Boost Your Chances of Getting a Review on Fanfiction.Net

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Readers not interested in commenting on your fanfic? Are things not progressing as you planned? Time for some self-analysis and possibly a little editing.

Steps

Writing well

  1. Consider your story. Does your summary entice readers or put them off?
    • Keep the summary positive and relevant to the story. One option is to put a quote in from the story - it shows your writing style (which may immediately interest the reader.) Another option is to pose a question or teaser in your summary: Dawn Summers is used to letting her superhero sister Buffy take care of all the vampires in town, but when a new vamp turns up while Buffy's on vacation, Dawn decides to take matters into her own hands. Has she got what it takes to be a hero too, or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
    • Use full sentences.
    • Check for spelling mistakes and word omissions. Sometimes it's what isn't there that is causing the problem.
  2. Make a good first impression on your readers. What do readers see when they click on your story? You'd be surprised what people decide about a story before they have even started to read it.
    • Differentiate the story from any author's notes, disclaimers, or warnings. Common methods include using a line break or centered dashes, or heading the start of the story with the title/chapter title. Divide up everything properly, and keep rechecking after a couple of days - some sites don't update immediately.
    • Make use of paragraph spaces to break up text in appropriate places. A wall of text is never nice to read through. Also remember to divide up long stretches of speech, and if writing a poem, each verse or stanza needs to be on its own.
    • Restrict use of bold and italics; use them for emphasis. Don't be afraid to make a flash back a separate chapter, or divide using a page divider, dots, or dashes rather than all in italics.
    • Re-read before posting.
    • Spell-check before posting.
    • Look at your punctuation. Is it consistent? Does it help the reader? Be prepared to edit.
    • If you trust a beta and have access to one, make use of him/her.
    • It's very tempting to post as soon as something is finished; if you can, resist this impulse. Wait a day or better still a week before you re-read, edit and post. You'll be amazed at the number of mistakes and odd turns of phrase you encounter when you pick it up again.

Getting known

  1. Test the waters. Post one or two chapters at a time. The word count of a large multi-chaptered story posted in one go may put some readers off. Be prepared for a slow start to the number of reviews. When it gets good, they'll come.
  2. Write stories that will be rated appropriate for everyone. Is the rating reducing traffic to your story? Is the story rated M? These stories only come up on the main page when a searcher looks for stories of all ratings or with an M rating.
  3. Consider extrinsic factors. It might not be you or your story. If you're confident your story looks inviting but you're still not getting any reviews, consider the fandom. Is it very active?
    • Check your hit numbers.
    • Do other writers' stories get reviews? Lots of reviews? Ask yourself what kind of stories seem the most popular. Maybe you're writing for an unpopular pairing. You may need to be prepared to do some extra work to encourage reviewers.
  4. Self promote. If your fandom is small and not very active, you may have to take other steps to advertise your story. Is there a livejournal community where you can advertise it? A fanfiction.net community?
  5. Improve yourself. Fandoms can be fickle; maybe it's just not your story's time - or maybe it's time to go on a charm offensive.
    • Are you new to the fandom? Let other writers know you're interested in their stories. Why should anyone be interested in your story if you seem uninterested in the fandom you're writing for?
    • Review stories that interest you and writers you admire. Be a constructive critic. You aren't the only one wanting good reviews, Try leading by example and helping fellow writers by reviewing their work. Go into detail about the things you like and the things you feel needs improving. Not only will it attract the writer's attention and gratitude, but other readers as well with a taste of your writing skills and insight.
  6. Improve your profile. What does it say about you? It looks a little funny if you write a story for one fandom but all your favorite authors are in another fandom....

Tips

  • If you leave a review, don't expect a review in response - and don't try to trap or manipulate a person into a review.
  • Keep in mind that most readers don't review stories. Having few reviews doesn't necessarily mean nobody's reading it.
  • Be courteous: Thank people for their reviews - and tell them how their review helped. It shows readers their comments are appreciated and encourages them to review again.
  • Leaving reviews for others actually can help gain you reviews. When they receive a review, many authors often like to reciprocate in kind.
  • Even if you don't get a ton of reviews at one time don't give up on your story. Be patient and you'll get reviews eventually.
  • Don't be afraid to try a new site - some stories do better on LiveJournal, or on fanfiction.net.
  • If you are over the age of 18, writing adult or sexually themed stories, try AdultFanFiction.net. With a larger audience seeking adult works, you may find your work is better accepted over there.

Warnings

  • Beware: It's poor form to hold your story hostage (tell people you won't post another chapter until you get x number of reviews).
  • When you ask for reviews/comments you could easily get a mix of both positive and negative. Be prepared to accept the responses you get. You could ask for nice reviews only but that may bait trolls.
  • If someone leaves a review, don't expect them to continue to review everything you post - or be interested in everything you post. Avoid comments like, "I can't wait to hear what you think of my next story," or "check out my latest story".
  • Begging for reviews might inspire some readers to review but can actually put others off. Don't worry - there are subtle ways of ask, but remember if you write "any comments/reviews appreciated", you could get any sort of response.

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