How Do Y'all Post?

[phoenixtears]

So I'm writing this fic.  It's at 29K now and I predict it will wrap up around 45-ish.   I don't have a paid account (and I wouldn't know how to do one anyway), so I can only do my own super lame totally old skool bad-ass non-bubble-button poll:

When you post long fic, do you:

a) Post the whole thing all at once in one hugeongous post?

b) Post it in pieces, say 10K each or so?

c) Eat Fig Newtons?

d) None of the above and let me tell you why...

Thanks so much!  My fear is that it just won't get read -- because it's long, because I'm new and don't have a huge readership yet, because I've only just begun to recruit Sirius/Harry shippers and I have a long way to go, because y'all's BUSY -- so ANY help/advice anyone can give on how best to post in this wonderful HP world would be so gratefully received!  And if you answer and then prompt me, I'll write you the drabble of your choice!  \o/

Comments

here via members' posts on harrypotter

[boundbooks]

Speaking as a reader, I like clicking a link to the story on AO3, if it's that long.

AO3 offers a lot more options, and I find it really, really frustrating to go through post by post on LJ/DW/IJ. Lots of times the links break, or I can't find them, and then I get frustrated and go away from the fic.

Also, AO3 allows me to instantly find other things written by that author, by clicking their name. So, if I like that story, I can find all of their other work too. It's much more difficult to trawl through a journal to find fic, and I find it more frustrating.

So, overall, I prefer reading fic on AO3. I'd actually say that it's a deterrent to read long-fic posted on LJ/DW these days, even if it fits all into one post. Forget it if it's broken up into different chunks over several posts.

However, my preferences as a reader aren't everyone's. Some options I've seen are also posting the fic on to LJ/DW/AO3, and then in the promo headers around communities, offering links like

'Read on DW' | 'Read on AO3'

Oh, if it's a rare pair, and you're worried that people aren't reading, you might like AO3 because you'll have the hit counter (if you choose to keep it enabled). So, you can at least see how many people are reading the story. :)

Re: here via members' posts on harrypotter

[phoenixtears]

Fabulous tips; thank you so much!!

[boundbooks]

You're welcome! :)

Also, if you don't have an AO3 account, I have a ton of invites, in case you want one. Especially as you're writing a rare pair, AO3 is good for rare pairs because of the tag searching feature. So, it allows people to find all the stories on the archive with that pairing really fast. Might be useful for you. :)

Ex: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy tag

http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Hermione%20Granger*s*Draco%20Malfoy/works

[phoenixtears]

I would adore an invite code! Thanks SO MUCH.

[boundbooks]

Send me an email at seeking.boundbooks@gmail.com or PM me your email address, and I'll send you an invite code via AO3! :)

Also, if you post over at AO3, you will not be alone on your ship. It's actually already a tag!

http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Sirius%20Black*s*Harry%20Potter/works

[phoenixtears]

Wonderful, Shelly, thank you! I'll probably do all of it: AO3, and the back dating here with the links. Sounds like a plan!

I have to say I'm immensely encouraged by the fact that I've gotten you to write Sirius/Harry and for there to suddenly be other people inexplicably interested when they haven't been before. I feel like a drug dealer, attempting to get people hooked on my smack. ;-)

[phoenixtears]

YAY!!

Well, I can't say when I'll be done with this baby, but it's going to essentially be HBP redone with Sirius alive. Lots of UST (and then RST) and then ANGST and then....

I'll also be happy to randomly (or not so randomly, because you should always feel free to ask for one!) prompt you for some Sirry from time to time. The more, the better!!! And you're a great writer, so that just makes it especially squee-worthy!

[abrae]

Just chiming in to say that I'm an equal-opportunity fic whore, and I'll pimp it just about anywhere; which, in practical terms, means that I have accounts at LJ/IJ/DW, AO3, as well as ff.net and HPFandom. In my experience, AO3 has the most pleasant reading interface (although I do 'read later' on Instapaper for the best, although this is sometimes flaky depending on how something is coded), but as shellydkitty says above, comments are few and far between there. I've found that, for sheer volume of feedback, ff.net is the best, but they have no-porn rules there that, while wildly flouted by almost everyone, it seems, I take seriously. HPFandom is nice if you want to watch hit counts (as is AO3, as shellydkitty says), and might have some luck with a 'niche' pairing (although I think there's maybe more Sirius/Harry than you might think? Maybe?). All this said, I also do most of my reading on IJ/LJ/DW, and it's easily where the 'good' comments live.

As for breaking it up - if it has natural breaks, break it up. If not, I kind of prefer fic - even long fic - in one place when feasible. But that's just me - when I'm reading on my iPad, I HATE having to go back and forth to get chapters to put on Instapaper. If it's all in one place (or you can get a printer version, like on HP fandom), then I far prefer that. Just my $.02. :)

[phoenixtears]

Great, great, great! I bow in thanks. *bows*