Free Erotic Fiction.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Note: This is the old FAQ page, please click here for the new FAQ.

Membership
- Why should I become a Literotica Member?
- How do I become a Member?
- How do I change my Member profile and picture?
- I've forgotten my Member password. Now what do I do?
- When I browse Literotica, I get pop-ads. Does Literotica use such ads?

- Does Literotica share my personal info?

Submissions
- How do I submit a story or poem to Literotica?
- What are the Guidelines for submitting a story?
- How long will it take for my story to be posted?
- It seems like my story is taking longer than usual to be approved. Why is that?
- My story is showing up as "not accepted" on my page. How do I find out why it was rejected?
- Help!! I'm unable to submit via the online form! What should I do?
- I've re-edited my story and want to replace the posted version with my new edited one. How do I do this?

- How do I change the category or description of my story or poem?
- Why does my story have views when it's still listed as pending?

- I would like to start a chain story. How do I do this?

- If I submit a story to Literotica, do I still own the copyright?
- How do the Literotica Story Contests work?

- The stories are grouped into categories. What do they mean?
- What do the colored icons beside stories mean?

- How do I find out how people are voting on my story?
- How do I find out how people are voting on other stories?
- I've never written a story before, and I want to make it perfect. How can Literotica help me?

Multimedia Submissions
- What is Erotic Audio?
- How do I submit my Audio?
- I have a text story that I want to post an audio file with as well. How do I do this?
- I want to submit a story illustrated with my original artwork. What are the guidelines?

Volunteer Editors
- What is a Volunteer Editor?
- How do I become a Volunteer Editor?
- What if I need to take a temporary break from the Volunteer Editor program?

Bulletin Board
- What is the Bulletin Board?
- What are the rules for using the Bulletin Board?
- What are Moderators?
- How do I start a thread?
- How do I respond to an existing thread?

- How do I post a Personal Ad?
- What are the requirements for an ad?

- What are the SRP and ORP forums for?
- How do I start a story?
- How do I contribute to an existing story?

Chat
- What is Chat?
- Why won't my Member name and password work in Chat?
- I can't connect to Chat. What do I do?
- What is a Chat Monitor?

- What are the Amateur Pics?
- What sort of pics will you post?
- What sort of pics won't you post?
- How do I submit my photos?

- What is a Free Literotica.org Email address?
- How do I get a Free Literotica.org Email address?

Legal
- Where can I find Literotica 2257 info?

Other
- My question hasn't been answered in this FAQ. What should I do?

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- Why should I become a Literotica Member? How much does it cost?
When you sign up to be Literotica Member, you get your own personal profile posted on the site, including a picture if you so choose. Once a member, you may submit stories, poems, and pictures to the site. With your Member login, you can also access the Bulletin Boards, including the Role-Playing Forums and the Personals area. And best of all, it - like the rest of Literotica - is 100% Free.

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- How do I become a Member?
Click here
. At the top of the page, you'll see the words Submit or Edit Profile. Click the Sign Up link. Fill in the form, and Congratulations! You're an official Literotican! You can now enter in a short bio and a picture (if you like), as well as submit stories and poems to the site.

If you're a registered user of our Bulletin Board, then you are already a member. Click the Login link and enter the username and password you use to post on our Bulletin Board.

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- How do I change my Member profile and picture?
On the Site Index page, click on the Login link. This will take you to your profile. At the top of your profile page, click the link Edit Profile.

Please Note: Please do not upload any hardcore photos or sexual photos of anyone under the age of 18 to your profile page.

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- I've forgotten my Member password. Now what do I do?
You can use our Password Help feature, which is located beneath the login boxes on the Login page. The script will email the username and password to the email listed in your profile.

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- How do I submit a story or poem to Literotica?
First, sign up as a Literotica Member. Then, read our Submission Guidelines. This will greatly improve your chances of being published. Once you've done so, you can submit stories and poems directly from your profile, using the Submit links at the top of the page.

If you have difficulty with the submission form (if you are a WebTV user, you will be unable to submit via the form), you may send the story to us this way:

1) Attach the text of the story to an email directed to submit@literotica.com. Important: make the subject of the email the same as the title of the story so that we can more easily match your submission to your profile.

