I am currently writing a story and am wondering if I should add gem choices. Personally, I hate using gems when reading stories. I would only use gems in my story if a) I use it to support the author and/or b) add points to one of the points in my story (points will affect the story and ending). I am still in the writing phase and haven’t published my story yet, but if I do add a gem option to add points to one of the points system, I would have to add the points up again from a certain point. I don’t want to do this, but will have to. I don’t know if I would want to have gems unlock an extra scene. How do gems affect your ranking? Would you use gems? Thanks!
Would you use gems to support the author?
Yes, some gems (5, 8, or 12)
Yes, a lot of gems (17, 22, 28, or 35)
No
0voters
Would you use gems to add/subtract relationship points?
Yes, a little gems (5 or 8) for +1/-1 points
Yes, a lot of gems (12 or 17) for +2/-2 points
0voters
Would you use gems to unlock a special scene?
Yes
No
0voters
Would you use gems to choose a special outfit?
Yes
No
0voters
Edit:
I cannot change the polls, and I forgot to add an option. So I’m going to ask the question again.
Would you use gems to add/subtract points?
Using gems is crucial to make your story visible in the ranks these days, so I would say - definitely do it. I have a few stories that are a couple of years old and aren’t read much these days - however, if as much as one person chooses one gem choice in them, they immediately jump up the ranks.
Here are my thoughts and observations on the most common gem choices types:
Support the author - these choices of course don’t do well, but it’s always good to incorporate them - I’m trying to click on the support option at least once in every couple of episodes if I enjoy a story a lot, and I know many people do too.
Adding points - this one is a very “fair” gem choice type in my opinion, because, technically, all points can be gathered for free by making right choices in the story. Buying points is just an extra help in case someone messed up: totally optional and doesn’t take away from the story. From my experience - people do spend gems on these. I also think it’s fair to depend the price on how many points someone wants to add - so, 5💎 for 1 extra point, 8💎 for 3 extra points and, say, 12💎 to max out the points etc.
Bonus scenes - these options usually take the most time from you - the writer - so they can be priced a little higher, however they can be controversial in the eyes of some readers. I think adding the bonus scenes at the end of the chapter takes away from the controversy a little, however keep in mind you need to make them sound interesting enough for people to actually choose them. For example, I highly doubt anyone would like to pay for a bonus scene that explains what MC’s best friend was doing when MC was busy kissing their love interest. The love interest’s POV of that kiss, however, already sounds like something a reader would be interested in. In one of my stories, I made the mistake of simply asking the readers if they wanted to buy a bonus scene, without explaining what will be in it - needless to say, almost no one was choosing to read them
Outfits - I think a good idea would be to simply offer readers more clothing options if they pay gems (so a twist to the “wear something cute for gems or pyjamas for free” choice we see in the officials). For example, 2 outfits options for free - 5 outfit options for 5💎. Doesn’t take away from the story, doesn’t make you feel bad. I’ve seen it being incorporated in other stories and it apparently does pretty well.
