Multi-part story: Submission Question

[jackal_man]

Hi everyone! Avid Lit reader here. Had a question about 'categories' for an upcoming 3 parter I will be submitting. Please see below, and note: overthinking is something I do when I'm anxious and/or excited.

In the next month or so, I will be submitting a new series for the first time in a long while. At its core, it's an incest/taboo story, but the incest builds and will include both incest and in-law-cest. In chapter 1, there's no actual incest coupling. As the story is headed in that direction, there are references and teases made throughout the entirety of chapter 1 to incest and in-law-cest. Chapters 2 and 3 are where the incest gradually amps up. As such, I wasn't sure if all three chapters should just be thrown into the incest/taboo category for audience consistency, or if chapter 1 should be in the 'erotic couplings' category.

My last submission was 16 years ago -- another incest trilogy, with Ch. 2 of that series being an installment that (like Ch. 1 of my upcoming submission) did not feature incest, but had references to the events of Ch. 1 and 3's incest.

While I know I can't please everybody, my main concerns are more about optimizing audience reach, consistency of the story's visibility, as well as meeting people's expectations based on where Ch. 1 gets posted. Part of me thinks it wise to keep it all in incest/taboo, and another part of me thinks it would be better to submit according to the contents of each chapter, with brief prefaces providing guidance at the start of each chapter. I have seen some multipart series genre hop, so I guess there are pros and cons to either option. My concern there would be some readers (those who don't add series/authors to their Favorites list) might miss out on a chapter entirely if it gets posted in a category they don't normally frequent. Though, again, with author's notes, this may be less of an issue.

Thanks in advance for any input. Any guidance y'all have on on my own neuroticism would be greatly appreciated. Above all, my goal is to tell a compelling and (hopefully) well written tale, complete with tension, a smidge of character development, and some (also hopefully) steamy sex scenes. Submitting has fallen by the wayside in the past decade plus, but as I've lived life and maintained fiction writing as a core part of it, I'm happy and excited to have made my way back to some erotica.

Thanks again!

 

[RejectReality]

Long stories do better than chaptered works in I/T from what I've seen. Maybe just submit it all there in a single submission?

Otherwise, if there are teases throughout that first chapter, that's where I'd go with it. So long as those teases are paid off, I think you'll be fine in I/T with the whole thing.

Even hints tend to give people the heebie jeebies in other categories, and if there are enough of them in that first chapter, Laurel might very well move it to I/T anyway despite any other category you might choose.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Start where you're going to end, I'd say. If the overall theme of the story is incest, then that's where you should put it. If the site doesn't put it there anyway.

As RejectReality notes, if you start elsewhere and the incest arrives from out of the blue, all you'll do is annoy those other category fans, giving them a story they don't want. That's why there are categories, to group together the major story themes.

 

[Duleigh]

Here's a few rules about readers that all authors on Literotica and anywhere else should learn and keep at the forefront of all their literary expectations

DULEIGH'S RULES OF PLEASING READERS
Rule #1 - You can't please everyone.
Rule #2 - There is no rule #2
Rule #3 - If any questions arise, please review Rule #1

I know you want to please the vast majority of potential readers but you want to draw up false expectations... however incest stories do not necessitate actual sex, romantic ramping up between an incestuous couple is still incest. I'm not an expert on incest (even though I came from a very small town) having published one incest (twincest) story, but I have had similar quandaries that you have. One was was to stick it in the target category and let the short description for each chapter sell the chapters. My suggestion is to put all three chapters in the Incest Category and use the short description do the work for you. Something like "ABC and XYZ grow closer than their life together promised" There, you set up the premise, yet promised nothing. Someone looking for a quick stroker is going to be disappointed but Rule #1 still applies. If you can't sell what the chapter offers in 60 characters, see Rule #1

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Here are the rules that I live by:

1. Determine if it is a series of related stories or a story separated into chapters.
2. Finish the damn story before posting any part of it.
3. Decide which category the completed body of work best fits into.
4. Adhere to Duleigh's Rules.

 

[jackal_man]

Long stories do better than chaptered works in I/T from what I've seen. Maybe just submit it all there in a single submission?

Otherwise, if there are teases throughout that first chapter, that's where I'd go with it. So long as those teases are paid off, I think you'll be fine in I/T with the whole thing.

Even hints tend to give people the heebie jeebies in other categories, and if there are enough of them in that first chapter, Laurel might very well move it to I/T anyway despite any other category you might choose.

Thanks! I actually didn't know that longer stories tended to do better than chaptered works within I/T. I always assumed people would balk at anything over a 15K word count. But overall, I appreciate your insight. This helps me reframe where to post, and whether or not I would want to break it up.

Start where you're going to end, I'd say. If the overall theme of the story is incest, then that's where you should put it. If the site doesn't put it there anyway.

As RejectReality notes, if you start elsewhere and the incest arrives from out of the blue, all you'll do is annoy those other category fans, giving them a story they don't want. That's why there are categories, to group together the major story themes.

"Start where you're going to end" is a piece of wisdom I want to apply in a broader context. Thanks for your insight as well.

Here's a few rules about readers that all authors on Literotica and anywhere else should learn and keep at the forefront of all their literary expectations

DULEIGH'S RULES OF PLEASING READERS
Rule #1 - You can't please everyone.
Rule #2 - There is no rule #2
Rule #3 - If any questions arise, please review Rule #1

I know you want to please the vast majority of potential readers but you want to draw up false expectations... however incest stories do not necessitate actual sex, romantic ramping up between an incestuous couple is still incest. I'm not an expert on incest (even though I came from a very small town) having published one incest (twincest) story, but I have had similar quandaries that you have. One was was to stick it in the target category and let the short description for each chapter sell the chapters. My suggestion is to put all three chapters in the Incest Category and use the short description do the work for you. Something like "ABC and XYZ grow closer than their life together promised" There, you set up the premise, yet promised nothing. Someone looking for a quick stroker is going to be disappointed but Rule #1 still applies. If you can't sell what the chapter offers in 60 characters, see Rule #1

I like to think I've matured out of this "trying to please everyone" mentality, so I really love and appreciate this as well. This nudges me further into possibly posting this as one larger story, or at the very least, using descriptions to orient readers. Thank you

Here are the rules that I live by:

1. Determine if it is a series of related stories or a story separated into chapters.
2. Finish the damn story before posting any part of it.
3. Decide which category the completed body of work best fits into.
4. Adhere to Duleigh's Rules.

Great perspective as well. This is definitely one story with chapters as opposed to a collection of related stories. Also great advice on finishing the goddamn thing first!

I appreciate your thoughts, everybody. With all this in mind, I have more clarity (and confidence) about where and how to post this.

Thanks again for steering my mind, and for helping me dust off the jitters and cobwebs.

 

[Duleigh]

I like to think I've matured out of this "trying to please everyone" mentality, so I really love and appreciate this as well. This nudges me further into possibly posting this as one larger story, or at the very least, using descriptions to orient readers. Thank you

I have found that the larger the story the fewer the votes, because most people don't hang on to long stories all the way to the end. Those that do, do because they love it and will vote that way. Folks that hate it will drop off before they reach the last page to vote.