Archive FAQ > Series

What is a series?

A series is a set of works that the creator or creators have decided to group together, usually because they form a sequence or share a common universe. When works are posted as a series, they can be navigated in sequence using links in each work. You can subscribe to a series to be notified when a new work is added and/or updated. You can also bookmark a series. For more information, refer to How do I find other works in a series?, How do I edit a series?, and What's the difference between a series, a multi-chapter work, and a collection?

What's the difference between a series, a multi-chapter work, and a collection?

A series can only contain works, which belong to a single creator or designated set of co-creators. Note that works can belong to multiple series. Each work in a series has its own set of tags. For more information about how tags function for a series, check out How are warnings, tags, and ratings determined for a series?

A multi-chapter work is a single work that contains multiple chapters. While browsing the Archive, a multi-chapter work will be listed once, as a single work. On the other hand, each work in a series will be listed as an individual work, with a link to the series located in the blurb.

A collection can contain works and bookmarks. Note that works and bookmarks can belong to multiple collections. Any bookmarks can be added to a collection. Works can be added to a collection depending on the creator's permissions and the collection's settings, as explained in Who can add a work to a collection? In addition, the works in a collection have no specific order, while the works in a series have an order determined by the creator(s). Refer to the Collections FAQ for more information about collections.

If you're posting several related parts, you can decide whether to post them as a series of works, as chapters of a single multi-chapter work, or as parts of a collection. However, please note that it's not possible to convert a series to a multi-chapter work, or vice versa, once you have already posted it. Refer to How do I add works to a series?, How do I add a new chapter to a work?, How do I add a work to a collection? and How do I add a bookmark to a collection?for more information.

How do I find other works in a series?

To move between works in a series, you can either navigate from one work to the next by using the links in the work or by using the links on the series page.

To navigate using the links in the work, select the "← Previous Work" and "Next Work →" links found in the blurb at the top of every chapter and at the bottom of the last chapter of any work in the series. These links only exist when there are other works in the series.

Below is an example of series navigation at the bottom of the last chapter of a work:

Series this work belongs to:

← Previous Work • Part 2 of the Epic Saga series • Next Work →

To navigate using the series page, follow the series title link:

  • in the same location as the "← Previous Work" and/or "Next Work →" links, or
  • under the work summary in the blurb when browsing works.

Once on the series page, you can navigate to any of the works in the series.

How are warnings, tags, and ratings determined for a series?

When information about a series is displayed on an index page, such as the page listing all of a creator's series, the warnings and tags are a combination of all the works in the series. The tags include fandom, character, relationship, and any additional tags. For example, if a series contains one work marked "No Archive Warnings Apply" and tagged "tea" and another work with a warning for "Graphic Depictions of Violence" and tagged "horseback riding", then the series will have the warnings "No Archive Warnings Apply" and "Graphic Depictions of Violence" and will be tagged "tea" and "horseback riding". For more information about tags, refer to the Tags FAQ.

The series will have the same rating as the work with the most explicit rating in the series. For example, if the series contains one work rated "Mature" and another work rated "Explicit", the series will be rated "Explicit".

Who shows up as a creator of a series?

The "Creator(s)" field for the series lists anyone who is a series co-creator, whether that person has posted any works to the series or not. Any series creator can add another co-creator manually. Series co-creators are also inherited from the works added to the series. For more information about managing series co-creators, refer to How do I add or remove series co-creators? and How do I remove myself as a creator of a series? in addition to How do I add or remove co-creators? in the Posting and Editing FAQ.

How do I create a new series?

You can only create a new series when you post a new work or edit an existing work using the Post New Work or Edit Work form. It isn't possible to create an empty series that does not contain any works. Refer to How do I add works to a series? for further instructions.

How do I add works to a series?

