Yes, for fifteen years, I have spaced out the stories and manually released them on a schedule over many days, to help optimize for reading and commenting. I have posted individual announcements to the community for each individual story. I have sent announcements for each story to the email list. I have promoted the fest to the best of my ability everywhere I know. I have read and commented on every single story no matter what. I have experimented with many kinds of gameplay formats, trying to find something that works well for as many people as possible.

Normal fests release all their stories in one moment, on one day, with no announcements and no follow-up.