Do people read fiction on blogs?
Are blogs a good medium for fiction? I am wondering if people look to blogs as a place for reading fiction? Blog is very popular for advise on technical matters and products, travel tips and a common man's perspective on latest news. But I am wondering if at all there will be people intrested in reading fiction from blogs.
I won't even ask about poetry because I know the answer. Only very few people want to read poery even from books and don't think too many people are keen on even Wordsworth and Tennyson. But fiction everyone likes. So wondering if anyone would read fiction from blogs. Of course lot of people like to write fiction on blogs. And the people who write visit the other people's blogs to encourage them in order to get reciprocal visits. Similarly other genre bloggers visit fiction bloggers to get visits back on their traveI or social topic blog. I am not talking about those people. I am talking the general reader like the ones who buys and reads fiction books. Would they read fiction on a blog?
To be honest, though I have discovered lot of good fiction writers on blogs, if I am not a blogger seeking readers for my blog, I would not be reading. Because even these good writers on blogs do not compare with so many best selling writers from the past 200 years who I am yet to read. So I am trying to understand if what I write will have some audience. If there is really an audience, possibly it might help to start a collaborative venture like Animesh's Story in Pieces rather to provide quality stories to the readers rather than having stories scattered across blog-o-sphere. But priority for me now is to see what people think about there being a market at all for this kind of content.
What Exactly do you really want to know , the word is Really !!!
Whether it is worth writing stories on blog? Whether a website like Story in Pieces can build up the kind of traffic tech and travel sites get? If the answer is no, I will stop writing stories on blogs and explore other media to bring out my stories.
You shpuld never stop the thing you love .
If the content is Great you will surely get the audience it deserves.
Everything happens with Time.
I am not thinking of stopping story writing. I will never stop writing stories. Only I will not put them on blog and try some other means of getting my stories read. I am getting the doubt because I have never really started loving any story blog like story books. So I am wondering if it is the same with others. I think I told you in your interview also that I think fiction is one genre that is most underrated in blog-o-sphere.
The first thing is that people (excludes bloggers ) do not read too much and if they do, they would be looking around for tech reviews and film gossips. The open fact is that the largest audience for bloggers is either co bloggers or google. And for story blogs, the traffic from google is almost nill. If one is really interested in reading a story, one would mostly prefer to read a published book (either in print or in digitral format) rather than roaming around on the blogosphere. o, if you really interested in writing stories and get recognised for the same, spending a year or two in writing the book would be a better option. Blogs, to a certain extent, may help in improving writing skills.
TF - my take on it. Fiction writers enjoy reading other fiction blogs. I personally bookmark some fiction blogs that I really like and do keep stopping by every once in a while to read the latest. There are some really good fiction bloggers out there. As far as blogger reciprocation goes, its true for any and every genre. As far as finding a bigger audience goes, you can find other similar-interest people but whether it would help you take your stories to a whole different level, well, I am not very confident about that unless they are established writers themselves who can help you take your fiction further, but then IMO established writers hardly have time to visit others' blogs. They're busy promoting their own and with good cause, can't blame them. That being said, I also think that you should keep exploring other avenues too like the Penguin Short stories book publication contest, HP, Grey Oak Yuva, Chicken Soup etc.
I do agree with Ranjith above. Its going to be mainly co-bloggers or friends on your Facebook page. Strangers would rather pick up a book or buy one online. And yes, would recommend spending more time on your manuscript to get it published eventually! But keep going! Also, in cases like BAT entries, fiction makes a good genre - and you're guaranteed readers because of the voting (Though there are people who don't end up reading all due to time crunches and stuff, a little unfair but sad!). Oh and my the way, I never read film reviews on blogs :) Don't know why!
Thats what I was thinking - whether I should focus on my blog or more on these other things. Have submitted for penguin. Next need to take a shot at the HP. Don't know what is Greay Oak Yuva.
Just like Chicken Soup collections, Grey Oak Publishers release a book called Urban Shots every year. Its a collection of short stories. And just like Penguin, this year they have asked for love stories as the theme - but this year they want to do it only for people under 24 years of age. They would be coming back to the general audience again next year. Check out their Facebook page.
@ Deepa - Oh. That is limited and love again! I have had enough love for this year - love marriage v/s arranged marriage, love story for penguin and still love story for Harper Collins to go. Can't take any more love this year.
What's the HarperCollins one you've mentioned?
Never mind got it. TF - I was browsing through the discussion topics on the Harper Collins page at IB and came across this. You might want to take a look. http://everything2.com/title/Why+aspiring+novelists+should+write+short+stories?author_id=1184215#Lucy-S
I'll have to agree with Ranjith he put it up well. Unless I stumble upon a good blog with fiction, I don't actively search for them unlike reviews and tech stuff. I however do read such blogs of people whom I already know, and that is the key here perhaps. Moreover the no. of bloggers writing fiction is less (comparitively) than of other genres which Ihave seen myself. If you want to write why not publish a book?
