How the lists get made
Methodology
A reading-order page is a research note, not a vibe. We treat publication order as the default first read, then explain chronological exceptions without dumping spoilers into the table.
The working order
- Start with the author’s or publisher’s list when one exists. Martha Wells’ Murderbot page and the official Discworld novel list are the model.
- Separate novels from optional shorts. A picture book, an RPG extra, or a web-only short does not belong in the numbered novel column.
- Publication first for a first read. Chronological prequels often exist because they lean on later knowledge. We flag those instead of silently reordering.
- Name the common mistakes. “I read Fugitive Telemetry after Network Effect because it was published later” is a useful sentence. “Just read them in any order” is not.
- Write next-reads from the reason, not the algorithm. Three to five titles, each with an original sentence about voice, structure, or aftercare. No scraped “readers also liked.”
- Leave the human-review flags on. Dates, collected editions, and retailer blurbs go stale. Drafts stay drafts until someone checks them.
What counts as a source
Author sites, publisher reading-order pages, and ISFDB-style publication records. Fandom wikis can point at a primary source; they are not the source. We record the URL on the guide and the date we last opened it.
What we refuse to invent
- Plot summaries that retell a chapter
- Star ratings or “best book in the series”
- Income or traffic claims
The operational checklist is docs/CONTENT_WORKFLOW.md. The series queue isdocs/SERIES_BACKLOG.md.