User blog:Jadelady/Stats

I actually had a similar mindset that Reddit user paradise_seeker compiled from the data we're given from the new (currently in test phase) interfaces provided by Choices. So, I'm going to expand the table with the keywords that are provided as well.

Notes: we don't know what Views equals. It could be chapters completed, keys spent, or how many times the book is completed. It could take into account replays and not just number of new players who have opened the book. My belief is that it is chapters completed and includes all replays. While some readers may use certain books to Diamond Mine, I believe a higher percentage of replays also translates to higher percentage of diamond/premium purchases because (again this is my opinion) if I made a purchase, I would want to get my money's worth and replay and enjoy it (so it doesn't feel like I spent 30 diamonds on a scene; if I play it 30 times, it makes it 1 diamond per play for example). Basically, I read what I like and replay and spend on what I enjoy.

The Books/Titles listed on the first table are listed in chronological order. From The Freshman released on August 17, 2016 to The Nanny Affair released on May 13, 2020.

Keep in mind that not all 80 titles were released in 2016, and that may also factor in the high replays for the earlier books. That is, when you only have 3 to 5 books to choose from, you can replay them faster and more often even while you wait for the next chapter to drop. I remember when I started it in 2016; I think they only gave us 30 diamonds and they were encouraging us to spend them on Your Character (The Freshman)'s first outfit. Like a tutorial on how to play the game or how the game works. Then they tried to encourage you to buy diamonds to get more outfits and extend the scenes. I don't think I bought the outfit (so I got the snide comments from Becca Davenport) but I did use them to encourage Zack Zilberg and Brandon. Suffice to say, I probably replayed those early chapters a few times to check the different dialogue and because there was nothing else to do unless I simply closed the game. Also, back in 2016, they did not give us 5 or 6 diamonds a day with free ads. The 30 diamonds in the beginning were it and so players had to spend real money to buy more. I believe we still had 1 or 2 free diamonds for finishing a brand new chapter but that was basically it; so it took several weeks to earn 30 diamonds. I honestly don't remember when the ads started, but I know it wasn't in 2016.

Monthly Average takes from the release date to current date (May 20, 2020) when the interface was released. I assume once the interface is released to the general public, the numbers will increase as time passes, but these tables only reference what was given in May. I am not double-checking paradise_seeker's math unless someone points out that the user was wrong. I did not see the Sophomore Halloween Special listed (I may have missed it), so I averaged that myself. Also, I did not see the new/ongoing books stats myself, so I'm trusting that information too.

Keywords
This is a new added feature on the interface. It is not necessarily the category that the book or series fall into but three words that can describe the story. The top 5 keywords are:
 * Romance
 * College
 * Friendship
 * Mystery
 * Kingdom

This is just the keyword "Romance" and doesn't include titles (such as "The Royal Romance" or "Passport to Romance") or anything relating to romance such as the keywords: Courtship, Valentines, Matchmaker, Engagement, Wedding, Sexy (which is in the top 10), and Dating.

My Opinion
Remember - this is a blog and my opinion. We may not share opinions and you are welcome to comment and critique and we can debate.

Romance
"Romance" is not a bad thing and there are many vocal players who are tired of it, but fans on social media and the Fandom are not a large percentage of the players. I don't think the 250 active users here have read "Blades of Light and Shadow, Book 1" 260000 times for instance.

Some may think the entire player population doesn't want romance, but looking at just the 2019 holiday specials - "The Royal Holiday", "Desire & Decorum: First Winter", "The Elementalists: Winters Past", and "Bloodbound: Dark Solstice" - "The Royal Holiday" beats the other three with number of views. As a paying player, I like the fact that paying for one spouse unlocks all spouses in "The Royal Holiday". I have not tested it for the other three books, but from my experience with those series, paying for one love interest does not unlock the others; for example, if I pay for Ernest Sinclaire, I have to pay again for Prince Hamid; if I pay for Adrian Raines, I have to pay again for Jax Matsuo; if I pay for Beckett Harrington, I have to pay again for Shreya Mistry. That could play a factor but I don't know if it does; I just like the added "bonus" that comes with "The Royal Romance" series from Book 3 and on.

