I've just compiled a little list of basic tricks that I use... feel free to jump in!

1. Make friends. Friends will take the time to read your work, because you read theirs. Whether you make friends through reading and reviewing each other's work, or in the forum, or... where-ever ... it's a very handy method to ensure some (honest) feedback!

2. Maintain review replies. This will encourage people to keep coming back to your story: you genuinely care about what they have to say.

3. Do NOT spend two paragraphs of your author's note complaining about a lack of reviews. People don't like complainers. Instead - ask for opinions, and thank those who've already shared theirs.

4. Before you post, check spelling and grammar. If it shows you've put effort into the story (regardless of whether you have or not, really) people are more likely to take the time to comment, because it shows you're taking your work seriously.

5. Don't become disheartened!!! Someone, somewhere is enjoying your work, no matter whether they let you know or not. And at the end of the day, isn't that all that matters?

1. Ask your readers to review. This sounds very basic, but surprisingly few authors do this. Add an author's note at the end of each chapter asking for reviews. One of the statements I've used to great effect is: "Reviews are the only payment fanfic authors receive. Even if it's just a word or two, leaving a review lets me know you've passed this way." Feel free to borrow this. It's been astonishingly effective for me.

2. Respond to reviews. I agree with Lexie about this. Even if all you do is say, "Thanks!" (I would recommend something more, however, even if you have to cut and paste a standard review reply) readers always appreciate it and you really do develop a relationship with them this way.

3. Review for others. Sorry to keep harping on this (actually, I'm NOT sorry - it's worth a harp or two!) but this is another way to build relationships. I always take a look at the stories my readers write. If it's something I'm interested in (often it is, because if they like my stories, they generally write in the same genre) I read and review their stories too, and I know a lot of others do the same.

4. Thank your readers in your author's notes. In addition to asking for reviews in your A/N's, thank the people who have taken the time to review your story. Another A/N trick is to ask readers a question in your author's notes which they can answer in the form of a review. I recently posed a challenge in Great Expectations for my readers to find all the significant "sevens" in my story. The number seven is actually significant in the story, but I've got several readers going nuts trying to find them all and they leave reviews to ask me if they're on the right track. Of course I'm not willing to confirm or deny their guesses, but that's just because I'm mean. No, seriously, I've promised answers at the end of the story. They're having loads of fun guessing in the meantime, though.

5. Stick with canon pairings. Some of you will never go along with this one, but you might try writing just one standard Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione story to build readership and then you can hit them with some of the weirder stuff. People who really like one story that an author has written will generally check out other things they've written. I've had a lot of readers check out my other fics since they've started reading Great Expectations, though admittedly I use the same pairings in all my stories. Still, you never know. You might run across a few readers who don't mind the experimental stuff.

6. I totally, absolutely, unequivocally agree with Lexie's point about spelling, grammar, etc. As a former editor (yes, I actually WAS managing editor of a trade publication for a number of years) I've run into an unbelievable number of would-be writers who think their writing is so damned good that they should be above such mundane considerations. I'll tell you the same thing I told all of them, which is that nobody's writing is THAT good! J.K. Rowling herself would never have been discovered if she hadn't seen to the basic mechanics of her work before she ever submitted it to a single agent or publisher. I don't care how great your writing is. I don't care if you're John Steinbeck reincarnated, for crying out loud. Readers won't read your fics if you don't take the time to make them readable. Get a beta if you need one, but don't expect a lot of reviews for a badly spelled, ungrammatical story.

7. Summaries count. Whenever I see a fic that states, "I really suck at summaries, but read this anyway, it's really good!" I skip it. If they can't write a summary, why should I believe they could write a story? Work on your summary, make it interesting and exciting. It's what draws people into your story.

Well, that's all I have to say for now (and there's SEVEN tips - ooh!) but if I think of anything else I'll add it later. Ciao!

My first HP fan fiction was a Snape/OC romance that started posting in July '04. I did a happy dance to get half a dozen reviews during the first weeks of posting. I kept writing, and that story still gets reviewed and put on people's favorites lists. Readers who like your style will read the next story you write--even if it's not the same pairing--and tell their friends! As time goes on, readers of current fics will check out your profile and read your older stories too. :)

Keep writing.

