Story pending for nearly 3 weeks

[fantasea69]

Hi! I posted a story here recently. It's longer than usual, but feel it's taking a lot of time to publish. What is the longest you all have had to wait for a story to get published? Does it take longer for longer stories?

 

[feel_the_beast]

Hi! I posted a story here recently. It's longer than usual, but feel it's taking a lot of time to publish. What is the longest you all have had to wait for a story to get published? Does it take longer for longer stories?

I'm at 23 days today.

 

[fantasea69]

Man, it's so frustrating. Hope we get an update soon.

 

[StillStunned]

Assuming you've read this thread: Story Pending For More Than 72 Hours? Please Read....

The usual advice is to send a polite DM to Laurel, asking her what the status of your story is. You won't get a reply, but it might trigger some action.

 

[Jorunn]

A number of challenges and a big summer contest all happening at the same time. Hopefully, Laurel catches up now that the giant Summer contest winds down.

 

[fantasea69]

Assuming you've read this thread: Story Pending For More Than 72 Hours? Please Read....

The usual advice is to send a polite DM to Laurel, asking her what the status of your story is. You won't get a reply, but it might trigger some action.

I did that. Will wait now...

 

[fantasea69]

A number of challenges and a big summer contest all happening at the same time. Hopefully, Laurel catches up now that the giant Summer contest winds down.

Yes, hopefully that's the case.

 

[fantasea69]

I'm at 23 days today.

Did you get an update yet?

 

[feel_the_beast]

Did you get an update yet?

Nope, and the suspense is killing me, 29 days now. Sent Laurel a msg, no reply, but I was told to expect that.

 

[fantasea69]

Nope, and the suspense is killing me, 29 days now. Sent Laurel a msg, no reply, but I was told to expect that.

Same here -_-

 

[EmilyMiller]

There are often people here describing these sorts of problems. There can be delays. But I know myself and from other authors I talk to that there seems to be a specific issue at present. Yes, some stories are getting published each day, but the incidence of long waits appears to be increasing and to have spread to some authors in previously good standing who normally get a sub-48 hour turnaround.

While some - including me - might speculate, no one really knows what is going on or why. This place can be something of an enigma.

 

[fantasea69]

There are often people here describing these sorts of problems. There can be delays. But I know myself and from other authors I talk to that there seems to be a specific issue at present. Yes, some stories are getting published each day, but the incidence of long waits appears to be increasing and to have spread to some authors in previously good standing who normally get a sub-48 hour turnaround.

While some - including me - might speculate, no one really knows what is going on or why. This place can be something of an enigma.

That's the frustrating bit. This is not Harper Collins. Such a long wait in the era of AI and other tools is infuriating. Do they have just one editor on board? If yes, then this site seems to be nearing its end. With so many new avenues on the internet now, Literotica seems to be a diminishing relic of the past.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That's the frustrating bit. This is not Harper Collins. Such a long wait in the era of AI and other tools is infuriating. Do they have just one editor on board? If yes, then this site seems to be nearing its end.

Yes, it's been that way since it started. The site processes around 200 stories a day. I wouldn't be dismissing it just yet.

With so many new avenues on the internet now, Literotica seems to be a diminishing relic of the past.

Except that it remains the largest erotica literature site there is, by a wide margin, and continues to grow readers, stories, and therefore one assumes, writers.

 

[fantasea69]

Yes, it's been that way since it started. The site processes around 200 stories a day. I wouldn't be dismissing it just yet.

Except that it remains the largest erotica literature site there is, by a wide margin, and continues to grow readers, stories, and therefore one assumes, writers.

One can only hope you are right. Though, since reading is also something that's losing its charm among people, this site really needs to pull up its socks and evolve with the times. And it all starts with better communication and transparency, along with speedy approvals/rejections.

 

[iwatchus]

Though, since reading is also something that's losing its charm among people

I don't know this is actually all that true in ways that will affect this site meaningfully.

