# Amazon announces Kindle Serials...



## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

Is this going to change how some of us write/release our work? So far it sounds interesting to me (because I was already planning on writing a serial).

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/6/3297948/amazon-kindle-serials-announced/in/3061995


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

i think its a very cool idea, it allows you as an author to get a committed readership without the usual drop off ratio for future editions and its kind of like having an advance from a trad publisher.

Not sure how amazon will manage writers not finishing their work, i'm guessing they will put some sort of time threshold in place that if you don't deliver your episodes on time you'll lose a certain amount of subscriptions.


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

This sounds interesting. I will definitely investigate it further. Regarding writers not finishing, I think they may require that the entire piece is written beforehand.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

I anticipate a vitriolic screed about this from DWS tomorrow...


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

This is a total game-changer.

This is huge.

Books will now have the urgency of TV series, with people reading that week's episode at the same time, and discussing it.

Expect to see some early adopters go bigtime, and then for people to become soured in about a year, after someone pulls a LOST and farfs up the ending of a hot series.


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## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

I hadn't even thought of what to do about writers not finishing.  I would hate it if they make you present a complete work first, that would take away the fun of interacting with readers and actually having them influence the direction the serial is headed.  Plus, I would love to do an ongoing TV show like serial.


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## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

Dalya said:


> Books will now have the urgency of TV series, with people reading that week's episode at the same time, and discussing it.


And this is what I love about it. I obsess over serialized shows like Lost (even with the farfed ending) and Dexter and Pretty Little Liars (don't judge) and studied TV writing and tried to break into writing for TV for years. I think the opportunity to interact with fans as the story unfolds would be amazing.


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

since the statement said they want readers to be able to engage with the authors and influence the direction the instalments are going in then that would be contrary to expecting you to finish the work.

I suspect instead they will do what trad publishers do and hold back a percentage of your earnings until you deliver it. so if you commit to say a 12 part instalment you will get 1/12 of the revenue for each instalment you deliver.

whats very cool about it is the subscription, i'm sure a lot of series authors lose sales because readers although enjoy the book simply forget to go and get the next part or they simply don't know when the next part has been released. the fact its hot dropped onto your subscribers kindle as soon as its done is a sure fire way to ensure you get good retention rates and i think if you are selling at 2.99 the drop to 1.99 is an acceptable discount to give readers to buying your whole series in one shot in advance.

This is Amazon game changing the book business yet again. As stated for anyone who likes writing like TV the idea of having a episode based franchise could be a real game changer in terms of success for a lot of of prolific authors.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> i think its a very cool idea, it allows you as an author to get a committed readership without the usual drop off ratio for future editions and its kind of like having an advance from a trad publisher.


Except since you get paid once, regardless, you'll presumably never know how many people actually liked your series enough to finish it... if any.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> This is Amazon game changing the book business yet again. As stated for anyone who likes writing like TV the idea of having a episode based franchise could be a real game changer in terms of success for a lot of of prolific authors.


My brain is kinda asploding.

Heck yeah, you know I'm a TV writer and a little TV junkie in my heart.

I wonder if you'll have to get "chosen" like for the Singles program or if anybody can do this.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I wonder if you'll have to get "chosen" like for the Singles program or if anybody can do this.


I expect some sort of writer-oriented announcement in the next week or so, with the various meaningful details. Singles you submit to, FWIW, generally once your title is already published. Can't see that working with a serial, personally, so... who knows.


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

whats interesting is the announcement wording from tech crunch

that each story will be 'book length' and delivered in instalments for 1.99 each.

so what they are effectively saying is you chop up a 120K novel for instance into 6 x 20K chunks and get 1.99 a go, so ultimately you would be charging 12.00 for a full length book.


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## OJ Connell (Mar 23, 2012)

Very interested in this. Can't wait to hear more details!


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

Hmmm. I have a serial I'm writing, so I looked at this with some interest. But $1.99 and then... nothing? That doesn't seem to make sense, given that (my oft-used examples of) Beth Kery and Sara Fawkes are charging around $1.99-$2.99 per installment. And they are both selling hugely, so despite the complaints, a lot of people seem willing to pay that much. I would think a decent-length serial should go for at least $4.99. Of course, that's erotic fiction... if there's a market out there for other serial stuff, I haven't really seen it yet.



> so what they are effectively saying is you chop up a 120K novel for instance into 6 x 20K chunks and get 1.99 a go, so ultimately you would be charging 12.00 for a full length book.


Is Tech Crunch giving different info? This is what the Verge article says:



> The system will let buyers pay once for a piece of ongoing fiction, then receive further chapters for free; the launch price for all installments of each title is $1.99


Maybe it's saying you pay the total up front and the total is based on each installment costing $1.99? Huh-- that runs up to really expensive really fast. I'd rather pay as I go, and then I can quit if I decide I don't like where it's going.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

If it worked for Dickens...

I'm not excited yet, though. It may be a feature limited to AmPub authors or trade pubs or whatever. I'll wait for whatever details Amazon offers.

B.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

If this is open to indies and they are offering a 70% commission for this despite the lower than $2.99 price, it will be huge.

I suspect this will only be a limited program similar to the kindle singles thing though.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Seems like a great idea. I note Amazon is encouraging communication between writer and reader. They are even encouraging an author using reader feedback to improve.

My question comes from the Amazon perspective. How would they vet the authors in the program? Since Amazon will be collecting $1.99 from consumers*, Amazon has to deliver the goods. Amazon is on the hook. 

One solution is to demand a complete work up front. But that doesn't fit with the idea of letting author and consumer work together in the evolution of the episodes. 

