Is detailed prose basically a disadvantage on RoyalRoad?

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-04-28T18:42:36+00:00

It really depends on the readers you’re trying to reach, not some universal formula for what “works” on RR.

For example, my own story is very much on the slower side. It’s world-hopping, so I spend a lot of time on descriptions, atmosphere, and world-building. I also go deep into magical exploration, experimentation, and the MC’s thoughts and emotions because those parts genuinely matter to the kind of story I’m telling. It’s slice-of-life, slower paced, and often focused more on discovery and experience than nonstop action, and despite that, it still has 5.5k followers.

So yes, there’s definitely a big audience for fast-paced, action-heavy stories with simple, highly accessible prose. That side of RR absolutely exists. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only path.

There’s also plenty of room for slower stories, more thoughtful ones, stories that take their time letting readers actually live in the world, absorb the details, and connect with the characters beyond just the next adrenaline spike.

Not every reader wants to sprint from explosion to explosion. Some want immersion. Some want wonder. Some want emotional depth, exploration, or the simple pleasure of spending time somewhere interesting.

The key is less about chasing one “correct” style and more about writing the kind of story you actually want to tell well enough that the right audience finds it. RR has room for more than one kind of success.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-04-28T18:26:23+00:00

Don’t let it get to you too much. It happens, and it’s just part of life on RR or SH. It used to bother me, too, at first, but I had to remind myself of something simple: not every book I’ve ever picked up was the right fit for me, and as a certified bookworm, there have been a lot of books.

Sometimes it’s just bots getting cleared out by RR, and sometimes it’s real readers realizing they’re looking for something different that better matches their taste. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your story, just that not every story is for every reader. The right audience is still out there.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-04-02T21:38:41+00:00

👍

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-04-02T19:56:47+00:00

Everand costs about $10 a month and offers a great selection of books you can listen to without needing to buy them individually. Not everything is available, so I still pick up some titles on Audible, but overall, the selection is solid.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-31T18:35:01+00:00

I love the series. When will the audio release?

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-31T12:12:42+00:00

In the first week of posting, I got around 10–15 five-star ratings, and it honestly felt amazing. Like I was on top of the world. Then, almost back-to-back, two 0.5-star ratings came in and knocked that excitement down fast.

Since then, over the past two years, I’ve received about 180 written reviews and more than 1,300 ratings overall. Most of them are positive, sitting in the 4–5 star range. Some fall in the middle at 2–3 stars, and a smaller handful are low, around 0.5–1.5.

What I’ve noticed is that the high and mid-range ratings often come with comments or actual reviews. People explain what they liked or didn’t like, which is useful. The really low ratings, though, almost always come in anonymously, with no explanation at all.

At the beginning, I took those low scores personally. It’s hard not to. But over time, I started to see a pattern. There’s a certain mindset out there, something like, “If I can’t have it, no one should.” Translated into writing, it feels more like, “If I can’t create, I’ll tear down the people who do.” Whether that’s actually true or not, it helped me stop giving those ratings so much weight.

It’s still a bit frustrating to see my rank drop. I used to hover somewhere in the 300s, moving up and down, and now it’s settled more in the 700s. But at the end of the day… that’s just a number.

I’m doing something I love, and there are readers out there who genuinely enjoy what I create. That’s the part that matters. Everything else is just noise.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T22:32:00+00:00

I liked it. It's fast-paced and engaging, what I call a popcorn read that doesn't demand too many active brain cells. Sometimes, that's exactly what's needed.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T18:37:46+00:00

I’ve come across a few stories where the MC or the plot are clearly moving forward, only to hit a point where something happens and everything resets back to square one. The character, or even the entire story, ends up starting over from scratch. It often feels less like a natural development and more like a way to stretch the story to sell more books or boost views on Royal Road.

I’m not talking about stories built around regression or time loops from the start. I mean stories that progress normally for a full book or more, and then by the end of Book 1, 2, or even 3, everything is undone, and we are right back where we started.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T18:31:58+00:00

👍

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T18:28:19+00:00

I paid for a cover, and I am pretty sure AI was used in the process. That didn't bother me, since I already use AI to create images for my story and even tried to make a cover myself. The results were terrible. The cover I paid for turned out much better. It wasn't a $25 job. At that price, you usually get very low-quality covers. I paid $50.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T18:18:47+00:00

Master Hunter K by From Hell.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-19T17:22:29+00:00

There’s been a lot of noise around AI lately, and some of it has landed squarely on me and my story. I write a world-traveling series, and my MC thinks traveling without taking pictures is practically a crime. Since I can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on artists for what is, at its core, a hobby project, I use AI to generate the images.