2) Go to your Member Profile and "Submit a Story". Fill in the title, description, and category of your story. In the box for the story itself, type "Story Submitted Via Email". Following this procedure will help to get your story online as quickly as possible.

Before you submit to Literotica, we strongly suggest you read our Writer's Guidelines and check out our Writer's Resources area. You may even want to take advantage of our Volunteer Editors program.

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- My story is showing up as "not accepted" on my page. What does this mean?
This means that your story didn't meet our Writer's Guidelines. To find out specifically why it was not accepted, click on the blue words "not accepted" next to the story title in your author profile. This will take you to the story submission page. The reasons for the rejection will be stated above the submission form.

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- How long will it take for my story to be posted?
This depends on how many stories we're currently receiving. We try to balance it so that submissions are posted as quickly as possible without overloading the reader and possibly burying your story. A story submitted to Literotica through the procedure outlined above generally will be posted to Lit within 3-5 days. If we have problems with your story which prevent its publication (i.e. technical issues, etc.), we will let you know via an email to the address on your profile. If a story is submitted strictly via email without following the procedure above, then your story may take weeks to be posted. We highly recommend you follow the steps above.

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- It seems like my story is taking longer than usual to be approved. Why is that?
We do our best to post your work as quickly as we can. If we receive a lot of submissions, it may take slightly longer than usual. If it's been more than a week and your story still has not been posted, you may want to check the following:

  • Is the story status listed as "Pending" or "Not Ever Approved"? If the submit button hasn't been pressed completely, the story won't be submitted and the story's status will be listed as something other than "Pending" or "Not Ever Approved". If the words "Rejected" appear beside your work, there may be formatting or other errors that need fixing before approval. Click those words to see the reasons the work was sent back to you. You can make changes on that page and resubmit.

  • Do you have special formatting, Illustrations, or Audio included in the work? Works with special formatting, illustrations, or audio require extra handling and may take longer than usual.

  • Have you made changes to the work while it is "Pending"? Stories and poems are approved on by date, oldest to newest. Whenever the author makes changes to a story or poem, that submission is moved to the end of the queue. To speed up the posting of your work, only make changes when necessary.

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- What are the Guidelines for submitting a story?
These are available on our Writer's Guidelines page. Basically, our biggest requirement is that we do not accept any story in which characters under the age of 18 are involved in sexual situations. If after reading our Guidelines you still have questions, feel free to email us.

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- If I submit a story to Literotica, do I still own the copyright?
Absolutely. You are simply granting us a non-exclusive right to post your story on Literotica.com. All rights to the story still belong to you, the author.

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- The stories are grouped into categories. How are these categories decided?
We group the stories into categories to make it easier for readers to find work and authors that interest them. Often, a story will contain elements from many categories. In that case, we'll place it where we feel it's the best fit. If you ever read a story that you feel has been miscategorized, email us and we'll review it.

The BDSM category is for stories involving D/s, bondage, sadomasochism, and other similar themes.

The Celebrities category contains fan fiction, including parodies of famous people and characters.

Chain Stories is a special category created for collaborations between Literotica authors on a big scale. One author starts the story, another writes the second part based on what the first author writes, and the third follows the second. Generally, these are organized in the Author Hangout of the Bulletin Board, and moderated by the site. If you have an idea for a Chain Story, email us and we'll let you know how to get started.

Erotic Couplings are stories featuring consensual erotic situations between a man and a woman. This is our most general category, and we try to avoid putting stories here unless they don't neatly fit into any other category.

Erotic Reviews are just that: reviews of erotic videos, movies, toys, etc. You can share your opinions on your faves.

The Exhibitionist/Voyeur category contains stories dealing with people who either like to be sexual in public or like to watch unwitting people in sexual situations.

Fetish is for, as you can probably guess, stories containing people with a specific fetish. Generally, a fetish is the eroticism of a something that's not normally related to sex. Fetishes featured include food, smoking, underwear, and 'golden showers'. Cross-dressing and transvestite stories go here also.

