NancyLebovitz comments on Analyzing FF.net reviews of 'Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality' - Less Wrong Discussion
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I can't remember how often Eliezer mentioned how important getting reviews was for him, but I wonder if that correlates with more reviews.
It can't be that often. I just went through the Notes on HPMoR.com (which seem to be incomplete) and C-f for 'review', and nowhere since February 2012 does Eliezer ask for reviews (he remonstrates demanding reviews, mentions total review count, talks about reviewing his plans, etc.)
Emphasis mine. That is the only instance of anything like that in the notes I saved, though; the only other thing that turned up that I think might have skewed it was the bit where he talked a few times about how HPMOR was the X most reviewed HP fic/fic on ff.net/etc.
I don't know if that worked but if that was the only instance of asking for reviews, I don't think it did much of anything. Here's the 7-days-filtered reviews for ch16-23:
So ch18 had the same number as the previous ch17, then with ch19 it dropped, ch20 was higher than 17/18, but then ch21-22 dropped even further. If there's any effect from asking for reviews, I'm not seeing it in the filtered reviews.
Heh, but I guess that stopped working...
I started reading too late to catch most notes of this sort by EY (and I often skip Author's Notes anyway), but from personal real-time observation of other fanfics it seems to be a tremendous help for authors to beg for reviews, in any and all senses of "begging". Asking for stuff is good, and holding updates hostage for the price of reviews is even better (assuming there actually are any readers). Giving public thanks to reviewers also works.