My mechanics of writing have greatly improved since that first story, :D, but this quote by Bonnie Friedman was as true then as it is now.

Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences. They are the ones who keep writing. They are the ones who discover what is most important and strangest and most pleasurable in themselves, and keep believing in the value of their work, despite the difficulties.

A mistake to avoid (aside from giving up on stories) has to do with summaries. A good summary is like good advertising; it sells your story. Poor ones, especially ones that include "I suck at summaries", make readers think the fic is probably poor quality too.

1. Ask your readers to review, like Cassie said, but go about it in a prompt and polite way. Don't blackmail or badmouth your readers into reviewing, all this does is create a negative atmosphere that causes the readers to leave. Extensive and long pleas for reviews also distract from the story.

2. Update often. While this is difficult, it is by far one of the most effective ways to get reviews. If you don't update, your stories won't be posted at the "New Chapters" section and, as such, requires more to actually find. (IE: People must dig for the pairing or else go to your page). Frequent updating, whether once every-other-day or every-other-week, is an effective tool because most readers like to have some flow to the story they're reading. Personally, if I receive an update to a story I alerted six months ago, I'm more likely to delete the alert and remove the story from my alerts than I am to re-read the story and review for the new chapter.

3. Keep content and rating at T (Teen) or lower. Stories rated above "T" (namely "M") do not show up on the "New Chapters" or "New Stories" lists, and have to be searched for. Chances are, if it's an "M" rated obscure pairing, you're not likely to get very many hits. Even in the standard search feature, "M" rated stories have to be enabled to show up, hindering your story's likelihood of being discovered by a potential reviewer.

4. Involvement. One of the best tools for a story is a way to get the reader involved in a fashion that extends beyond the mundane world of simply reading it. Story-related forums, polls, and blogs are an additional tool that can make a moderately-reviewed author an extraordinarily reviewed author.

5. Update time. The best time to update is when people are actually on. If you update during FFN times 4 PM PST to 10 PM PST, you're more likely to get people to see the story on the "New Chapters" and "New Stories" lists because there are more people on that can see your story before it is flooded out of the list.

Keep your chapters moderate in length. One of the best authors I've found on FFN is Pinky Brown, but her chapters are practically book length. A lot of readers got discouraged, and so didn't bother to finish reading, let alone review (crying shame, in my opinion, as her "Six Foot of Ginger Idiot" is one of the funniest things I've read EVER!). Also, you cheat yourself on reviews with extremely long chapters, as people tend to review each one. So if you have 24 moderately sized chapters, you'll get a lot more feedback than if you have 6 the size of War and Peace. Give the reader a break. Most people's attention spans just aren't that long.

I really don't have that much advice left and I hardly think that I'm one to talk seeing as I don't consider myself one of the "successful" authors. Although I do have a very good ratio of reviews and chapters.

My advice: Just keep plodding on. Accept criticisms and don't put "no flames" in your summary/story. I just feel then that you want the reviews to be sugarcoated. I'm not telling you to be discouraged by flamers, but you should be aware that maybe you should change your writing style. Plus, I think ff.net is rather good at not flaming unless it's really bad. My own story, which is completely mediocre, hasn't been flamed yet, so I don't think anyone has much to worry about.

Erm, that's about it I suppose. There's loads of good advice here and I intend to take it and apply it to my fanfics! Thanks!

(BTW, I'm geeked to see that For Bitter or For Worse is on FF.net. SimplyUndeniable doesn't have those fabulous e-mail alerts, and I wind up checking SU manually just for updates on that story!)

The biggest problem that I have, is the regular updates. I either forget about it, or real life gets in the way, or I just plain don't feel like writing. And that's one of my biggest things about writing. If I'm not in the mood, I will not write, because I never like what I end up with. I'm happier with the result if I wait till I feel like writing and write a bunch that's good instead of a little that's bad.

And I have to agree that summaries are important, if you're not sure how to get a good one, don't be afraid to ask a friend (especially a beta reader) for help. Sometimes it's hard to sum up your story in one or two lines when you're so intimately acquainted with it.

The only advice I can give here, is work with others. Set up small contests with your friends little things like trying to get through X chapters in Y weeks. Mention each other in your profiles too. It helps with the advertising, and keeps you more motivated.

