The format
What is reader-voted fiction?
You finish a chapter at a turning point. The author offers a few possible directions, and the readers vote. How that choice affects the story is clear from the start: the author sets the rule before chapter one.
A story shaped by its readers
Reader-voted fiction is a story published chapter by chapter, with votes at important turning points. The author offers two to four possible directions and sets a deadline. Readers make a choice together; the author writes the continuation.
On povesta, each story makes its voting rule clear before chapter one. In a reader-steered story, the author commits to following the winning option. In an advisory story, the vote tells the author what readers would like, but the final decision remains with the author. The story’s badge shows which rule applies, and it does not change later.
The author chooses the publishing schedule. A weekly chapter and vote is one way to give readers time to discuss the choice before the story moves on. See how a vote works, step by step →
How it differs from a gamebook
In a typical choose-your-own-adventure book, the possible routes have already been written. You decide which passage to read next, and another reader can take a different route.
Here, the choice is shared. A vote can shape a chapter the author has yet to publish, and everyone follows the same main story. Instead of asking “Which page will I turn to?”, readers ask “What would we like to happen next?” Whether that answer decides the plot or advises the author depends on the story’s voting rule.
That leaves room for a different kind of conversation: readers can compare what they noticed, argue for a character’s next move, and return to see what the author does with the result.
A vote with clear rules
A reader should not have to guess whether a poll matters. On povesta:
- The author’s commitment is visible. The badge says whether the winning option determines the continuation or serves as advice. The author chooses the rule before chapter one and cannot change it midway through the story.
- You read before your vote counts. Voting requires reading the chapter that leads to the choice.
- The author sets the options. A vote offers concrete directions connected to the story, not an open-ended demand for readers to write the next chapter.
The alternative is still an option
Choosing one route does not mean an already-written alternative must disappear. The author can also develop a losing option as a side story: the same turning point, followed by a different choice.
That is an option for the author, not a promise that every possible route will be written. When an alternative exists, readers can explore it without changing what happened in the main story. Any future paid extras must remain optional; you will not need them to understand the main story.
Who might enjoy it
If you finish a chapter wanting to discuss what should happen next, a vote gives that conversation a place in the story’s development. If you write, it gives you a way to hear from readers while the work is still taking shape — with a clear boundary around who makes the decisions and who is responsible for the text.
povesta is for stories published by chapter, with an initial focus on progression fantasy and LitRPG. The alpha is for adults aged 18 and over, by invitation only. What publishing on povesta means for authors →
Questions from readers and writers
Is this choose your own adventure?
Not quite. In a typical gamebook, you choose your own route through passages already written. Here, readers vote together while the story is still being published. The author either follows the result or treats it as advice, depending on the rule declared for that story.
Do readers write the story?
No. Readers vote on directions the author offers; the author is responsible for the text. Voting gives you no authorship or ownership of the work.
What happens to an option that loses?
The author can choose to write it as a side story: the same turning point, followed by a different choice. Not every losing option will be written, but a vote does not delete alternatives that already exist.
Can a vote ruin a story?
The author offers two to four directions they are willing to write. Each story also states before chapter one whether the author must follow the result or may use it as advice. That rule stays the same throughout the story.
Do I have to vote to read?
No. You can simply read. Paid features are off during the alpha, and any future paid extras must never be necessary to follow the main story.