I suspect this will be available to a very select group of authors. In any case, it will be very interesting to see how the commercial aspects work out.

EDIT: *This presumes the entire serial is a single package costing a total of $1.99.


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## A.R. Williams (Jan 9, 2011)

> The system will let buyers pay once for a piece of ongoing fiction, then receive further chapters for free . . .


I don't like the sound of the *pay once* and everything else is *free*. You may not lose readership, but you don't gain royalties on the future segments--which would be the same as readers dropping off. Worse even, because those that do continue with the series would buy additional copies while what they're offering they would pay nothing.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

The thing is, most of the successful serials I've seen so far have been erotic stuff. Is Amazon really wanting to get into the erotic market in a big way? Or will they try to limit this to other genres? In general, I think erotic serials have a better chance of succeeding in today's market, but I do wonder if Amazon wants to put erotica front and center like that.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

EllenFisher said:


> Hmmm. I have a serial I'm writing, so I looked at this with some interest. But $1.99 and then... nothing? That doesn't seem to make sense, given that (my oft-used examples of) Beth Kery and Sara Fawkes are charging around $1.99-$2.99 per installment. And they are both selling hugely, so despite the complaints, a lot of people seem willing to pay that much. I would think a decent-length serial should go for at least $4.99. Of course, that's erotic


My suspicion is that they'll require Amazon exclusivity, only support Serials on hardware Kindle devices, and compensate authors something similar to how KDP Select works, so that your earnings aren't directly connected to the sale price, but involve some, I dunno, large pool of money, shared proportionately...


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

EllenFisher said:


> Hmmm. I have a serial I'm writing, so I looked at this with some interest. But $1.99 and then... nothing? That doesn't seem to make sense, given that (my oft-used examples of) Beth Kery and Sara Fawkes are charging around $1.99-$2.99 per installment. And they are both selling hugely, so despite the complaints, a lot of people seem willing to pay that much. I would think a decent-length serial should go for at least $4.99. Of course, that's erotic fiction... if there's a market out there for other serial stuff, I haven't really seen it yet.
> 
> Is Tech Crunch giving different info? This is what the Verge article says:
> 
> Maybe it's saying you pay the total up front and the total is based on each installment costing $1.99? Huh-- that runs up to really expensive really fast. I'd rather pay as I go, and then I can quit if I decide I don't like where it's going.


i don't know, its usual applespeak. make a big price point announcement. don't explain what it means.

either the ENTIRE series is 1.99 (A pretty shocking deal for authors if you can sell your book for 2.99-9.99 in its entirety why would you?) or each episode is 1.99.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

> The system will let buyers pay once for a piece of ongoing fiction, then receive further chapters for free; the launch price for all installments of each title is $1.99


That doesn't seem like an economically viable path for me. I mean, a completed serial will still involve around the same time a standard novel involves. Only difference is that I could charge $3.99 and more for the novel and get 70% royalties whereas here I get to charge once for ongoing content and, presumably, get a the 35% royalty. Why should I do that?


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> either the ENTIRE series is 1.99 (A pretty shocking deal for authors if you can sell your book for 2.99-9.99 in its entirety why would you?) or each episode is 1.99.


That would depend on how the author is paid. It may offer him a chance for accelerated cash flow compared to taking the time to finish a book and then get paid. I'd also ask how many serials an author can run at the same time? How often are new episodes released?


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

The way I read that article - you get to write what could be a lengthy serial and sell it to people for the grand one-off sum of $1.99...  I'm guessing they'd up the royalty split on that like they do with Kindle Singles - but it's not looking too tempting at present if it were purely as portrayed in that article.

I wouldn't rule it out - it could work as a loss leader and, as an improviser, serial fiction could work for me once my son is older and I have more free time.  It's better than giving everything away for free I guess, but it's not a sales price that particularly excites me.  I suppose if they only take a limited number of people - like Kindle Singles, then you could make it up somewhat in volume due to the increased visibility.  It does sound potentially interesting.  I'll have to wait and see what the full details are.  Length of each installment could be a biggie.  

I'll be interested to hear what Amazon themselves have to say about it.  For all we know, the $1.99 start price could be something Amazon are subsidizing in order to get customers on board and people may be able to set other pricing if they come in after it launches.

I must say, that I don't think the pay once price will encourage thorough editing if it's something open to everyone.  Especially if the idea is to release regular installments based on reader feedback.  If it's selection only, then they may have their own editing team on board, or they may just limit it to people with editors on tap/very good self-editing.  I can't see too many editors being happy to be constantly on call to work on installments when the $1.99 purchase price wouldn't enable the author to pay very much.  There will be some who would of course, especially if they work closely with the writer on other things.  Still, it's a big ask.

So yes, that's my musings on the matter as they pour out of my (over-tired) brain!


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

SPBreit said:


> That doesn't seem like an economically viable path for me. I mean, a completed serial will still involve around the same time a standard novel involves. Only difference is that I could charge $3.99 and more for the novel and get 70% royalties whereas here I get to charge once for ongoing content and, presumably, get a the 35% royalty. Why should I do that?


Quote from mashable:

Dickens issued many of his most famous works, including Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist, as part of weekly and monthly installments over the course of one to two years. Some were published as independent singles, others appeared in the pages of magazines. Many were illustrated. Today, Dickens's works are typically bundled and distributed as thick, single-volume novels.

The Dickens serials are part of a new product from Amazon, appropriately named "Kindle Serials." Readers will be able to purchase complete Serials for $1.99 upfront, and will receive new installments as they become available. The new format will enable authors to gather reader reactions as they write, and adapt future installments accordingly, just as Dickens did, Jeff Bezos said.

there we go you buy a COMPLETE serial (book length work) up front for 1.99 and get all the instalments of the serial for free.