The Gay Male category is reserved for stories dealing with male/male sexual relationships. If there's a threesome involving both sexes in which a man is with a guy and a girl - or there's any other type of bisexual theme - the story will usually go into Group.

Group Sex is for threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes, and more, featuring single members of both sexes. If it's a married couple involved in the orgy, the story will generally be moved to Loving Couples.

How To is your chance to share your sexual experience with the readers. Past How To subjects include how to give oral sex, how to talk your wife into swinging, and how to give sensual massage.

The Humor & Satire category contains funny or satirical pieces with a sexual theme.

Incest is for sex between family members.

Stories in the Interracial Love category contain erotic rendezvous between various races or ethnicities, such as Asian/Black, White/Indian, or Hispanic/Asian.

Lesbian Sex stories contain, appropriately enough, Lesbian Sex. As noted earlier, if the story contains a threesome in which a woman pleasures another woman AND a man, the story will usually fall into the Group Sex or Loving Wives category, depending on the theme.

Themes in Loving Wives stories include wife-swapping, swinging, and orgies featuring married persons. This is a category for openly sexual wives and their appreciative husbands.

Mature is reserved for stories in which there's a significant age difference between the man and woman - the May/December romance. The theme can be older man/younger woman, or older woman/younger man.

Mind Control stories focus on the use of hypnosis or other mind-altering methods for erotic purposes.

The Non-English category allows those more proficient in another language to submit erotic in their native tongue.

The Non-Erotic category contains stories that don't have enough of a sexual focus to be considered erotica, but which are enjoyable. Man and Woman cannot live by Erotica alone!

The theme of stories in the Non-Consent category is control and power. Men and women in these stories fantasize about being 'taken' by another. This category is an acknowledgement that people do have these fantasies - because fantasy is not reality, it can be enjoyable and cathartic without the risk of harm.

Non-Human stories focus on relationships between humans and creatures such as vampires, aliens, robots, and ghosts.

The Novels & Novellas category is reserved for longer-length fiction with a broader scope than a short story. We generally won't post a story to this category unless the author has submitted all chapters of the work so that we don't end up with fragmented novels or novellas.

Romance stories are less explicit and more sensual than other stories. They're geared more toward the typically "feminine" view of love and lust. Cuddling, candlelight, fireplaces, and hot baths are common components.

Stories in the Toys category feature people using inanimate objects in their erotic play - including dildos, vibrators, vegetables, and jewelry.

If you're unsure of where your story belongs, feel free to email us. We'd be happy to help! We will continue to add new categories as the submissions we receive require it.

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- What do the colored icons beside stories mean?
The red H's denote stories which have received 10 or more votes from readers, and maintain an average vote of 4.5 out of 5 or better.

The yellow E's denote "Editor's Choice" stories. These are pieces that we really like - just our opinion.

In the future, we may add other icons to denote contest winners and other information pertinent to the stories.

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- How do I find out how people are voting on my story?
When you Login to your profile, you will be able to see up-to-the-minute voting scores listed next to your story or poem.

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- How do I find out how people are voting on other stories?
The voting scores for the Top 500 stories in each category - and overall - are listed in the Top Lists area. Those scores are updated several times a day.

The voting scores are also listed next to the story in its category.

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- I want to submit an illustrated story. What are the guidelines?
We love to receive stories with complementing photos or artwork. All art within the story, like the story itself, must be your original work - i.e. photographs that you yourself took, or paintings or drawings that you yourself created. Those illustrated in the art must be over the age of 18. All illustrations must be submitted as .gifs or .jpgs, and must be less than 450 pixels wide and less than 40k in size.

In the future, you will be able to submit an Illustrated story through the scripts. For now, attach the text of the story, along with the photos (separately, as .jpgs or .gifs, if possible) to an email addressed to submit@literotica.com. Be sure to include your Member name, and to make notes within the body of the story showing us where you want each picture placed.

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- I've never written a story before, and I want to make it perfect. How can Literotica help me?
One of our goals at Literotica is to help our writers improve their writing. To that end, we've set up a Writer's Resources area, full of articles and essays focused on erotic writing. In addition, we also have Volunteer Editors ((link to this page)) who would love to help make your piece perfect before you submit.

