How can I correct (edit?) a story title?

[donaldelliott11]

Two of the stories I've written and published need the titles changed slightly. How can an author request the mods to edit a story title?
Don

 

[UsuallyPresent]

The FAQ has the answer

 

[ElectricBlue]

Changing a story title might be more complicated than just changing the text, because the title is used to generate the web-site name for the story and its subsequent pages; and your scores, stats and comments all hang off the web name. Laurel would have to go change the names for each of your story pages, and you might loose all your stats data because, essentially, it would be a new story, data base wise.

To my knowledge, a title change can't be done through the usual resubmit process - which just changes content - a title change might change metadata (I don't know if it does, but seeing the way titles work as the navigation tool, one can guess).

I'd suggest sending a PM to Laurel with your request, and find out. I'd also suggest getting your title right before you submit your story, to avoid all this faffing about .

 

[UsuallyPresent]

From the afore-linked FAQ

I've re-edited my story and want to replace the posted version with my new edited one. How do I do this?

No problem! Simply submit the new version as you submitted the old one, only adding the word "EDITED" to the title (ex. "My Sexy Firefighter Ch. 03 - EDITED") so that we know to replace the old text with the new text. We will then replace the original text with the new text. Your story will retain its previous voting score and views.
Edited stories take up to 48 hours to appear correctly on the site as the pages must be regenerated by the site scripts. If after 48 hours your submission edits are still not showing, please email us a link to the work in question.



How do I change the category, title, tags, or description of my story or poem?

Simply follow the instructions above. In the Author's Note section of the submission, please note what changes you are making - category, title, tags, or description.

 

[ElectricBlue]

How do I change the category, title, tags, or description of my story or poem?

Simply follow the instructions above. In the Author's Note section of the submission, please note what changes you are making - category, title, tags, or description.

Noted, but changing the title might (I say might) be a bit more of a hassle.

Still, the OP can only try - just don't believe the 48 hours though, more like 5 -10 days.

By the time the change is made, the story will be off the category front page, and the only person who'll know is the OP. Does it really matter?

 

[RejectReality]

Copy-Pasta time

Here's the editing method for Lit.

• Take note of the url of your story/chapter. That's the address appearing in the address bar of your browser when you view the first page of your story. You really only need the last part after the /s/ that represents your title.
• Start a new submission.
• Use the same title as the original ( or as much as will fit ) plus something such as *EDIT*
• Fill in the same category, then fill description and keywords with placeholders, as they don't matter. ( Unless one of these things are what you're editing )
• If editing the story text, paste/upload the new text in the "story text" section. You need to upload the whole story/chapter, not just the edited sections. If editing anything else, copy the "notes" section detailed below in order to fill this section.
• In the "notes" section, say what you are editing. If story text, then put that. If title, then put the requested NEW title here. You can fill in edited descriptions/keywords/category above, but you'll still want to list any such changes here. It's a good idea to list the url that I mentioned in step 1. This is unique to every story/chapter, and can help eliminate the potential for human error. As mentioned above, if you are editing something other than the story text, copy what you put in the notes section to the "story text" as well. This is simply because there must be something in that section for you to submit.
• Click "Review", then "Submit"

Edits have a lower priority than new stories, and may take longer to process.

Edits will not appear on the public side immediately. Wait at least 24 hours after the "edited" submission vanishes from your private author list or from the "pending" folder before worrying that your changes haven't been applied. Changes may not all appear at the same time, either. Page 1 may change, while page 2 will remain the same until an hour or so later. Be patient as the system catches up.

If you edit the story in this manner ( as opposed to deleting and re-submitting ) you'll retain your votes, views, comments, etc. The only thing that will be changed is what you say that you want changed. It will not appear on the New List again.

If you wish to delete a story, use much the same method, except put something such as *DELETE* in the title, and say that you want to delete the story in question in the "notes" section.

If you wish to delete all of your stories, an entire series, etc., then use the normal delete process, but explain in the "notes" section that you want to do a mass delete, and what type.

Convoluted, but it does work. It gets a little easier as you get used to it.

 

[donaldelliott11]

By the time the change is made, the story will be off the category front page, and the only person who'll know is the OP. Does it really matter?

It matters only because when you look at my page of published stories, it is hard to tell the sequence.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It matters only because when you look at my page of published stories, it is hard to tell the sequence.

Fair enough - but next time, use chapter numbers right from the start .

I've got a similar problem caused by a cock-up in the auto-sequencing algorithm leaving me with a story sequence listed twice - once correctly, the other is wrong. I've asked for it to be fixed several times, but have given up (it's been more than two years since it glitched, I have no idea why). I figure clever readers can figure it out.

You might get yours fixed, who knows. You can only try. Good luck.