Thats a shocking deal for authors unless you already sell your full length work for 1.99 or under.


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

TattooedWriter said:


> I'll be interested when I read Amazons actual announcement. Everyone is talking about this announcement but has anyone linked to it? I've read conflicting reports about whether readers pay $1.99 once or subscribe to the series for $1.99 per episode. It's all whispers and rumours at the moment.
> 
> Can anyone give a link to Amazon's actual announcement?


all the reports are based on the keynote at amazons press conference

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57507647-93/amazon-delves-into-book-subscriptions-with-kindle-serials/


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> Quote from mashable:
> 
> there we go you buy a COMPLETE serial (book length work) up front for 1.99 and get all the instalments of the serial for free.
> 
> Thats a shocking deal for authors unless you already sell your full length work for 1.99 or under.


I know. Hence my reaction.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

It's pay once, get all parts of the series free. At least, according to the huge screen behind Bezos at the announcement.

And I am guessing by the fact that the non-PD books available already are by Thomas and Mercer, this won't be open to indies but be for Amazon's imprints only.

List of serials available


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

If we're comparing this system to TV, it's flying in the face of current viewing habits.

These days the trend is for more and more people to NOT watch their favorite series every week, but to stockpile them on a DVR, rent a DVD a season at a time, or watch on streaming one episode right after the other. The phrase is "binge watching."

Personally, as a kid I never even liked the serials on television (reruns of old movie serials). I'd rather get the whole thing at once, even if I had to wait for it.

Recent disappointments:
_Lost_. Just went goofy, I bailed sometime during season four (I think--it all kind of melds in my memory).
_Alcatraz_. Liked it, but it was cancelled before anything was resolved.
_Awake_. Absolutely loved it, but it was cancelled and they quickly hacked out one of the worst series-ending episodes of all time (perhaps second only to _Medium's_ closer).
_That One About Everybody Falling Asleep_. Loved it, but it was abruptly cancelled.

Now we're streaming _Downton Abbey_, looking forward to bingeing on _Breaking Bad_, might rewatch all of _Dead Like Me_...many possibilities!

So for reading material, I really don't see stepping back to Dickens' time and reading serials.

YMMV, of course!


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## FH (Jul 30, 2012)

Submission policy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_365033462_9?ie=UTF8&docId=1000828741&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1Y07EE7KJM5RV12WHS2B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394482822&pf_rd_i=5044445011

each episode should be about 10,000 words apparently.


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## OJ Connell (Mar 23, 2012)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> Submission policy
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_365033462_9?ie=UTF8&docId=1000828741&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1Y07EE7KJM5RV12WHS2B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394482822&pf_rd_i=5044445011
> 
> each episode should be about 10,000 words apparently.


Thanks for the link.

Interesting stuff. I wonder when they'll clue us in as to royalties for this program. What benefit, other than added visibility, could there be?


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

The submission page doesn't tell me much. Can I submit my erotic serial? What are the benefits to me?

Oh well, maybe more info will become available. But right now I think I'll stick with KDP.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> Submission policy
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_365033462_9?ie=UTF8&docId=1000828741&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1Y07EE7KJM5RV12WHS2B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394482822&pf_rd_i=5044445011
> 
> each episode should be about 10,000 words apparently.


Well, that settles it: not my format.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanks Martin.

OK - so it has a 20k minimum, which is a lot better.  I don't think I'd want to submit anything over 50k unless I had a lot of books out and was using it as a loss leader.  However, I could definitely see myself giving it a shot with something around 20k-40k to see if they were interested.  No word on exclusivity though, at least, not based on the limited details up at the moment.  I think Kindle Singles can be published elsewhere.  I'd be interested to know what the policy for the serials is.  I'd imagine that it would be exclusive, at least until the final installment is published.  I'd ideally want the option to make the work available elsewhere too, at least in the future.  So, I'll watch for further clarifications.


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## Justawriter (Jul 24, 2012)

I don't see any advantage to this. Not when others are doing so well pricing their installments at $2.99!

At least they recognize that serials are doing well.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

As a reader, the one time pay would be the only way I would try the serials. This latest trend of leeching the consumers with overpriced particles of book chapters with no end in sight of payment, is not anything I would do. Some of these things turn out to be so way overpriced in the end its laughable.  I notice on some that are going right now, trad and indy, the reviews are turning really bad after a few installments, when folks realize the total thing will cost them like close to $20. 

But 1.99, or even 2.99 once, that is digestible. It at least means not an infinite bleed of the customers wallet.


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## Bilinda Ní Siodacaín (Jun 16, 2011)

As a successful serial writer the details I've read so far sound neither interesting nor appealing.


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## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

My enthusiasm for this program is now waning by the minute.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

What would be nice is if you wanted to do a serial, to let you use a lower price point per chapter and still get the 70%. I imagine that would be subject to abuse though. Some yutz would put up totally unrelated stuff and claim it was a serial.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Bleh.

B.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

I'm torn, because I see the appeal of the subscription aspect, and its something I've really hoped they'd do for awhile now.  The ease and convenience of having future installments show up as soon as available rather than having to count on readers checking back for each new 'episode' and paying again has definite potential for building an audience.

However, to truly be advantageous, I think they need to free it up for authors to set their own initial price point the same as with any other work or format.  And I would like to know how they intend to pay out royalties - based on initial sales, throughout the serial's run, or all at the end.

