Webnovel.Forum

Fourclovers
You didn't help the author make up his idea, write his characters, plot, or make his world. You arrived, after all that was done. You go in, and once you like it you support it (which is good!). But, once you run out of chapters to read, you want more. You aren't there in the room with the author, helping him write. You are just... asking for things to happen faster? You need to ask yourself: quality or quantity? quantity or quality? If you want quantity, just run those Chinese novels through google translate and read them like that. Or, even better, run them through google translate, edit the shit English, and then post it to novelupdates! If you want quality, you. must. wait.

All of this we're talking about, is WORK. It's hard WORK, that takes TIME, and ENERGY. You seem to not understand your place in an author's world; no, in an artist's world. Tomoyuki explained it better than me: you are there to support, but you do not help in the process of WORK.

That is the absolute HARDEST part of when creating an output, that you just don't seem to understand. Sorry about the brain worms thing, just annoying to read you make excuses for your behavior.
Also... I'm pretty sure tomo is a guy? Am i wrong there?

Fourclovers I am a guy, not a girl.

The contract does not get us anything, really. It makes no difference whether we are contracted writers or not, other than...I dunno, having a fancy title and the potential to get money. No, you do not have the right to make demands of me. You did not "help" us" get any contracts. All you did was support the story that you liked. You added my (or someone else's) story to your collection, not because you want to help us get contracts, but because you enjoyed my (or someone else's) story and you look forward to reading more, you want to be alerted when the next update comes, and you want to kill some time or be entertained. I wrote a chapter, I delivered, I gave you something to read. That's all you are entitled to, really. I couldn't care less about the contract, it does literally nothing for me. And don't kid yourself when you think that your individual vote somehow makes a difference in helping me get a contract - hell, you didn't vote or whatever for my story to get a contract, you voted or whatever because you like my story. If it gets a contract, yay. If not, then who cares?

I don't even know how many views I get, nor do I care. I only care about the readers who comment on my stories, and even then, they have no right to make demands of me, and I tell them that when they try to tell me what I should or should not write. The views are grossly inflated anyway - 90% of the views are either by repeated viewings (because the more chapters you have, you divide the views by the number of chapters), or by people who read the first chapter or first few chapters and drop it. The numbers of views are meaningless. I'm more concerned by actual comments, but even then, I respond and tell people why I write the way I write, why I'm not going to pander to them or change according to their wants. Just because you comment on my story doesn't mean you are entitled to tell me how to write it.

I am speaking in general, I am not referring to myself specifically. I am using my personal experience to illustrate why you should not treat all writers like that. I am using my own case as an anecdote. I'm not accusing you of criticizing me. And I am not condemning you for being a free reader - it's clear that you did not read what I wrote. I said I am criticizing you not because you are reading for free, not because you do not pay a single cent, but because you are acting self-entitled and think you have the right to make demands when you do not. That is all. nobody cares if you read for free, and nobody is demanding you to pay for anything. Just like you have no right to demand anything of writers, writers do not have the right to demand that you pay or donate to them to show your sign of "support."

I am also not talking about privilege. I couldn't care less about privilege at all. Some writers embrace it because they make more money (and who can blame them?), many readers hate it because it costs money (and who can blame them?). I'm on the fence on that, and I don't mind if someone can figure out a better system. What I take issue with is not privilege, not you being a free reader, but you being so self-entitled. Nothing more, nothing less. Unless you can understand that, there really isn't much else I can say. Go read the link to Neil Gaiman's journal post that I pasted in my post above.

@Cantiara You are right. I should probably stop wasting my time on this.

Cantiara
Yes I agree! Agree to disagree! That’s what I thought I wrote in the earlier post. I still stand by what I said before. So I’m not gonna reiterate why I think that way. Thanks for not mocking me, most arguments like this turns out rough.

Sorry, I didn’t know you were a boy. A mistake on my end.

Readers did help contribute to authors getting a contract. Views & votes matter for webnovel to take into consideration of getting that contract. But of course the author has to write a good book to get readers.

We’ll agree to disagree like what the other user wrote. Cause I still stand by what I wrote earlier. And what you wrote isn’t that wrong either. If you can’t see it my way it’s fine. I still feel free readers should get a little something from time to time. (Not aimed at you but to others).

I can’t change your mind and you can’t change mine. So let’s just end it here. Though I’m sure more people will be chiming into this post cause of what I wrote before.