How much thought do you put into your summaries before you actually post them and how much does a summary play into whether or not you will click on it?
I put a good amount of thought into my summaries. Often I'll draft two or three different versions of a summary so I can choose the best one. Sometimes a summary comes together so well on the first try that I don't need to. The challenge for me with a summary is how to give just enough information that readers will want to click on it, but not so much that it spoils the story - I prefer vague, intriguing summaries to overly detailed ones that give everything away!
A banner is what usually attracts me to a story, but the summary is what decides whether or not I'll click on it. It has to sound interesting, intriguing, or like something I'd like.
What is your editing process like before you actually post your chapters? Do you have someone else read it before you post or do you self edit?
I do a lot of revising and editing as I write, so my chapters are usually in pretty good shape by the time they're done. I still almost always let them sit for at least a day or so before posting so I can proofread them with fresh eyes. If I try to read through the whole chapter again right after I finish writing it, my eyes will skip right over some of the typos. I still miss some of them anyway, but it's better if I haven't been looking at the same chapter for the past few hours. I used to have friends I would send my chapters to before posting them, but nowadays the only stories I do that with are collaborations, so my co-writers can approve them.
How much research do you tend to do before posting a story?
I do a ton of research. I have a set of research folders saved in my bookmarks with literally hundreds of links, organized by story and topic within that story. I'm kind of obsessive about it, but I actually enjoy doing research; it's like a fun challenge to see how much information I can find to use in my stories.