At this point, the only reason I'm even considering it is I'm weighing the possibile promotional plus's of doing this at the very beginning, and using Amazon's inevitable marketing push to keep the new serials on consumers' radars to gain readers for other works.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

FYI: I sent an email to Amazon as follows:



> I have some questions regarding the serials program before submitting anything.
> 
> If the serial sells for $1.99, what is the author's royalty?
> How often are new installments required?
> ...


THIS is the reply I just got back:



> Thank you for your interest in Kindle Serials, Amazon Publishing's serialized publishing program. Below, please find our submission guidelines. Should we be interested in publishing your work, we will be in touch.
> 
> Submission Guidelines:
> 
> ...


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

Looks like they just auto-replied with their new submission guidelines.  Ugh.  I have a feeling someone's going to need to actually get a submission approved before they open up communication and answer those questions.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

As I understand it so far, this does not interest me.  First of all, I don't want to get paid less for a novel than I want to decide my novel is worth.  Nor do I want that payment on the first "segment" and then put out a little bit at a time.  As a reader I would much rather have a novel.  Secondly, I don't want to divide up a novel into little parts either.  That to me rips off readers.  Why not just charge what you believe is a fair price for the amount of words you put in the novel and give readers the novel?  Am I missing something?  Yeah, I am doing a series...but that is much different than little 10,000 word bits.  Each book is over 100,000 words.  Do readers really want to read a 100,000 word novel in little bits of 10,000? How do you get lost in a book doing that?  Strange.  Guess I will have to wait and hear more, but so far not excited.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Auto response bot FTL.

I imagine they are inundated with queries - but they could do with getting a more detailed 'about' page up.  The questions you asked are the ones most people would want to know, and they would make life easier for everyone if they put the answers up online where we could all find them.

It's early days though I suppose.

I enjoy a challenge, so I'm interested in the concept of trying to write something that suits this model - but I'd have to know a lot more about what the model is first!


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## ChristinaGarner (Aug 31, 2011)

joeyjoejoejr said:


> My enthusiasm for this program is now waning by the minute.


Mine too  And I had been really excited...

But then I confirmed that it's $1.99 for the whole serial. Check this out:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091TJHIW/ref=amb_link_364921202_21?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0B2KRGNH4AAZV20DVWDV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394552102&pf_rd_i=5044445011

The price of the first installment is $1.99, with all subsequent volumes delivered free.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2012)

Zelah Meyer said:


> Auto response bot FTL.


I expected their normal auto response of "We have received your query and someone will respond within 48 hours" or something like that. This doesn't even say that someone plans to bother to read my questions. They want me to submit blindly and then probably sign a non-disclosure before they would even answer those questions.


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## Gregory Lynn (Aug 9, 2011)

There's one huge factor that we really don't (and can't) have any information on now and that's the promotional aspect, which is probably the single biggest factor.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

See Caddy, this is where I think the problem with serials lies, and why I DO think its a good thing they seem to be vetting potential serials before allowing them into this program.

Not every book works as a serial.  Often times, it IS just a book chopped up into increments to bilk more money out of readers.  A true serial is written and structured around its episodic format.  For instance, the one I'm thinking of potentially for this is a YA superhero story I structured to be reminiscent of a comicbook...where there's an overall story arc split into five or six 'issues', with each issue having its own rising and falling action, cliffhanger endings, etc.  Its a format that's worked in comics for decades, and I've been curious for awhile now to see how it would cross over into a prose superhero story.

I AM very intrigued by this attempt to promote and advance serials in the marketplace, as more options and ways to tell your story is one of the biggest things self-publishing has going for it in the first place, IMO.  But as with most things, I think its going to be awhile yet before Amazon works the kinks out of this and finds a balance that is best for both authors and readers, and themselves as well.


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## MJWare (Jun 25, 2010)

I can write a complete Middle Grade book at 15,000 words--some are even shorter--and get $2.99 for it.

Unless the word count is lower for kidlit it's never going to fly.

If I had to guess, it would be like Kindle Singles, where even if we all apply we just end up getting nicely worded rejection letters.

Still, I don't know if it's even worth applying; it's be nice if most important piece of information--the commission--was listed.


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## ChristinaGarner (Aug 31, 2011)

Gregory Lynn said:


> There's one huge factor that we really don't (and can't) have any information on now and that's the promotional aspect, which is probably the single biggest factor.


Agreed. Some of the first few to hit it big will reap benefits in that they can sell well later either with another serial that they publish outside of this program and for which they charge more, or writing full-length pieces.

If you are selling novels at less than a $1.99 price point than this might work, too.

Otherwise... don't think I'm sold. *But* then again, I've been thinking that I need to get on the cusp of whatever the new thing is, lol. Is it India? Kindle Serials? What's the next big thing that's gonna launch a few lucky folks and leave the others just slightly disgruntled?


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

SunHi Mistwalker said:


> This sounds interesting. I will definitely investigate it further. Regarding writers not finishing, I think they may require that the entire piece is written beforehand.


I'm sure they'll require the completed work. There is (or used to be) an epub company that did something very similar. I always thought it was an idea that could work with the right backing.


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

My mole in Amazon tells me the formal announcement consists of four paragraphs. The first paragraph will be released tomorrow


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> I'm sure they'll require the completed work. There is (or used to be) an epub company that did something very similar. I always thought it was an idea that could work with the right backing.


