Titles that omit "Part 1"

[AlinaX]

I reviewed a book, which I won't name, but it was clearly marked as the first of a trilogy. Now, there were some rumblings of a bigger story that would tie the trilogy together as a coherent story, but the book was focussed on the two main characters and their poetically explicit discovery of each other, often at the expense of coherent world building.

Now, had it been presented as a standalone story, and as a plain romance, maybe that would have worked better, I can't recall now, but to read the first part of a trilogy and be left with almost no idea what the hell the trilogy was actually going to be about... well, that was very confusing.

 

[TheArsonist]

I have. I already told you that.

No, and I have explained why not so many times now that I don't see how you can still keep missing it.

I've explained this to you twice now: many of us don't intend to write a series when we write a story that we later decide merits a sequel. I've done it twice myself. I don't know why you dismiss that.

And I have said, right from the very beginning, that I am not talking about those cases.

I think most writers who intend to write a series DO label their first entry "Ch 1." I don't know why they wouldn't, if they've already got additional chapters waiting to post. So that's why I imagine many (if not most) writers who don't label a Chapter 1... do NOT intend to write a series. Again, I'm not sure why you have a hard time with that, and I'm not the only one.

I have seen enough unlabeled Chapter Ones that no reasonable person would consider a complete story (and which are often followed in short order by a Chapter 2) that I dismiss out of hand the idea that authors don't do this. I find it curious that you have not, but several others in the thread have confirmed the same experience.

Possible reasons for authors to deliberately do so include:

• To get more readers to check out the story
• A belief that this is the LitErotica convention
• An aesthetic revulsion against "Ch. 1" in the title (as @Euphony mentions)
• A misunderstood idea that the label shouldn't be used until the later chapters are actually posted

Finally, you didn't reply to this bit, which was a question specifically directed towards you in order to try to get a more constructive conversation going:

Will you agree that if an author intends to write a series, or posts a story that they consider incomplete, they should indicate this up front in the first installment, either in the title or the intro, for the sake of readers?

If you do agree with that, I think we should just agree to disagree on the question of whether some authors fail to do so.

We all know that a standalone story gets better engagement than a ch. 1. SilkStockingLover said, in think in a how-to piece or an interview on here somewhere, that she avoids ch. # series, preferring to give each part of a series a unique name, making them alphabetical so they appear in order on her story page. Explicitly because she gets better engagement that way. Now that's not trickery because I think she generally puts info in the text of the story at the beginning about how it relates to other parts. But it is avoiding ch. # explicitly because that hurts engagement.

Thanks, good reference! It shows that despite the testimonies by e.g. @Jmanchu and @stickygirl that they don't think in this way, their attitude is not universal among LE authors: some do use deliberate tactics in how they title their stories in order to increase readership. (Which is of course fine as long as it doesn't seek to trick readers by misrepresentation or holding back key information.)

 

[Bramblethorn]

Actually exposition is a vital part of a story, it's Piece #1 of the entire framework.

Like D&D-HAT Chris Pine's whole plea in front of the parole board was exposition, and who told Michelle Rodriguez that covering her acreage with tattoos was appealing?

 

[AlinaX]

Are we talking the actor's Khmer tattoo or the character Holga's Pazyryk-inspired tattoos?
Either way, I don't think Michelle Rodriguez can ever look any less than awesome...

 

[Voboy]

I agree with the OP, at least inasmuch as that this is a real issue and not just a made-up peeve. I like to read complete stories. I don't read serials. It has certainly happened to me that I'll start reading something with no "Part 1", thinking it's a complete story, and suddenly find that it ends in the middle. I don't downvote anything, as a rule, nor do I assume bad faith on the part of the author. But I do find it annoying and (whether intentionally or through ignorance) rude.

This is the whole point the OP is making. I think you're right not to assume it, and nor would I.

 

[Duleigh]

I just noticed something unsettling - I submitted 2 stories named Enchantress, the first was named Enchantress, the second was named Enchantress 2 - Warrior Duchess

BUT​

When it got published, TPTB changed the title to Enchantress CH 02, I did not submit it like that and I didn't want it like that, they're two separate stories. I'll be sending Laurel a note about this but I doubt I'm the only one

 

[ElectricBlue]

I just noticed something unsettling - I submitted 2 stories named Enchantress, the first was named Enchantress, the second was named Enchantress 2 - Warrior Duchess

BUT​

When it got published, TPTB changed the title to Enchantress CH 02, I did not submit it like that and I didn't want it like that, they're two separate stories. I'll be sending Laurel a note about this but I doubt I'm the only one

The chaptering process is automatic - the algorithm runs alpha-numerically once it finds a common word string - in this case "Enchantress". It might be adding Ch.02 automatically, I don't know.

Naming it "Enchantress 2" has confused the algorithm - and logically, I think (computer logically, anyway). Without the # 2, it would show as you wanted it to, I think.

Resubmit the second as an EDIT and explain they're not in fact linked. That will take a week or two, though, and meanwhile, will your readers be confused, or won't it really matter (assuming Warrior Duchess is a follow-on from the first, not the other way around)?

 

[Duleigh]

Well that's why it's named Enchantress 2 - so you know it's another story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Well that's why it's named Enchantress 2 - so you know it's another story.

You've been too influenced by movie sequels, I reckon. I'd regard that as a direct follow-on, not something separate.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

You've been too influenced by movie sequels, I reckon. I'd regard that as a direct follow-on, not something separate.

