How can I announce my story?
- You don't have to. The site system will automatically post an update in the Recent Updates sidebars, the home page if you have over 250 likes, and anyone who follows your story or you as an author will get a notification. The story is also moved to the top of your story listing on your profile each time it is updated.
There is a large author community on GA and a lot of stories. How do I make my work stand out and get reads?
Make use of the various author events available:
- Weekly prompts: Create a flash collection story and then make use of the prompts to inspire short pieces that you can post direct links to in the Prompts forum and possibly get a feature in the weekly Wrap Up site blog.
- Anthologies: GA does several anthologies each year with specific themes. Each event has specialized rules, but all the stories are released as a site event and promoted on the site blog and forums. This is a good way to get dedicated anthology readers to see your work if they might not otherwise.
- Contests: Every so often GA will host anonymous short story, novella, or novel contests for readers to enjoy. These get a lot of site promotion, and there's a chance of winning a prize.
- Premium: GA purchases stories of various lengths to post chapters on a weekly basis for our Premium subscribers. Anyone can submit a story for consideration, but the stories must be well-edited. *Submission is not a guarantee of purchase*
Make use of the various ways to engage readers:
- Always reply to comments and reviews left on your stories.
- Post a story sample/excerpt in the Peeks & Prompts sub-forum in the Writer's Circle club prior to posting a story to garner and gauge interest.
- Post a topic in the Stories Discussion forum to engage readers, post pictures, ask questions to a general readership, share links to inspirational items (music, images, etc--do not post copyrighted material and follow all site guidelines)
- Add a link in your personal signature, or a graphic that acts as a link to your Author page.
- Mention your chapter or story update in (1) status update on your profile.
- Read, read, read! Many of the readers on the site are also authors, and one way to become involved in the community is to participate by interacting via likes, comments, and reviews with other authors on their stories.
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