Fantasy and Science Fiction on Vocal

Meh. I think the problem isn't you or your incredible talent. It's Vocal. People are reading quickly so they can drum up reads for their own work. Fantasy/Sci fi tends to be longer which means more investment and less payback. Its cynical I know but its part of what makes us sad about Vocal and human nature generally.

This is such an insightful reflection, Stephanie. You’ve articulated a question many writers on Vocal silently share: genre visibility versus audience habit. Your analysis balances honesty and encouragement beautifully.

I'm new here so I don't have the elements to give an opinion, but I will say that maybe it's still too soon to determine a trend for your content here. I suggest you continue to write pieces that leave you feeling fulfilled.

I am not sure. I just started sharing my Sci-Fantasy romance as paid content, but it has only been a month, so I can't tell how it is going yet. I know I stick more to poetry, because I like it, and that was what I have been almost exclusively posting till now, but now you bring it up, I should go and read more fantasy and sci-fi if I want more readers of it. You have given me a perfect place to start.

I think people's attention spans aren't as great for longer pieces thanks to social media and the hits of dopamine that come from scrolling reels etc on various platforms. I try and show support for all of the creators I follow, and I do check the read time on each piece to make sure I have enough time to read and interact in a meaningful way. I have three small kids and not too much free time so I try and read when they're taken care of and won't need me for something within the time frame of whatever I'm reading is. Poetry and small hits are easier for me to get to because of that, but I still take time (Like I am now to read longer pieces). My kids are in bed still so this is my time to catch up. I love reading pieces of all genres as long as they make sense and are somewhat grammatically correct. I don't pay any mind to anything AI generated because I want humans writing the content I am consuming, not AI. I also don't mind a minor typo or writing style etc. If it's a good, cohesive story, I'm in. I actually gravitate towards fantasy etc because I'm sick of politics and real world issues. The world is a flaming dumpster fire and when I read, I'd like it to be an escape from reality. I don't think the platform is the problem... necessarily. I think it's people and those who don't interact. Seems so many people want you to read and comment on their stuff and mention it in their work, but do not reciprocate. Also, the reads vs hearts- I am a speed reader... I sometimes will leave pages open (especially for shorter pieces) to make sure my read counts for the creator. When something says 6 minute read, I can usually complete that in half the time. And I also wonder if sometimes people just open a story, heart it, and leave without reading. In any event, I'm glad you're not giving up! I enjoy your work and look forward to reading more :)

I don't think fantasy and sci fi are a good fit for this platform. They need a novel you can get your teeth into.

One can barely get reads on short pieces if one is not well known or popular, longer pieces tend to get avoided. I have a few series written, but not posted for publishing for the same reasons. Time constraints apply here, there are many factors...people have lots of responsibilities and there are many writers to give a bit of ones time, the short series fit in better there. Unless there is an incentive, I fear things will not change.

Hey thanks for the shout out! Unfortunately the longer a piece is the harder it’ll be to get reads. I’ve had some success with that series fueled by 2 top stories and a third that placed in the leaderboard. Adding in a compendium guide helped too because well Vocal isn’t great for series haha it also comes down to audience building, I’ve been able to bring people in from outside Vocal for it which helps too, Anywho, stick with it! Your work is great

Firstly, thank you so much for the shoutout!! That was super sweet of you. 💕 Secondly, as far as my own numbers go, my long form work doesn't get as much attention as my shorter work ( poetry, micro fiction, etc.. ) but the margin has been getting smaller over time since I've always written in the fantasy genre and thus people expect it. For An End of Gods and Dust, the engagement has been pitiful, with a surge in some comments only after I mentioned them in my other shorter pieces, or when I brought it up to friends and family. It's something I hate about today's landscape; you have to be constantly promoting, or promoting smartly often, to get any kind of readership. Some get lucky by word of mouth, but for a relatively unknown website like Vocal, it's rare. Third: I'm about to contradict myself cause I've been doing this myself lately, but while looking at others' stats to figure out better ways to get your story out there is smart, comparing your writing to others is detrimental to your confidence as a writer. There's always going to be others "doing better" but that does not mean their work is necessarily better. Sometimes they just got more exposure, or more time/energy to pump out more work and promote themselves. Tldr; keep writing. Don't stop. Try some self-promotion if you want to expand your readership! Cause I can tell you - you are a talented writer!

Excellent questions- my instinct would be that varies a lot author to author and reader to reader. Thinking of my own personal habits on Vocal, I find I’m more likely to read the micro fictions and short stories rather than commit to a chaptered series- but that’s my own preference lately