All the answers to the questions you have about our innovative new Literary Match Bout feature on PatronQuo.com: what it is, how it works, and why you should vote.
I. WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS
What exactly is a literary match bout?
A literary match bout is a contest between any two short stories or novel excerpts featured on PatronQuo.com. Visitors are asked to choose the best of two contending tales, and their vote is then tabulated in the respective Match Bout Record charts for those tales.
Who decides the winner?
Every visitor to PatronQuo.com is randomly assigned a literary match bout to judge. Each reader’s vote is tabulated and showcased in the Match Bout Record Chart for the contending tales (found at the foot of the page of every tale featured on the site).
Do I have to register, give my name, or join the site to vote?
No. Voting is open to all visitors to the site regardless of their registration status. For the purposes of voting, you need not register or provide us with any information about you. Voting may be totally anonymous.
Where are the match bouts listed?
Every visitor is randomly assigned a match bout to judge. Your particular assigned match bout will remain listed throughout the site until you have submitted your vote. On the home page and on other informational pages throughout the site, your assigned match bout is listed at the top of the page. On every story page that you browse (including the story pages for your assigned match), the assigned match will be listed at the bottom of the page.
Where on the site do I submit a vote?
At the bottom of every story page, there is a block with the heading Vote On A Match Bout. This block features the two contending tales that you have been randomly assigned to judge. Near the top of every story page, just below each title, there is also a link that will take you right to the voting block at the bottom of the page.
How do I submit a vote?
Under the heading Vote On A Match Bout, at the bottom of every story page, you will see the two contending tales that you’ve been assigned to judge. When you’re ready to vote, you click the radio button under the title of the story you choose, and then click on Submit Your Vote.
How many match bouts may I vote on?
You may vote on up to five matches per day.
Does my assigned match disappear if I check out other story pages throughout the site?
No. Your specific assigned match will remain listed on every web page throughout the site (at the bottom of every story page, and at the top of all the other web pages) until you have submitted your vote (at the bottom of any story page) for that assigned match.
Once I’ve submitted a vote for my assigned match, how will I be assigned another match to vote on?
After you have submitted your vote for the first match, just refresh your page or go to any other page on the site, where you will find your next assigned match listed at the bottom of the page (for all story pages on the site) or at the top (for all other pages on the site). Remember, however, that voting is always submitted at the bottom of a story page.
Why am I randomly assigned a match?
To ensure a fair result for all the participating writers. Specifically, we wanted to avoid a situation where friends and fans of certain authors would be looking to judge only the literary matches involving their favored writers. A random assignment of matches would also allow us to build a reliable chart of a tale’s overall reception with the public, which may have various uses that benefit both participating writers and casual readers on the site (see Part III – Why I Should Vote ).
Can participating writers vote on randomly assigned matches?
Yes.
II. MATCH BOUT RECORD CHARTS AND STATS
What is a Match Bout Record Chart?
Every short story and novel excerpt on PatronQuo.com comes with a Match Bout Record chart found at the foot of each tale. Each tale’s chart lists the all the matches for that tale that have been voted on to date. Match records are organized from greatest margin of victory to greatest margin of defeat. Every story title listed in a match bout chart is clickable so that you may read that story and view its respective Match Bout Record chart as well.
Where do you find the Match Bout Record Chart for each tale?
At the foot of each tale (just above the Match Bout Voting block). Near the top of every story page, just below each title, there is also a link that will take you right to the Match Bout Record Chart for that tale. For tales that have not yet accrued any match votes, no Match Record Chart will be listed.
What does it mean when a short story or novel excerpt is listed as “leading” in a particular match bout?
It means that more voters have voted for that story in that match bout than have voted for its contender.
What does it mean when a short story or novel excerpt is listed as “trailing” in a particular match bout?
It means that less voters have voted for that story in that match bout than have voted for its contender.
I just submitted a vote and a comment for a match. How may I view them on the Match Bout Record Chart?
Just refresh your story page or look up one of the contenders. Your vote and comment will immediately appear on the chart listing for that match.
Why do some tales have Match Bout Record Charts and others don’t?
For tales that have not yet accrued any match votes (whether for or against), no Match Record Chart will be listed.
Are there stats listed for the most successful overall Match Bout contenders on the site?
Yes, the overall Match Bout stats may be viewed alongside the other rankings and stats in the right column of the home page, and on the Stats Page (found on the toolbar of the site). The overall Match Bout site stats, however, will list the results for only those tales that have accrued votes for at least ten different match bouts to date. We set this threshold as we believe it represents a sufficient representative sampling of a tale’s comparative performance on the site.
What can I learn from a tale’s Match Bout Record Chart and from its overall Match Bout site ranking?
The Match Bout chart and overall rankings for a tale should provide you with insight as to how that tale is performing in comparison with a representative sampling of tales on the site. Ideally, as we grow, each chart should provide a Match Bout performance record of a particular tale as against all (or most) other tales on the site. From the writer’s perspective, such stats provide valuable feedback as to how the public is responding to that writer’s tale in its current draft (the writer may always re-submit a polish to improve that tale’s future standings). From the reader’s perspective, these stats will serve as a helpful vetting tool to key in visitors as to which tales are comparatively the strongest. (For other valuable uses of these stats, see Part III – Why I Should Vote ).
What does it mean if a tale’s Match Bout standings differ from its money earnings from patronage?
Match Bout standings provide insight into the comparative mass appeal of a tale. Patronage earnings provide insight into a tale’s ability to motivate a pool of fans and patrons willing to step up and champion the work in question. Together, Match Bout standings and patronage earnings provide a more detailed, nuanced picture of a tale’s potential mass commercial appeal, which in turn can assist with marketing some of the better performing tales (see Part III – Why I Should Vote).
III. WHY I SHOULD VOTE
Why should you vote? Here are some of the compelling reasons why:
● Help build an innovative literary resource that allows your fellow readers to vet what’s worth reading.
● Help build an innovative feedback tool that enables authors to reliably judge how their work compares with others.
● Help contribute to a reader-sourced guide that will be used by literary agents and publishers to assess which tales have the most commercial appeal.
● Help in the discovery of new literary talent that might have otherwise been overlooked.
● Help to identify the better performing tales, which will in turn assist their authors in attracting patronage earnings.
● Help to build up a resource that you can come back to again and again to see how your favorite tales are progressing.
● Help in the creation of a compelling resource tool where the best of the best can come and duke it out in a way that will enrich readers and writers alike.