Bloggers read the blogs of people they know. But what about non bloggers? The problem with bloggers is we have to read back. And non once an follow more than 20-25 bliggers. So that limits the number of readers you can have to 20-25 bloggers and 10-15 friends and family. Hardly seems like a great readership.
I have been through that phase and now got enough inspiration over 4 years. So now it is time to re-think what next.
my view is that if you want to get published and don't want to cry hoarse that your idea got copied by smart Alec. restrain.
But you wouldn't use the same story that you publish on your blog in a book, would you?
The whole idea of writing on blogs is to avoid the tyranny of publishers. I was wondering if an online model is possible where a writer can reach reader directly without the intermediation of publishers. But form the opinions of people here, it seems impossible.
first get published, then people will upload e book.
Yeah Pl. But first to get published, someone should agree to publish you, na? And it requires luck even to get past the sub editors and get read by the main editor.
but fool , the short story publishing chances one gets for fresh takes only. like penguin n harper have come up. st those moments one feels drained and st a loss. if he submitted most benrvolent ideas on blogposts.
I have a fiction blog and as per my understanding it's mostly my friends, fellwo blogers and sometimes random people directed by google come to my blog and read stories.
I feel very rarely someone will go online and search for a fiction to read, but once someone is hokked to your writting stle and loves you stories they will come back to your blog again and again !!
Does that happen is what I wanted to know. Do people come to your blog again and again because they love your stories or because they love you - either because you are their friend in real world or you read and leave comments for them in blog-o-sphere.
I agree with what Sweta said!It's generally people whose blogs I visited, they saw me on their blogger friends' comments, they're my friends, etc.I started writing fiction quite late after I started a blog, so the people who initially read it, read that as well. And writing fiction actually got me more readers!A lot of the people who follow my blog only read the fiction pieces. Some are my friends, see the links on FB/Twitter and read it, and some (rarely) get misdirected :P onto my blog due to the tags and Google.
Hi TF. I agree with sweta here. People dont specifically search for fictions, but if a rapport is built with a blogger, they come again to read. Personally, I prefer to read best selling writers like you do. Though if somebody tells me to read a certain blog and if i like it, blogger gets the brand loyalty. :)
That is what I am trying to get an idea of the opinion to see if there is a market - In case if a site like story in pieces is created where everyday a good story comes up, will there be regular readers to make it sustainable?
There's this person called Vivek and he has this 55 word story blog (http://55words.blogspot.in) where there is a new theme everyday and people write their 55stories based on it.That is one site I know gets updated and read everyday.. But over all, in general, I don't think so.
See, Yatin - People do read blogs of travel and tech. And movie reviews and little bit news discussions.
I am new to this blogging syndrom, what i observed in one month of blogging is that the day I posted one fiction I got two follower, one post on our country which was even published by DNA didnt fetch any follower. Moreover with the increase in number of tablets and galaxy note, i think people will read a good story. Global trends also suggest that people are shifting from print to digital.
@ Amit - Even on tabs, e-books are preferred and more convenient than blogs,
TF - Here is an honest answer:
No, people don't read fiction on blogs. They will only if they know you and have liked your stories once or twice. But this enthusiasm fades later. I love fiction and have the patience to read a complete novel at one go, but I have not read your story which you published recently in 3-4 parts (not sure of the name). Why? Because I cannot just read fiction online. I can read TOI or The Hindu news online for hours, but not fiction. P.S. - I do read others of your blogposts in case they are short.
A website like SIP where stories can be published each day to woo fiction lovers sounds a good initiative. However, much care and effort has to be invested before it reaches a wide audience. It may take years..
If I don't read fiction online, how do I expect others to visit my blog to read my fiction? Well, at this stage of blogging, I intend to improve my writing skills. I don't get any "constructive" feedback from any blogger (and I am sure no one does) on how to improve my writing, but I just keep writing because I know it will improve.
Since you have already passed the stage I just mentioned, it's high time you looked for some alternatives. Maybe a collection for shoft stories. As far as I have read you, I am sure you will not be rejected by all publishers. But again, you need to keep writing fiction so as to keep your loyal readers engaged :-).
agree, dude, well said.
I completely agree with Infected Mind. Fiction can't be read on screen. E-reading can only be for getting information( eg: wikipedia) .
Because when you read news, informaion comes into you but when you read a story, you get into the story. You can't get into your computer screen as you get into a book.
You can't enjoy E-reading if you need to slide the scroll bar finish a story. So the story must be too short.
I have to beg to disagree here. Computer screens maybe yes. But e-readers like Kindle and Nook are really capturing the heart of the reader. I love my Kindle and I know many others who do too, but that's not to say that I have stopped reading print. I shuttle between both! I have come to really appreciate the little device that can hold so many books that would have otherwise have been so bulky. And the fact that its got e-ink and not the LCD computer screen. But of course, I am sure I am going to get resistance from print lovers who would swear by hardcopies anyday! :) But coming back to your point TF, even though I love to blog about fiction, I do see your point. Most people would rather read fiction in books than on a blog. Guess that's a good tip for me too to slow down on fiction blogging and concentrate those efforts elsewhere.