You can add a new work to a series as you're posting the work:

  1. Go to the Post New Work page by selecting "Post" and choosing "New Work" from the menu towards the top right of the page in the default site skin.
  2. Under the Associations section on the Post New Work page, check the box "This work is part of a series". You can add the work to an existing series by selecting it from the "Choose one of your existing series" menu, or create a new series by entering a new title in the "Or create and use a new one" field provided. Series titles can be up to 255 characters long in any language script, and can include punctuation, spaces, and any diacritics.
  3. When you're ready, select "Post" at the bottom of the page. You can also select "Preview" to preview the work before you select "Post".

To add an existing work to a series:

  1. Go to your works by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Works" from the menu.
  2. Select the "Edit" button below the blurb of the work you'd like to add to a series, or above the work summary on the work's page.
  3. Under the Associations section on the Edit Work page, check the box "This work is part of a series". You can add the work to an existing series by selecting it from the "Choose one of your existing series" menu, or create a new series by entering a new series title in the "Or create and use a new one" field provided. Series titles can be up to 255 characters long in any language script, and can include punctuation, spaces, and any diacritics.
  4. When you're ready, select "Post" at the bottom of the page. You can also select "Preview" to preview the work before you select "Post".

If you want to add an imported work to a series, you'll have to import the work first, and then edit the work to add it to a series. Once you've imported the work, follow the above instructions to add an existing work to a series. For more information about importing works, refer to How do I import works from another website?

A series is considered incomplete by default. Refer to How do I mark a series complete? for more information.

For more information about posting and editing works, check out How do I post a new work? and How do I edit a work?

Can I add a work to multiple series?

Yes, it's possible to add a work to multiple series. However, you can only add a work to one series at a time. Check out How do I add works to a series? for instructions. To add your work to multiple series, you will need to repeat the process for each additional series.

All of the series that the work belongs to are displayed as buttons under the "This work is part of a series" checkbox under the Associations section on the Edit Work page. You can select each button to go to the series page. To remove a work from a series, select the "Remove Work From Series" button to the right of the series title buttons, or below them on mobile. For more information, refer to How do I add works to a series? and How do I remove a work from a series?

Can I post an incomplete series?

Yes. Even if you're posting only the first work in a planned series, you can still check the box "This work is part of a series" and create a new series to hold it (refer to How do I add works to a series?). Doing so allows users to subscribe to the series to be notified when you post a new installment. However, you can't create an empty series that does not contain any works. For more information on subscriptions, refer to How do I subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, a work or series?

A series is considered incomplete by default. Refer to How do I mark a series complete? for more information.

How do I remove a work from a series?

To remove a work from a series, go to the Edit Work page:

  1. Go to your works by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Works" from the menu.
  2. Select the "Edit" button below the blurb of the work you'd like to remove from a series, or above the work summary on the work's page.
  3. Under the "This work is part of a series" field in the Associations section, find the series that you want to remove the work from. Select the corresponding "Remove Work From Series" button.

This action immediately takes you back to the series' main page, and any other changes you've made on the Edit Work page will not be saved. Note that the series won't be renumbered automatically when you delete a work in the series. For example, if you delete the fourth work in a series that currently has five works, the final work will still be labelled as "Part 5" of the series. You'll have to renumber the works manually, if necessary. For details on how to renumber works in a series, refer to How do I change the order of works in a series? If you remove the only work in the series, the series will also be deleted and you'll be redirected to your dashboard.

For more information, refer to How do I add works to a series?

How do I edit a series?

You can edit a series from the Edit Series page, which you can reach in one of the following ways.

To edit the series using the series page:

  1. Select the series title link to go to the series page. You can find this link in the blurb, work summary, or bottom of the last chapter.
  2. Select the "Edit Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the series title on mobile).

To edit using the "Series" link:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to edit.

Once you're on the Edit Series page, you can edit the title, description, and notes fields for the series. If you have more than one pseud, you can choose which one is associated with the series. You can also add co-creator(s), and indicate whether a series is complete or not. Once you've made your changes, select "Update" at the bottom of the page. Note that you can't add, edit, or remove an associated work from this page; you will have to go to that work's edit page instead. Refer to How do I edit a work?