Many of our essays are written by our readers and authors. If you'd like to write an essay for the Resources area, email us. We'd love to read it, and so would the writers!

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- What is a Volunteer Editor?
A Volunteer Editor is a Literotica member who has volunteered his or her time to read stories and give feedback to the writers. They don't "work" for Literotica - they work for the GOOD of Literotica. They will have varying backgrounds and levels of expertise. The only things they all have in common is big hearts and a desire to help improve the quality of your writing.

We provide a list of editors, along with a short description of their qualifications and what they're willing to help with. Once you've found an editor whose description suits you, email them to let them know you are interested in having them proof your work. Let them know how much editing you need done. Ask them how long it would take to have your piece edited, and what format they'd prefer to work in. They'll email you with a timeframe. You then send them your piece. They do any necessary editing, then return it to you. Once you get it back, look it over and note what changes were made. If the piece looks good to you, you can then submit it to us!

If you have any questions about the program, let us know!

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- How do I become a Volunteer Editor?
Just email us at editors@literotica.com. In the email, list the email address at which you want authors to contact you along a brief (2-3 lines) summary describing what categories (if any) you may have special knowledge of/interest in (i.e. fetish, gay, whatever) and what categories (if any) you wouldn't feel comfortable editing (i.e. fetish, gay, whatever). Once I get that info, I'll add you to our list, and authors in need will be able to contact you from there!

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- What if I need to take a temporary break from the Volunteer Editor program?
No problem! Just email us and I will remove your listing until you're ready to return. Or if you wish to quit permanently, that's okay too! The writers appreciate any amount of time you're willing to give.

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- What is the Bulletin Board?
The Bulletin Board is an area where readers and writers can post messages on a variety of topics. Once you've signed up as a Literotica Member, you automatically have a Bulletin Board account under the same name and password. This enables you to start discussion threads and reply to existing threads within 10 separate areas.

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- What are the rules for using the Bulletin Board?
We here at Literotica are big believers in Free Speech and the right to self-expression. That said, we do have a few guidelines. You will find them here. If you have any questions, feel free to PM Laurel.

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- What are Moderators?
Moderators are volunteers who help make the Bulletin Board more enjoyable by removing spam and answering questions. The names of the Moderators are listed next to the Forum which they moderate. If you have a question about a certain forum that has a Moderator, feel free to email that Moderator and he or she will do their best to make your time on the site fun!

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- How do I start a thread?
If you have an interesting discussion topic or story you'd like to share, you can start a new thread in the appropriate forum. At the top left of the thread listings, you'll see the words "New Thread". Click on those words. You will be asked for your Literotica Member username and password. Type these in to the proper fields, then enter a subject line for your post in the "Subject:" field. Enter the text of your message in the larger box below. If you like, you can choose a zany icon to list next to your subject. Once you're finished, you can use the buttons below to Preview your Post, or Submit your new thread.

If after you've submitted your thread you find you've made an error, you can always edit your own post using the "Edit" feature by clicking little book & pencil icon beneath the post.

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- How do I respond to an existing thread?
While reading the thread, you'll see the words "Post Reply" in the top right. Click on that, and then follow the instructions above.

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- How do I post a Personal Ad?
The Personal Ad section, for now, is a subsection of the Bulletin Board. Therefore, the procedure is the same as for Starting a New Thread. We strongly recommend that you read the Announcement at the top of the Personals Forum before placing a personal ad.

To respond publicly to an ad placed by another, follow the instructions for Responding to an Existing Thread.

To respond privately to an ad placed by another, click the "mail" icon at the bottom of the ad (it looks like a little envelope). You can then write your message in the field provided.

If you wish to discontinue your ad, email us with the URL of your ad and your username, and we will remove it for you.

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- What are the SRP and ORP forums for?
The Sexual Role Playing and Online Role Playing fora are places where users can collectively create stories. One user will start a story thread, and others can join in, inventing characters and situations as they go along.

The Online Role Playing area is for a more traditional RPG, only with an erotic theme. These stories generally involve adventures and quests, involving mystical or futuristic beings with magic powers.

