*le sigh*

[BiscuitHammer]

When was the last time anyone suggested a 'Multiple Categories' category?

A lot of my stories are all over the place, and they get moved around a LOT. A series of mine that is thus far fifteen chapters long and has been sitting in Romance quite happily for two years now was ignominiously booted this week to a different category on a technicality concerning a secondary plot in the series.

True, it got booted to a category that has mad traffic, but I it doesn't fit there, IMO.

Yes, yes, Laurel's rules, don't bother. Yadda yadda.

But seriously. When was the last time a Multi-category category was suggested? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[NotWise]

When was the last time anyone suggested a 'Multiple Categories' category?

That would be Novels and Novellas which, despite the name, is not exclusively for long stories.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

When was the last time anyone suggested a 'Multiple Categories' category?

A lot of my stories are all over the place, and they get moved around a LOT. A series of mine that is thus far fifteen chapters long and has been sitting in Romance quite happily for two years now was ignominiously booted this week to a different category on a technicality concerning a secondary plot in the series.

True, it got booted to a category that has mad traffic, but I it doesn't fit there, IMO.

Yes, yes, Laurel's rules, don't bother. Yadda yadda.

But seriously. When was the last time a Multi-category category was suggested? I'm genuinely curious.

There's no harm in PMing Laurel and asking her to change it back, for continuity's sake.

 

[SimonDoom]

When was the last time anyone suggested a 'Multiple Categories' category?

A lot of my stories are all over the place, and they get moved around a LOT. A series of mine that is thus far fifteen chapters long and has been sitting in Romance quite happily for two years now was ignominiously booted this week to a different category on a technicality concerning a secondary plot in the series.

True, it got booted to a category that has mad traffic, but I it doesn't fit there, IMO.

Yes, yes, Laurel's rules, don't bother. Yadda yadda.

But seriously. When was the last time a Multi-category category was suggested? I'm genuinely curious.

Why would any reader look for a story in "Multiple categories"? Readers look for specific types of stories. The purpose of having categories is to make it easier for them to find them. Having too many categories, and having overlapping categories, makes that task more difficult.

 

[lovecraft68]

Most likely someone complained about whatever secondary kink you added. Laurel doesn't go around looking into stories on her own. As for her seeing it during the 'screening' process, I doubt it as she barely gives things a glance....unless you called out something in the tag line, I doubt she'd have seen anything wrong.

Contact her and see what she says.

Other suggestion is to put that chapter in whatever category the secondary element belongs in. Readers of your series are not finding it by category, but on your page or the new story list. Might even pick you up some new readers as the chapter in the different category could pull them into romance to read from the beginning.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

I mention the secondary plotline 'kink' in a forward before every chapter. I admit, I'm running on the assumption that the Smut Zulus will have the required neurons to notice, but if they simply ignore the 30-word Forward, then I've done everything I can.

Bummer, since it had great readership in the category it was sitting in, and it just suited my sensibilities that it was there, based on my perception of the work. Buuuuuuut, rules is rules, I guess, and asking Laurel to transfer all fifteen chapters back is probably a royal pain in the ass for her.

As for why?

Well, because of the reason given above by someone as to why it got moved at all. Someone's fee-fees got hurt about something not suiting their sensibilities and wonked to Laurel. Well, this particular story I'm referring to belongs in MANY categories, if Willy Wonker the reader is correct. I have close to ten tags for each chapter, so it's not like people aren't warned.

For example- in one of the chapters, some of the protagonists are playing anal roulette. It's a one-off thing that doesn't happen again, and the rest of the chapter goes on to deal with other issues, and other kinks.

Does it belong in Anal now? Or one of the other kinks? Who's trigger tantrum gets precedence?

I tag just about everything relevant, down to alcohol use.

So if I have a primary Romance plotline, but in the course of the story I have elements of Incest, Anal, Supernatural, N/C or Lesbian, where does it actually go? I've got at east five tantrum triggers that disqualify it from Romance, but what if there's only one butt-stuff scene and one incest scene? Which one gets the cup? And why was my primary Romance theme ignored?

Rules is rules, yes. But sometimes, it's a little more complicated than that. Writing always is.