For more information about navigating to the series page, refer to How do I find other works in a series? The series page also gives you access to the "Delete Series", "Reorder Series", "Orphan Series", "Subscribe", and "Bookmark Series" buttons.

Check out the following pages for more information:

How do I add or remove series co-creators/co-authors?

Series co-creators are automatically inherited from any works included in the series. If you add a work with two or more co-creators to a series, the series will also list the co-creators of that work, even if the series also includes works by a single creator.

You can also manually add another co-creator to a series if that user has enabled the option in their preferences. This allows a co-creator to post works directly to that series. Note that any series co-creators can add other co-creators to the series, regardless of whether they're a co-creator for any of the works in the series. For more on this, check out How can I allow others to add me as a co-creator to a work or series? For more information on accepting invitations, refer to How can I accept or reject a request to be a co-creator?

To invite someone to be a co-creator:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to add a co-creator to.
  4. Check the "Add co-creators?" checkbox. Enter your co-creator's username or pseud in the field provided. You can use the autocomplete suggestions to make sure you're entering their correct username or pseud. If you select a pseud that is used by multiple users, you'll receive an error message when posting or previewing the work that says "Invalid creator: The pseud [pseud you entered] is ambiguous". You'll then find a menu option alongside the co-creator section of the form allowing you to choose the correct username. Regardless of which pseud you invite to be a co-creator, that person will be able to access the Edit Series page, where they can change the associated pseud if necessary.
  5. If you've entered the wrong username or pseud, you can remove it before you select the "Update" button by selecting the "×" button beside their name. Once you're sure you've entered the correct username or pseud, select the "Update" button at the bottom of the page to finalize the changes and send the invitation to your co-creator.

It's important to make sure you're adding the correct person because you can't cancel an invitation or remove co-creators from a series. The only way to remove a co-creator is for that person to remove themselves, as described in How do I remove myself as a creator of a series? If you do end up adding a co-creator by mistake, and you don't know how to contact them to have them remove themselves, the only way to remove them is to delete and repost the series. Refer to How do I delete a series?

For more information about pseuds, go to the Pseuds FAQ. For more information about the Edit Series page, refer to How do I edit a series?"

As is the case with co-creators of works, all co-creators of a series need to have Archive accounts. For more information about creating an Archive account, refer to How do I create an account?

How do I mark a series complete?

To mark a series complete, go to its Edit Series page:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to mark complete.
  4. Check the "This series is complete" checkbox found at the bottom of the page.
  5. Select the "Update" button also found at the bottom of the page.

For more information about navigating to the Edit Series page, refer to How do I edit a series?

This causes the series to show up as "Complete: Yes" on the series index page. However, if you later decide that your series is not finished, you can still add works regardless of whether it's marked complete or not.

How do I delete a series?

You can use the "Delete Series" button on the series page or the Edit Series page to delete a series.

To delete the series using the series page:

  1. Select the series title link to go to the series page. You can find this link in the blurb, work summary, or bottom of the last chapter.
  2. Select the "Delete Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the series title on mobile).

For more information about navigating to the series page, refer to How do I find other works in a series?

To delete the series using the Edit Series page:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to delete.
  4. Select the "Delete Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the Edit Series heading on mobile).

Selecting the "Delete Series" button brings up a pop-up confirmation window; select "OK" to proceed with deleting your series. The works that were part of the series will not be deleted, but they'll no longer be grouped as a series.

Note that if you delete or remove all works in a series, you'll also delete the series. For information on deleting the individual works, go to How do I delete a work?

Note that any series co-creators can delete the series, regardless of whether they're a co-creator for any of the works in the series.

How do I change the order of the works in a series?

You can use the "Reorder Series" button found on the series page or the Edit Series page to change the order of the works in a series.

To reorder the series using the series page:

  1. Select the series title link to go to the series page. You can find this link in the blurb, work summary, or bottom of the last chapter.
  2. Select the "Reorder Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the series title on mobile).

For more information about navigating to the series page, refer to How do I find other works in a series?

