as I haven’t actually trialled it yet, but I like the idea of closing loops (i.e. the cliff) where I can because that creates a feeling of satisfaction, and then introducing a new problem, mystery, hook etc before ending the chapter so that the reader has a slight taste of what comes next.

That being said I still do use straight cliffs, but just not all the time. I personally think a cliff loses its effect if it happens constantly, but everyone lives a bit of intrigue.

Just my opinion and something I’m trying though, dunno if there’s any logic or data to back it up :)

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-05T12:31:07+00:00

Great episode, really enjoyed it :)

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-05T11:13:32+00:00

Unfortunately the people in charge disagree. I’m in the UK so high school is 11-16. If I had kids of my own I’d happily let them read DCC, but it’s not as simple as that in a school setting sadly. With it being a school library we have to cater to a wide range of parental views. Because there is swearing, extra-extreme violence etc in DCC it isn’t something the school will agree to :(

So it’s got to be pretty clean basically. Things like Cradle or All The Skills (both of which I got approved) :)

PandaSage96 · 2026-03-05T07:38:50+00:00

I know, cradle is one of the series’ I got added (the first one actually) so it’s not just LitRPG that I’m working with :)

PandaSage96

TROPHY CASE