How can new writers get their work noticed—and does boosting each other’s numbers help? Boosting each other’s numbers within small circles can raise stats in the short term, and occasionally you’ll meet real readers, but Utsudo cautions against relying on it. Fewer people are reading while just as many are writing, so exposure ultimately comes back to quality, along with finding channels that help readers find the stories they’ll love.
Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.
Recently I dropped by the community section of a fiction platform and saw many newcomers supporting and cheering each other on. It was clearly a positive activity, yet a question suddenly popped into my head.
The myth of boosting each other’s numbers in small circles
So many people love creating and work hard to promote themselves so they won’t be drowned in the crowd. That’s a positive thing. The problem is that boosting each other’s numbers within small circles may raise the stats in the short term, but it doesn’t mean much in the long run.
Of course, some might say that since I’m a somewhat established author, I can’t understand the struggles of newcomers at the bottom. But honestly, that’s exactly where I started—no resources, no connections, and I don’t even like deliberate socializing. I climbed up step by step, so I understand your loneliness and anxiety all too well.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, boosting each other isn’t purely negative. Among these people, special feedback can arise—meeting real readers, giving good works a better chance to be seen, or even finding like-minded writer friends.
Exposure ultimately comes back to quality
Because you worked so hard on your work, wanting more exposure and support is only natural. But I hope you won’t rely too much on this method. What matters most is the quality of the work. Even the best promotion only keeps people if there’s real substance, turning them into true fans.
Fewer and fewer people read, yet the number of people writing never shrinks. If we chase short-term vanity and neglect longer-term things—even why we started writing—that would be a real shame QQ
Facing numbers that won’t budge
Wanting more people to see the work you labored over is only human. Otherwise, facing numbers that never improve is really disheartening…
That’s why I usually close the page right after posting. Out of sight, out of mind (X
Stories need more effective discovery channels
Maybe what’s missing is some kind of channel that helps readers find the stories they love more accurately, or some method that helps more people find works that match their taste.
FAQ
It can raise stats in the short term, and you might meet real readers or writer friends, but don’t rely on it too much. In the long run, it’s quality that keeps readers.
Utsudo usually closes the page after posting and doesn’t stare at the numbers, focusing on the work itself while continuing to look for channels that help readers find stories they’ll love.
Fewer people are reading while just as many are writing, so works easily get buried. That makes effective promotion channels and solid quality all the more important.
Further reading
- Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #117: Don’t Let Others’ Opinions Sway You So Easily
- Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
- Utsudo’s books
About the author
Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.
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