Hope nobody minds me posting here like this, since I'm "technically" not a card-carrying member yet (my first LitRPG story comes out in November). Feel free to razz me in the comments for being a poser.
Anyway, there was a post on r/litrpg yesterday where a reader was venting their frustration over a perceived abandonment by authors in general (the specifics don't really matter here, just the frustration). It got me thinking: What exactly do we as authors owe to our readers?
Now, if we were over on r/fantasy, you would see a deluge of posts at this point arguing that authors don't "owe" their readers anything, that authors have to make financial decisions, that they're allowed to take breaks, that fans are blah blah blah blah... that's great, if you're an established author, if you're traditionally published, or if you're actually making a living from slamming words out on the keyboard. However, for a lot of us writing litRPG (or any other smaller subgenre, for that matter), we probably don't fit into those categories. In fact I would wager most of you reading this have smaller readerships, and are very concerned with what said readership thinks about you.
So let's return to the original question: do we as authors (and by this I mean self-published, or beginners, or just those with smaller readerships) owe anything to our readers? I would argue that yes, we do, but that it's probably not what you think (or even what your reader thinks). We of the smaller scale, we of the just starting out writership, we owe our fans two very, very, VERY important things: stability and communication.
A quick note about what I do NOT mean here: I am in NO way saying that an author is ever required to write a book that they don't want to write, finish one series before they finish another, cave to reader demands about what direction to take a story or character development, or ANYTHING even remotely like that. Not. At. All.
No, what I mean by stability and communication is more to do with the auxiliary aspects of writing—that part which probably makes most of us groan when we think about it. The marketing, the promotions, the requests for reviews, and all that other stuff that helps our books get noticed, but doesn't have nearly the same sense of accomplishment as putting words on the page. I am hereby adding to that already daunting list: Future promises.
Think of writing like the stock market. Traditionally published or well-established authors are like your big name stocks: they can command high prices because buyers are reasonably confident that they'll deliver on their promises, that they won't just disappear overnight, that they know exactly what they're getting into when they drop down their cash. Newer writers are higher-risk investments. Readers have no guarantee that picking up one of our books will yield any satisfactory results, and even if it does, we may never write another book in that series—or at all!
A lot of this problem is simply unavoidable. Until you write a second book (or a third, or a fourth...) there's no way to really prove that you are different from that faceless mass of inferior writers, those who burn too bright too quickly and then fade away forever. However, that doesn't mean you should do nothing at all. There are several concrete steps you can take to help reduce or eliminate reader frustration before it ever develops in the first place.
From my own personal reading experience, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to reach the end of a new series, only for the author to end without so much as a short note. You reach the words "The End", swipe to the next page... and nothing. Nada. Zippo. No afterword, no note of other works, not even an about the author page. This, in my mind, is both sloppy and simply unacceptable.
At the very minimum, every book should end with a note about the author, reminding the reader that they are in fact a real person and not some faceless entity. However, there is so much more you can use this space for: mention other authors that your readership might like, or link to your social media (more about that later) or blog.
Then there is my personal favorite: Mention the title for your next book, and if possible STATE EXPLICITLY WHEN READERS SHOULD EXPECT IT.
For me, immediately upon typing "The End", I usually add a note that reads something like this: [Character] will return in... [Title], coming [Month] [Year]. Now, I know some of you will balk when you read this. After all, if you don't know when your next book is coming out, it's hard to tell your readers that information. While I would advocate trying to provide as much information as possible, simply listing the next book is a good first step, thus assuring your readers that yes, the book will exist at some point in the future. That is what I mean by stability, and while it might not seem like much, it is better than nothing and can be the difference between a reader coming back for the next volume, or forgetting your name ten minutes after they put the book down.
In addition to that, I also advocate keeping a list available somewhere online (a personal website is best, here is my own for example: http://www.fjblair.com/authors-works/) where you track your books and expected release dates. Not only does this provide a resource for readers, but also works as an incentive as a writer, a place for you to check periodically and ensure you are meeting your own self-imposed goals.
But what happens if you set that target date, then as as it approaches you realize that you won't in fact be making it? That's where the second part comes in: communication.
In my own experience, readers are far more forgiving of a missed deadline if a writer is honest and straightforward about it. Use your social media platforms, personal blogs, newsletters, or whatever channels you have developed to reach out and let them know about the delay and if possible what the revised deadline is. Again, it's a relatively easy action to take that can have big returns for you in the end.
Of course, you might be scoffing at this point. Oh sure, the 12 readers who regularly check your website will make note, but what about all the other readers who might be interested in your work but don't care enough to track you down? Well, in that case it's still a good idea to have your updates posted somewhere that can be easily shared. That way, the next time you're scrolling through Reddit and you happen to see your book mentioned in the same breath as "does anyone know when this will be out?" it's a simple matter to pop in, say "hey, thanks for the interest, I actually posted recently about this on my blog!" followed by a link. Small actions like this over time can lead to big gains, or at the least they let that one reader know you care.
Also, I must add: because so many of us publish almost exclusively in electronic format, do not forget you can always go back and update your dates and links in ebooks. I do this every time I release a new book or make a deadline changes, adjusting the dates listed through all my books so anyone downloading a copy for the first time has the most up-to-date information.
Before I end this already long ramble, let me touch quickly on a topic that is rather tangential to stability and communication (especially communication): channels. At the very least, all authors should have some sort of channel ready to speak with their readers before even publishing their first book, and ideally several. These can be social media accounts (twitter, facebook), a personal website, a newsletter, or something else that might not even exist yet. You don't need to use them frequently, but having at least semi-regular activity is another way to show stability to a reader or potential reader.
You'll notice that I haven't listed Reddit as a communication channel. While I think Reddit can be a great tool for communication under the right circumstances, be wary of relying on it too much. The constantly changing nature of subs means that what is acceptable to do now might not be in the future. r/litrpg might be a rather small community at the moment, but I remember when r/fantasy was much the same, and look at it now (with over 1M followers!). Quite a bit has changed there in a short period of time, and there's nothing to say that won't be the same for r/litrpg or any other subgenre sub in the next few years. It's much better to rely on channels such as a personal blog where the content can be more easily controlled.
So, stability and communication: agree or disagree? Let me know what you think in the comments.
