How to Order a Series

[Stanfield2025]

I've seen that some authors can organize their series in such a way that on the right side, a reader can click the next chapter easily. The section on the right says:

READ MORE OF THIS SERIES​

And the next part of the series is right there with stacked squares. How do I do this with my own series? Is there some option in the drafting process to order it that way?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I recently posted an article that addresses this (among other series-related topics)

Titling your pieces is the key, followed by proper use of the Series Manager feature.

If you title things right from the beginning, the system should automatically sequence them correctly. At the end of chapter one, they would see the indications that you mentioned for accessing chapter two. Chapter two should have links to the previous chapter as well as the next one.

 

[Stanfield2025]

I recently posted an article that addresses this (among other series-related topics)

Titling your pieces is the key, followed by proper use of the Series Manager feature.

If you title things right from the beginning, the system should automatically sequence them correctly. At the end of chapter one, they would see the indications that you mentioned for accessing chapter two. Chapter two should have links to the previous chapter as well as the next one.

I have read the article. I intend to do a chaptered story. I want the neat and tidy lists. The last time I tried, I titled the entries with Story Title Ch. 01, Story Title Ch. 02, and so on. But the system didn't automatically sequence them correctly. The reader had to click to my Works page to access the next chapter instead of just clicking the next chapter after reading a given chapter.

So I'm thinking there's something I forgot to do the last time I tried. Does it have to do with the Series Manager? How is that to be used correctly to make sure it's all sequenced right?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I have read the article. I intend to do a chaptered story. I want the neat and tidy lists. The last time I tried, I titled the entries with Story Title Ch. 01, Story Title Ch. 02, and so on. But the system didn't automatically sequence them correctly. The reader had to click to my Works page to access the next chapter instead of just clicking the next chapter after reading a given chapter.

So I'm thinking there's something I forgot to do the last time I tried. Does it have to do with the Series Manager? How is that to be used correctly to make sure it's all sequenced right?

The Series Manager would allow you to manually set the correct sequence. You need to select "manual" as the option and once you do that, the system will not longer try to sort any additional chapters.

I published chapter stories for years before the Series Manager feature existed, but I submitted all chapters for publication at the same time. The chapters were published in the correct sequence one day after another until the entire story was published. Based upon all of the issues reported with submissions falling between the cracks over the past year, I could see where things like chapters of a story could get out of whack.

My two existing series are both sequence independent, and could be read in any order, so that has never been an issue for them.

 

[Stanfield2025]

The Series Manager would allow you to manually set the correct sequence. You need to select "manual" as the option and once you do that, the system will not longer try to sort any additional chapters.

I published chapter stories for years before the Series Manager feature existed, but I submitted all chapters for publication at the same time. The chapters were published in the correct sequence one day after another until the entire story was published. Based upon all of the issues reported with submissions falling between the cracks over the past year, I could see where things like chapters of a story could get out of whack.

My two existing series are both sequence independent, and could be read in any order, so that has never been an issue for them.

So in short, as far as you know, the only way to get the chapters in a sequence so that readers can easily read from chapter to chapter by using the indications I've mentioned, is to post them all at the same time?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

So in short, as far as you know, the only way to get the chapters in a sequence so that readers can easily read from chapter to chapter by using the indications I've mentioned, is to post them all at the same time?

No. If the system didn't put them in order automatically, you can use the "manual" configuration option in the Series Manager to do it yourself. That should force the system to then "relate" them properly within your stories.

 

[Stanfield2025]

Okay thank God. This website, I swear...

 

[Stanfield2025]

No. If the system didn't put them in order automatically, you can use the "manual" configuration option in the Series Manager to do it yourself. That should force the system to then "relate" them properly within your stories.

Okay, my Works Sort Order is on Manual, but I can't click Title or Date Published. I can't see how to even sort anything in the Series Manager. How do I sort anything in Manual?

I genuinely can't understand why this site is so hard to use.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

1. From my Control Panel, I select "My Series".
2. I click on the gear icon on the right for the series I want to manage
3. On the "Edit Series" page, I select "Series Work"
4. I then have an option to "Reorder Series"
5. Using the up and down arrows, I can select the position of each entry in the series
6. I then click on "Save Order" and I'm done.

If you don't have the same steps, I suspect that you haven't truly switched to manual mode yet.