New user question

[ShanahS]

Hello! I just joined this week but have a couple of questions and sorry if this is in a FAQ I missed!

I just sent in a couple of short stories to be published.
Will I get a notification when they are published and given urls for their location?
How long does it typically take from submission to publication?

 

[yowser]

Your last question is the hardest to answer, and often the most frustrating. It could all take from a day or two to much much longer. Your 'works" page will have a tab 'pending' and initially will just indicate that you have a story 'submitted.' If luck holds out, this will change, in a day or two, to a status that will say 'published' with a date, which usually means it will go live then.

Hard to wait, but that's your fate for the time being.

Welcome to the club! Best of luck with your first offerings.

 

[StillStunned]

Hello! I just joined this week but have a couple of questions and sorry if this is in a FAQ I missed!

Welcome!

I just sent in a couple of short stories to be published.
Will I get a notification when they are published and given urls for their location?

You won't get a notification. Instead, in the "Pending" tab of the "Works" page of your Control Panel the grey "Pending" label will be replaced by an orange "New" label, with a date. That's when the story will be published. When it is published, a note will appear under "Works Activity" of "My Home". The new story will be added to your stories on the "Works" page, and you can just click on the link in that list.

How long does it typically take from submission to publication?

Typically, anywhere from a few hours to several weeks. Sorry, it's all very erratic. But I think most stories are either approved or rejected within a day or so, and published another day or so later. I've heard people say that new authors are scrutinised more closely, but my very first story was approved within an hour and published the following morning.

Hopefully it will all go smoothly for you. In the meantime, stick around here and join in the discussions and banter.

 

[ShanahS]

Thank you both!

 

[TheLobster]

Will I get a notification when they are published and given urls for their location?

Yes, it will appear in your author’s news feed in the control panel, and in the notification dropdown that’s behind the bell icon in the rest of Lit.

What @StillStunned said is still true, though, but it applies to when your story receives approval and gets a publication date. Stories are actually published only at set times every day, but they can be approved (and thus scheduled for future publication) at any time.

You will get a notification when the former happens (actual publication) but not the latter (approval & getting a go-live date).

 

[CalBishForNow]

Will I get a notification when they are published and given urls for their location?

Basically, yes. Every Lit account has a home page. Here's the link. From there you can see notifications about stories of yours when they're published, as well as notifications of other authors you're following, and more. Also, in the top right of any Lit page you'll see a bell icon, ,and when you have unread notifications you'll see a red number over there too.

How long does it typically take from submission to publication?

Between one and three days is normal. Less than one day presumably depends on having no problems with the review and submitting at exactly the right time of day to get in before some cutoff. I've never had a story take more than three days without some reason that's logical in hindsight, but some people have complaints about a story getting stuck in Pending indefinitely. Here's an official announcement about that with some troubleshooting tips. It doesn't happen to most stories, but if it happens to yours, step one is wait for a month, sorry.

One more thing, that's regarding new stories. Edits take much longer, like at least a month. So get your stories right the first time or accept imperfection.

 

[ShanahS]

Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Looks like you got all the answers.
Welcome and I hope your stories are well received.

 

[old_prof]

I'm going to self-promote here. I wrote How To Be An Author on Literotica about a year ago. I think (hope) it's still a valuable resource

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I'm going to self-promote here. I wrote How To Be An Author on Literotica about a year ago. I think (hope) it's still a valuable resource

Shameless self-promotion in the AH?
Say it isn't so...

 

[ShanahS]

I'm going to self-promote here. I wrote How To Be An Author on Literotica about a year ago. I think (hope) it's still a valuable resource

I did not see that but thank you!

 

[shelleycat1]

Noce to see you. If you are going to be active on the forum, put a link to your stories in your forum profile. Like I have. Then people can see what you have written without clicking out of the forum and having to do an author search for you, which takes a lot more effort.