How can I get more comments from my readers on the chapters of my novel?

LeonidasLewin · 2026-05-23T05:41:36+0100

I have posted almost 20 chapters of my novel and I have a decent amount of readers, but I have no comments. The next chapter is a very important point of the story, and I want to know the opinion of my readers.

I posted a special chapter asking for feedback about the past chapters, but none of the 30+ readers had said anything.

How can I get more comments?

Lorelliad · 2026-05-23T06:02:54+0100

Beats me, you're doing better than I am. :meowsip:

BeigeDragon · 2026-05-23T06:04:07+0100

Honestly? It may just come down to pure numbers. Unless you're already posting on multiple forums/websites, or if you're catering to a niche audience which is known to be engaging, your best bet of audience engagement is getting your story greater exposure. The more people watching/reading your content, the more likely you are to get comments. Short of that, just keep posting chapters, or find ways of bumping your story to the top of the page that doesn't break a website's rules.

Bimbanana · 2026-05-23T06:33:19+0100

By posting on other sites, not here

YukieSama · 2026-05-23T06:38:25+0100

Instead of asking for comments, I suggest you make a poll. Readers are more likely to vote there than comment or favorite

LeonidasLewin · 2026-05-23T07:52:19+0100

YukieSama said:
Instead of asking for comments, I suggest you make a poll. Readers are more likely to vote there than comment or favorite

I also did that; there were no responses at all.

TinaMigarlo · 2026-05-23T08:47:57+0100

@LeonidasLewin :
While I know this is rookie numbers, I now have 111 readers.
out of all of them, only *one*... engaged me.
One single reader opened up and had an extended gab about the chapters.
all the others, not one comment, not one review.

that's under one percent.

CharlesEBrown · 2026-05-23T11:18:51+0100

Blind Luck or Sock Puppets.

JessicaDrew · 2026-05-23T12:07:06+0100

Yeah, SH isn’t the place for comments, most people are silent readers. I’ve up to 150 readers and only just started getting one or two comments per chapter.

FRWriter · 2026-05-23T12:14:07+0100

I have like 3k comments, but 95% are from "TFTC" people.

If someone like that reads your story, you'll get 1 comment per chapter.

Alski · 2026-05-23T12:32:16+0100

Only 1 of your official readers is actually keeping up with the story, many people just use the reading list a a dumping ground for stories they may look at in the future not knowing they can actually make a separate list for that.

P.S That official reader is you btw.

CharlesEBrown · 2026-05-23T12:48:56+0100

Two of my stories had comments on them - one had to be taken down due to Pocket FM rules (and, if I can come up with $5000 CAD and am willing to gamble on a foreign publisher, the other might as well) - had an active reader for about five chapters in Strange Awakening and two commenters on about seven total chapters (of 63 at the time) for what was here as Between Worlds but is now Between Earth and Pyrroth on Pocket FM (where it has five comments total, mostly in the first ten chapters ... which is three more than my other story there got, both on Ch1).

How can I get more comments from my readers on the chapters of my novel?

LeonidasLewin

New member

Lorelliad

Well-known member

BeigeDragon

New member

Bimbanana

#LubeDaHub

YukieSama

Member

LeonidasLewin

New member

TinaMigarlo

Apparently my pronouns are now: "it". Thanks, guys

CharlesEBrown

Well-known member

JessicaDrew

Member

FRWriter

Well-known member

Alski

Stray cat

CharlesEBrown

Well-known member