Newbie writer here and trying not to feel discouraged

Can stories that don't use system or stat stuff still get readers on Royal Road? My fictions don't really fit the general mold of what people seem to want here, but also they don't do well on sites like Wattpad or FictionPress either where getting any readers at all is an enormous struggle.

Have you considered focusing on cosplay and lewdness instead?  If you think about it hard enough, bust size IS a stat and you CAN level it up!

It depends on how you define "do well".   From my personal experience, I do okay but I'll never come close to the litRPG numbers.  Of course, that's just me.  Still, my numbers aren't awful.  There's a huge readership here.  Here are my two cents.  First, understand you are publishing off-brand, so to speak, so even if your story doesn't do as well as on-brand stories, it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with your writing.  You are simply writing sci-fi for people that prefer fantasy, for example.  Bear that in mind.
That being said, there are a few things you can do to improve your numbers.  People on here like fast-paced, young adult-style writing and stories.  Keep backstory to a minimum, show conflict immediately, and keep the plot moving with lots of juicy mystery and cliffhangers.  That will serve you well.  And just like any kind of fiction writing, good grammar, spelling, and minimal plot holes are also important.

And good luck!  That's always a factor.  The main thing is to learn.

Absolutely! Don't listen to the naysayers. While LITrpg can do well, it is not a requirement.

I prefer to write epic fantasy with large casts of believable characters, deep and complex plots, and detailed worldbuilding. So I think you can understand I was worried, just as you were, about my prospects on this webpage. However, I am happy to say that after just 4 months of writing, I already have 28 followers and 8 favorites. 

So anything is possible!!

I just gave your story a quick look and things really start picking up around Book Two, Chapter 1: Tabitha's new adventure. I'd consider moving that content to the forefront, and you might be able to get some readers that way. Good luck!

You might want to consider properly capitalising your chapter titles. I find that helps to draw more readers.

TheFirstDefier Wrote: Absolutely! Don't listen to the naysayers. While LITrpg can do well, it is not a requirement.

I prefer to write epic fantasy with large casts of believable characters, deep and complex plots, and detailed worldbuilding. So I think you can understand I was worried, just as you were, about my prospects on this webpage. However, I am happy to say that after just 4 months of writing, I already have 28 followers and 8 favorites. 

So anything is possible!!

Wow!  I've been stuck at a little over half your follower count for almost a year.  All I can think is that my stories need more heavily overpowered self inserts to help them connect with my reader.

Yes. 

Given that the #1 spots in 'best ongoing' and 'best completed' are both non-litrpg (and have been for literally years) I would say yes, non-litRPG can do well, and at higher rating levels, probably actually outperforms litRPG.

Going by ratios, the 'best completed' list on the front page has the litRPG tag on slightly less than half the stories (although The Stars Have Eyes has 'virtual reality', which is a bit...), while the 'best ongoing' only has two stories tagged litRPG (although Borne of Caution is based on Pokemon, which is pretty RPG-ish, even if it didn't get the tag - probably because it has no blue screens.)

Anyways, looking at the numbers, the highest-voted stories on the site are not litRPG, the highest-voted complete stories are half or less litRPG, and the highest-voted ongoing are predominantly not litRPG.

The only place litRPG stories consistently outweigh non-litRPG is the 'popular today' bracket. And even there, it's not like non-litRPG doesn't exist. Sure, 7 out of 10 is a pretty steep ratio, but it's by no means a lock-out; non-litRPG's can obviously do well even in that bracket.

LitRPG does seem to outweigh non-litRPG on the Rising Stars list, some months. However, my impression is that the non-litRPG's that make it onto rising stars tend to go higher up the list and stay longer. (Note, the one non-litRPG on there now is in second place.) I don't have actual data for this, and I'm too lazy to try gathering any, but that's my take on it.

I feel like my answer is pretty self-evident by now, but... If after reading all of that you still feel non-litRPG can't do well, you must be defining 'do well' drastically different from how I define it.

There's no reason a non-litRPG can't to just as well as a litRPG, and some evidence that points to them actually doing better, as long as they can stand out in some way.

In my opinion? If you want to write what's  'hot' now, try going for xianxia deconstruction. That seems to be a winning formula, even if you may get mocked for trying to ride Beware of Chicken's coattails.

Not_A_Hat Wrote: Given that the #1 spots in 'best ongoing' and 'best completed' are both non-litrpg (and have been for literally years) I would say yes, non-litRPG can do well, and at higher rating levels, probably actually outperforms litRPG.