The submission guidelines suggest that they don't need the whole thing. However, I think they'd only trust you to deliver if you already had several titles out. In fact, I would be surprised if they signed someone with no titles, or very few titles (unless it was a pen name for someone who was selling well under a different name.) I think getting accepted on this is going to be about more than a good pitch - I imagine track record will play a large part as well.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

martinfreddyhansen said:


> whats interesting is the announcement wording from tech crunch
> 
> that each story will be 'book length' and delivered in instalments for 1.99 each.
> 
> so what they are effectively saying is you chop up a 120K novel for instance into 6 x 20K chunks and get 1.99 a go, so ultimately you would be charging 12.00 for a full length book.


It's a one-time cost of $1.99, and the stories will be much shorter than book length.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

1. I'm making money off "Borrows" every month. Money I can exchange for things I like.

2. The Select freebie days put my books on the map.

Therefore, Amazon announces a program for authors, I jump on board. Immediately.

Getting paid is better than not getting paid.

3. We (authors and readers who are expert forum users) are not typical consumers of ebooks and our personal opinions about what we'd buy or pay for are ... interesting ... but largely irrelevant. The typical ereader consumer does not spend countless hours on community forums discussing the ins and outs of publishing. Period. They buy a couple books a week, they read them, they buy more or they don't. They either believe the reviews, without scepticism, or they don't believe the reviews. They are not us.

4. Heck yeah it's Thursday, i.e. WriteMoreWordsday.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

The Amazon bots aren't being helpful. Like Julie, I sent an email asking things I'd like to know prior to submission (do you accept erotic romance? do you accept serials already partially released through KDP?) and got a cut-and-paste response of the info they already have up on their site. I'm guessing they don't have actual editors for this particular department yet.


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

Whatever the price, if Amazon are going to give serial writers massive prominence for a few months I'm going to be in there. 

It also occurs to me that if we all went on strike, Amazon might prosecute us as serial killers


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

TattooedWriter said:


> If anyone is interested in writing a series in episodic format, you could always take a peek into my Secret Lair.....
> 
> http://thesecretstorylair.blogspot.com/


Bookmarked for future reference.


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## ChristinaGarner (Aug 31, 2011)

Zelah Meyer said:


> Bookmarked for future reference.


Me too


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Kalen ODonnell said:


> Ugh. I have a feeling someone's going to need to actually get a submission approved before they open up communication and answer those questions.


In the next few minutes, I should be bombing their inbox with the first 20K of book of mine, plus supporting materials. We'll see what happens...


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Dalya said:


> 1. I'm making money off "Borrows" every month. Money I can exchange for things I like.
> 
> 2. The Select freebie days put my books on the map.
> 
> ...


We are in absolute agreement on one thing.

Getting paid is WAY better than not getting paid.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Zelah Meyer said:


> The submission guidelines suggest that they don't need the whole thing. However, I think they'd only trust you to deliver if you already had several titles out. In fact, I would be surprised if they signed someone with no titles, or very few titles (unless it was a pen name for someone who was selling well under a different name.) I think getting accepted on this is going to be about more than a good pitch - I imagine track record will play a large part as well.


Well, obviously I wasn't "sure" but it still seems odd if they don't. 

I didn't go so far as to look at the submission guidelines because I don't really feel my work is particularly suitable for serialization.


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## ChadMck (Feb 25, 2011)

This sounds very cool. I like the idea of being able to engage readers in new and interesting ways. When e-books came out the big discussion was centered around e-books killing the traditional methods of reading. It seems to me like e-readers are only creating new and interesting ways to get people excited about reading again.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

tagging to read later. 

so far not seeing the benefit. amazon's advertising is the main ? that would make this worth it. and if they are as selective as they are with singles, hardly anyone will get in anyway.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

I'm starting my serial tonight.


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## ChristinaGarner (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm going to make a prediction: At least one TV show will come out of this program. Hollywood spends outrageous $$ developing a TV series--imagine if they could already have a built-in audience from a best-selling serial, AND already have the first season laid out...


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## budowriter (Jul 31, 2012)

I can tell you as an ex-Amazon employee that their *only* interest is their customers - not indie authors. Or even their employees for that matter, but I won't digress.

Their philosophy (per Jeff) is to start with the customer and work backwards. As well it should be when you think about it, but I feel for the serial authors who've thus far been able to make a living by selling 1.99 and 2.99 single episodes and then a lot more for an omnibus edition. This new program sounds like a potential game changer for some and perhaps not a positive one.

I've been seriously looking into starting my next project as a serial - now I'm not so sure. But like someone else said, it doesn't sound like just anyone or any book project will qualify in the first place, so I'm curious to see what will happen if there is a different pricing model outside of this program and how it might affect prices for other lengths of stories.

Perhaps $1.99 will soon become an accepted price point for many single short stories...


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## scoutxx (Oct 23, 2009)

The program is part of their existing imprints (Thomas & Mercer, 47 North, Montlake, etc). They're not letting just anyone in like they do with KDP. In order to take part and publish serials, you have to get past the Amazon Publishing gatekeepers.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

ChristinaGarner said:


> I'm going to make a prediction: At least one TV show will come out of this program. Hollywood spends outrageous $$ developing a TV series--imagine if they could already have a built-in audience from a best-selling serial, AND already have the first season laid out...


OMG YES!! So true!

Amazon has been doing that movie script development thing.


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## arvel (Jun 23, 2012)

It looks like most of the serials are mysteries. I wonder if there are only particular genres they are taking.


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## Spinneyhead (Nov 4, 2010)

I've just released a couple of things that are intended as the beginnings of ongoing series, with arcs easily broken down into serials.  But, perhaps more appropriately to this, I was planning to dust off something I wrote as a serial and published on my blog years ago (it was made up of far shorter instalments than 10,000 words, though).  I was going to turn it into a trilogy of novellas, but this format might work just as well.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

Well, I just bit the bullet and submitted something.  If they're interested in it, it'll at least give me a chance to ask these questions we've all raised and decide from there.  We'll see.


