Tips for publishing my story on GayAuthors

[Afri]

I've been searching the forum for a while now, but nowhere could I find general tips about publishing a story on GA (except some very old posts that seem outdated).

So … Do you have any tips for me if I want to publish my story on here? And I don't mean writing tips, but tips about publishing on this specific website.

1. How do I get my story seen on here (besides the few tips over at Tips & Tricks - Help - Gay Authors)?

2. How often should I post new chapters? Whenever they are ready? Should I write ahead and them post a new one once a week? Twice a week? Daily?

3. Do you have any tips for posting the story? Like how many categories/tags should I pick? Is it better to pick the maximum amount (if fitting of course) or should I only pick the most essential ones?

4. Do you have any other tips at all you thing a writer new to Gay Authors might find useful?

 

Also I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I didn't know where else to post this. Feel free to (re)move it if necessary. 😅

[kbois]

Good for you for wanting to post a story!

The instructions in the help forum outline the process pretty well. Just make sure you complete all the steps. It can be a little confusing until you've done it a few times.

Tips... well, there's no one clear cut answer to your questions. 

How often you post chapters is up to you. I do recommend completing your story before publishing. That way if life gets in the way your readers aren't left hanging. Nothing generates more frustration than a long lapse in chapters. Once or twice a week seems to be the most common schedule for authors. It also depends on the length of the story. 

No matter how often you post, it's essential to find a good editing and beta reading team. You'd be surprised how many mistakes even a seasoned author makes. (Ahem @Mrsgnomie get cracking on writing. You're slacking)

As far as tags go, more is better. That way your story will appear to people who use those categories when they put in filters. 

Every time you publish a story it will appear on the story page. It also will get a place in the Weekly Wrap Up every Sunday. 

A few tips... make sure you respond to comments on your chapters. Readers are more engaged when they get feedback and more likely to follow the story which will send them notifications when you post a chapter. This will help you establish a rapport with your readers. (If you get snarky comments from a short-legged yapper just bop him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper [this means you @weinerdog])

They are also more apt to follow you as an author if they can interact with you. Speaking of.... if you enjoy an author's works, follow them as well as the story. 

Good luck!

[Thirdly]

1. How do I get my story seen on here? - Three ways: 1. Be active on the forum (there are sooo many parts of the forum, you'll definitely find something you'll enjoy...there are groups and prompts and games...explore; make a few friends.).  2. Read stories in your favorite genre and leave comments or reviews. You'll see which authors respond back and are friendly. You'll see which stories are more popular. You'll probably even be inspired for your own stories. 3. FIND BETA READERS OR EDITORS. There are threads in the forum just for this. Ask for help and you will find it, someone will read over your story and will let you know if it's worth posting. 

2. How often should I post new chapters? Whenever they are ready? Should I write ahead and them post a new one once a week? Twice a week? Daily? - FAR MORE IMPORTANT than how often you post chapters and what time of day to post them in is to MAKE SURE you run the chapters through at least a spell checker or grammar checker program!! I cannot state this enough! FULLY COMPLETED stories are the most ideal for posting because once you post the story, you CANNOT DELETE or REORDER chapters. So, make sure those chapters are as pristine as can be. Readers also love consistency and completed work!! Whether you post once a week or once every three days, be VERY CAREFUL in setting the timer on the chapters (though it will be a long time before you are able to set any timer at all, I think your first couple of stories will be monitored to ensure nothing crazy happens when posting them). I had a simple, completed 6-chapter story that I ROYALLY messed up the timing for and had to get the poor overstressed moderators involved in helping fix the problem, and I've been here for 10 years! (This whole segment is like a "please, learn from my mistakes" plea)

3. Do you have any tips for posting the story? Like how many categories/tags should I pick? Is it better to pick the maximum amount (if fitting of course) or should I only pick the most essential ones? - This is your own personal preference. I would put the maximum amount. 

4. Do you have any other tips at all you think a writer new to Gay Authors might find useful? - Yes! When you feel ready, join one of the events! We have all kinds of events all year round, some the same and some new and different every year.  Secret Author events, Prompt Team events, Dedications, the yearly Anthology (Creature Feature theme this year, due in October)... BUT I would try posting a *completed* story or two first before entering any of the events, because just as complex as posting a story is, different events have different entry instructions!! Joining events is another great way to gain exposure, though I'd steer clear of any overly controversial themes the first few times (example: anything WW2 related). 

 

Edited March 12, 2025 by Thirdly

[Myr]

9 hours ago, Afri said:

Like how many categories/tags should I pick? Is it better to pick the maximum amount (if fitting of course) or should I only pick the most essential ones?

1 category is allowed. (usually Fiction, but Poetry, FanFiction, Nonfiction are options)

Genres.... Select the most appropriate sub-genres for your story.  If you have many, then you probably aren't actually fitting most of them. choose "Experimental" instead.  Details on the genres are here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/genre-tag/

I strongly recommend that you read those descriptions and make sure you fit the tropes of the genre in question. (Doing an axe murder in any "cozy" genre is an automatic fail, for example)

On tags, I'd only select 3-5 that fit your story.

[weinerdog]

8 hours ago, kbois said:

 

A few tips... make sure you respond to comments on your chapters. Readers are more engaged when they get feedback and more likely to follow the story which will send them notifications when you post a chapter. This will help you establish a rapport with your readers. (If you get snarky comments from a short-legged yapper just bop him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper [this means you @weinerdog])

 

 

 Why do you think I'm at the very back wall and everybody else from the Korner Krew is in front of me.

[wildone]

In case anyone else stumbles on this, @kbois mentioned the Help Menu at the top. Even me, when and if I post anything  I always refer to this.

[Mike Carss]

On 3/12/2025 at 10:45 AM, Afri said:

2. How often should I post new chapters? Whenever they are ready? Should I write ahead and them post a new one once a week? Twice a week? Daily?

I've posted three novels now, with a release schedule of twice a week (Monday and Thursday). Despite being absolutely unknown, I was pleasantly surprised to garner loyal readership very quickly with my first novel.

More importantly, I found that as I was posting new chapters, new readers would find it and join in. So, if you spread out your chapter postings -- such as over the course of a few months -- there's a greater chance to collect new readers during that time.

The GA community is such a breath of fresh air compared to much of the net.

Best of luck! ❤️