Forum: Author Hangout

thus allowing authors distribution without the Amazon 'lowest price' restriction hitting them.

That's only an issue for the authors who use Amazon direct.

When I finish implementing the cross site payment system, paid current memberships will cover new sites.

Since this is the "Author Hangout" forum, I've got to ask: does that also apply to earned membership, or do we have to earn premiere membership on the new site like we did on FS after already having a free membership on SOL?

Normally, this wouldn't be an issue if authors can post several older stories, but if a given author only has one or two sci-fi stories, it might be more problematic, as was getting a premiere membership on FS when a majority of stories contain sexual references.

No, it's not meant to be 'exclusive to the site'.

That's good, because it means those of us who don't mind the extra exposure can start populating the site with our existing sci-fi stories. Such as my time travel and Damsel in Distress stories. And CW can put up a few too.

That's good, because it means those of us who don't mind the extra exposure can start populating the site with our existing sci-fi stories. Such as my time travel and Damsel in Distress stories. And CW can put up a few too.

I haven't had a chance to examine it yet. For those who have, what are the 'sexual' limitations (do they have to be 'kid friendly', are 'naugty words' allowed, or can they contain 'standard book fare'? I've got quite a few sci-fi stories, but I'm not sure how many I can submit.

I took a quick look through the posting rules. All I saw for sex limitations is the same no under 14 sex/nudity that applies to SOL

I'm eager to see what story categories/codes he's got (i.e. whether they're more sci-fi specific than SOL or FS has, say more genre specific tags).

I'm eager to see what story categories/codes he's got

https://scifistories.com/docs/code_faq.php

they seem much the same to me.

I think in this respect the important factor will be if the site is geared for all age groups or for the mature (adult) audience only. A lot of scifi fans are in the younger crowds.

I suspect he's planning to use age categories to protect readers, though it sounds like it's not a kid-friendly site.

Personally, I'd prefer if he adjusted it slightly so it better matches Amazon and other publishing sites with a 'no-sex under 16' restriction. At least, that way, we'd know we had to modify the SOL stories to fit the site. I don't object to that, though I'll have to ask about my 'pseudo-incest' stories.

Another issue for Lazeez to consider, speaking of author websites, is getting them to promote the new website to build it beyond the SOL reader base. If each author with their own website includes links to the book, that'll introduce the site to reader's who'd never see it other than on Amazon or similar sites. If he offered links (in author blog's) in exchange for SciFi links on their sites, he'd probably get quite a few author's agreeing. But again, that's up to him to determine for himself.

it slightly so it better matches Amazon and other publishing sites with a 'no-sex under 16' restriction.

no reason you can apply that variation yourself, I do.

I took a quick look through the posting rules. All I saw for sex limitations is the same no under 14 sex/nudity that applies to SOL

Be that as it may, it doesn't really answer the question of what the expectations are. There's a huge difference between a genre novel that has a few scenes of intimately described missionary sex, and a genre erotica story that has frequent, hardcore, kinky, vulgar fucking.

Is scifistories.com meant to be a copy of the scifi category of SOL or is it intended more as a genre specific and slightly less prudish version of finestories.com? Since the tag list doesn't even have options to indicate quantity of sexual content, I'm a little wary of posting my stuff there and shocking some unsuspecting reader.

Is scifistories.com meant to be a copy of the scifi category of SOL or is it intended more as a genre specific and slightly less prudish version of finestories.com? Since the tag list doesn't even have options to indicate quantity of sexual content, I'm a little wary of posting my stuff there and shocking some unsuspecting reader.

There aren't any specific sex tags, but you do rate the story (12 and under, 16 and under or 18+). The site is explicitly for sci-fi, much of which has a historically distinct sexual component (though young kids love the genre too, not entirely coincidentally).

I'll copy the universe myself when you need to.

Please do so over the next few days. I'm in the middle of revising my DiD stories and should have them ready for uploading in a few days. But once I know the universe is Up is it OK to put the DiD Rules book across to it.

In the meantime, I'll upload my other revised sci-fi stories.

will now see how it goes in the posting

Posted and displays well. Just posted and already has several downloads.

What, exactly, does the following imply?

Hopefully Lazeez will answer the question for you. But I took it as his way of having you give permission to harvest the story from your site if you try to do what a few have done at SoL by posting part of the story at SoL and the rest on their own site. With that rule, he has a legal right to get a copy from your site and post it. It's an effective counter to the behaviour of a certain author who got himself banned from SoL a few times.

No, I just announced here and added a link on the site's home page.

