Blogger
keeps statistics on the number of views or hits that posts receive. Not long
ago one of my posts received over 16,300 views. I confess this was unusual for
me. I am far from a famous author. And so I am still not certain why this happened.
Honor bright, I couldn’t discover a reason for that much interest in a single
post I’d written. The blog is titled “Ten Tips for Writing Short Fiction that
Sells.”
I googled
in an effort to discover why this happened. Had an influential individual
recommended the blog? Are there that many fellow writers interested in getting
info on success in short fiction writing? I thought the second might be
possible because I hear from a lot of editors that they are overwhelmed by the
number of submissions as never before. I credit this to the ease of using the
internet for submissions these days. However, Google gave me no clues to
solving this mystery.
I would
very much appreciate your input. So if you have a possible solution for this
puzzle, let me know. With so many blogs on the net these days, no one can
expect to draw a great many readers. But, needless to say, they are very
welcome!
I have no real answer, but tend to believe that people want to sell their work, and they believe selling lots of short fiction is more lucrative than something longer, like a novel or novella. It could also be that with our short, 'sound-byte' attention spans these days short fiction is more attractive to some people. Personally I've never been able to write short (as this comment attests) so I don't pay much attention to it. Failing a more rational explanation, could it be just a hiccough on the part of Google? (I hope not, as your posts are always worthy of being read.) Susan, aka Janis
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan, for your thoughtful response. I do agree that the attention span of readers via internet has shortened considerably. It's also true that short fiction publications often end up paying out more and upfront than book publishers. I've had that experience myself.
DeleteThis is one of those mysteries that doesn't need solving...it was a great post.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings
PamT
Thanks, Pam. I appreciate your comment.
DeleteMy guess would be that the number of hits has nothing to do with the quality of your post (which is always high) but instead was the result of bots somewhere. When I look at the map to see who is reading, and see Russia dark green, I discount the high numbers. Your post snagged the attention of a computer somewhere.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteThat is helpful info. Thanks for commenting.
An interesting mystery, Jacqueline, and I wish I had the answer. If you figure it out, I'd like to know. It raised another question in my mind. With all those people reading your blog, did you see a corresponding hike in sales for your published books?
ReplyDeleteEarl,
DeleteTruthfully, there's been no increase in sales for any of my work due to the increased number of blog views. I really wish there was!
Although I agree there's increased interest in writing short fiction, that seems a bit over the top! You are consistent about posting good, reliable information. Maybe you've just hit the point all those internet marketing gurus say is the tipping point for your blog.:) Although I agree, it's more likely a robot error.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. It could be a robot thing. Hope it happens again sometime!
Techno-dunce that I am, I have no clue but the numbers sound fantastic! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI wish it worked for all my other blog, but alas it hasn't so far. Thus the mystery.
DeleteIt's hard to know what might impact those stats. It's like trying to figure out what causes the bumps in sales on amazon. The websters might be trying to drive us crazy.
ReplyDeletePat,
DeleteI really wish I had the answers. It's just so peculiar.
Maybe others think writing short stories is a quick way to get into the publishing business. I wrote a short story for an anthology and hope to write more. I'd already copied your tips for shorts. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Carole,
ReplyDeleteThere is no free lunch as they say. Short story writing is demanding and competitive. But there is great satisfaction when a story is accepted and published and paid for.
Bobbie Christmas referenced your article in her ezine. The link no longer goes to the article. I'd love to read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information. I'll certainly check out Bobbie's ezine. Here is the reference to my article:
http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com/2017/08/ten-tips-on-writing-short-fiction-that.html
I hope it proves useful to you!