To reorder the series using the Edit Series page:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to reorder.
  4. Select the "Reorder Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the Edit Series heading on mobile).

Selecting the "Reorder Series" button brings you to a page where you can reorder your series. Each work title included in the series is listed next to a box, where you can enter numbers to indicate your desired order. You don't necessarily have to re-number every work in the series, just the ones that you want to reorder. For example, if you only wanted to change which work comes first in the series, you would only have to number that work as "1" and the rest would remain in the same order.

You can also drag and drop each work title to reorder the works in your series, if your browser supports this function. When you're finished reordering, select the "Update Positions" button. Note that any series co-creators can reorder the series, regardless of whether they're a co-creator for any of the works in the series.

How do I orphan a series?

You can use the "Orphan Series" button found on the series page or the Edit Series page to orphan a series.

To orphan the series using the series page:

  1. Select the series title link to go to the series page. You can find this link in the blurb, work summary, or bottom of the last chapter.
  2. Select the "Orphan Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the series title on mobile).

For more information about navigating to the series page, refer to How do I find other works in a series?

To orphan the series using the Edit Series page:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to orphan.
  4. Select the "Orphan Series" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the Edit Series heading on mobile).

Orphaning a series will also orphan all your account's works in that series. Please note that this is permanent and irreversible. You're giving up control over the series, including the ability to edit or delete the series or any of its works, and you're unable to reclaim it. If you select the "Orphan Series" button and the series has more than one creator, your identifying information is removed from the series and all the works in it, but the other co-creators' usernames remain in place and orphan_account will be listed as one of the co-creators. For more information, refer to the Orphaning FAQ.

If you orphan a single work in a series, it will remain a part of the series, and orphan_account will be listed as one of the co-creators of the series. If you don't want the work to remain in the series, you must remove the work from the series before orphaning it, because no changes can be made to a work after it's orphaned. Note that you'll still be listed as a co-creator on the series, even if you're no longer a co-creator on any of the works within it. For more information, refer to How do I remove myself as a creator of a series? and How do I orphan a single work in a series?

How do I remove myself as a creator of a series?

If you're listed as a co-creator of a series, you can remove yourself from the series and all of its works. You can use the "Remove Me as Co-Creator" button on the series' index or the Edit Series page. If you are the only creator of a series, this button will not appear, and your only options are to delete or orphan the series.

To remove yourself as a co-creator using the Edit Series page:

  1. Go to your dashboard by selecting the greeting "Hi, [username]!" and choosing "My Dashboard" from the menu, or by selecting your profile image.
  2. Select "Series" from the menu found at the side of the page or at the top on a mobile device.
  3. Select the "Edit" button underneath the series you'd like to remove yourself as co-creator from.
  4. Select the "Remove Me as Co-Creator" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the Edit Series heading on mobile).

For more information about navigating to the series page, refer to How do I find other works in a series?

To remove yourself as a co-creator using the series page:

  1. Select the series title link to go to the series page. You can find this link in the blurb, work summary, or bottom of the last chapter.
  2. Select the "Remove Me as Co-Creator" button found towards the top right of the page on desktop (or below the series title on mobile).

Selecting the "Remove Me As Co-Creator" button brings up a pop-up confirmation window; select "OK" to proceed with removing yourself as co-creator. This removes you also as a co-creator of all works in the series. If you're the only creator of any of the works in the series, attempting to remove yourself as a creator will result in an error message. If there are any works that you're the only creator of, you'll have to orphan the works, or remove them from the series, before the "Remove Me As Co-Creator" button will work.

For more information, refer to How do I add or remove co-creators?, How do I orphan a series? and the Orphaning FAQ.

Where can I get more information if my question isn’t answered here?

Some frequently asked questions about the Archive are answered in other sections of the Archive FAQ, and some common terminology is defined in our Glossary. Questions and answers about our Terms of Service can be found in the Terms of Service FAQ. You may also like to check out our Known Issues. If you need more help, please submit a Support request.