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Setting Reading Orders

How to create and manage reading orders for series and universes.

What reading orders are for

Many book series can be read in more than one order. Reading orders help users find the best sequence for them - whether that's publication order, chronological order, or a curated path through a sub-series.

Reading orders also power the spoiler filtering system. When a user follows a reading order, their position in it defines which books are safe to show character data from. Getting the order right matters.

Two levels of reading order

Series reading orders

Define the sequence of books within a single series. Most series have at least a publication order. Some have alternatives - for example, Discworld can be read in publication order or by following a sub-series like the City Watch books.

Universe reading orders

Define the sequence of books across multiple series within a universe. These reference series reading orders as building blocks - a universe order might say "read Mistborn Era 1 first, then Elantris, then Stormlight 1-2" by pointing to items from each series's reading order.

Creating a series reading order

  1. Go to the curator dashboard and find the series
  2. Open the series view page and select the Reading Orders tab
  3. Click Create Reading Order
  4. Give it a name (e.g. "Publication Order", "Chronological Order", "City Watch Path")
  5. Add an optional description explaining who this order is for or why someone might choose it
  6. Add books from the series and drag them into the right sequence
  7. Optionally add notes to individual items (e.g. "Can be skipped if you're not interested in the backstory")

Creating a universe reading order

  1. Go to the curator dashboard and find the universe
  2. Open the universe view page and select the Reading Orders tab
  3. Click Create Reading Order
  4. Give it a name (e.g. "Publication Order", "Stormlight First")
  5. Add items from the universe's series. Each item can be a full series (using its default reading order) or individual books from a series
  6. Arrange items into the recommended sequence

Important: Universe reading orders build on series reading orders. Make sure the series within the universe have their own reading orders set up first.

If a series doesn't have a reading order, the system falls back to the series' default book ordering (by number, then publication year). This works fine for straightforward series, but for series with multiple valid reading paths, set up explicit reading orders so the universe order can reference them.

Default reading orders

Each series or universe can have one reading order marked as the default. The default order is shown on the public series or universe page and is used as the fallback when a user hasn't chosen a specific order.

Publication order is usually the best choice for the default, since it's the most widely recognised and avoids assumptions about reader preferences.

Best practices

  • You don't always need an explicit publication order - the books list on a series page already shows publication order by default. You only need to create an explicit publication order reading order if the series has alternative orders - it gives users a labelled option to choose from. For series with only one valid reading order, the books list is sufficient
  • Name orders clearly - users should understand the approach from the name alone. "Chronological Order" and "City Watch Path" are clear; "My Recommended Order" is not
  • Use descriptions to explain trade-offs - if a reading order skips books or rearranges them significantly, explain why and what the reader gains or loses
  • Include all books - unless the order is specifically a sub-series path, try to include every book in the series. Readers following the order for spoiler filtering need a complete sequence
  • Keep orders up to date - when new books are added to a series, update existing reading orders to include them in the right position

How reading orders affect spoiler filtering

Reading orders affect how character timelines are displayed. The spoiler filter works based on which individual books a user has marked as read in their reading profile, not based on reading order position.

However, the reading order determines the sequence in which books and their events appear on character pages, so getting the order right still matters for the user experience. If a reading order places a book with major reveals early in the sequence, the timeline will reflect that ordering. Think carefully about spoiler implications when arranging books.

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