NOVEL NEXT Chapter Release Update: The Two-Hour Experiment
Hello, readers!
As Nucleus approaches its 50th chapter, I've been analyzing how to enhance your reading experience while working Royal Road's ecosystem. After some research (and a bit of algorithm sleuthing...it's what I do, yeah?), I've decided to try something new with longer chapters.
Starting with Chapter 50, when a chapter exceeds 4,000 words, I'll be splitting it into two scenes with a two-hour gap between releases. This means:
Scene 1 will arrive at the usual time (5pm CEST / 11am ET / 8am PT)
Scene 2 will follow approximately 2 hours later
Both scenes will still release on the same day
Why the change? It turns out this approach offers benefits for both casual and dedicated readers. The 2-hour window gives everyone enough time to digest Scene 1 without waiting until next week for the conclusion. Meanwhile, it helps Nucleus appear twice on Royal Road's Latest Updates list, potentially introducing this series to new readers.
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Is this gaming the system? Perhaps a tiny bit!
But really, it's about finding the sweet spot that respects your time while maximizing this story's visibility in an increasingly crowded space.
Our release schedule remains the same otherwise -- just with this small adjustment to how longer chapters are delivered. As always, I'm grateful for your continued support as we journey through the Five Realms together.
What do you think of this approach? Let me know in the comments, and I look forward to your reactions to Chapter 50 and beyond!
Best,
Vel W