Going by ratios, the 'best completed' list on the front page has the litRPG tag on slightly less than half the stories (although The Stars Have Eyes has 'virtual reality', which is a bit...), while the 'best ongoing' only has two stories tagged litRPG (although Borne of Caution is based on Pokemon, which is pretty RPG-ish, even if it didn't get the tag - probably because it has no blue screens.)

Anyways, looking at the numbers, the highest-voted stories on the site are not litRPG, the highest-voted complete stories are half or less litRPG, and the highest-voted ongoing are predominantly not litRPG.

The only place litRPG stories consistently outweigh non-litRPG is the 'popular today' bracket. And even there, it's not like non-litRPG doesn't exist. Sure, 7 out of 10 is a pretty steep ratio, but it's by no means a lock-out; non-litRPG's can obviously do well even in that bracket.

LitRPG does seem to outweigh non-litRPG on the Rising Stars list, some months. However, my impression is that the non-litRPG's that make it onto rising stars tend to go higher up the list and stay longer. (Note, the one non-litRPG on there now is in second place.) I don't have actual data for this, and I'm too lazy to try gathering any, but that's my take on it.

I feel like my answer is pretty self-evident by now, but... If after reading all of that you still feel non-litRPG can't do well, you must be defining 'do well' drastically different from how I define it.

There's no reason a non-litRPG can't to just as well as a litRPG, and some evidence that points to them actually doing better, as long as they can stand out in some way.

In my opinion? If you want to write what's  'hot' now, try going for xianxia deconstruction. That seems to be a winning formula, even if you may get mocked for trying to ride Beware of Chicken's coattails.

Thanks man, will definitely try to do a Xianxia deconstruction. I would have gone for LitRPG but math really isn't my strong suit 

I'm very confused by this thread. Is it a spoof of similar threads? Or did the forums get screwed up, and link authors to someone else's post?

I feel like I've seen some of these posts before, but by other authors. FortySixtyFour certainly isn't a newbie writer, nor are his stories hurting for readers. And TheFirstDefier's post obviously isn't referring to his story.

I can't tell if there's an in-joke that I'm not in on, or if the forums went screwy.

Also, a very similar thread was locked just a couple of days ago (right after I'd typed up a long, detailed response, which I didn't save anywhere else, so I'm a bit annoyed).

IvyVeritas Wrote: I'm very confused by this thread. Is it a spoof of similar threads? Or did the forums get screwed up, and link authors to someone else's post?

Yep, it's satire.

Absolutely not. I have been trying to write harem power smut about a despicable MC with no motivation and is wholly unlikable, and it has more .5 star reviews than followers. But when I write litRPG, I got 10 followers on my story. You HAVE to write LITRPG on Royalroad. Otherwise you might as well be on Wattpad, where my harem power smut has 20 collections.

I fucking tried to disprove this point by writing a shameless power fantasy LitRPG after playing too much Skyrim, certain I would get smitten down by actual quality fiction and compelling stories. Yet here I am, over a year later, and people just keep giving me money for having my MC shoot stuff with a bow and writing: "DING! LEVEL UP! STAT POINTS GAINED!"

Two words - Beware Chicken

Wait, you all have actual readers?

Zogarth Wrote: I fucking tried to disprove this point by writing a shameless power fantasy LitRPG after playing too much Skyrim, certain I would get smitten down by actual quality fiction and compelling stories. Yet here I am, over a year later, and people just keep giving me money for having my MC shoot stuff with a bow and writing: "DING! LEVEL UP! STAT POINTS GAINED!"

Why do you think Twitch and "Let's play" series on youtube exist.

Paradoxcloud Wrote:

Zogarth Wrote: I fucking tried to disprove this point by writing a shameless power fantasy LitRPG after playing too much Skyrim, certain I would get smitten down by actual quality fiction and compelling stories. Yet here I am, over a year later, and people just keep giving me money for having my MC shoot stuff with a bow and writing: "DING! LEVEL UP! STAT POINTS GAINED!"

Why do you think Twitch and "Let's play" series on youtube exist.

Cute girls'd be my first guess

What's the point of this thread?

If this is supposed to be entertaining, it really isn't.

FortySixtyFour Wrote:

Paradoxcloud Wrote:

Zogarth Wrote: I fucking tried to disprove this point by writing a shameless power fantasy LitRPG after playing too much Skyrim, certain I would get smitten down by actual quality fiction and compelling stories. Yet here I am, over a year later, and people just keep giving me money for having my MC shoot stuff with a bow and writing: "DING! LEVEL UP! STAT POINTS GAINED!"

Why do you think Twitch and "Let's play" series on youtube exist.

Cute girls'd be my first guess

Fair, but what I was getting at is that people like to consume the things they themselves could do because it's entertainment with zero effort. Just got to keep your eyes open. For some the eye candy also helps I suppose.