Yes and then you can trend from there (once reviewed for a shelf you can trend), but until then you wonāt even be visible. Which is why most people want to get reviewed. (All my stories have been reviewed and most of mine have been shelved.)
For context- before being reviewed my new story gained 450 reads in 4 days. After being reviewed, I updated and gained 10k reads in one week. Just being visible helps!
Absolutely. Getting on the shelf gets you an audience. Thank you for sharing that.
My thoughts, that post said they look at reader retention. A small author has to be strategic on many people they to get to read their in a certain time frame with other small writers.
Also, they have to pay attention on days when people are not getting a lot of reads in that particular genre.
Thatās for shelves though.
To just show up on the trending section (and be reviewed so you can be seen), you just need to, well, trend. Top 100. So all you need to focus on there is reads.
Retention is important if you want to be considered for a future shelf, but thereās no guarantee youāll be on one, even if your story is amazing with great retention (it depends if your story fits a shelf theme).
Well there are so many shelf categories. You need to be strategic on how you write your stories.
Starting out you donāt have an audience. It is hard finding readers on the forum to begin with and they might not like the genre you choose to write your story in.
Small writers tend to rely on other small writers to read their story. Why not group up and be strategic about reads?
Oh for sure. Iām not arguing that lol.
If I was starting right now as a new author (when I started on Episode, you didnāt need to be reviewed to be visible on the ranks) I would pick an underrated genre if possible (itās very easy to trend in horror. Iāve had the same short story sit top 20 for 2.5 years now lol). If you got 100 reads (or even, like, 50 reads) in horror within an hour, youād hit top 100 easily.
If you have enough small writers as a group, you may be able to trend if you are strategic about the selected genre. You have to pay attention to when big writers in that genre get the most reads. Try to avoid those days as a group.
Not arguing. You are making some valid points as a big author that has an audience already.
I like talking strategy.
You are so right. If you are a small author starting out, a great strategy maybe gain an audience in the horror category. Make sure you have small authors to support you. Possibly do 33 r4rs with smaller writers that are guaranteed within a certain time frame. Pick the appropriate shelf or shelves and tie that in with the horror category while you have a flawless reader retention number from your group of small writers.
I wonder if they recycle shelves. Maybe look at older shelves that may get recycled soon.
Having ~33 small writers will put you at the 100 read mark to get on the shelf that has an audience.
Boom, best case scenarioā¦ Your story gets reviewed. You stay trending in the genre by continuing to do r4r with small writers. You also get on a shelf and gain an audience of readers.
For example:
Youāre doing a pirate battle scene, donāt just let the characters stand there, move the cannon, have a fire blast overlay, make it realistic, let them battle to the damn very end! lol. Savy?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFV9KS6FsSB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Bravooo!!!
Ok, I see you. That is a bomb diggity sneak peek!!!
KABOOM!!! 
Why you showing off like that? 
LOL
intense rocking guitar music Oh I donāt know, Iām still teaching and showing examples.
. 
I mean that sneak peek is clean and crisp.
Got me questioning what I am doing with my promos
Lol.
Itās not easy to be honest but yeah R4R does help up to a point. Like Lana said, itās good to be in groups. Just remember, all these big authors started with 0 reads