I think that one of the biggest things is a connection. Instead of just asking for reviews, why not ask your readers what their favourite part was, or mention that you struggle with a particular area - grammar or something like that - and ask for advice. People don't always review just to say 'cute story,' but if you ask for an opinion, they have more motivation. That's something I've found.

Quick question: my story is rated "M", but mostly for language and some adult themes. I"ve read several T stories, but for the life of me, I cannot remember if they allowed certain swear words (the F-word in particular...my OC and Ron uses it fairly frequently!) and inclusion of some sexual situations. Hopefully, I can ask this here, since it was brought up as a suggestion about rating your stories a T:

What are the limits that you've found, for a T rated story? How far can you take it? Because, the way I've written my story, and I'm actually very close to finishing this one up, is that I'm considering changing the rating of my story to a T, but I really wanted to be safe and do an M.

I'm definitely checking your stories out; I've heard nothing but good things about your writing.

There is way too much quality fanfic for the amount of time we have during the day...

I'm not on the C2 yet, but I've put my story up in the Recommendations thread and it was backed up by Respite Christopher and Hidden Depths. I think Bad Mum also rec'd it a while ago. I'm crossing fingers that it might get in, but I'm 5X5 if it doesn't.

The tips on here are great, though. I think, too that many, many people, not necessarily on this forum, usually will wait until the story gets to a certain point, like moving toward a certain number of chapters, and really start looking at it. Sometimes, I have to admit, I do that on many of the stories that I alerted, and then read them in a bulk, reviewing them chap-by-chap or every other chapter.

It really does take time, though. It take a lot of time to build a rapport with your other writers/friends, and really get into the community. So every little bit of exposure, whether it's on here or reviewing things in the archive, obviously helps. Just gotta be patient...

I agree completely with the friends thing. If you make friends with authors, usually they will leave a review or two. And if you review others, often they will review for you. (Well, with me it's that way. If you leave a review, so do I.) I have a few various friends, and they leave reviews for almost everything I write, which I love, and return the favor. Also, they give advice and are generally very fun to talk to! So I advise everyone to go out and make some friends on FF.net!

And defintely, spelling and grammar means a lot. I rarely read a badly-punctuated or story full of spelling/grammatical errors. Spell check ISN'T THAT DIFFICULT. It takes literally less than 3 minutes, depending on the length of your story.

Thanks again for this topic and all the advice!

The thing I hate: When you get a review, and someone asks you to read their stuff. I would do it to a normal reviewer if they said nothing about their stories, out of review karma courtesy, but a few months ago, some person spammed me with reviews, most of which were a sentence or two about my stuff, followed by a lot of rubbish and capital letters in which she pleaded me to read her fic .... Grr ...

Making friends is also a really good idea :D I remember when I was a newbie on the forum (*el gasp*) and I had no clue who Cuba and Fray and Huffie were... and now I talk to them almost daily through fanfic/LiveJournal. Friends go and review each others stories, and if they don't like something about it, they say so :P Critique is your BFFlikewoah.

That's all for now... any more tips, anyone??

But anything that aids spelling and grammar is good. It doesn't turn me off fics though, I just point out all the mistakes in a review, which gives them the advice and lets me review their story with concrit.

Anyway, I don't have much to add since I'm pretty new to all of this, but I really really agree with the proofreading, summary, and not begging for reviews suggestions. This is what I found:

- If you threaten not to update because people aren't leaving enough reviews, most chances are people will just drop your story. That's not the way to get reviews. As annoying as it is not to recieve many reviews, you should update for yourself, not for others. Besides, many people tend to be drawn more to complete multi-chapters or one-shots. So anyway, update for yourself.

-I find it quite annoying when people don't proofread their work. I mean, honestly, decent writers can at least spot typos or small smelling/grammar mistakes if they read over their work once they're done. I know that when I'm done writing something, even if I really really want to post it, I'll read it over one more time at least to make sure everything is allright. It gives a more serious impression to the readers too. Like someone here said, it doesn't matter if you think you are the greatest writer in the world. Even they have to check their work before they send it to editing.

