Stats from Snape_Potter Back to Hogwarts

[swissmarg]

snape_potter has wrapped up their Back to Hogwarts fest with the posting of their master list. Some quick stats for you under the cut.

Fest type: Open, anonymous theme-based fest, not an exchange.
Premise/theme: Snarry, 'Back to Hogwarts'
Ratings: All, G-NC-17
Minimum fic length: 1000 words
Creation period: 2 months

There were 31 fics and 16 art works produced.

By rating:

FICS
PG - 4 (note that one fic listed in the master list as G-rated is actually PG)
PG-13 - 7
R - 6
NC-17 - 14

ART
G - 4
PG - 7
PG-13 - 3
R - 1
NC-17 - 1

By word count:

The fics ranged in length from 1,215 to 40,000 words.

1-2K - iii
2-3K - iiiii
3-4K - iiii
4-5K - iii
5-6K - 0
6-7K - ii
7-8K - i
8-9K - ii
9-10K - iii
10-11K - i
11-12K - i
12-13K - 0
13-14K - 0
14-15K - i
15-16K - i
16-17K - i
22K - i
33K - i
40K - i

Some thoughts: Wow, big output of art! The ratio of fic to art was 2:1, which is very high for a fest like this.

Looking at the ratings, there was a good representation at most levels, although there was a conspicuous absence of G-rated fic. (The one fic labeled in the master list as being G-rated is actually PG, as becomes clear when you see the header on the fic itself.) There was a general tendency toward raciness in this fest, with half of the fics rated NC-17, and two-thirds rated R or above.

The art was more tame, with only 2 (or 12% of the total) rated R or above, and several G-rated pieces.

The word counts were very spread out, although half of the fics were at the low end up to 5,000 words, and three-quarters clocked in with less than 10,000 words. After that, though, the field opened up pretty wide, with several longer, big-bang-length fics. The longest hit the 40,000-word mark within the two-month writing period.

I think it's interesting that the fact this was an open participation fest, not an exchange, doesn't seem to have really had much of an effect on the general shape of the statistics, compared with other recent exchange-type fests. In other words, most of the fics are still relatively short. Perhaps the slight increase in the amount of longer fics can be attributed to authors being able to write stories that really interest them, rather than being forced into creating something based on someone else's prompts. Additionally, this might explain the relatively high percentage of art, in that artists were able to create scenes that inspired them, rather than having to produce something based on someone else's inspiration.

Comments

[torino10154]

I saw this link in the comment you left on the masterlist. Really interesting (although I am devastated I messed up that one rating tag *g*).

I am not too surprised that the art was tamer than the fic. As a ship, we love our smut to be sure LOL, but I think we accept lower-rated or canon art better than we do fic. (I am speaking from my personal perception there--although the number of people that told me my fic ended just when things were getting interesting does lend some truth to that statement. *giggles*)

I know that *I* like prompt based fests exactly for the reasons that you speculate on in your last paragraph. This is a pain-free, low-pressure, do whatever you want fest. And beyond the very short minimum word count, anything goes. We don't beat you with a stick if you need to drop out for one reason because we don't need to worry about finding a replacement pinch-hitter for the giftee. I think people enjoy participating in a 'fun' fest and accioslash definitely is suited to it. Moar Snarry might be her middle name. ;)

Anyway, thanks for gathering the stats. :)

[swissmarg]

Thanks for your comment, I'm happy it was useful/interesting. :)

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

This was really quite interesting. I've never actually broken down the stats myself but I know I always do mental comparisons between fests I mod. Interesting about the art. My initial impression was that we had less art than we usually do (in Snarry-a-Thon) and a larger percentage of fics under 5K.

Tbh, I don't actually regularly read anything except Snarry in HP, so it really gives me a skewed perception of what is common in other fests in terms of art/fic ratio, ratings, and length. So I really enjoyed seeing your stats for the other fests as well.

[swissmarg]

I'll look forward to all the art in the next Snarry-A-Thon then! I think that when people are passionate about their subject (i.e. when they are personally big fans of the ship and are able to write/paint/bake what they really feel), there is generally more (longer) and higher quality fanworks produced.

I didn't really set out to do a study of the fandom, but with all the fest stats I've done in the past couple of months, some real patterns are emerging.

