Forum: Author Hangout

You mean like a step in the submission system to click a box like 'post gradually' and you choose a length of time between posts?

My suggestion was daily, but yes, setting an interval would probably be useful for some.

Now that I have the tag handler in the system it shouldn't be too much work to implement. However, I always worry about complicating the posting process for the majority of authors for the needs of the very few.

I'll see about adding an optional step in the wizard.

Much appreciated. How about a checkbox/radio button on the author page which gives 'advanced' or 'normal' options when posting? Default to 'normal' and don't show the dialogue for posting incrementally/progressively.

As always, thanks for providing us with good tools to use!

For now these new tags give more control over the posting process as you can choose exact dates to post chapters.

Yes, that's true. :-)

One clarification question - do I post the first chapter, and then post the remaining chapters as a zip file with the tags? Or am I able to post everything at once?

If you post a chapter, the 'New Chapter' handler does not handle the new tags. For now, anything existing will have to use the current wizard scheduler for new chapters.

Got it. I misread/misunderstood the mention of 'first chapter' in your initial post. My bad. Sorry.

Got it. I misread/misunderstood the mention of 'first chapter' in your initial post. My bad. Sorry.

Lazeez's phrasing was a little fuzzy, but I'd assumed he meant that the first chapter, as part of an all-at-once post, would post immediately by default, which works out anyway.

You mean like a step in the submission system to click a box like 'post gradually' and you choose a length of time between posts?

Now that's an excellent ideas.

Now that I have the tag handler in the system it shouldn't be too much work to implement. However, I always worry about complicating the posting process for the majority of authors for the needs of the very few.

Just have it default to "Post all now" and that should take care of most posters. While it will add more qualifiers than most might care fore, it should be easy enough to overlook.

Speaking for myself, though, I've always preferred posting by hand (though you never know when it will post using that approach), as that way, I always review the chapter beforehand, and whenever someone comments, the contents of the chapter are still fresh in my mind. With posting it all at once, each chapter tends to become a blur, requiring authors to open their master document to figure out what happens in each specific chapter (minor bitch--feel free to ignore).

Thank you, will be using!

I haven't played with the optional cover text thing before. If there is the cover text before the first chapter, must there be the title and by line too?

I haven't played with the optional cover text thing before. If there is the cover text before the first chapter, must there be the title and by line too?

It's largely an automated process, as specifying "Chapter XX: The Rain Mainly Falls on the Very Plain" becomes an optional title. It can also be specified (using html submissions) as { t], with a Section title taking the form { h}, using the following as an example:

My Book
I: Visiting the Bronx
1: Saying something stupid
2: Getting Beat up
3: Spending too much
4: Losing all my money playing Penny-ante
II: Leaving the Bronx
...

Thus Section Titles would come before chapter titles, but somehow, I don't think that's what you were asking about.

That's a very useful addition, though it's easier specifying +7 for each posting, than trying to figure out whether your biweekly postings are +3 or +4.

Chapter 2: Merry Christmas

{date:+7a}

I could have sworn I posted this already, but can't find it... pardon me if this is a dupe.

I used the first method, worked like a charm. For the next story, since I am not sure when I will start posting, I want to use the day count method.

Just to be sure now, that count is from the last chapter posted or from the initial post date? So if the interval was consistent, chapter three would post seven days AFTER chapter two, you wouldn't use {date:+14a} to get the same result?

Thanks for clearing that up!

Very cool! I love posting a bunch (or all) at once with deferred chapters, so this will make it that much easier.

That's true, but without reviewing the chapters as they post, it's almost impossible to remember WTF happens in any given chapter, so posting once and 'forgetting it' is likely to make for some awkward conversations with reader responses. :(

So... no different from me than usual? :-)

My last half-dozen (probably) more stories were posted all at once, or in a couple of big batches, with each chapter posted with a delay of a couple of days. I was using the manual setup where you had to load each chapter individually and pick a posting date etc and, frankly, it was a PITA.

I have a couple of large stories coming up as soon as they get past the editors, so this update makes me happy.

A++

Thank you!