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How does one go about promoting a story?


Sinfulwolf

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I’m quite aware of the threads one can make in these forums for just such a purpose. But that really only reaches this audience here, and that really relies on having a catchy title to get someone to click to open said thread. I’m more curious how others go about promoting their work online. 

I know everytime I post a chapter I post it on Tumblr and Twitter, and plug out a notification on the various Discord channels I belong to. But how do you folks go about doing it? And any tips or tricks for others to try and promote their stuff where promotions might catch some attention and draw in them Dragon Prints?

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It’s a chicken-and-the-egg sort of thing, unfortunately, you really need dedicated fans to really help promote, but you need to promote to get enough dedicated fans, otherwise, it’s just advertising yet-another-smut-story.  And with the type of stories posted here, I’m not going to post on FB, under my real name about it.  I do the promote-a-story for my originals, use them as examples on occasion, and tried to have a bigger presence here on the forums; that’s kinda it.  For my potter stories, I did have a yahoo group for it, where I’d post status, etc, but that required people to join up – fortunately, that other archive does have automated alerts to new chapter posts.

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I don’t promote mine either. I’m not proud of this, I just am not comfortable with self-promotion. I wish I did more of it. Wattpad requires promoting which is why I stopped posting there, but it offers methods with which to do it. Reading groups and whatnot. I guess that would be an option. I’ve created a twitter account with the intention of giving writing updates, but somehow it ended up being a political account instead, lol, since I didn’t tell any readers I might have that it exists. I feel like there should be one good place to reach everyone out there who’s interested, but if there is, I haven’t found it. 

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1 hour ago, Desiderius Price said:

Toss in another idea ... Do those halloween/holiday round robins that we like to do, submit a oneshot and maybe pick up some readers that way.

Speaking of which, its time for me to start thinking of my halloween entry! TY DP

Edited by CloverReef
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So far, it’s been a different volunteer stepping forward, as I did for the 2016 one.  It’s definitely fun to have a smorgasbord of different stories, read authors you don’t normally read.  For the holiday 2015, I submitted two stories, one of which was a sequel to my Halloween story.

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43 minutes ago, Desiderius Price said:

So far, it’s been a different volunteer stepping forward, as I did for the 2016 one.  It’s definitely fun to have a smorgasbord of different stories, read authors you don’t normally read.  For the holiday 2015, I submitted two stories, one of which was a sequel to my Halloween story.

I not only missed last year, I also still owe reads and reviews… Last year was horribly busy, and crazy. But this year might prove better!

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I sometimes post in the “Promote a Story” section, but honestly, I mostly do that for stories that I think aren’t likely to attract a lot of viewers – not because they aren’t good, but because they may not be as relentlessly smutty as the rest of what I write.

As for Halloween: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good and have already started my story. 

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23 minutes ago, Sinfulwolf said:

Isn’t there themes and such though? How you starting without that? Or is it just: “Halloween! Go ghoulies!”

It’s sort of “Hallowe’en! Go ghoulies!” Or mostly. :lol:

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Well, sometimes I revisit a theme I used in an earlier submission. And sometimes I get bitten by an entirely new idea. But in general, the primary theme is the occasion, such as Hallowe’en, or whatever anyone celebrates in December, that sort of thing. :lol:

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6 hours ago, Sinfulwolf said:

Isn’t there themes and such though? How you starting without that? Or is it just: “Halloween! Go ghoulies!”

Take a read of the existing ones, (& review :) ):

Just a Halloween element and original is the tradition for the Halloween ones.  Though, I choose to make mine related to my existing stories in some fashion, so in mine, I’ve done:

  • The Phone: A “haunted” phone
  • Sweater: Bullying’s effects (around Halloween)
  • Bones: Teens in a haunted Indian burial ground on Halloween.

For the other round robin, it’s holiday related, so:

  • The Phone, Part II: Sequel to the phone, (holiday followup)
  • Mistletoe Hanging: A teen boy goes to his school’s winter dance
  • Jump: Helping a veteran on Christmas Eve
  • Baby Shark: Two boys around Christmas

And the two boys one, I started having a lot of ideas, too many; so I took the single holiday idea, wrote it, while the rest of the plot bunnies became the longer chaptered sequel, Dale’s Game.

If you do as I do, place it into an existing original universe, don’t expect the readers to have read any of your existing works. (As its kinda why I decided to submit in the first place, to hopefully lure some readers in to my other stories.)

Edited by Desiderius Price
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Last year was my first year participating, even though I’ve been on this site since… forever. (I feel like I should technically be like an ancient AFF forest spirit by now) I was just finishing up Cold Snap when Halloween rolled around so I was feeling the loss so it came right at the perfect time for me to jump into a oneshot. I have no idea what the promotion factor is on these stories. Like in theory it makes sense that it’s a good way to reach readers you wouldn’t normally reach. But mostly, for me, the Halloween anthology was a bonding experience with the other writers of AFF.  Getting little glimpses into everyone’s writing styles and review styles, learning how much DP’s characters hate clothes. Just like a big, AFF-style group hug. 

Edited by CloverReef
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9 hours ago, CloverReef said:

...learning how much DP’s characters hate clothes. Just like a big, AFF-style group hug. 

What a coincidence, I hate wearing clothes too…..  :P 

Promotion is basically marketing; where you’re trying to gain readership.   So, if contributing a story to a round robin gains me a reader or two, that’s GREAT!  Even still, I do have fun writing them, so there is that.

 

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13 hours ago, Anon said:

Post on your personal facebook to all your friends

Sometimes, like when it comes to linking to writing and art, I regret filling my facebook friends list with uber russian orthodox catholic family and childhood friends, lol. I can think of a couple who would absolutely 100% read a story if I put it up there, and every one of them would be horrified and try to save my soul. Another reason my twitter isn’t under my real name. They can’t find me there!!!! Woooooh! 

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