 

[lovecraft68]

I mention the secondary plotline 'kink' in a forward before every chapter. I admit, I'm running on the assumption that the Smut Zulus will have the required neurons to notice, but if they simply ignore the 30-word Forward, then I've done everything I can.

Bummer, since it had great readership in the category it was sitting in, and it just suited my sensibilities that it was there, based on my perception of the work. Buuuuuuut, rules is rules, I guess, and asking Laurel to transfer all fifteen chapters back is probably a royal pain in the ass for her.

As for why?

Well, because of the reason given above by someone as to why it got moved at all. Someone's fee-fees got hurt about something not suiting their sensibilities and wonked to Laurel. Well, this particular story I'm referring to belongs in MANY categories, if Willy Wonker the reader is correct. I have close to ten tags for each chapter, so it's not like people aren't warned.

For example- in one of the chapters, some of the protagonists are playing anal roulette. It's a one-off thing that doesn't happen again, and the rest of the chapter goes on to deal with other issues, and other kinks.

Does it belong in Anal now? Or one of the other kinks? Who's trigger tantrum gets precedence?

I tag just about everything relevant, down to alcohol use.

So if I have a primary Romance plotline, but in the course of the story I have elements of Incest, Anal, Supernatural, N/C or Lesbian, where does it actually go? I've got at east five tantrum triggers that disqualify it from Romance, but what if there's only one butt-stuff scene and one incest scene? Which one gets the cup? And why was my primary Romance theme ignored?

Rules is rules, yes. But sometimes, it's a little more complicated than that. Writing always is.

The only two categories I can think of where you would have no worries is novels and novellas were people are accustomed to long and diverse stories or erotic couplings which is also used to a little of everything showing up.

issue is readership is not the best in either. EC probably the higher of the two or it used to be. I long since quit on caring about numbers here.

 

[LexxRuthless]

Illustrated stories is a category catch-all. Just add a sketch and paste it to the beginning of each chapter of your series. Your stories would score higher if you found a fan of the series to provide more illustrations, but if you want to wander far afield within a series and still put them all in a single category, this would be an option. (Illustrated stories tend to get a LOT more views than Romance, btw.)

 

[KeithD]

I don't think much of anyone goes looking in the novel/novella category now in terms of category searching and I'd think they'd do even less browsing in a miscellaneous category. EC seems pretty much the miscellaneous category here already.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So if I have a primary Romance plotline, but in the course of the story I have elements of Incest, Anal, Supernatural, N/C or Lesbian, where does it actually go? I've got at east five tantrum triggers that disqualify it from Romance, but what if there's only one butt-stuff scene and one incest scene? Which one gets the cup? And why was my primary Romance theme ignored?

There have been observations over time that Laurel is tightening up and coralling incest stories all in one place, with speculation that she's doing so in case she has to cut that ship loose.

I'd say though, from how you describe it, it's more likely a self-imposed category police jerk getting horrified at, gasp, human sexuality.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Obviously, everyone has his/her own standards and quirks, and I don't know the story, but reading into Incest unprepared could be a very unwelcome surprise to me; I wouldn't put that on the same pile of just another variety of sex-positions.

Same here wrt incest. And NonCon. If I thought I was reading a nice happy consensual romance, and someone started getting molested or roughed up, I'd be bothered. Not 'report the story' bothered, but definitely bothered enough to quit reading and mark the author down as one likely not to read again.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

Obviously, everyone has his/her own standards and quirks, and I don't know the story, but reading into Incest unprepared could be a very unwelcome surprise to me; I wouldn't put that on the same pile of just another variety of sex-positions.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against Incest stories, but I'd prefer to be prepared, and I wouldn't expect (or mentally accept) such a theme in a romance story. If it was a strong part in the story, I might have reported the story, to suggest a change of categories.

Hence not only my extensive tags, but the note before every chapter begins. I believe in due diligence for the readers.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hence not only my extensive tags, but the note before every chapter begins. I believe in due diligence for the readers.

Notes up front don't always work. I'm increasingly of the view that some readers can't actually read. No matter what squick warnings you give them, there are some folk who don't take any notice and will rant, regardless. Delete is your friend.

Those who are precious about their dislikes will always find things not to like. Don't cater for them - let them find their own sandwiches in another shop, I reckon.