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FAQs

General

  • What is Orton?
    Orton is a writing platform & community that trys to put publishing power into the authors hands. Writers upload their work in chapters, receive feedback from other users, gain a following, and can self-publish through our platform. Orton is passionate about giving writers a fairer and more accessible route to publishing.
  • How does it work?
    If you’re a writer you can upload your work in snippets and see what the Orton community thinks of it. If they think there is room for improvement they can leave comments directly on your piece either at the bottom or on direct lines of your text through our unique annotation feature. If you start to get a big following and readers are excited for your next entailment. We combine the freedom of self-publishing with the marketing support of traditional publishing firms. This means there are no rejection letters, only constructive feedback and success as a published author. Your decide when we publish your work in print and/or audiobook, just sign up to our premium Orton Plus service. We also don't take a cut, so writers get a much fairer percentage of earnings for their book; meaning authors make more money for their hard work.
  • What are the fees?
    The Orton platform is free to use and this is something our founder Beth Cleavy is very passionate about. She says there are many platforms and online competitions which charge authors to use/enter, and says that if you have the boat, and you have the paddle, you shouldn't be charged to use the lake. There are purchasable features included in Orton which will allow you access to more features including Orton Publish.
  • What does Orton do to protect its community?
    The Orton team constantly keeps up to date with our system, and we monitor the platform for any suspicious activity and content that does no represent our ethos. If you see something that we’ve missed and does not align with our community rules then please get in touch with us via our social media channels.
  • Why do I have to sign-up to access Orton?
    We have listened closely to writer’s feedback and we understand that they would like to keep their words and ideas protected. Having an account means that we can protect authors work from plagiarism more efficiently.

Orton for writers

  • What’s in it for writers?
    Orton is creating a fairer and more accessible path to success. Currently 95% of writers will have their work rejected by publishers. This is either because an author’s work is not at the industry standard or that your story does not fit the current reading trends that specific publishing firms are seeking. For example, if YA Fantasy Fiction is popular, they aren’t going to consider your Adult Horror Fiction novel. We at Orton don’t really believe this is fair, as many great works will be overlooked. Orton is also a crowd creative community, meaning your audience will help you grow and improve. You’ll receive feedback that is constructive and to the point, which is much better than asking a friend or family member who normally tell you what you want to hear. This means you can constantly improve and grow your following. If you really want to reach more readers, you can upload an audio file of yourself narrating your poem, story or script. Trust us, readers love audio stories! If you’re not comfortable recording your own work, you can hire a V/O artist through us just let us know.
  • Who has ownership over my writing?
    Anything you post on Orton belongs to you. You can read more about this on our terms and conditions page. Even when you publish we forfeit ownership of the content to the writer, regardless of us publishing it on your behalf.
  • Why only post in chapters/snippets?
    Our idea for posting stories one chapter at a time is inspired by Charles Dickens who would publish his books in monthly instalments; meaning that his audience were always excited for the next part. We want to echo that idea, and make writers excited for what your character is going to do next. We also want readers to be reading your work on the go, so quick instalments are certainly more ideal.
  • What should I do if I’m having trouble posting my work?
    We are very focused on the user’s experience on Orton, and we’d like to think our upload system is pretty straight forward. However, if you are struggling to post, first check that you have entered a title, genre, and type. If your story is still not posting, please contact us directly using the chat funciton in the bottom corner.
  • How do I report a copyright violations?
    As Orton makes readers and writers sign-up to use it, we feel that we have stronger protection over your work. However, if you do notice someone has plagiarised your work you can contact us directly at [email protected]. If you're not sure whether material on Orton infringes your copyright, please talk with a lawyer before filing a complaint with us. Misrepresenting that material infringes your copyright may subject you to liability for damages. If you’re still concerned you’re being infringed upon you can try messaging the writer directly or email the Orton team via the above email.
  • How can Orton Help Scriptwriters?
    As it is still early days for Orton, our focus has been primarily on authors and poets, but we haven't forgotten about scriptwriters. We have been developing a way for writers to write in the proper script format directly on the site. This means you’ll be writing your script in the industry standard way. We also want to connect scriptwriters with new work theatres, VR companies, and local filmmakers.

Orton for readers

  • What’s in it for readers?
    Feedback is what makes writers better, as a reader you have a unique position to contribute to the next bestseller. You can even listen to audio stories of writers narrating their own work which is a very lovely experience. You can tell a writer exactly what you think about their work by leaving a comment, or you can annotate specific lines of their text that you enjoyed or that you think could be improved. You can keep up to date with your favourite writers and stories by following their profile.
  • How do I comment directly on specific lines of an authors work?
    You can do this by highlighting the line of your choice and leave a comment in the text box. If someone has already highlighted that line, then leave your comment underneath theirs telling them if you agree with their comment or disagree. Please try and keep your comments constructive so the writer can always know how to improve.
  • How do I report something on Orton?
    Have you read something that does not align with our community rules or that has offended you in any way? Then please email us directly at [email protected]. and include screenshots or the name of the writer. You can read more about Orton’s guidelines on our Terms and Conditions page. While we're not able to respond to every individual report, we are dedicated to investigating each and every report emailed to us. Don’t be afraid to contact us with anything that’s out of the ordinary.

Business partnerships and relations

  • I'm interested in partnering with Orton. How can I get in touch?
    Orton is always interested in exploring partnership possibilities to expand and help reach more writers and readers. Whether you’re a publishing firm, bookstore, digital platform or wish to sponsor Orton, we’d love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected].
  • We would like to feature Orton. Where is your press kit?
    Great! If you’d like to feature Orton you can check out our Press Page for more information as well as all needed materials. If you'd like to talk to the founder directly you can email her at [email protected]. If you do feature us in a press piece, please let us know. We love seeing people spread the Orton love.
  • Is there a place I can download the Orton logo?
    Yes! You can access our logo on our Press Page and by downloading our press kit.