If you spend time reading web novels, finding the next story to read can sometimes be harder than finishing the one you're currently reading.
You might be looking for a new LitRPG, a cultivation novel, a progression fantasy story, a hidden gem, or something similar to a novel you enjoy. At the same time, authors are looking for ways to get their stories in front of readers who might enjoy them.
That is where Tavern comes into the spotlight, a NovelCult's community space.
NovelCult Tavern brings readers and authors together around novels, recommendations, discussions, memes, fan art, and general web-fiction conversation.
What is Tavern?
Tavern is the community section of NovelCult where people can talk about web novels outside the normal chapter-reading experience.
Instead of only opening a novel, reading chapters, and leaving, readers can use Tavern to share novel recommendations, ask other readers what they should read next, discuss stories and characters, share memes, talk about genres and tropes, share fan art and cosplay, participate in general discussions and interact with authors and other readers.
The Tavern interface includes sections such as Author, General, Memes, Looking for a Read, and Fan Art & Cosplay, along with spaces dedicated to individual novels. This makes it possible for conversations to happen around both general topics and stories.
The basic idea is simple: Readers discover stories through people, and authors get an opportunity to meet readers through conversation.
Tavern for readers
For readers, Tavern can be useful when you don't know what to read next. Instead of searching through hundreds of novel titles by yourself, you can look at what other readers are talking about.
One of the most useful areas for readers is the ‘Looking for a Read’ section.
You can ask questions such as
- "I'm looking for a LitRPG with a strong progression system."
- "Can anyone recommend a cultivation novel with good worldbuilding?"
- "I just finished a long progression fantasy. What should I read next?"
And other readers can then suggest novels based on what you are looking for. This makes recommendations more specific than browsing a list of popular novels. You can also explain what you liked or disliked about your previous read. The more information you provide, the easier it is for another reader to recommend something that fits.
How readers discover recommendations
Tavern isn't just about asking for recommendations. Recommendations can also appear through community discussions.
For example, someone might create a post about their favourite LitRPG protagonists, the best progression systems they've enjoyed, underrated fantasy novels, interesting cultivation worlds, favourite character arcs, good dungeon stories, a novel they recently discovered, a particular trope they enjoy, or a novel mentioned in a useful discussion can then catch the attention of another reader.
This creates a simple loop: Reader finds a discussion → discovers a novel → reads it → joins the discussion → recommends another novel.
That community-driven discovery is useful for smaller or newer stories that a reader might not encounter through a normal search.
Tavern isn't just a recommendation board
It would be easy to think of Tavern as simply another place to advertise novels. That's not really the point. A useful community needs conversations that are worth reading even when there isn't a novel link attached.
For example, a reader could start a discussion about "What makes a good LitRPG progression system?"
Another reader could talk about their favourite system. An author could explain how they designed the progression stuff in their story. Someone else might recommend a novel that handles the concept well. The result is a discussion that provides value first, while novels can naturally become part of that conversation. That uniqueness matters. A community works better when people come to talk, not just to advertise.
Tavern for authors
For authors, Tavern provides another place to interact with potential readers. But simply posting to read my novel and providing links is not the correct method to create a meaningful conversation.
A better approach is to participate in discussions that are relevant to your genre and your story.
For example, a LitRPG author could participate in a discussion about leveling systems, classes, skills, dungeons, character progression, system mechanics, worldbuilding and common LitRPG tropes. A cultivation author might participate in conversations about cultivation realms, sects, power progression, dao concepts, xianxia worldbuilding, martial arts, immortality stages, and character breakthroughs.
The important part is that the conversation should come first. If your novel is truly relevant to the discussion, mentioning it can make sense.
Your novel can have its own community space
Tavern also includes spaces connected to individual novels. This gives authors an opportunity to have conversations around their story. Depending on the discussion, readers can talk about things like characters, theories, favourite moments, predictions, worldbuilding, new chapters and funny memes. They can also ask questions about the story.
For an ongoing web novel, this can become an extension of the reading experience. The chapter is where the reader reads the story. The Tavern discussion is where readers can talk about the story.
How authors can turn readers into a community
Getting one person to click on a novel is only the beginning. The bigger opportunity is giving readers a reason to stay involved. For example, after releasing a chapter, an author could start a discussion about a non-spoiler aspect of the chapter.
You can simply ask - "Do you think the MC made the right decision at the end of this chapter?"
That gives readers something to respond to. Over time, these conversations can help create a group of readers who recognize the characters, understand the world, discuss theories, and look forward to new chapters.
That type of engagement can be much more valuable than simply posting the same novel link repeatedly.
What authors should post
Here are some examples of Tavern posts that can start conversations.
1. Character discussion
Ex: Who is your favourite type of LitRPG protagonist? A strategist, a genius, an underdog, or a chaotic MC?
2. Worldbuilding discussion
Ex: What makes a cultivation world interesting to you: sect politics, power progression, exploration, or the cultivation system itself?
3. Reader question
Ex: What is one LitRPG trope you never get tired of?
4. Writing discussion
Ex: How important is a detailed leveling system to a LitRPG story?
5. Novel-related discussion
Ex: My protagonist just reached a new stage of progression. What kind of challenge should come next?
These posts give readers something to respond to instead of treating the community like an advertisement board.
Memes, Fan Art, and Casual Discussions
Not every Tavern conversation needs to be serious. The community also includes areas for memes and fan art & cosplay. These types of posts can give readers another way to interact with the genres and stories they enjoy.
A fantasy meme, a funny LitRPG scene, fan art of a character, or a discussion about a familiar trope can create engagement without requiring someone to promote a novel. That variety is important because communities become repetitive when every post has the same purpose.
Use Tavern without spamming
If you're an author, the easiest mistake is treating every community post as promotion. Instead, think about the ratio between participation and promotion. Before sharing your novel, participate in discussions that interest you. Comment on other people's posts. Answer reader questions. Talk about your genre. Recommend other authors when their stories fit a discussion. Then, when your novel is relevant, share it naturally.
For example: "If you're looking for a story with a similar progression system, mine uses a fairly different approach as well. You can check it out here if you're interested."
That feels different from dropping the same promotional message repeatedly. NovelCult's broader author-marketing guidance follows the same principle: community participation should provide value rather than creating artificial conversations simply to push a novel link. NovelCult
Why community matters for web novels
Web novels are different from traditionally published books because they are often released one chapter at a time. That creates an opportunity for readers and authors to interact while the story is still being written.
A reader can discover a story today, follow it, comment on chapters, discuss theories, and recommend it to someone else. The author can see what readers are responding to and build a community around the ongoing story.
NovelCult already supports features such as following novels, building a library, reviews, ratings, comments, and chapter notifications, while Tavern adds a much wider community layer around that reading experience. NovelCult
Simply about Tavern
You can think about Tavern as the social side of NovelCult.
Explore helps you find novels.
The Library helps you keep track of what you're reading.
Novel pages and chapters are where you read.
Tavern is where you talk about them.
For readers, that means another way to discover stories. For authors, it means another place to meet potential readers. And for everyone else, it is simply a place to talk about web fiction.