The Sexual Role Playing area is more free-form. Topics of stories can range from high school reunions to hospital scenarios to wedding encounters.

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- How do I start a story?
See Starting a New Thread.

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- How do I contribute to an existing story?
See Responding to an Existing Thread.

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- What is Chat?
Literotica Chat
enables users to communicate with each other in real time. There are many "rooms" in chat, each geared toward a different topic. There's usually plenty of guys and girls chatting at all times day or night, so it's a great place to 'talk' to new people.

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- Why won't my Member name and password work in Chat?
Literotica Chat
operates on a different system from the main site and the Bulletin Board. Therefore, your Member name and password won't automatically work. To make a chat account, sign up at the front page.

- I can't connect to Chat. What do I do?
If you have trouble accessing our chat, please email us with a detailed description of what happens, including any error messages you receive. Let us know if this is your first time chatting, or if you've been able to access Chat before. Also, tell us the browser version (i.e. Internet Explorer 5.0, AOL, etc.) and the platform (Windows, Mac, etc.) you use.

Important Note: Our Chat uses Java. WebTV is currently not Java-friendly, so users of WebTV will not be able to access our chat.

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- What is a Chat Monitor?
A Chat Monitor is a volunteer who helps keep the chat a fun and friendly place. They remove any minors who sneak in, and they help to arbitrate disagreements between chatters. Their usernames and emails are listed on the Chat login page. Feel free to contact them with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have about the Chat area.

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- What are the Amateur Pics?
The Amateur Pics section is a place for users to submit photographs. These don't have to be sexual. Many users share photos of their pets, or pictures of themselves on vacation or with friends.

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- What sort of pics will you post?
We'll post soft-core pictures of men and women, dressed and undressed. We'll also post photos of your pets, your family, your vacation...anything you wish to share with other Literotica visitors.

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- What sort of pics won't you post?
For full rules and details, see our Picture Submission Guidelines.

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- How do I submit my photos?
In the future, you will be able to submit photos through your member profile the same way that stories and poems are submitted. For now, attach the photos to an email. AOL users - please do not include them in the body of the email, as our email program can't read them. For information on how to attach photos to an email from AOL, click here.

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- What is a Free Literotica.org Email Address?
A Literotica.org email address is a free email service we make available to our users. The email is hosted offsite by a provider who specializes in this sort of thing.

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- How do I get a Free Literotica.org Email Address?
Sign up at this link.

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- What is Erotic Audio?
The Erotic Audio section contains audio files in RealAudio format for your enjoyment. To hear the Real Audio, you must have the RealAudio player installed on your computer. You can download a free version of the Real Player here.

The Erotic Audio section contains two types of submissions: Erotic Audio Stories and Erotic Audio Poetry.

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- How do I submit my Audio?
We love receiving audio submissions for our readers. The same standards for written stories and poems apply to audio stories and poems, as far as content goes.

If you would like to have your audio heard by our listeners, attach your Wave (.wav), Real Audio (.ram or .rm), or MP3 (.mp3) file to an email addressed to audio@literotica.com.

You can also submit audio via our toll-free phone number.

Be sure to include the title of the piece, the text of the piece to go with the audio (if you wish), the name you wish to use as the author, and an email address for contact by readers. If you don't wish to have an email address posted with the audio, please let us know. If you have any questions regarding submitting an audio, feel free to email us!

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- I have a text story or poem that I want to post an audio file with as well. How do I do this?
If you've recorded yourself or a friend reading your story or poem and would like to include this with your text, simply submit the audio version as detailed about in "How do I submit my Audio?" Then, in your author profile, submit the text version under the "Text with Audio" or "Poetry With Audio" category. At the top of the submission, place the words "AUDIO VERSION SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL" or "AUDIO VERSION SUBMITTED VIA TOLL-FREE PHONE LINE". Then, attach the audio file to an email to submit@literotica.com.

If your .WAV file is too large to be emailed, you can also upload your file to our server directly. Be sure to include the following information:

  • In the "Who are the files from? (Required)" filed, type in the email address that you have listed in your Literotica account.