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

Heh. You should look at the art from the past Snarry-a-Thons! There's really some wonderful stuff. ;D (*iz forever pimping*)

Actually, and I could be totally off-base here, I always thought we had a good representation of art because I'm an artist and so a lot of my friends are also artists. And friends tend to sign up for the fests other friends mod. I know I try not to be overly pushy (YMMV ;D) while still encouraging people to sign up. So I do quite a bit of poking for friends who are artists.

I didn't really set out to do a study of the fandom

And, yeah, it always starts out that way, doesn't it? ;D

[lemondropseven.livejournal.com]

I love statistics like this. *is a geek* So thanks for breaking it down. :)

I've seen some stats for other fests--mostly in the HP fandom, but not limited by pairing--and I have to agree about patterns emerging. Especially the fact that the largest percentage of fic tends to be rated R or NC-17, while the majority of art is usually at the PG-13 level.

Unless it's that one fest where everything is required to be rated R. I love that fest. *grin*

LD7

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

Unless it's that one fest where everything is required to be rated R. I love that fest. *grin*

There are a few like that. I know Snarry Swap is R/NC-17 only. Which means it will be one fest where I will actually only mod rather than participate.

I'm not sure why it is, but artists don't typically seem to want to draw higher rated art. Not that they don't at all, obviously. But ratings for art always skew lower than fic. And in fests where a higher rating is required, there is almost always less art. Though this year for Snarry Swap we had far more people willing to draw R/NC-17 gifts than who wanted to receive it. Made matching recipients a bit tricky.

[lemondropseven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Snarry Swap, that's the one. I didn't realize you modded that one too. Should've guessed though, since there's Snarry involved. ;)

I don't have any problems drawing NC-17. Actually, I find it easier to draw sexyteims than write about it. Very few of my fics have sex in them, and only one has a full-fledged sex scene. But I've drawn several pics of a naughty nature. ;D

I didn't sign up for the Snarry Swap, though, because I am (obviously) not good with deadlines. I've tried a few fests now, and can say with certainty that my muse does not like having a time constraint. At all. She's ornery that way. *grin*

LD7

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha! Well, I'm not the mod for every Snarry fest yet. Mwhahahaha. But if it's held on snape_potter chances are that I'm modding. ;D

You always turn in an entry, so you seem good with deadlines as far as I can tell. But, yes, I really prefer the prompt fests because if people can't finish then we just end up with one less entry rather than scrambling last minute for a gift in an exchange.

[lemondropseven.livejournal.com]

If you ever do manage to take over the world Snarry, just remember I'm one of the good guys. ;D

I hate not doing what I say I'm going to do, so if I sign up for a fest, I do usually manage to turn in something. But deadlines and I really don't get along... not that that will stop me from entering more fests. *facepalm*

But, yeah, your fests that aren't exchange based are much less stressful for me. Plus, I love working from prompts or a theme. So, it's a win-win situation all around for me. XD

LD7

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahaha!

Heh. In all seriousness, I don't care where Snarry comes from as long as there is Snarry. And likely very few others in fandom have as much free time as I do. So I'm happy to do whatever I can to feed my addiction.

[lemondropseven.livejournal.com]

And I'm happy you feed your addiction, since I get to benefit from it too. ;D

[swissmarg]

I've noticed that too, that there is usually less R+ rated art than fics. I thought maybe it's because it's easier to draw people with clothes than nekkid?

[lemondropseven.livejournal.com]

Haha, that's probably true. I just happen to like drawing teh sexytimes, and actually find it easier than writing about it. But, then, I'm a little odd. XD

LD7

[accioslash.livejournal.com]

Hm. That could be. You really need to have a good eye for anatomy and poses if you are drawing a sex scene. I know I drew several very explicit pieces just to show I could (and, originally, to see if anyone would recognize my style) and the amount of references I used was staggering. But costumes and backgrounds have their own issues.

In general, explicit art is hard to display. People don't use them as backgrounds, or for banners or icons so there's not a lot of re-posting/advertising. And because it's hard to display, it's also hard to sell. That matters to some artists. I suppose it's also easier to find time to work on something non-explicit than hiding the higher rated stuff from nosy family, friends, or colleagues.