Total revenue from book sales have dropped substantially over the last two decades. But there are two big caveats to that statistic. College textbooks, which are a huge profit and revenue area for publishers have dropped massively. There is a big push for faculty to adopt free and open materials. Out of the wide range of courses I teach, I only have a couple that I require a textbook for. And I know most of my students who ge those don't pay for it.

And while printed books have dropped, e-books and audiobooks have boomed. For adult (age defined, not sexual) fiction, printed books are now in third place for delivery modality.Total consumption of adult fiction appears to be relatively stable and consumption of young adult material is up compared to thirty years ago. Some comparison are to twenty years ago, but Harry Potter actually had a notable impact on the category at that point. An impact that has not been replaced, but that has to be regarded as a blip.

I think the more significant impact societally on this site is the changing views towards sexuality. There are certainly people in power who would like to limit or destroy anything that they would describe as promoting promiscuous and sinful behavior. Prohibitions have a very unpredictable impact. Prudes can have great success as increasing pressure on producers, but may have the opposite effect on consumption (see the US alcohol prohibition a century ago.) I think this site is low enough profile, politically to probably be safe, but I'm sure Laurel and Manu worry about that.

So I think the consumption will stay fine. It might go down (or up) ten percent. Does that really impact any of us authors in any real way. And they have no shortage of people willing to produce stories for them.

this site really needs to pull up its socks and evolve with the times. And it all starts with better communication and transparency, along with speedy approvals/rejections.

I wholly agree that they would be better served by better communications, especially to the author community -- I think most of the readers don't care. They want to read about the kinks not about how the sausage is made. As annoying as the long waits are right now (and I do have something in pending far longer than anything I have ever submitted), they are more e matter of setting expectations. By its very nature, writing is not a quick feedback. No one can say "I want to publish a novel" and have 250K in their reader's hands this afternoon. Writing just doesn't work that way.

 

[Voboy]

One can only hope you are right. Though, since reading is also something that's losing its charm among people, this site really needs to pull up its socks and evolve with the times. And it all starts with better communication and transparency, along with speedy approvals/rejections.

This place has always been reader-centric, to a fault. Meaning, writers take a backseat with Laurel. Interpersonal communications I've occasionally had with her over the years have always been warm and professional, but then I don't bother her much. Regardless, that warmth has never translated to a broader philosophy of openly communicating with writers as a whole, still less being responsive to their complaints (whether unfounded or not).

There is a long-established history here of writers dipping a toe in, experiencing long wait times and/or encountering opaque procedures and unwritten rules, posting threads about that here in the AH with varying degrees of confusion or anger, and then being told to either suck it up or publish elsewhere. I'm not sure what happens to those people. But it does seem clear to me that the culture of the site is not likely to change for the better. The owners seem to like their socks right where they are.

Wait times do seem to have increased, anecdotally, or maybe there are just more people starting threads about it now. I've seen no change in my own wait times, but then I'm normally posting as part of a contest or event these days.

 

[fantasea69]

Ah, maybe I am just spewing negativity because of current circumstances. This is my eternal favourite platform, but this wait really is infuriating. I had another story in the pipeline, which I just don't have the energy to write for now.

 

[fantasea69]

UPDATE - It's 30 days now

 

[feel_the_beast]

I put this comment on another thread on this topic, but thought I would post it here as well.
I pulled my 'lost in limbo' story, and resubmitted unedited, with a note to admins about the delay. Within eight hours or so, it now sits in the 'Pending' folder, but the tags say 'Published' and 'New' with tomorrow's date.
So this tactic appears to have worked...for me. I guess I would recommend you try it. But no promises. Your results may vary.
Good luck.

Update: 9-27-25: Story was published this morning.

 

[fantasea69]

Thanks, gonna try tomorrow!

Been 34 days today...

 

[EmilyMiller]

Anyone experiencing delays, especially relating to events of comps, please add your details here.

 

[fantasea69]

Been 5 days since I resubmitted after a wait of 34 days. So fucking frustrating. Perhaps it's time to stop using this site.