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## Rykymus (Dec 3, 2011)

Not interested. No money to be made, and I don't want to be under Amazon's thumb. Besides, my "episodes" are between 60k-100k. They're not chapters, they're novels. No way I'm selling them all for $1.99.

Honestly, I don't think this will fly.


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## jimkukral (Oct 31, 2011)

You know, I hate gatekeepers. Amazon is slowly becoming one with programs like Singles and now Serials. My opinion, if you're going to put stuff like this out there, you should let everyone, including indies, use it.

I sit here praying every single day that Google books finally gets off their butts and launches a competing system. Please, please, please Google. Just do it. Amazon needs competition, and indies need to get some love.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Drat. I'm already in the middle of writing and publishing a 5-part series, each episode approximately 20,000 words at 99 cents apiece. The results have been better than I expected, though not mind-blowingly so. I had plans for another serial, and kind of wished Amazon had waited another month or so before announcing their Serials so I would have some material to submit to them, which I can't do right now without bringing my current series to a screeching halt! Argh!

Ah, well, timing. I can always try later. And I've got several serial ideas.


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## eBooksHabit (Mar 5, 2012)

If it's not for you, it's not for you...

I think many people underestimate the promotional power Amazon has.

While yes, you may only be paid 35-70% of $1.99, you may be paid that thousands of times more than most would otherwise. Sure, you could put up examples of people doing well with $1.99-$2.99/installment serials. Not everyone is having that same success. The biggest issue for indie writers is exposure/discovery.

Having a Kindle Serial promoted by Amazon can get you on the map (or make you more prominent on the map?)... you will be able to sell more that you may have on your own.

That exposure can spill over to your other books.

Much like the "I'm not giving my book away for free!" feelings people have, many have seen some solid success by giving their book away for free. Going free is just one of many marketing tools. Serials can be the same way.

It's all about exposure and discovery. You can be an amazing writer but if people cannot find you...

Will Serials be a success? I think so. Will there be people who can do serials on their own and have success? Yes.


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

Back in January I outlined a 22 episode prequel to my Eternal Gateway trilogy called The War of Antiquities.  When I started writing, I followed a classic movie style trilogy for my novels.  After finishing the second novel I had some time hover the Christmas holiday so I outlined the back story prequel and modeled it off of a tv series.  I wrote the first four episodes before I put it down and went back to completing my trilogy.  I estimate it would take about 8-10 weeks of 50h a week writing to finish it but I didn't want to upload something new when I wasn't finished with the first project.

From what I have read, this would be an excellent project for the serials.  However for $1.99 for all 22 episodes is a bit sketchy.  I fully understand the power of Amazon if THEY decide to market it and make sure a bajillion people saw it, it would be worth $1.99 if it generated 100,000 subs and that spilled over to my trilogy.  But if I am stuck trying to market on my own, or if Amazon gives me 5 days every quarter to try gimmicks like Select (free only works if ENT or POI pick you up), then I already know that a $1.99 price for the entire work won't cut it.  I don't expect my work to ever have the lightning bolt of luck strike ($10,000 weeks or months).  I would rather make it successful on it's own and if Amazon wants to pick it up for their serials line then we can talk.

However if you are ready to rock and roll right now and be one of the first to jump onto the new offering.  You will probably see great results.  If your not ready to go right now or are considering your next project to be a serial.  I wish the best of luck to you.


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## sarracannon (Apr 19, 2011)

If these become popular with readers, I think it could be valuable for promotional/discoverability purposes. Also, it looks like the list price is actually $4.99, with it being discounted at $1.99. I imagine they are discounting because of the newness of the program. It's possible they will raise the price later to $4.99, which would be a better price for a full length novel. 

My question is what happens after the serial is completed? RIght now, they are downloading automatically to your Kindle once they come out, but what if you jump on the bandwagon after all 5 episodes are already out? Do you just get the full? Or are they still downloaded piecemeal 2 weeks apart?


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

I am amazed at the number of people questioning whether or not authors would finish the work. Short of death or terminal illness I cannot IMAGINE a professional writer not finishing a book s/he was contracted for.


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## olefish (Jan 24, 2012)

the pricing structure does not appeal to me at all.  I suppose it is supposed to be a panacea to those readers who feel ripped by the pricing of serial novel. But the pricing strategy strikes me as hamfisted by Amazon, no?  Sure there are many readers who detest paying three bucks a chapter.  But many other readers don't mind paying three bucks a chapter.  

Still the program is something to seriously consider. If Amazon is willing to do the heavy marketing to draw in mass of readers, then I think I can overlook the lackluster payment set up.  But really, it doesn't motivate me.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

> I am amazed at the number of people questioning whether or not authors would finish the work. Short of death or terminal illness I cannot IMAGINE a professional writer not finishing a book s/he was contracted for.


The problem is that not every author publishing through KDP is "professional" in that sense. I think it's smart of Amazon to vet these submissions carefully.


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## MegSilver (Feb 26, 2012)

Steeplechasing said:


> Whatever the price, if Amazon are going to give serial writers massive prominence for a few months I'm going to be in there.
> 
> It also occurs to me that if we all went on strike, Amazon might prosecute us as serial killers


This. Srsly.

I am working in serial, and while my price-point is extremely modest, their 1.99 model just made me snort in contempt. Not even for name recognition would I submit myself to that kind of pressure for uncertain compensation.


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## MegSilver (Feb 26, 2012)

Alexandra Sokoloff said:


> I am amazed at the number of people questioning whether or not authors would finish the work. Short of death or terminal illness I cannot IMAGINE a professional writer not finishing a book s/he was contracted for.