It's good if that's possible for you. But for me, its an impossible task to read on kindle or a tab or a laptop. For example,I like Jerome K Jerome and I've downloaded his "Idle thoughts of an Idle fellow". I think that book is not available now. I tried to read it on screen and miserably failed.
@Deepa - It is relavent question for all us fiction writers. We all have to stop and re-evaluate where are we heading. We all love to write stories. We will continue to write. But we need to thing whether we want to keep putting them up on blog or form some kind of group that brings out a magazine (Animesh is attempting to make such a venture) - e-magazine or paper maganzine, or by ourselves create a complilation and then self publishing, traditional publishing or e-books? We need to think about all that.
TF. I would suggest you to start wtv venture u want to start. People who like you already would for sure read you and that will bring more audience. Though new ideas face lots of hardships but you never know when you will set a trend. Moreover, a new fiction daily seems really good. Blogposts have made so many non-readers-readers. And have given so many people who are interested in reading a decent page to follow. Lots of my friends, who had no clue what to read where to read have started reading me(though i dont write that great still) and the pages i recommend to them. They ask me where to go. Again once on hard copy, one still don't know if he/she will be read or not. I feel if you can manage a fictional, interesting read, that is neither too long nor too short, you can fetch much of an audience. Plus social netwroking sites like twitter, google+, and facebook provide extra traffic and recommendations. (I have strength in Hindi Poetry, which I do not publish much in my blog. Plus not many people read it, so i have to struggle alot) Fictions of different kinds are everybody's taste! I got increament in followers after writing a few fictions. People Like them. All the best!
Thanks Shesha. Your one of the very few who seems to encourage such a venture. It requires lots of effort to maintain. That is why so much thought. Other alternative is of course compiling 10-15 at a time into an e-book and selling on Kindle for 99 cents. Money is not important but you can't sell free on Kindle.
Its not bad to sell anything wherein you have put your efforts. But do you think Kindle will bring more readers to you or a specifically designed site? Moreover, you can join hands with some fellow bloggers, who have good grip on fiction. This way you will have better continuity, more variety, more topics/genere and more viewership. You can thus get some sponsors to your site to earn from it (I dont know how it goes though). Think about it and make a plan. And Go for what you think can work better.
I do not know about other people, but I know that I do not read fiction on blogs. I do not even read fiction! At times, I find this peculiar because one of the greatest books that I have ever read was Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Stefan Molyneux has some fictional books available at freedomainradio.com. I may read some of those some day.
@Micky - That is a different problem all together. If person does not like fiction at all, he is never part of one's market anyway. What I am trying to see is people who in fact love fiction - but not reading the same on blogs - trying to understand if medium through which it is offered is so critical for its success.
Contrary to few ppl who said above, I have equal preference reading online or on talblets (I have read many novels on my cell phone! can be irritating at times but I do when I really want to)
Most ppl do prefer reading from a real book in their hands or in some cases an e-book which they get off from the internet for not wanting to buy, otherwise reading fiction from blogs is not something I would do by myself (which I and others already stated) The issue is not reading on a screen, but from random blogs.
@Aditya. So do you think instead of a random blog, if someone gets good writers together and starts a dedicated fiction website, will that find regular readers enough to generate revenues on a sustainable basis?
Yes exactly! that is well what I strongly feel
There is a dedicated fiction web site, although it is mainly used for long stories. Wattpad.com, in case you haven't heard of it.It has people like you and me, writing 13-14-50 chapters with a book cover and everything. A lot of the really popular books are now available as e-books and some of them even got printed! That's why on that site, you'll find some really popular book which looks interesting has like 10 pages, because after being published, it got taken off Wattpad.Anyhoo, I think that site, people use. To put fiction up and read. I use it on my droid and read the stories.But if you go to check how many people read fictional blogs, as opposed to fiction readers, the number is sadly very small. :/
According to me, it is not convenient to read long stories on the computer. I do read books on the cellphone to kill time. But the kindle version or the book itself is my most preferred read. I dont mind reading really short stories from the blog, especially when i trust the blogger to give me a good time :)
I have read a lot of fiction books which are free (from Amazon). I have also noticed that people who release their book free on Amazon, usually write a series with 2 or 3 books following the first one, which probably will not be free. There are some books which are free for some period of time only.
That is what I am trying to get an idea of the opinion to see if there is a market - In case if a site like story in pieces is created where everyday a good story comes up, will there be regular readers to make it sustainable?
I will read any good fiction in my preferred device when i trust the author. So, i would suggest you start broadcasting your fiction, gain trust and loyal followers who will follow into the site also. Social media, FB groups would be helpful here. I would really encourage you to upload a e-book version because it is real hard to enjoy a book on the laptop.
Good Luck!
