Managing Co-Author Invitations

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Learn how to view, accept, or decline invitations to collaborate on other members’ posts. This guide is for members who have been invited as co-authors.

What You’ll Learn

Where to find your invitations How to accept or decline What you can do as a co-author How to leave a collaboration

Finding Your Invitations

Method 1: Notifications

When someone invites you, you’ll receive:

Email notification: Check your inbox (and spam folder) On-site notification: Click the bell icon in your profile

The notification text looks like:

“John invited you to co-author ‘Best Hiking Trails in Colorado’”

Method 2: Invitations Page

If your site uses the invitations shortcode, you can view all pending invitations on a dedicated page.

Method 3: Author Dashboard

Check your Author Dashboard for a list of pending invitations.

Accepting an Invitation

Click on the invitation notification or link Review the post title and inviter Click Accept

After accepting:

The post appears in your Posts list You can edit the content immediately The primary author is notified Your name will appear in the byline when published

Declining an Invitation

Find the invitation Click Decline Optionally add a message (if enabled)

The primary author will be notified. You won’t see the invitation again.

What Co-Authors Can Do

PermissionCo-AuthorPrimary Author OnlyEdit post content✓Change featured image✓Edit custom fields✓Save drafts✓Submit for review✓Invite new co-authors✓Remove co-authors✓Delete the post✓Publish/unpublish✓

Leaving a Collaboration

If you no longer want to be a co-author (and the site allows self-removal):

Open the co-authored post Find the Co-Authors section Click Remove Self Confirm your decision

After leaving:

You lose edit access immediately Your name is removed from the byline The primary author is notified

Invitation Expiration

Invitations don’t last forever. By default, they expire after 7 days. If you miss an invitation:

Ask the author to send a new one Check notifications regularly to respond promptly

Post Locking

To prevent editing conflicts, the system uses post locking:

When you open a post to edit, it’s locked for you Other co-authors see “User is currently editing” Lock releases after you close the editor or after timeout

If someone else is editing, wait for them to finish or coordinate offline.

Co-Authored Posts in Your Dashboard

Posts you co-author appear in:

My Posts: Alongside posts you created Profile Blog Tab: With a “Co-Author” badge You can filter to show only co-authored posts

Tips for Collaborating

Respond promptly: Don’t leave invitations hanging Communicate: Discuss with the primary author about responsibilities Save often: Don’t lose work - save drafts regularly Be respectful: You’re working on someone else’s post