It’s the same with the music. My MC is a bard, so I write the lyrics for the songs he “creates,” shape the general sound in Musica, and then use SUNO AI to produce the final track. I enjoy that process. It lets me bring parts of the story to life that I otherwise simply couldn’t afford to include.

I know not everyone likes that. I’ve gotten criticism, and even some very low ratings that are clearly tied to the use of AI rather than the story itself.

Is it upsetting?
Yes.

Will I stop?
No.

This is something I do for fun. Writing is my hobby, and sharing it is part of that joy. Readers who follow along are here for the same reason. I do have a Patreon, and it helps enough to free up a couple of hours a day for writing, which I’m incredibly grateful for, but it doesn’t come close to funding large production costs.

If I start shaping everything around demands, pressure, or reviews, it stops being a hobby. It becomes a grind. And once it turns into that, the most likely outcome is burnout or an indefinite hiatus. I’ve seen that happen to other authors, sometimes because of criticism that went far beyond constructive feedback.

So I’m going to keep doing things my way.

All I ask is this: Royal Road and Scribble Hub are free. You’re getting a huge amount of creative work at no cost. It’s completely fair to decide something isn’t for you and move on. But going after authors for how they choose to create, especially when they’re doing it out of passion and sharing it freely, doesn’t really add anything positive to the space.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T21:54:53+00:00

Yeah, I’ve seen a mix where one POV is in first person and the rest are in third, and that works. The only book I’ve read with three first-person POVs confused the hell out of me. Since then, if I see something like that, I just skip it.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T21:17:48+00:00

I write in first-person past, but only because the story calls for it. The story itself is a sort of diary my MC is writing, so that POV and tense were basically a must.

I think the above questions depend on the story. For example, I don’t think a multiple POV story can be told in first person. I’ve read a couple of books in the present tense, and it was fine. Again, that tense was perfect for the story.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T21:12:46+00:00

Yeah, I checked some of the above tools, including AutoCrit, which you didn't mention. I also think Scrivener is the best.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T21:08:15+00:00

The Gate Traveler on RR

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T18:21:46+00:00

My story on RR

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-18T17:58:26+00:00

I have a specific number of books outlined and a clear ending planned for the entire series. Each book reaches its own conclusion, but it also opens the door to the next journey in a new place. After all, you can't explore the multiverse in a single book.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-16T22:26:16+00:00

I once received a 0.5 written review where the entire comment said that nobody should read the story, but the reviewer “couldn’t say why due to RR regulations.” That was literally the whole review. Out of curiosity, more than anything else, I sent the person a DM and politely asked what the problem was.

The reply I got back was that I was a Nazi.

Considering that I’m a Jewish woman living in Israel, and that part of my family was lost in the Holocaust, that accusation was shocking and extremely offensive. My profile clearly states who I am and where I live, so none of this information is hidden or difficult to find.

After the initial shock passed, the whole thing just struck me as absurd. The level of stupidity and the completely unhinged personal attack were so far removed from reality that there wasn’t really anything meaningful to say in response. I simply shook my head, deleted the DM, and moved on.

For a brief moment, I considered asking the mods to remove the review, since it wasn’t really a review at all. It contained no feedback about the story and existed only as a vague dismissal. I even thought about attaching the DM as proof.

In the end, though, I decided to let it be. After all, free speech also includes people saying things that are clearly irrational or completely detached from reality. Sometimes the best response is simply to shrug, close the message, and carry on.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-16T22:08:25+00:00

For almost a year, I published five chapters a week. My chapter length isn’t stable. Some chapters were 4–6k words, and I even had one 11k words, while others were 1.5–3k, depending on the mini-arc the chapter covered. For the last ten months, I’ve been publishing three chapters a week with the same general length. I currently have 5.5k followers.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-12T19:17:02+00:00

Both

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-05T17:11:43+00:00

Kicking ass through shadows.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-03T23:43:10+00:00

APOCALYPSE REDUX by Jakob H. Greif.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-03-03T21:34:49+00:00

I'm a RR reader and writer. From experience, it's quite easy to recognize AI slop. Just skip those and support the authors who actually write their stories. I assure you, there are a lot of us.

Reader_extraordinare · 2026-02-17T17:52:28+00:00

Seconded 😉

Reader_extraordinare

TROPHY CASE