No, that's just stupid as hell.

There's a difference between Chapters and Sequels, regardless of whether we're talking movies or books. A system that automatically turns a sequel into a chapter of another story is just... stupid. No matter how you, personally, would interpret the occurance of the number 2 in a title. The mere fact that the system is doing this automatically in the first place just proves how little whoever is responsible for this system thought about it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

No, that's just stupid as hell.

There's a difference between Chapters and Sequels, regardless of whether we're talking movies or books. A system that automatically turns a sequel into a chapter of another story is just... stupid. No matter how you, personally, would interpret the occurance of the number 2 in a title. The mere fact that the system is doing this automatically in the first place just proves how little whoever is responsible for this system thought about it.

Just a reader's point of view, and knowing how the system works. You do you.

 

[Voboy]

Well that's why it's named Enchantress 2 - so you know it's another story.

Honestly, if I was a reader eyeing your catalog? I'd assume Enchantress 2 was the next chapter of Enchantress.

 

[AlinaX]

I'm confused. Lit doesn't really distinguish between chapters and sequels, and it always wants to group into series according to similar titles. Plus Laurel, I think, generally renames a 2 like that as a Ch. 02, so it's really no surprise.

 

[Duleigh]

So you're saying its nearly impossible to have two separate stories with a similar name if there's a number in the name?

 

[AlinaX]

I'm saying that if my sequel to "The Mermaid" is called "Mermaids", then Lit has no clue they're connected.

 

[Duleigh]

I'm saying that if my sequel to "The Mermaid" is called "Mermaids", then Lit has no clue they're connected.

I have an entire series of stories entitled Stormwatch that are connected but there's enough exposition in each so you can read them out of order, same with my Gate series, I didn't realize that Lit was going to invent chapters if you put a number in the title. This is how we're getting stories that aren't marked CH 1, #2 was never intended to be CH 02

 

[Voboy]

So you're saying its nearly impossible to have two separate stories with a similar name if there's a number in the name?

"Enchantress, Redux"
"Enchantress Returns"
"Enchantress: The Next Story"

Something like that should work.

I had a "Bad Cop, Worse Cop" story I did years ago. Then I decided to write another one: separate story, loose sequel, some of the same characters. I called the second one "Bad Cop, Worse Cop, Worst Cop" so they'd be listed in order on my catalog.

But Laurel grouped them together and called them a "2-part series." She didn't ask; she just did it. I'd prepare for something similar.

 

[Duleigh]

"Enchantress, Redux"
"Enchantress Returns"
"Enchantress: The Next Story"

Something like that should work.

I had a "Bad Cop, Worse Cop" story I did years ago. Then I decided to write another one: separate story, loose sequel, some of the same characters. I called the second one "Bad Cop, Worse Cop, Worst Cop" so they'd be listed in order on my catalog.

But Laurel grouped them together and called them a "2-part series." She didn't ask; she just did it. I'd prepare for something similar.

Now that we can manually build a series I was planning to do that I suppose they're have to be
Enchantress
Enchantress - Warrior Duchess
Enchantress - Warrior Empress

I just have to figure out how to change the names without losing votes and comments

 

[Voboy]

Now that we can manually build a series I was planning to do that I suppose they're have to be
Enchantress
Enchantress - Warrior Duchess
Enchantress - Warrior Empress

I just have to figure out how to change the names without losing votes and comments

That part's pretty easy: you resubmit with the new title and a note in the notes field. Then you sit back and wait.

She's still likely to group it as a series. But now there are series tools where you can go in and write a blurb explaining the chronology and titling.

 

[Duleigh]

That part's pretty easy: you resubmit with the new title and a note in the notes field. Then you sit back and wait.

She's still likely to group it as a series. But now there are series tools where you can go in and write a blurb explaining the chronology and titling.

I have the cover artwork ready, just waiting for #3 - I'm working on 4 stories at once at the moment

 

[ElectricBlue]

Now that we can manually build a series I was planning to do that I suppose they're have to be
Enchantress
Enchantress - Warrior Duchess
Enchantress - Warrior Empress

I just have to figure out how to change the names without losing votes and comments

Don't get too clever with the titles.

Those should work, but the whole series will be called Enchantress.

The alternative is to set the Series up using the manual function, but you have to have at least two of the parts published before you can jigger around with that. It's a bit tricky - I took a couple of goes to fix up two incorrectly sequenced stories which had gone wrong years ago, but I got there in the end.

 

[Duleigh]

Don't get too clever with the titles.

Those should work, but the whole series will be called Enchantress.

The alternative is to set the Series up using the manual function, but you have to have at least two of the parts published before you can jigger around with that. It's a bit tricky - I took a couple of goes to fix up two incorrectly sequenced stories which had gone wrong years ago, but I got there in the end.

I like using the manual function, I've set up several series. My We're a Wonderful Wife has chapters 1 through 14 but there's also 5 side stories and room for more. I was able to move the side stories in line with the numbered chapters.

With Stormwatch I was doing good putting them in alphabetical order when one got messed up with an em dash rather than an en dash so I had to use the manual series function to straighten them out.

 

[Duleigh]

Laurel fixed it for me! She took out the offending CH. that made Enchantress 2 look like it was part of the first.

 

[Voboy]

Laurel fixed it for me! She took out the offending CH. that made Enchantress 2 look like it was part of the first.

Glad you worked it out, but again, as an uninformed reader going in blind, I'd still assume it was a continuation of the first.