Well, it's already generating some interest and usage. Seems you had a good idea to create it.

We'll see if the whole set of sites benefits from this effort.

I hope you get the code to upload to multiple sites working by then. I like to keep SoL as the site where I have everything and like to support your operation by duplicating the stories to the other sites, where relevant. But it's getting to be more and more work to upload to the different sites.

SOL will remain the one to encompass everything and Finestories the one to encompass all non-sex stories, but I'm planning few more narrow-focus sites.

I'm not sure how many we currently have on SOL, but you may want to consider a Romance site and, as always, a LGTB site requiring a separate log-in (from SOL) which will hopefully diminish the 1-bombs. There are plenty of gay story sites, but none with the gravitas of SOL.

I'm actually disappointed on the rare occasions when the votes for one of my stories don't cover the full range from 1 to 10. :)

AJ

I'm actually disappointed on the rare occasions when the votes for one of my stories don't cover the full range from 1 to 10. :)

Ha-ha. I just reached the magical 'full-house score' on my latest story, only it didn't last long (the 3 disappeared as the scores improved in chapter 5). I typically gets lots of 10s, a fair number of 8 & 9s, fewer 7s, and then only a few 1s and 3s (I convinced the 1-bombers to temper the 1s so they could protest the things they really object to).

I convinced the 1-bombers to temper the 1s so they could protest the things they really object to

I am curious how you convinced the 1-bombers, when you don't know who gave the story that rating.

I am curious how you convinced the 1-bombers, when you don't know who gave the story that rating.

I've detailed this many times here, but my 1-bombers aren't like most. Instead of voting down stories they dislike, my 1-bombers are some of my most loyal fans. They read every single chapter (usually a couple days after they post), and they'll adjust their votes (up for exciting chapters, which are noticeable because there are so few low scores).

I suggested voting 1 for everything was dumb, and illustrated the point by posting a story thread they objected to, pointing out they couldn't protest if they're already voting 1s. Since then, the votes are mostly split between 1s and 3s, with the votes jumping 2 points each whenever I post an exciting chapter.

It's fascinating to watch, but the protests don't affect my attitudes or my subject matter in the least, meaning the protests are meaningless (as you can tell from my Forum diatribes). Instead, the 1-bombs make them feel they're making a 'difference', which it clearly doesn't.

Thank you. I was not aware of your prior remarks about 1-bombers.

LGTB site requiring a separate log-in (from SOL) which will hopefully diminish the 1-bombs. There are plenty of gay story sites, but none with the gravitas of SOL.

I think that's an interesting idea. A quick internet search turned up lots of sites for 'coming out' stories, but the only fiction site near the top was Wattpad. I know ASSTR hosts a mirror of Nifty but I think there's an opportunity for a site for 'mainstream' LGBT stories. I would suggest though that the name is something like LGBTfiction.org, to emphasise escapism rather than hand-wringing worthiness.

AJ

I know ASSTR hosts a mirror of Nifty but I think there's an opportunity for a site for 'mainstream' LGBT stories. I would suggest though that the name is something like LGBTfiction.org, to emphasise escapism rather than hand-wringing worthiness.

If Lazeez is serious about his 'many small sites' philosophy, maybe he should create separate gay (restricted log-in), lesbian (open to both male and female fans, with caveats about potential abuse), Bi and Trans sites. That would go a long way towards easing the perception that SOL is hostile towards gays, as well as opening the sites to a huge and loyal book buying market.

On a separate note, many story sites offer online book stores, where members can offer their books for sale with a small percentage going to the site for offering the local marketplace. Any opinions on Lazeez's offering something similar as another way of gaining greater financial independence? (Not enforced sale of non-published authors, but the option to list your already published books for sale on the site.)

I'd think offering focused marketing sales options might draw more authors from sites like Wattpad.

Cover photos aren't showing up on the site. Not sure what the issue is, they just don't show up when the associated chapters do.

I'm only loading the one image per story, and it shows on the story cover page OK. Don't know about in later places, haven't done that, yet.

I'm only loading the one image per story, and it shows on the story cover page OK. Don't know about in later places, haven't done that, yet.

My cover photo showed up for my later "Clinging to Hope" story, but not my "Stranded in a Foreign Land" which was posted a day earlier, despite they're both being submitted the same way.

I resubmitted it, so I'll see whether it goes across this time or not. It's the same photo I used on SOL and FS, so the dimensions shouldn't be an issue.

Update: Lazeez fixed it, via magic. Not sure what the issue was, but the chapters/images are fine now.