Blond Male Love Interest / Forced Love Interest
This is just extrapolating from the previous premium stories: "Chris: Luxury Getaway" (with 380000 views), "Kaitlyn: The Perfect Date" (with 200000 views), and "James: Masquerade Ball" (with 150000 views). Prior to 2020, these three stories were locked at 30 diamonds. Nowadays in stories, 30 diamond scenes are not rare and usually are of an intimate nature; these stories were no different. However, because they were locked, only a small percentage of players spent diamonds on it. As time passed, newer players were probably not interested in the older books like "The Freshman" so these premium side stories were not touched. As I mentioned above, in 2016, we didn't have 5 free diamonds a day; to purchase and unlock one of these books would cost either 6+ weeks of playing new chapters (replaying old chapters did not release a diamond or an ad for a diamond) or spending real money (approximately $4 if the smallest increments were bought).

Just from the statistics, there were more players who purchased Chris's book than Kaitlyn and James combined. In essence, he proved that there were a higher percentage of paying players (48%) interested in the "white blond male love interest" vs Kaitlyn (27%) and James (25%). Yes, there are arguments for the character's personalities and some may dislike all three characters, but I don't expect those that dislike the characters to actually buy their books. As a player - if I decided to spend my own money (which I did) - I'd buy one book not all three; I'm sure there are players who bought two or all three, but I did not. Also, keep in mind that this is from 2016 when players didn't have many options. PB did not create standalone one-shots with any of their characters from "The Crown and The Flame" or "Most Wanted". At this point in time, "The Freshman" was the only romance-type book in their library. So when given the choice between these three love interests in a time that only 3 or 4 books were available, more players purchased "Chris: Luxury Getaway".

Trilogies
I'm not taking "The Freshman" into account as that long-standing series had a variety of books that don't follow the typical trilogy pattern. The retention rates can be skewed since it assumes people who have read the first books will go on to read the second and third books and it assumes people don't start at book 2 or book 3 and migrate backwards. General assumption is that if the audience likes the first book, they will go on and continue reading book 2 and from that read book 3. If they don't like the first book, they won't touch the second or third book and may stop anywhere in the first book.

Although "The Royal Romance" series has one of the lowest retention rates, it has enough replay value for Book 1 that it almost doubles the other series including niche-favorite "Endless Summer" and old-school-Fandom-favorite "The Crown & The Flame". Some players complain about the series being PB's "cash cow" -which it is- but if the cow keeps making money, they'll keep making books.

These numbers do not surprise me. For me, "Red Carpet Diaries, Book 1" was better than Book 2 and Book 3. Book 2 threw in the "Me Too" movement but did not expand the drama more than a few chapters and wrapped it up in a tidy bow that realistically would not have happened. I understand players don't read the books to have 100% reality, but to me, when real-life elements are brought into fiction (perhaps as a reflection of current events and society), then fiction needs to dive into it and not gloss over it.

"America's Most Eligible" is not everyone's cup of tea. For me, I replayed Book 1 a lot trying to get the maximum relationship points possible; however, when they changed the structure of the relationship points in Book 2 and Book 3, there is where it sank. Also, Book 3 came out during the 2019 "Wedding Craze" which soured the taste of weddings and romance for many players. I myself was burnt out; if they had spaced it out more, I probably would have bought more in "Desire & Decorum, Book 3". For the "Desire & Decorum" series, some players were probably angry about having to fight off another antagonist to be with their chosen love interest. And where was Bishop Monroe and Dr. Kerrigan who could obviously tell everyone of main character's innocence? Conveniently elsewhere.

"Bloodbound" is not a surprise for me as well. In Fandom, I'm in the minority that did not absolutely love the book. I enjoyed Book 1 better than Book 2 and Book 3, so Book 1 has a higher replay value from me. Was the "selling point" of Book 3 that the main character finally became a vampire? If so, only 5% of players actually wanted that.

"High School Story: Class Act" is a special case. While it stands as a trilogy on it's own, it is a little like "The Royal Heir" where it is actually a continuation from the "High School Story" series. If treated as that, views raised from the end of HSS Book 3 to the first book of HSS:CA possibly due to the new spark of new students. Retention rates were higher, probably because if we start at HSS Book 1, by the time we hit HSS:CA Book 3, we've dwindled down to the loyal readers and core audience.