You would be surprised. You would also be surprised at what is considered "professional" behavior by even very successful writers. Some of the publishing contract clauses considered Draconian by a lot of writers exist to protect the publisher financially against "professional writer" behaviors.


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

Meg Silver, you're right, I retract my statement - in that nothing anyone does ever surprises me!  But I've been a pro writer and worked with pro writers all of my adult life and anyone who reneges on a contract like that doesn't stay pro for long. And they shouldn't.


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## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

sarracannon said:


> If these become popular with readers, I think it could be valuable for promotional/discoverability purposes. Also, it looks like the list price is actually $4.99, with it being discounted at $1.99. I imagine they are discounting because of the newness of the program. It's possible they will raise the price later to $4.99, which would be a better price for a full length novel.


Wait, where are you seeing $4.99? That would be a decent improvement over $1.99, especially if the 35% vs 70% still applies.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

I think $4.99 would make it quite acceptable, given the likely lift provided by Amazon's promotion. Do you have a link for that figure?


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## Sara Fawkes (Apr 22, 2012)

arvel said:


> It looks like most of the serials are mysteries. I wonder if there are only particular genres they are taking.


I'm sure those are just the people they brought in initially. Mysteries, like most TV episodes, are perfect for a serialized format but the writer still needs to know HOW to write the story. Each part needs the rising action to climax of a "regular" story; when you just divide a story up without any hook at the end, you don't entice the reader as much.

When I saw this mentioned online yesterday, I was initially interested. However, as it currently stands, I'm leery of the program's potential (and I've been very successful with serials). There's no info for the author - royalties, how they'll keep track of sales, etc - and while for a reader it sounds like a wonderful idea, it's the authors themselves who may have to make a living. I realize the readers pay once, but do we get any kind of dividend per additional sale after-the-fact? Amazon, I've no doubt, purposely set this at $1.99 initially because they'd get more per sale than at $2.99, whereas the writers themselves lose out on the royalty structure. If this was $1.99 per installment, I'd be on board (even if they had a 10-20k minimum length, which is fine because that's what I'd want to write for future parts, if I do more serials), but that much/little for the entire book? I know many people sell their stories for that, or $.99, but I personally can't see how this approach is any better than waiting until you're done with the story to sell it that low. 

Really wish they'd show ACTUAL, for-the-writer information instead of copy/pasting the press release...


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

I pitched the idea of a serialized novel to Amazon back in April, identical to their recently announced "Pay once, get future installments for free" model, and was told in no uncertain terms, "No dice." Instead, I was referred to their Blog and ePeriodical publishing format, but for personal reasons, this wasn't a viable option for me. So, I went ahead and did it anyway without their blessing.

I offered the GAMELAND "package" for an upfront purchase and, to incentivize customers, priced it ridiculously low. I had a few takers. I was sensitive to customers worrying that I wouldn't deliver, a problem I'm sure Ammy takes very seriously. What I do is update the file each time a new installment is published (monthly), and notify Amazon of the updates so they can notify customers. It works, because Amazon allows customers to receive updates at no additional cost, though it hasn't been without some hiccups (a friend of mine will be publishing a guest blog I wrote about the problems with this approach soon; I'll post the link here when it goes live). Incidentally, I priced each individual episode at $1.99. The "subscription" book price has steadily increased month over month, as have purchases, so the model can work. I really enjoy the discussions I'm having with customers as the story develops. I'm currently 5 episodes into the 8-episode series and the only negative feedback I've received has been regarding getting the updates.

Last night I queried Kindle Serials to see if GAMELAND would work in this new format. Still no word back, but I'm put off by the $1.99 price point. Each of my episodes runs ~45-50K and is $1.99. I suppose I could easily break them down into smaller chunks, since I tend to end with a cliffhanger every 2-3 chapters anyway, thus further "episode-izing" them. Would I offer the whole series for $1.99? Not on your life, but maybe there's room for other price points. Maybe a mega-serial lasting 20 weeks? I really want to engage Amazon in this discussion; I have a strong suspicion authors getting an early piece of this pie will get a lot of exposure. And the comment about a TV show is spot on; it's exactly the reason I set out to write in this way in the first place.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Isn't this sort of undercutting the innovative indies that set up this structure? Most I've seen start at free or 99 cents and are then 1.99 or 2.99 per episode. 

If Amazon is doing the same thing at half the price I think it will end up hurting those that are already doing this and again encourage readers to pay less for more.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Sweetapple said:


> Isn't this sort of undercutting the innovative indies that set up this structure? Most I've seen start at free or 99 cents and are then 1.99 or 2.99 per episode.
> 
> If Amazon is doing the same thing at half the price I think it will end up hurting those that are already doing this and again encourage readers to pay less for more.


Indies didn't create this pricing strategy or serializing anymore than Amazon did. As far as encouraging more for less, it's a valid point worth discussing, which is why I'm hoping Amazon is open to higher priced serials.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

> Indies didn't create this pricing strategy or serializing anymore than Amazon did.


Serials have been around since the 1800s, at least. Edgar Rice Burroughs' stories were originally serialized. But I do think it's clear Amazon got the idea from all the recent success stories involving authors doing well with serials. When enough serials hit the top 100, Amazon is likely to pay attention. Whether or not they're "undercutting" indies, or simply trying to find a price point they think works for their customers, I don't know.


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

Sweetapple said:


> Isn't this sort of undercutting the innovative indies that set up this structure? Most I've seen start at free or 99 cents and are then 1.99 or 2.99 per episode.
> 
> If Amazon is doing the same thing at half the price I think it will end up hurting those that are already doing this and again encourage readers to pay less for more.