  • In the "Write a Comment:" section, type in the name of the submission to which the audio belongs.

If you submit the audio file via our phone line, be sure to give us your username and let us know that this is a audio version of a submitted text story or poem.

If you

All audio, like the stories, must be your original work.

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- I want to submit my story or poem with accompanying original artwork. How do I do this?
We love to receive stories with accompanying pictures. If you wish to do so, please note that all photos or artwork - like the stories themselves - MUST be YOUR ORIGINAL WORK. That is to say, do not submit photographs or illustrations that you did not create. Also, we prefer photographs to be softcore, and all models must be over the age of 18.

If you use Word, you can imbed the photos directly into the story. If you don't use Word or would rather not imbed the artwork, then submit the photos as attachments to an email to submit@literotica.com. Make the subject line of the email "STORY/POEM TITLE - ARTWORK".

Next, submit a story or poem in your profile. Within the body of the work, mark where you want the artwork to be with [FILENAME.JPG HERE]. Submit the poem or story to either the Illustrated category (for stories) or the Illustrated Poetry category )for poems). At the top of the submission, place the words "ARTWORK SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL" so that we don't inadvertantly approve the story without placing the photos.

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- My question hasn't been answered in this FAQ. What should I do?

If you have a question that hasn't been answered here, don't hesitate to drop us an email at info@literotica.com. If enough people ask a question, we will add it to our FAQ. If there's anything in this FAQ that is unclear, please let us know. It's a work in progress (like the rest of the site!), so your input is greatly appreciated!

Take care, and have fun!
Laurel & Manu

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- How do the Literotica Story Contests work?

Every month, the stories with the best reader votes are eligible for cash and prizes. For full details and lists of winners, go to the Literotica Contests page.

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- I've re-edited my story and want to replace the posted version with my new edited one. How do I do this?

Easy! Simply submit the new version as you submitted the old one, only adding the word "EDITED" to the title (ex. "My Sexy Firefighter Ch. 3 - EDITED") so that we know to replace the old text with the new text. We will then replace the original text with the new text. Your story will retain its previous voting score and views.

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- How do I change the category, title, or description of my story or poem?

Simply follow the instructions under "I've re-edited my story and want to replace the posted version with my new edited one" above. In the text of the submission, please note what changes you are making - category, title, or description.

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- Why does my story have views when it's still listed as pending?

Whenever the Literotica editors or you the author open a submission, it shows up as a view. If you check your story or poem 5 times, you may notice that it shows it being viewed 5 times in your author profile. This does not mean it's being read by readers. The story will only be publicly available once it has been "Approved".

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- I would like to start a chain story. How do I do this?

A Chain Story is one in which several authors collaborate to create a story on a specific theme or topic. The first author writes the first chapter of the story according to the theme or topic. The next author reads the previous chapter and picks up where the first author left off, continuing the story as he or she sees fit. And so on, and so on...until the last chapter is completed.

Chain Stories are a special category on Literotica. To start one, you must do the following:

1) Post your idea to the Author's Hangout in the Bulletin Board and round up any interested authors who would like to participate. If you already have a group of writers who are interested, then continue on to step #2.

2) Once you know how many authors are interested, you must get a schedule together of who will do the first chapter, who will do the second, etc. Then, you must decide how much time will be between chapters to allow each author to write their piece. We suggest that you leave no less than 4 days, but no more than 8. A week is generally a good amount of time, but it's all up to you!

3) Email this information to Laurel so she's aware of the time frame and thus knows when to expect each chapter. If you've been planning this in the Author's Hangout and have posted the schedule there, you can simply email us a link to the thread containing the information.

4) The first person submits his or her chapter to us, selecting the category "Chain Stories". Any story which is submitted to "Chain Stories" without following these steps will be moved to whatever category the subject matter requires.

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- Does Literotica share my personal info?

Never in the history of the site have we shared member email addresses with any other website. The only email you will get from this site is our Monthly Newsletter if you choose to subscribe to it. If you sign up for a Literotica.org email address, that is governed a separate user agreement and is run by one of our technology partners. Please refer to the BigMailBox user agreement in regards to free Literotica.org email addresses.

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