When I see a couple people unsub, I'm honestly happy to have less inactive readers

[smokesalty]

Listen, at first it doesn't feel good, but honestly those people probably weren't going to keep reading anyways. I'd rather have my number of subs better reflect how many people are interested in the story.

Does make me wonder if something about my episodes are putting them off though

(I'm just gonna keep going as planned anyway)

[IndigoShirtProd]

Well, I guess that one way to look at it.

I've lost a few subs recently (probably 'cuz the comic is on hiatus right now) and I tend to laugh them off. It's not a particularly good feeling, but I'm overall pretty neutral about it happening. It just makes me think about what I should do for marketing.

[Zhengo]

Guess that is a glass half full perspective. I'm a bit pessimistic and always seem to see the most unsubs when I update, so I always think if it's because I did something in my new update that made the not interested anymore

[UrMom]

Oh, uh-oh! I guess I could be considered one of your inactive subs. Lmao!

It's a mixed blessing for me. On one hand I also like active readers who leave comments and such, particularly more thoughtful comments, on the other hand I have this need to respond to said comments. This causes a lot of anxiety because I'm generally overwhelmed/stressed, and talking to people who show interest in what I do takes a lot of energy because I want to show my appreciation, no matter how hard I try I can't make my brain not be like this. My anxiety has discouraged some regulars from commenting, which is relieving but also depressing because I want people to feel comfortable with sharing their thoughts. When I can't/don't interact it also discourages commenting, so it's damned if you do damned if you don't.

But yeah, I don't mind either way. I love comments, but I also like being able to drop an update and run without guilt. Also I can understand not commenting on a page/episode, admittedly I hardly ever comment on stuff I read because I don't know how to articulate those thoughts and feelings on an update into words. Usually I have a better time with that after the story is finished, and I can take in the whole package.

Also on losing subs. Man, I've lost so many over the years, some ex-readers even hate the comic now, and I'll probably will be losing more with this and the next chapter because that's how it is during the harder stuff. After a while you'll stop caring or notice, maybe you'll lose count, I know I did after hitting 500 or so. Like, I just stopped giving a shit and didn't pay attention anymore, checking on your subs is only fun when you start closing in on a milestone. (Speaking of, just checked and 66 subs till I hit 2k, whoo! Will that happen this year? Next year? 5 years from now? Who knows, I'll probably forget about it after posting this!)

Stuff like that will happen though, people's interests change, your story could go in a direction they didn't like, maybe updates aren't fast enough, they have too much stuff to read with not enough time, there could be a plethora of reasons for someone to unsub. The only readers that matter are the veteran fans who always leave a like, comment, or whose town always shows up in your analytics... new ones too, of course, but veterans get a special place in my cold, dead heart.

[Tanako]

It's funny you said this. I was going to make a post about it but didn't want to seem too sensitive? It does make one feel a bit sad I guess and that's not a bad way to look at it.
honestly I kinda feel like all the premium comics popping up isn't helping either? I could be wrong.

[AlydaB]

It does make me a bit sad, but you're right. I don't want anyone subbed to me who isn't interested in reading the story.

I myself will sub to some stories simply to remind myself to check them out and read a few posts to see if I like it... and often end up unsubbing when I don't find myself interested in continuing after that. So I don't begrudge people for doing it to me, though obviously it'd be nice if everyone who tried my story loved it :')

[smokesalty]

I understand what you mean. I tend to give myself time in the day to respond to comments and tbh majority of the time I tend to joke around in the replies and stuff like that. Completely understandable that it can bring anxiety, I find I get anxious if I think I've put off responding for so long. But honestly you're under no obligation to answer every comment, it's just up to what you want to do.

I'm also one of those readers that doesn't tend to comment very often because I'm busy reading the story. The only times I comment is if I know the author a bit better (mainly because I know them from the forums) but that's only if I have something to say.

I am a very big fan of a couple comics on here but I have never commented on them. I just feel like my comment will get drowned out by other people's.

In terms of unsubs, I have a feeling that for mine it's because the first chapter spends quite a bit of time building up to chapter 2, where the action and drama really begins, which is fine. A lot of my active readers like analysing what the characters are saying and clues I've planted in the first chapter (which is good, because that's what's to be expected for the rest of the story)

I also know I have even a couple of my irl friends who aren't interested in reading and I'd rather them not feel pressured to keep up with my work just because we're friends. I also have other people who are subbed but are waiting for a bunch of updates so they can binge it as well.

Oh, uh-oh! I guess I could be considered one of your inactive subs. Lmao!

I do the same thing with a couple comics I forget to get back to, it's not a big deal tbh. But hey, thanks for checking out my comic B)

[UrMom]

Lol I've been told I'm not obligated to respond, but man, I just want to talk to people! I just don't know how to do it very well because I'm a socially awkward introvert. xP Readers also really like it, especially if their comment is more thoughtful and such. Gosh I get anxious about taking too long to respond too, end up procrastinating until it's been a month, then it's like... maybe it's been too long, replying now would be weird.

In terms of unsubs, I have a feeling that for mine it's because the first chapter spends quite a bit of time building up to chapter 2, where the action and drama really begins, which is fine. A lot of my active readers like analysing what the characters are saying and clues I've planted in the first chapter (which is good, because that's what's to be expected for the rest of the story)

Oh yeah! The beginning parts of your comic will normally have the biggest fluctuation of subs since you're still setting up the building blocks for the overall ton and such. Once you get a couple chapters in your readerbase will be more solid. Also it's awesome you already have analytical readers, I love those folks, they're the best! (Sometimes they're also way too observant. Someone correctly guess a health issue one of my MCs has 3-4 years ago based on visual ques, and the thing they guessed was finally brought up near the end of last year.) Bingers are also really nice! It gives you a bit of a boost when seeing an influx of likes and/or comments.

Ah yeah, the friend thing is understandable. My family is like that, but I'm more than happy to now share my comic with them. Lmao! Generally it's also just really awkward trying to sell your work to people you know irl, especially if it's a more niche story.

I do the same thing with a couple comics I forget to get back to, it's not a big deal tbh. But hey, thanks for checking out my comic B)

Oh no! I've read your comic, I just don't interact because I forget. Can't turn down a cult horror webcomic, there aren't enough horror stories in our community as it is, but I have a special spot for cults since my mom grew up in one.

[DiegoPalacios]

Engagement is what matters. "Engaged readers are the ones that pay the bills"

[TheLemmaLlama]

Gosh I get anxious about taking too long to respond too, end up procrastinating until it's been a month, then it's like... maybe it's been too long, replying now would be weird.

Broke: respond to every comment

Woke: procrastinate on responding to comments until it's been a month and you feel weird replying to them now

Bespoke: deliberately delay your responses to every comment by a month so you set a precedent for responding late

[UrMom]

-Makes it fashionable by replying to all comments exactly in a year-

[NickRowler]

I don't check my subs close enough to notice if they go down, I guess I am more focused on other things...

However, there was one page from my old series that must have upsetted some people, because I noticed a large drop in my sub count when it was originally posted. The page depicted 2 gay boys holding hands in a tree. I don't know why people were so upset by this, it was foreshadowed earlier in the series.

[hakei]

Same here, I don't check my numbers frequently enough to know when people have unsubbed — except the time near the beginning, where I confirmed my two main leads were gay and hundreds of people unsubbed that exact day.

[KSlinger]

Oof. That's really rough, I'm sorry. Losing subs due to a choice you've made story-wise would hurt me way more than passively losing subs as time goes on. I hope you didn't question yourself too much.

[system]

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