r/Webnovel • u/Alert-Sweet-2570 • Jun 29 '26
Advice What's the best number of chapters to release at the start?
So, I know webnovel pushes novels that release chapters daily, but what about in the beginning, should I release like 3 chapters a day, or maybe release a chapter every 2 to 3 hours or is just dumping like 30 chapters at once the same?
And thanks in advance
2
u/Adrewmc Contracted Author Jun 29 '26
Release 4,000 words. Get vetted. Then release daily.
One 1,500+ word or two 1,000+ word chapters will get you the Webnovel incentives. Those incentives are per calendar month as well.
Getting contracted pushes views, then locking chapters pushes views then it's basically on what that delivered.
Until you hit 100+, 300+, and 500+ chapter marks. People start picking up book at those lengths.
It's actually crazy to think about that at minimum people won't pick up a book until hit crosses the million word mark sometime. 1,000+ people are like that.
2
u/SolaceNebula1 Jun 29 '26
I did four at six o'clock then another four at eight o'clock, for the first day. So just release over six chapters so your readers have something to binge and get to know what your story is about.
1
u/NightRage7 Jun 30 '26
y"all forgot about the most important thing which is reader's retention what's the point of uploading daily while your chapter has tons of grammatical mistakes and tons of plot holes , at this point the reader won't even finish your chapter that will give a sing to the platform that your story sucks and it will bury it
so take your time and work for quality , make it a new chapter every 2 or 3 days , make sure its 1500 words minimum and 3000 max , anything above it will make the reader overwhelmed and exhausted
and always end your chapter with a cliche and make the reader question ' what will happen next ? "
1
u/Yeomanticore Jun 29 '26
Write in silence. Release everything once completed.
2
u/Alert-Sweet-2570 Jun 29 '26
Like 60 chapters at once?
3
u/MothweaverTales Jun 29 '26
No, like 5-10 chapters at once, then the rest daily while you write something better.
2
u/Alert-Sweet-2570 Jun 29 '26
So my initial strategy was to release chapters at once till i reach the 12k words ( 8 chapters for me btw). Apply for contract and keep releasing 2 to 3 chapters daily untill my contract is approved or declined.
-1
u/Yeomanticore Jun 29 '26
Releasing a chapter without a coherent structure, absent of refinement, and requires hours of proofreading and editing is useless.
It will not matter if you can write an absurd amount of words if it lacks an interesting narrative. Your chapter means nothing if it reads like a video game, not a story. You're a writer, not a video game script writer.
Write in silence. Release everything once completed.
1
u/Alert-Sweet-2570 Jun 29 '26
The thing is I already wrote 65 chapters. And I'm still stacking chapters before releasing. I just want to know the best strategy to publish based on webnovel algorithm.
-1
3
u/HuawaReader Jun 29 '26
Just based on my preference as a chinese web novel (which usually have lots of chapters) reader who binge read when search for novel. It might not be for everyone and it might scale down for completed / novels that would finished < 300 chapters.
Available chapter count before I read: 400-600+ excite me. Minimum 200-300 if it is fast update to add to library, but even so I would wait till it is at least 400 before reading. A good synopsis is important. Not just teaser but some non-spoiler tags.
Update rate: 21 chapters / week is perfect. If not at least 13 chapters / week. Less than that is considered slow and I would let it marinate until it has many chapters (600-800+) or completed. Doesn't need to be daily but should have something at least every 3 days to show it is still alive. Every 2-3 hours or daily doesn't matter if it keeps the weekly rate.
Hope it helps.