About archives.

[valis2]

I have my fic uploaded at three archives.

Fanfiction.net
Pros: Very, very easy to upload chapters and fix mistakes, because it is essentially a self-serve archive, and there's very little wait and nothing needs to be approved. The potential audience is huge because this is the largest archive for fanfiction. They archive everything, so one click brings you to my profile and you can read both my Mummyfic and my HPfic.
Cons: A lot of the audience is underage, and the audience has to wade through a lot to find your fics. Nothing above R is housed there. Your fics can be pulled and your account deleted because of an anonymous complaint; they just don't have the time to investigate individual rule-breakers. This means that sometimes fics/authors are pulled for personal reasons (retaliation, etc.). I also feel weird about uploading drabbles and short work and poetry there; it looks strange.

Fictionalley
Pros: Largest HP-dedicated archive, so lots of potential HP readers are there and eager to try fic. Many good readers there, plus writing help and a huge forum. They quality check the fiction there, so saying that your stories are in their archive is a sign that your work is probably a cut above most ffnet stories.
Cons: Confusing system, plus it is a pain to re-upload chapters with fixed errors. They read and code each fic, so the turnaround time can be anywhere from a day to ten days, though it seems like it's mostly two to four days. Nothing above R is housed there. I feel weird about uploading drabbles, short work and poetry there. Only HP fic can be housed there.

Sycophant Hex
Pros: Actually several archives, so one could theoretically upload all of their fiction there. Plus, their format encourages poetry, drabbles, etc. They quality check the fiction there as well, and they're quite thorough. After the initial uploading, it is incredibly easy to fix errors and revise stories. Friendly to NC-17 stories.
Cons: There are several archives, and they are separate, which means that in order to see all stories by one author, one must go to each archive and see if the author has anything uploaded there.

I like all of these archives for different reasons, and they all have their own unique set of readers. Some of the readers never venture to the other archives, so I don't mind the extra work of uploading to three archives. And I thought I would never bother with another archive...until scribbulus_ink mentioned an archive called The Archive at the End of the Universe.

I can't tell you how excited I am about this. I'm not thinking about new readers, actually, I'm just absolutely happy as hell that this is single archive for any fandom, with self-service uploading/revision, no quality check, friendly to NC-17, drabbles, poetry...everything that I am looking for in an archive. At last I can have one archive where I won't have to worry that my (mostly vanilla) fic won't be booted off for nearly any (read: no) reason...where one click will take me to everything I've uploaded. I'm planning on sticking all my drabbles there, all of my Mummyfic, all of my everything, unless they hit me with sticks. This is my OCD dream come true.

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

I used the same three as you. Except that my biggest story is NC17 and was pulled (even when toned down) from ffnet and would never have got on FAP. I decided never to use ffnet again after a clearly R story was removed (coincidentally during a row with one of the biggest lunatics on this internet - how's that for coincidence? Oddly enough, every time I do have a row, a fic gets removed from ffnet...) Now, I could handle the first being moved - it was borderline. The second removal was not. So I won't be using ffnet again, regardless of what rating I write at.

I started using RS.org, but they take ages.

I like FA, because I've always liked the way the stuff looks, and also because you get some intelligent reviews there (as opposed to SH style squeeing).

I still like SH best. I can't be bothered to find another archive, though. The sheer idea of uploading a 65 chapter just exhausts me.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

So I won't be using ffnet again, regardless of what rating I write at.

Your story is exactly why I'm so paranoid. I really am expecting that someday I'll end up booted off ffnet, but I hope not. Most of my reviewers seem to have migrated there because it updates first.

The thing is, the Archive seems to be nearly the same system as SH, so I should be able to plug my SH-ready files straight into it. (I hope.) So while looking at how many chapters are involved makes me wince, it will probably be less painful than it looks for me.