Episode Explained: Commissions Program

Hello Episodians,

It’s time for a new installment of Episode Explained! In this article, we’ll be explaining a vital source of Episode content and what we are looking for in authors who might want to participate. This article will cover both Commissioned Stories and Commissioned Authors. 

What is a Commissioned Story?

In the second half of 2021, we began releasing new & original stories written by community authors. These new stories had not been on the app as a community story first, which used to be true for Featured Stories. Some examples of Commissioned Stories are: The Wedding Date, Dancing with the Billionaires, Prince Wicked and Below the Belt. 

What is a Commissioned Author?

A Commissioned Author is paid to create stories that appeal to a large audience. These stories are written with the goal of becoming the next hit on Episode.

How do I become a Commissioned Author?

There are 2 paths to becoming a Commissioned author. In the first, Episode Staff reach out to authors who have hit several of the milestones below to ask their interest in becoming a Commissioned Author. Because these authors are writing stories that are showcased to the entire Episode audience, it's important to understand what appeals to the typical Episode reader, how to write within our content guidelines, and how to best engage with our audience through stories and choices.

The second option is to apply to the program via this form. 

What do you look for in a Commissioned Author?

So far, our Commissioned Authors are largely Community Authors who have achieved success on Episode. 

Many of them have done some or all of the following before writing for Commissions: 

• entered a contest and made it to the winners’ shelf, 
• qualified for Writer Payments, 
• earned high Gem Bonus Payments, 
• written stories with high gems / read ratios
• have either been Top 10 on Trending overall or in their genre, 
• developed large followings on Instagram or TikTok. 

In short, these are authors who have cracked the code to commercial, mainstream success on Episode. Moving forward, we are looking to find more Commissioned Authors from the community to join. To see how your story and gem choices compare, check out your story metrics in the portal.

If you are interested in applying to the Commissions program, please start by filling out our application here.