Just a few questions from a new submitter.

[WriteFriend3]

Hi, I've been reading erotica for some time and I've also written science fiction/fantasy but only since August of last year have I really started writing Erotica myself.

It was a choppy start and after I uploaded my work onto a blog I have I used the tips I received to better my writing.

Well, now I feel there is a story I've been writing that deserves more attention but I think I flubbed on the submitting process. I tried submitting it as an ODF but the process stopped me and told me it would take a while since it would have to be reviewed. Well, it currently says on my submissions page that it hasn't been reviewed so I'm hoping that is the only thing stopping it. I've been watching the reviewers thread on the forums to see when I can expect to see it. I don't want to try submitting it again because I don't want to get bumped back on the waiting list however, I also want to make sure I submitted it right the first time. What should I do?

I guess my other questions are,

I had a little difficulty with getting the tags for it right, is there some kind of system or preference for that? Should I go into more detailed tags when I choose them or just make sure they at least have the broad ones?

I already have three large parts for the story done, should I go ahead and submit all of them or perhaps give it a break between submissions?
-on that note I do have a lot of stories that I've already finished and I might want to submit them however, I don't really want to flood the sci-fi section with all of my work and drown out other's submissions, would it be rude of me to do that?

I see folks write little pieces at the beginning of their story, such as age restrictions, bits and pieces of information pertaining to the story and so on. Is that really necessary? My story is kind of 'different' compared to other stories I guess. Should I include particular fetish information so readers aren't caught off guard or should I let my tags do that job for me?

If these questions are easily answered with faqs than I apologize for wasting time, if necessary I'll delete this should all my questions get answered.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Hi, I've been reading erotica for some time and I've also written science fiction/fantasy but only since August of last year have I really started writing Erotica myself.

It was a choppy start and after I uploaded my work onto a blog I have I used the tips I received to better my writing.

Well, now I feel there is a story I've been writing that deserves more attention but I think I flubbed on the submitting process. I tried submitting it as an ODF but the process stopped me and told me it would take a while since it would have to be reviewed. Well, it currently says on my submissions page that it hasn't been reviewed so I'm hoping that is the only thing stopping it. I've been watching the reviewers thread on the forums to see when I can expect to see it. I don't want to try submitting it again because I don't want to get bumped back on the waiting list however, I also want to make sure I submitted it right the first time. What should I do?

I guess my other questions are,

I had a little difficulty with getting the tags for it right, is there some kind of system or preference for that? Should I go into more detailed tags when I choose them or just make sure they at least have the broad ones?

I already have three large parts for the story done, should I go ahead and submit all of them or perhaps give it a break between submissions?
-on that note I do have a lot of stories that I've already finished and I might want to submit them however, I don't really want to flood the sci-fi section with all of my work and drown out other's submissions, would it be rude of me to do that?

I see folks write little pieces at the beginning of their story, such as age restrictions, bits and pieces of information pertaining to the story and so on. Is that really necessary? My story is kind of 'different' compared to other stories I guess. Should I include particular fetish information so readers aren't caught off guard or should I let my tags do that job for me?

If these questions are easily answered with faqs than I apologize for wasting time, if necessary I'll delete this should all my questions get answered.

Welcome to the AH. You have come to the right place with your questions. I'll try to answer a few of them for you. Hopefully someone else will come along and pick up any that I miss.

First of all, you don't say exactly when you submitted your story, so it is difficult to say when it may go up. Posting times are currently running around 5-7 days, I believe. Also, new authors tend to receive closer scrutiny, so you can add an additional day or two to the current wait time.

What ever you do, do not hit the PENDING button. That will send you to the back of the cue.

There is no established scheme for tags. My advice is to use whatever keywords that you think will help someone searching for stories to find your story. That can include the sexual acts involved, the type of characters, the setting of your story (e.g. Space, past, steampunk, time travel, etc.), and anything else that is common enough for someone to use yet unique enough to limit the results. It can be hard to think of ten different tags, but the more you use, the better your result.

As far as spacing between chapters go, keep in mind that there is a 5-7 delay between submission and posting. How much time do you want to elapse between chapters? Personally, I prefer a 5-7 day gap. You will probably hear other opinions from other authors. In the end, it's up to you to decide how to service your readers.

I wouldn't advise submitting a large number of stories all at once. Not only would you crowd out other authors in that category, you also run the risk of burning out your audience. If I had a huge backlog of stories ready to go (which I don't), I would probably submit only one and no more than 2 per week. But that's just me.

There are many different ideas about disclaimers and other information at the beginning of the story. Some people love them, others hate them. My preference is to only use them if there is a high probability of the content offending an unsuspecting reader. I also have used them when characters bear a close resemblance to public figures, and when there are references to characters prior to attaining the age of 18. Otherwise, I prefer to get straight to the story.

Good luck, and have fun.

 

[feistyphoenix]

I am also a newer author and have found that spacing the chapters of the story out keeps the audience engaged better. if you time it so there is a 2-3 day gap between when each chapter goes live you give your readers time to comment and give feedback, that you can revise your next chapters if you need to to help the story come across better/more smoothly/work out the kinks in the plot etc. If they really want to read the whole thing they can always favorite you as an author to making finding the story again easier. I worried about that when I posted too.

I tend to keep my tags general and always leave a little note at the end so it doesn't interrupt the flow, i usually keep it simple and thank my readers and encourage feedback.

I hope this helps.

 

[sr71plt]

The site editor recently instituted a continuing thread at the top of the AH forum giving current submissions clearance times. You can find it here:

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=981222

The simplest and, I think, least problematical submissions mode here is a direct cut and paste of the text into the submissions box. It's always worked a charm for me.

Whether to put a defensive note on the front of a story or not is completely personal taste. If you'd rather not, don't feel bad about not doing it. I don't put them there to defend the story against any squeamish of the reader. I tag the story for the possibly problematic elements in the story and write for adult readers who can take responsibility for their own reading.

How to submit parts of a series is also personal preference, including on whether or not to finish it all before starting to post it. If you submit the chapters all at once, the submissions process should post parts on successive days. I usually wait for the previous one to post before submitting the next one. This keeps them close enough together to assure the reader he/she won't have to stick with it for years (and in this vein, I proslug on the first chapter how many there are and approximately when posting will be finished) and also permits you do deal with any problems of the earlier chapter before the next one hits the system. Others do all of this differently and report that their method works fine for them.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I already have three large parts for the story done, should I go ahead and submit all of them or perhaps give it a break between submissions?

If I understand this correctly, you've got three parts written but not the whole thing?

I'd recommend posting at a pace that you can maintain. I posted a series with about 5 weeks between installments and that worked fine, but if readers get the first 3 chapters in a hurry and then have to wait months for the next you might get complaints.

 

[WriteFriend3]

If I understand this correctly, you've got three parts written but not the whole thing?

I'd recommend posting at a pace that you can maintain. I posted a series with about 5 weeks between installments and that worked fine, but if readers get the first 3 chapters in a hurry and then have to wait months for the next you might get complaints.

Yes, you said it correctly. Ive written three complete parts and I'm still writing more. I figure once I see the first chapter on the new submissions list I'll submit the second. Wait until that one is posted and so on. To be honest they're not really chapters. I just end it at a proper point so as to make reading it easier on my blog since I can't really do page numbers or anything.

 

[TxRad]

Welcome to the madhouse.