diff --git a/app/Api/ApiEntityListFormatter.php b/app/Api/ApiEntityListFormatter.php
index c170ecf0c9d..7d00834e5d1 100644
--- a/app/Api/ApiEntityListFormatter.php
+++ b/app/Api/ApiEntityListFormatter.php
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class ApiEntityListFormatter
     protected $fields = [
         'id', 'name', 'slug', 'book_id', 'chapter_id',
         'draft', 'template', 'created_at', 'updated_at',
+        'priority'
     ];
 
     public function __construct(array $list)
diff --git a/app/Entities/Controllers/ChapterApiController.php b/app/Entities/Controllers/ChapterApiController.php
index 403c58de3c5..7f01e445a57 100644
--- a/app/Entities/Controllers/ChapterApiController.php
+++ b/app/Entities/Controllers/ChapterApiController.php
@@ -19,12 +19,14 @@ class ChapterApiController extends ApiController
             'name'        => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'description' => ['string', 'max:1000'],
             'tags'        => ['array'],
+            'priority'    => ['integer'],
         ],
         'update' => [
             'book_id'     => ['integer'],
             'name'        => ['string', 'min:1', 'max:255'],
             'description' => ['string', 'max:1000'],
             'tags'        => ['array'],
+            'priority'    => ['integer'],
         ],
     ];
 
diff --git a/app/Entities/Controllers/PageApiController.php b/app/Entities/Controllers/PageApiController.php
index 0e8893450fe..d2947f1bb72 100644
--- a/app/Entities/Controllers/PageApiController.php
+++ b/app/Entities/Controllers/PageApiController.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ class PageApiController extends ApiController
             'html'       => ['required_without:markdown', 'string'],
             'markdown'   => ['required_without:html', 'string'],
             'tags'       => ['array'],
+            'priority'   => ['integer'],
         ],
         'update' => [
             'book_id'    => ['integer'],
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ class PageApiController extends ApiController
             'html'       => ['string'],
             'markdown'   => ['string'],
             'tags'       => ['array'],
+            'priority'   => ['integer'],
         ],
     ];
 
diff --git a/app/Entities/Repos/ChapterRepo.php b/app/Entities/Repos/ChapterRepo.php
index 588854c7e91..dadeec7f897 100644
--- a/app/Entities/Repos/ChapterRepo.php
+++ b/app/Entities/Repos/ChapterRepo.php
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public function create(array $input, Book $parentBook): Chapter
     {
         $chapter = new Chapter();
         $chapter->book_id = $parentBook->id;
-        $chapter->priority = (new BookContents($parentBook))->getLastPriority() + 1;
+        $chapter->priority = $chapter->priority ?: (new BookContents($parentBook))->getLastPriority() + 1;
         $this->baseRepo->create($chapter, $input);
         Activity::add(ActivityType::CHAPTER_CREATE, $chapter);
 
diff --git a/app/Entities/Repos/PageRepo.php b/app/Entities/Repos/PageRepo.php
index 521519dc08d..637f4133a90 100644
--- a/app/Entities/Repos/PageRepo.php
+++ b/app/Entities/Repos/PageRepo.php
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ public function publishDraft(Page $draft, array $input): Page
 
         $draft->draft = false;
         $draft->revision_count = 1;
-        $draft->priority = $this->getNewPriority($draft);
+        $draft->priority = $draft->priority ?: $this->getNewPriority($draft);
         $draft->save();
 
         $this->revisionRepo->storeNewForPage($draft, trans('entities.pages_initial_revision'));
diff --git a/dev/api/requests/chapters-create.json b/dev/api/requests/chapters-create.json
index ca06fc29859..afd3c71f195 100644
--- a/dev/api/requests/chapters-create.json
+++ b/dev/api/requests/chapters-create.json
@@ -5,5 +5,7 @@
   "tags": [
     {"name": "Category", "value": "Top Content"},
     {"name": "Rating", "value": "Highest"}
-  ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+  ],
+  "priority": 15
+}
+}
diff --git a/dev/api/requests/chapters-update.json b/dev/api/requests/chapters-update.json
index 6bd3a3e5c09..f62d63d1e9c 100644
--- a/dev/api/requests/chapters-update.json
+++ b/dev/api/requests/chapters-update.json
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@
   "tags": [
     {"name": "Category", "value": "Kinda Good Content"},
     {"name": "Rating", "value": "Medium"}
-  ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+  ],
+  "priority": 15
+}
diff --git a/dev/api/requests/pages-create.json b/dev/api/requests/pages-create.json
index 1f53b42d489..5a21a80c753 100644
--- a/dev/api/requests/pages-create.json
+++ b/dev/api/requests/pages-create.json
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@
 	"tags": [
 		{"name": "Category", "value": "Not Bad Content"},
 		{"name": "Rating", "value": "Average"}
-	]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+	],
+	"priority": 15
+}
diff --git a/dev/api/requests/pages-update.json b/dev/api/requests/pages-update.json
index b9bfeb630de..fc8c73c0c39 100644
--- a/dev/api/requests/pages-update.json
+++ b/dev/api/requests/pages-update.json
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@
 	"tags": [
 		{"name": "Category", "value": "API Examples"},
 		{"name": "Rating", "value": "Alright"}
-	]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+	],
+	"priority": 15
+}
diff --git a/tests/Api/ChaptersApiTest.php b/tests/Api/ChaptersApiTest.php
index 713d8bba4ba..a99a85af816 100644
--- a/tests/Api/ChaptersApiTest.php
+++ b/tests/Api/ChaptersApiTest.php
@@ -61,6 +61,37 @@ public function test_create_endpoint()
         $this->assertActivityExists('chapter_create', $newItem);
     }
 
