Annoyed Question From a Newbie

[Letoria]

Hi -- I'm new at submitting material to Literotica, but I've posted extensively on other sites. I submitted four previously completed chapters of a story in fairly rapid order (less than a day). It seems very odd to me, but Chapters 1, 2 and 4 have been approved and are up. Chapter 3 is still pending. That's problematic because the entire story requires they be read in the proper sequence or the entire thing is screwed up. I've received over a dozen comments on it so far. Since it's my experience that less than 1% of readers ever comment, that suggests it's a major issue that may well be costing me audience right from the start. Not a good way to start a relationship.

Any insights into what's going on? Anything I can do on my end? I'm really looking like a fool to readers, and I fear I've lost a good many for all time. I'd appreciate some feedback on how to manage this problem.

Thanks

[lovecraft68]

Originally Posted by Letoria

Hi -- I'm new at submitting material to Literotica, but I've posted extensively on other sites. I submitted four previously completed chapters of a story in fairly rapid order (less than a day). It seems very odd to me, but Chapters 1, 2 and 4 have been approved and are up. Chapter 3 is still pending. That's problematic because the entire story requires they be read in the proper sequence or the entire thing is screwed up. I've received over a dozen comments on it so far. Since it's my experience that less than 1% of readers ever comment, that suggests it's a major issue that may well be costing me audience right from the start. Not a good way to start a relationship.

Any insights into what's going on? Anything I can do on my end? I'm really looking like a fool to readers, and I fear I've lost a good many for all time. I'd appreciate some feedback on how to manage this problem.

Thanks

Probably just an oversight, but I can see where this would be frustrating. Readers probably think YOU screwed up.

I would delete ch. 4 then put it up again after 3 comes out. make a note about what happened on your home page so your readers know what the deal is as well.

In the future although it is a slow process don't submit a chapter until the previous one is posted.

Its the only way to idiot proof it.

[sr71plt]

Has it been more than five days (presumably yes) since chapter three was submitted? And you didn't pull it back in any way and fiddle with it while it was in submission? If so, suggest you PM Laurel (the message system at the top right of this page. This is the only assured way of contacting her. She's the sole submissions editor here). If you fiddled with the submission of chapter 3 in any way, that sent it back to the end of the submissions line. Five days is the current clearing time for most stories. If it goes back to the end of the line, it's five days all over again.

To prevent this, I wait for one chapter to post before submitting the next one--at least that's what I've done before now. I understand that if you submit them all at once, Laurel will space out posting--but maybe not always without problems, as you apparently are having them.

[Letoria]

Thanks for replying and offering your insights. I suspected spreading out the submissions was the best answer. It's a learning process, and I appreciate your patience.

[PacoFear]

I sympathize, Letoria. First impressions do count, but you can win folks over by demonstrating steady quality too.

Assuming you're even willing to run the risk of submitting multiple chapters in short order, you might consider slipping a comment into the submission note field like "Please delay posting this chapter 6 until chapter 5 has posted." I've done this in the past with good results.

[sr71plt]

It would be good to know from those who've done it if they really can dump a long multiparter at once and Laurel will accept them and space the posting. I plan on doing that myself if it works that way.

[lovecraft68]

Personally I wouldn't risk dumping things in all at once, but maybe a couple of days apart that way if one is rejected you can at least go in and cancel the next one until the previous one gets posted.

[Letoria]

Of course it dawns on me after the fact, but it's part of the typical process of learning a site's idiosyncrasies. I guess I've been spoiled. One site I frequently post on uses RoboMods rather than real, breathing human beings to review submissions. It simply lines them up, assigns them a number, and posts in sequence, so it's theoretically possible to do 100 submissions one after the other and have them all come up in the correct order. It's never happened to me, but I know authors who have had stories pulled a week down the road after being reviewed by an actual person. Embarrassing!

Thanks for helping me get a handle on how things work here. It's MUCH appreciated.

[sr71plt]

I've just started posting a multitaker two days apart. I'll see how that goes. If I posted five days apart (the delay I've experienced since November) I'd be running into a time I have to be somewhere else.

[Beatnic_jazzman]

I've just posted a twenty seven part story that's coming out daily.The system works.

[sr71plt]

Originally Posted by Beatnic_jazzman

I've just posted a twenty seven part story that's coming out daily.The system works.

Thanks. I'll give it a go.