-Don't be offended by con-crit. Not everyone will love your story, no matter how great it is. Accept it, and try to use it to improve instead of flaming the other person's story or something similar. Of course, if someone insults your story without explaining why, it isn't very pleasant, but tru to take things lightly.

-As much as you want other people to review your stories, remember to review other people's when you're done reading. Even if it's just a word or two, it helps the writer immensly.

Uh. seems I did have some stuff to add after all :D

I"m starting on a number of one-shots that are rooted in my larger, multi-chapter work. Each one-shot will be more of a character sketch than a full out, chapter-length story, a glimpse into the heads of certain secondary characters that fit not only the world I've created in my AU story, but could easily fit as missing moments in HBP. It's an exercise for me to flesh out characters that might come across as one- or two-dimensional in my story.

My suggestion to other writers if you're not receiving hits on their larger works--branch out into other characters and write something small, even a drabble-like piece about them, either in their own POV, and connect it subtly to your own work and/or, if possible, root it in canon. When you submit it as a new story, it'll show up under the searches for that particular character. I'm thinking somewhere close to 10 of these one-shots for various characters mentioned but not given enough face time in my major work, which could bring in a vast number of hits on my Daphne Greengrass story.

It really helps with your own writing, and it'll give you exposure as people run searches on their specific, favorite character. And then always mention the larger work that the drabble or one-shot stems off of. I got at least one new reader for my story because I did a Draco one-shot and advertised my AU piece...just last night too!

I can post a Lily and James oneshot story and rake up perhaps 20-30 reviews in a week, because the L&J nuts have read some of my other L&J stuff, and recognise my name (I can only assume). So if you have a pairing you're particularly passionate about, just keep going =) works on the same principle mentioned before - if they like what they read, they'll look for similar stuff.

(Another excellent example is Lady Bracknell who, IMO, writes brilliant Remus/Tonks. People just keep coming back)

Sadly, though, I've noticed that not all my L&J regulars transition to my other stories, which is a bit disappointing, because I think they're better pieces of writing on the whole.... but there you go. Some readers will read for style, others for pairings. Everyone has their 'thing', although of course there's also the people who will read any and everything you write, because they're awesome =D

Also, if you want to get yourself 'established' - people are more willing to read one-shots than huge chapter stories (not applicable to those in progress, on the whole) because the time they invest in them is more quickly paid off - ie. they get a lovely little story, beginning, middle and conclusion, in a shorter time space. SO.... this works with what Whiskey was saying before - oneshots can build you up a readership which will then transition to your other stuff. Has this point been made before?

Moscardini

Lexie, I think there was a similar point made up in the thread when it first started, but I guess I wanted to elaborate a specific tip for writers of larger multi-chaptered fics such as myself. This is probably why I shouldn't post before I have coffee. *yawns* Mostly, I think, if I remember my intention, was to post a variety of one-shots that follow your larger word peripherally or could be labeled as a missing moment/character sketch. The writing would show up on various searches, and be an effective way to get your name out there. Like I was saying...I need coffee...

I'm actually a reader that prefers longer fics to one-shots, but I have read some utterly brilliant one-shots in the C2 and on my own, and then I continue to follow the author's work. So...yay community building.

I don't have much experience to lend, but I have to agree with the "making friends" bit. Before I came onto this forum, SueFic03 had more reviews than everything else put together. And reviewing other people gets your name out there too, I guess :)

But apart from that...I don't know. I'm currently trialling a few weird theories of mine, like:

1. I'm updating a new chapter on particular dates - I warn readers in earlier chapters...like Feb 7 because it's a new moon, and Feb 14 because it's you-know-what day...with the intention that people can sort of look out. That, and I'm quite superstitious.

2. Writing drabbles that go alongside the novel...so people can decide if they like the themes.

3. Putting up a chapter plan at the start, so people know where I'm headed. This I worry about though, because I guess it has every potential to scare people off if you say, "I have thirty-six chapters in store for you!"

Another thing I'm not sure if I've done correctly is...negative psychology. I only put one small request on the first chapter for reviews, + my profile, because I don't want to sound like I'm begging (it annoys me when people make threats or hold fics hostage). But I do wish more people would say what was wrong with my writing.

