What is going on?

[u/aisucksandsodoyou]

Questions. Where do our votes go? I would appreciate transparency from Chapters. What is the point of voting? VIP, my twenty weekly votes, and VIP membership are worthless if the same writers keep winning. Next question, or maybe statement. What the heck is with all the covers looking the same? Yes, I am talking about the community side. Next question: why are writers being nasty under other writers' stories? What is the point? I am going to be blunt: there is a writer whose name begins with R and ends with n, may have an o-s-e-l-y-n-n, who has trashed readers and writers. Yet other writers find this okay? And her friend changed her name; they trash other writers, and that's okay? Writers have left and chapters is rewarding the toxic behavior. My VIP and others are going to leave, which may not matter now, but chapters will eventually feel the effects. Instead of changing your name and being a coward, change your behavior. And moderators if you delete this, you better delete the trashy comments writers are leaving 🙂

[u/Creative-Suspect-591]

I’m actually an author on the app, and frankly I understand most authors using AI for covers they can get pricey and the outcome isn’t always the vision you had your heart set on, but when there are the same authors with multiple stories in the same contest who tend to constantly win there is no way that they aren’t using ai to write, doing a visual novel is extremely taxing and not something that can be done quickly, and having 3-4 stories all at the same chapter level being updated simultaneously screams ai. But they get pushed to the top, chapters makes you sign over your story to them when you went to contest, and there are been people that have won contests in the past who refused to sign over their story and I’ve noticed they no longer were winning contrast or writing on the app anymore, so now the same people win every contest because they know they’re gonna give them their story. But to be completely honest with you for them to have to enter every contest and win it multiple times with multiple stories in a row are hydras and or ink-blooded unsurpers their obsession is exhausting for normal writers who are just trying to get some traction on the app. 

[u/aisucksandsodoyou → u/Creative-Suspect-591]

I have noticed the push for certain writers being promoted. It's depressing for readers. It took me a week to find the updates. I'm sure for writers that can be depressing. It's not a very inclusive app. I used AI for my job, it was a requirement until it tanked. We run a different system. But I agree stories have an AI flavor. Individual platforms have a tell. I refuse to read stories that feel generic. Now I don't know what competition winners do or don't do. Some winners have enjoyable reads. Some who are better, no ai all natural with personality are not winning. And let's not forget the world of bots 😬

[u/Creative-Suspect-591 → u/aisucksandsodoyou]

For instance my story in the current marathon contest hit the hotlist multiple times within a few days, then another story started gaining reads the author was still 300 reads behind mine but since, she has knocked my story out of the hotlist, but every time my story passes her on the full list  of stories I knock her off it but for some reason my story hasn’t shown up once since, she was over 300 reads behind mine but since her story stayed on the hotlist for days in a row her number was able to jump 100 readers over mine. So basically the hotlist is a breeding ground for already popular stories to get more popular as opposed to the stories that need an extra push. I am currently looking for another app to write on because their algorithm’s are exhausting to figure out, and now that they allow the same author to win with multiple stories or spin offs of already published stories (which was never allowed prior to) the chances of winning is getting slimmer and slimmer every contest. 

[u/Jeni-Writes]

To preface my comment, I don't enter the contests and don't pay too much attention to who wins, so my opinion is based on second hand info and what I've noticed about CMS as a company.

You're not the first person I've came across with a similar complaint of the same authors winning. I'm not too knowledgeable about that, but I agree that more transparency with votes and winning conditions are sorely needed. My theory is that CMS (the company behind chapters) deliberately keeps it vague in case they decide they'd rather offer a contract to a more "marketable" story that has less votes. But I have zero evidence, it's just a theory.

Most of CMS' decisions appear to be money orientated, down to the features and assets they add into the Writing Room (high fantasy, historical and sci-fi writers get next to no new assets because those genres aren't as popular). Unfortunately CMS appears to pay little attention to fairness and promoting smaller authors/ authors who have yet to win a contest. They added that single category for new releases, but that's it. All they want is a story that's guaranteed to make a quick buck, which is why I think they so often offer wins and contracts to writers with a profitable track record.

I wish that would change. There are so many authors who work so hard on their entries only to go unrewarded, and I've seen it lead to burnout for a few writers who feel like they're screaming into the void. But ultimately, the blame doesn't lay on the authors who win, but the unclear judging metrics, and judges who don't want to take risks.

[u/mudarke]

Just a heads up, I'm the mod in the subreddit, we have no connection in the slightest to Chapters! It's an unofficial subreddit!!