We’ve added the ability to queue chapters on Inkitt! When chapters are queued, they are scheduled for publication based on the author's preferences, making it easier to maintain a consistent release schedule without having to manually select publication dates for each chapter.
Do I Need to Pick Specific Dates to Schedule Chapters?
You can set up a schedule without specifying exact dates, using an interval of days or a specific day of the week. Chapters are set to launch automatically when there's a chapter available for release.
If there's no chapter available for release, nothing happens until a new chapter is queued.
If multiple chapters are available but only one is set to schedule at a given time, only one of the available chapters will be published. The next chapter in the queue will go live on the next specified release in the schedule.
Can I Schedule My Chapters Behind a Subscription Tier?
You have the option to schedule chapters in a queue for both public readers and readers behind paywalls, giving you control over how your content is released. Right now, it's only possible to schedule entire subscription books or entire normal books, but we are looking into adding individual chapters behind paywalls in the future!
How Do I Create a Schedule?
To schedule chapters, access the "Schedule Manager" button in the story editor. Here's what you'll find in the schedule:
- Schedule Name: Provide a name for your schedule.
- Interval: Specify how often chapters are released (e.g., Weekly, Bi-weekly).
- Days of the Week / Day Number: Choose which days the chapters are released or set a specific day number.
- Tiers to Release to: Determine which tiers or audience groups will receive the chapter.
- Time to Launch: Set the time of day when chapters are published.
- Date to Start Launching: Select the date from which your schedule starts.
- Number of Chapters to Publish: Indicate the number of chapters to publish per release.
Please note that when you create a schedule, your chapters aren't automatically added to it! You do need to add chapters to your schedule. On unscheduled, unpublished chapters, you'll see the "Add to Schedules" button:
Clicking the button normally will let you add just one chapter, but if you want to add all chapters to your schedule, you can use the "Add All Chapters To Schedules" option.
Withdrawing all chapters still unpublishes your story.
Can I Edit a Schedule Once I've Created It?
You can edit the schedule at any time. When you edit a schedule, you'll receive a notification about the changes and how they will affect your scheduled chapters.
Where Can I View My Publication Schedules?
In "Schedule Manager"
- Lists all schedule groups.
- Contains information about when chapters in each group are published and the assigned tiers.
- Shows the publication status and launch dates of chapters within each group.
In the Editor
- On the web, a box indicates the chapter's status (e.g., Submitted, Not Submitted, Scheduled), and if scheduled, the date that it will go live:
What If I Want to Schedule a Chapter Outside of My Set Schedule?
You can choose to bypass the schedule by using the "Publish Now" option in the schedule manager. This allows you to publish a chapter immediately.
When you select this, a popup will display all the schedules you can publish to, as well as the tiers affected by each schedule.
Can I Unschedule Chapters from the Editor?
You can unschedule a chapter directly from the editor by selecting “Unschedule”
What Happens When I Edit a Chapter That Has Already Been Scheduled?
When you edit a chapter, the changes go live immediately when you hit "Submit" based on the current publishing schedule. The effect of the changes depends on the chapter's status:
- If the chapter is LIVE, the changes are applied immediately to the chapter and are visible to readers.
- If the chapter is PENDING, the changes apply to the pending chapter, and when the chapter goes live, the edited version will be what readers see.
What Happens When I Add a New Chapter to a Story?
If you have a schedule active, you’ll have the following options:
- Publish to all schedules now.
- Add to schedules.
- Save without publishing.
I Already Have Chapters Scheduled Using the Old Scheduling Calendar. What Happens to Those?
If you already have chapters scheduled with the old scheduling calendar, you can keep those chapters scheduled. However, no new chapters or stories can be scheduled using the old scheduler.
Stories not using the old format already will not have access to it in the editor.