I really am open to criticism - I sent some of my great real-life friends to review Tempus, my big baby, and they're pretty harsh, which I love. But then...I don't know if those constructive criticism comments are putting all the other readers off because they have a look at the reviews page and go, "wahhh, where are the 10 pages of 'I love this fic'? I had better stay away from this story..."

Also...author notes. I'm thinking of deleting all of mine, because they turn into grandmother tales that noone wants to read. Particularly the Narcissa/Igor fic because they take up 10% of the words XD

Warning readers about when you plan to update is fine, if you're sure you can stick to those dates, but if you can't follow through, you run the risk of alienatng them. People who like your story will generally put it on story alert, or check back for updates on your profile. I'd only do this if you're absolutely sure you can make your deadline.

Same is true of your chapter plan. I don't think readers need to know where you're headed. If the story is good enough they'll keep reading to find out. A chapter plan is part of the mechanics of writing. We don't need to see the brushes or the palette in order to appreciate a great painting. Leave your "tools" at home, as it were, and proudly display the end result.

There's nothing wrong with asking for reviews at the end of each chapter. In fact, I heartily recommend it, especially if you can come up with a fresh or funny way of asking for reviews with each one. One of the tricks I've been using lately is to say something like "Free cyber chocolate for everyone who leaves a review!" or my latest offer, "Reviewers receive their very own personalized cyber-fireworks display (WWW logo optional." Keep it short and sweet. Don't beg. Make it funny and fun, and people will respond.

I think you're right about deleting some of your author's notes, especially if they're as lengthy as you claim. The story needs to be able to stand on its own. If you take up as much space explaining your story as the story itself, then maybe you need to rethink the way the story is written. If you want to add a line or two of explanation about a particular fact or detail in the story, that's fine, but your writing, for the most part, should be self-explanatory.

I think it's great that you're open to criticism. A lot of writers never improve because they're so in love with the sound of their own words that immediately go into defensive mode whenever someone raises a question or offers suggestions. When offered constructively (i.e., not flames!) criticism is a precious gift that can help you become a better writer. The best writers are always those who question their own work and constantly strive to improve it. If you can check your own ego at the door, a good critic can be a gift from heaven.

Anyway, don't know if that helps, but for what it's worth, that's my advice.

Also, I'm editing my fics atm, dealing with spelling mistakes and making the layout for each one the same - I think it just makes them easier to read and understand and for people to recognise it as mine.

# 1 Tip - Author's notes belong at the bottom of a story. If they're at the top, people have to scroll through them to get to the story, and often they give up. If you put them at the bottom of the story, with a few questions for the reviewer to answer, they're more likely to read them, wanting extra information about the fic, and then they'll review.

*sigh*...this thread's been so very useful in regards to review increases. I definitely appreciate all the suggestions.

But then I don't ususally write much. The one time I did, I put it at the bottom.

This is very true :) Lexie's known for Lily/James, just as Lady Bracknell is well-known for her Remus/Tonks stories. Similarly ,I think this is happening to me with Ari/Gellert (but seriously, asides from Cuba, whom I converted ;) who else writes that pairing?!). I tend to have the same several people review my Ariana/Gellert stories after I post them.

Mm. I guess I should stop treating readers as idiots and saying patronizingly, "guys! this is how I structure my chapters - it starts in second person present, and then moves to third person past!) **hits delete**

ZOMG **lightbulb goes on** I just got the most hilarious idea to ask for reviews. I just bet someone else has done it before :( and I'm going to work my author notes into them as much as possible.

I tend to like to sit down and write essays justifying my choices for everything and then paste them at the end. Like with Narcissa/Igor - I went and wrote out their birthdays, and Igor's parents' history about escaping from Grindelwald, and how they mirrored Krum/Hermione, and why three-year age differences are perfectly normal and yada yada.

I guess most readers aren't going to care about that XD but I'll still keep in any notes to references to other things...like all the philosophers/VicLit in Tempus cause I don't wanna get sued.

The funny thing is though, I don't have a niche. If it pops into my head, I write it, and I don't focus too much on one pairing. If it wasn't for the fact that I read so much R/T fic, I wouldn't even have an OTP, I don't think ... because I write so many different fics, and not all of them are ship orientated.

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