+    public function test_create_applies_correct_priority()
+    {
+        $this->actingAsApiEditor();
+        $book = $this->entities->book();
+        $details = [
+            'name'        => 'My API chapter',
+            'description' => 'A chapter created via the API',
+            'book_id'     => $book->id,
+            'tags'        => [
+                [
+                    'name'  => 'tagname',
+                    'value' => 'tagvalue',
+                ],
+            ],
+            'priority'     => 15,
+        ];
+
+        $resp = $this->postJson($this->baseEndpoint, $details);
+        $resp->assertStatus(200);
+        $newItem = Chapter::query()->orderByDesc('id')->where('name', '=', $details['name'])->first();
+        $resp->assertJson(array_merge($details, ['id' => $newItem->id, 'slug' => $newItem->slug]));
+        $this->assertDatabaseHas('tags', [
+            'entity_id'   => $newItem->id,
+            'entity_type' => $newItem->getMorphClass(),
+            'name'        => 'tagname',
+            'value'       => 'tagvalue',
+        ]);
+        $resp->assertJsonMissing(['pages' => []]);
+        $this->assertActivityExists('chapter_create', $newItem);
+    }
+
     public function test_chapter_name_needed_to_create()
     {
         $this->actingAsApiEditor();
@@ -137,6 +168,7 @@ public function test_update_endpoint()
                     'value' => 'freshtagval',
                 ],
             ],
+            'priority'    => 15,
         ];
 
         $resp = $this->putJson($this->baseEndpoint . "/{$chapter->id}", $details);
diff --git a/tests/Api/PagesApiTest.php b/tests/Api/PagesApiTest.php
index 4a81f738bbd..a1f65692f05 100644
--- a/tests/Api/PagesApiTest.php
+++ b/tests/Api/PagesApiTest.php
@@ -63,6 +63,39 @@ public function test_create_endpoint()
         $this->assertActivityExists('page_create', $newItem);
     }
 
+    public function test_create_applies_correct_priority()
+    {
+        $this->actingAsApiEditor();
+        $book = $this->entities->book();
+        $details = [
+            'name'    => 'My API page',
+            'book_id' => $book->id,
+            'html'    => '<p>My new page content</p>',
+            'tags'    => [
+                [
+                    'name'  => 'tagname',
+                    'value' => 'tagvalue',
+                ],
+            ],
+            'priority' => 15,
+        ];
+
+        $resp = $this->postJson($this->baseEndpoint, $details);
+        unset($details['html']);
+        $resp->assertStatus(200);
+        $newItem = Page::query()->orderByDesc('id')->where('name', '=', $details['name'])->first();
+        $resp->assertJson(array_merge($details, ['id' => $newItem->id, 'slug' => $newItem->slug]));
+        $this->assertDatabaseHas('tags', [
+            'entity_id'   => $newItem->id,
+            'entity_type' => $newItem->getMorphClass(),
+            'name'        => 'tagname',
+            'value'       => 'tagvalue',
+        ]);
+        $resp->assertSeeText('My new page content');
+        $resp->assertJsonMissing(['book' => []]);
+        $this->assertActivityExists('page_create', $newItem);
+    }
+
     public function test_page_name_needed_to_create()
     {
         $this->actingAsApiEditor();
@@ -207,6 +240,7 @@ public function test_update_endpoint()
                     'value' => 'freshtagval',
                 ],
             ],
+            'priority' => 15,
         ];
 
         $resp = $this->putJson($this->baseEndpoint . "/{$page->id}", $details);