Storial’s Readers & Writers Insights 2020
Tags: Newyear, Startuplife, Storial, Startup, 2020insights

Wow. It’s December! That time of the year again to reflect and learn. 2020 is special with the whole world shutting down due to COVID-19 pandemic. Today I’d like to share some insights from what we have seen at Storial during 2020.

Apparently, people are seeking for catharsis in the uncertain times through writing. The number of writers increased by 450% after the pandemic, thus contributing to the total of 29,413 titles published at Storial in 2020. An increased of 95% compared to 2019. Among these titles, there are 772 premium titles that are offered as paid chapters to readers.

One notable premium title published this year is Terrific Two https://www.storial.co/book/terrific-two, a novel by celebrity sisters Amanda Manopo and Angelica Manopo highlighting the dynamic of sisters rivalry as they climb the mountain of social media fame.

In total, there were more than 400 titles written about pandemic, one of them is by the writer of Balada Si Roy, Gol A Gong. He wrote his latest novel at Storial, a forbidden love story during COVID-19 time and keeping his unique ‘rebel boy’ character as key element of the story. You can read Lelaki di Tanah Perawan here: https://www.storial.co/book/lelaki-di-tanah-perawan

Out of more than 400 titles about pandemic, 216 titles came from our ‘Garda Terdepan’ writing competition https://www.storial.co/event/kompetisi-menulis-cerita-pendek-garda-terdepan we held in November to highlight stories of the unsung heroes like medical professionals, that have been helping us coping with the pandemic.

Garda Terdepan stories have exceeded our expectations. The stories are heart-warming and reflecting the real situation in Indonesia. One the stories is about a man who lose his job during pandemic and became a courier to deliver packages https://www.storial.co/book/courier-carrier-career, also a story about an internet cafe in a village to help students continue their study online https://www.storial.co/book/warung-internet-mbah-war-1

During this difficult time, people are seeking for affection, hope, and togetherness. It is shown by some of the most used words for labels in their stories such as “home”, “cinta” (love), “love”, “hati” (heart), “doa” (prayer), “asa” (hope).

People read more during the pandemic: as much as 9 hours and 80 chapters a month! That’s an increase of more than 200% than before the pandemic. And yes, now they also read more on weekends.

In 2020, the title of the book with the most read is Kisah Untuk Dinda https://www.storial.co/book/kisah-untuk-dinda-1 by the writer of Dear Nathan, Erisca Febriani, book with the fastest growing sales is Menanti Hari Berganti https://www.storial.co/book/menanti-hari-berganti by Titi Sanaria, while Shanty Milan is the most read writer with a total of 21 books published in 2020. I’d like to also highlight our most productive writer, Lilyht, who has published 422 chapters in 2020! Way to go!

People also spend more to buy books. Average spend per reader Increasing 17% after the pandemic. This has helped Storial writers to earn better living while bookstores were shut down across the Nation.

Storial helped hundreds of premium writers earned income during the pandemic. One of our top writers can earn as much as Rp200,000,000 during 2020. Top writers royalties get an increased by 340% after the pandemic.

2020 is not an easy year, but it’s easier to cope with the warm embrace of our beloved writers and readers community through their engaging creativity: we’re grateful. We’re looking forward to 2021, as we have prepared new features that will enhance the online reading and writing experience even more. If you’d like to understand more and collaborate, please write to contact@storial.co

Happy New Year from Storial team!