New to the community! Looking for advice on marketing and shoutout swaps (100k+ words written)

[Timichelle]

Hello everyone,

I am a new author on Scribble Hub and I would love some advice on how to grow my readership here. My story is titled The Cold Moon Inquisitor, a dark Wuxia/Fantasy project. While I have just started uploading chapters on this platform, the project itself is quite mature. I currently have a backlog of over 100,000 words (roughly 383 pages) ready to be polished and released.

I want to know the best way to promote a story with a large amount of pre-written content. Should I focus on finding shoutout swaps in this forum, or is it better to message authors directly? I am also curious if there are specific threads for Wuxia or high-fantasy promotion where readers usually look for new stories.

I am eager to collaborate with others who enjoy writing long-term, stable projects. If you have any tips on navigating the Scribble Hub community or driving engagement for a new upload, please let me know.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Corty]

Have a steady release schedule. I’d suggest picking one at a reasonable US time and start scheduling.

Either do daily chapters or 4-5 per week.

Ps: 80% of the reader base aren't forum visitors.

 

[Timichelle]

Thank you so much for the advice, Corty! I am currently pushing out three to four chapters a day, usually around 7 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM, and sometimes 8 PM Central Time. I have poured my heart and soul into this project, and I truly believe it offers a unique perspective that differs from typical Xianxia stories. However, looking at the low engagement while maintaining such a heavy schedule is honestly quite demoralizing. It is hard not to feel frustrated when the story you are so passionate about remains invisible.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Thank you so much for the advice, Corty! I am currently pushing out three to four chapters a day, usually around 7 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM, and sometimes 8 PM Central Time. I have poured my heart and soul into this project, and I truly believe it offers a unique perspective that differs from typical Xianxia stories. However, looking at the low engagement while maintaining such a heavy schedule is honestly quite demoralizing. It is hard not to feel frustrated when the story you are so passionate about remains invisible.

If you have so much pre written, just set a proper schedule and release one chapter a day. You'll run out of stock if you keep that up and you won't let your audience breathe.

 

[Timichelle]

If you have so much pre written, just set a proper schedule and release one chapter a day. You'll run out of stock if you keep that up and you won't let your audience breathe.

I hear your point, but I am worried about the algorithm. As a new author, if I only release one chapter a day, won't my story just get buried and lose visibility immediately? I feel like I need to post more frequently just to stay on the radar while I am still trying to find my initial audience.

 

[Makimaam]

1. We don’t do shoutout swaps here.
2. I haven’t seen any active wuxia writers on the forum.
3. There is a reason for your low engagement. You need to fix many things, starting with the synopsis. But keep uploading until readers take an interest. One chapter a day.

 

[DarkCosmos]

I hear your point, but I am worried about the algorithm. As a new author, if I only release one chapter a day, won't my story just get buried and lose visibility immediately? I feel like I need to post more frequently just to stay on the radar while I am still trying to find my initial audience.

I think one chapter a day is already a pretty solid schedule. As you said, you have around 100k words stocked up already, which is roughly 30–40 chapters, depending on chapter length. Even with daily uploads at a fixed time, that still gives you about a month or more of consistent releases without running out.

If your writing speed is fast enough to maintain it, something like 2 chapters a day can also work early on. Just be careful not to burn through your backlog too quickly chasing visibility.

A steady schedule and a healthy backlog are honestly more important long-term. Consistency helps readers trust that the story won’t suddenly disappear, and it also helps avoid burnout on your side.

 

[Timichelle]

I think one chapter a day is already a pretty solid schedule. As you said, you have around 100k words stocked up already, which is roughly 30–40 chapters, depending on chapter length. Even with daily uploads at a fixed time, that still gives you about a month or more of consistent releases without running out.

If your writing speed is fast enough to maintain it, something like 2 chapters a day can also work early on. Just be careful not to burn through your backlog too quickly chasing visibility.

A steady schedule and a healthy backlog are honestly more important long-term. Consistency helps readers trust that the story won’t suddenly disappear, and it also helps avoid burnout on your side.

Thank you so much for the detailed breakdown! It makes a lot of sense to prioritize long-term consistency over short-term visibility. To clarify, I actually have over 1,000,000 words of drafted material, and the current 100,000 words are the polished versions ready for publication. Given that I have such a deep backlog, I was trying to find the right balance, but I will definitely take your advice and try a steadier schedule to avoid burnout and build better trust with my readers.

1. We don’t do shoutout swaps here.
2. I haven’t seen any active wuxia writers on the forum.
3. There is a reason for your low engagement. You need to fix many things, starting with the synopsis. But keep uploading until readers take an interest. One chapter a day.

I really appreciate the candid feedback. You make a fair point about the synopsis, and I’ll look into how I can refine it to better suit the readers here. Regarding your observation about Wuxia writers, is it because the genre isn't very popular on this platform? I’m curious if that means there is a lack of market interest for Wuxia here, or if it's just a niche that hasn't been fully explored yet. I’ll keep uploading at a one-chapter-a-day pace as suggested and see how it goes. Thanks again for the guidance!