I don't really think it will hurt indies that much because books simply aren't interchangeable. Characters, plot and most importantly quality is different from book to book. I think it will be challenging for Amazon to find high quality writers to join their serial program at first because of the price point and because so many are already doing it successfully. So why would they go with Amazon?



Sara Fawkes said:


> I'm sure those are just the people they brought in initially. Mysteries, like most TV episodes, are perfect for a serialized format but the writer still needs to know HOW to write the story. Each part needs the rising action to climax of a "regular" story; when you just divide a story up without any hook at the end, you don't entice the reader as much.


I totally agree. The trick is finding high quality writers who can spin a tale and who know how to grab readers and keep them coming back. And the truth is that it's hard to find. It's also hard to find professional writers who will complete a project and complete it to a level of professionalism that readers expect. I know that we all think everyone is like us, professional and skilled; but the truth is that only a fraction of the writers publishing on KDP meet that level. And many of the trade published writers are still leery of Amazon's new programs, so in a way it leaves the door open for more indies to seize opportunities like this as they come up.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

I wasn't trying to suggest they invented the idea of a serial. As far as I can see they successfully implemented the price point strategy and marketing for them on Amazon. Maybe the big 6 authors were also doing it and I missed it?


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

Sweetapple said:


> I wasn't trying to suggest they invented the idea of a serial. As far as I can see they successfully implemented the price point strategy and marketing for them on Amazon. Maybe the big 6 authors were also doing it and I missed it?


I agree with you Amber. I get the feeling that it's really indies doing innovative things with the kindle in terms of bringing back old forms and reinventing them on new formats. I remember when I first started doing my episodic serial, so many were talking about how it would NEVER work and how readers wouldn't buy them and yadda, yadda, yadda. The truth of the matter is that none of us know what readers will buy until we test the waters. Because so much of "the way things are done" has been created by a select group of publishing elites for so long, our idea of what is acceptable may actually be very limited or even skewed. So I say let's keep innovating and rethinking old ideas.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> Isn't this sort of undercutting the innovative indies that set up this structure? Most I've seen start at free or 99 cents and are then 1.99 or 2.99 per episode.


Sure. It's competition.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

$1.99 for a serial seems ridiculously like Amazon undercutting the author to glean a profit. However, if there is a qualification process and becoming a serial author on KDP comes with Amazon backing (marketing efforts), then this could actually be a very positive price point. I've seen reviews lamenting the first book in the series being priced at $.99 while the rest are priced at $2.99 for so many authors, and this pricing structure could nullify those complaints and create an even huger audience for serials. I'm very intrigued and I hope to somehow get in on this.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

> I wasn't trying to suggest they invented the idea of a serial. As far as I can see they successfully implemented the price point strategy and marketing for them on Amazon. Maybe the big 6 authors were also doing it and I missed it?


I believe Beth Kery is using similar pricing on a serial issued through Penguin.


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

EllenFisher said:


> I believe Beth Kery is using similar pricing on a serial issued through Penguin.


Aaah, yeah, I see that. I wonder why there are so many bad reviews. Maybe because she just took a regular novel and broke it up into "stories" with no beginning, middle and ending? She has a decent ranking; but the reviews makes it look like a failure. Do you have any links of trade published authors who have serialized successfully?



T.S. Welti said:


> I've seen reviews lamenting the first book in the series being priced at $.99 while the rest are priced at $2.99 for so many authors, and this pricing structure could nullify those complaints and create an even huger audience for serials. I'm very intrigued and I hope to somehow get in on this.


I do think price structuring of serials is still something people are working out, myself included. However, I don't see the profit in pricing my work so low, especially if I'm delivering on quality. One thing I did do was offer my episodic serial at .99 cents per episode for those people who sign up for my mailing list. I'm curious to see the details of Amazon's serial program. Who knows what incentives they offer to authors.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

T.S. Welti said:


> $1.99 for a serial seems ridiculously like Amazon undercutting the author to glean a profit.


I don't see how this would work. I think I saw someone suggest (not sure it's been verified) that it'd be like Singles, where the author gets 70% royalty, in which case Ammy gets $0.60 for each sale. I think, as has been also suggested above, that this is more a case of Amazon seeing the success of serializing authors. Customers will buy serialized novels, and amazon wants to tap into that dynamic.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> I think, as has been also suggested above, that this is more a case of Amazon seeing the success of serializing authors. Customers will buy serialized novels, and amazon wants to tap into that dynamic.


If that were true, why aren't Amazon aping the successful tactic or releasing each part as in independent paid-for volume, then?

I don't think serialization has honestly proven that successful on Amazon, yet. A couple of writers with large followings have had a good response - but also truly amazing amounts of negative feedback. And very few have completed the run of their serials, yet, anyway.

It will be interesting to see how Amazon plans to handle serials that have completed. Will they be made available as a single complete book in one package? Will only "active" serials remain part of the Kindle Serials line? (That'd greatly improve visibility for people with an active, ongoing serial, I'd think - not having to compete for visibility with completed series.) My gut says that most Kindle Serials are going to be limited-time offerings as serials, later reappearing as normal single volumes under one of Amazon's imprints. But that's just a gut feeling, since much of the novelty of a serial wears off after it's completed.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

The "serial" part appears to pertain only while the story is being created. I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to go find it, but they state that customers receive any episodes currently available at time of purchase, with future episodes delivered automatically when released. I suppose only active serials would then be in the program.


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

If they raise the price to $4.99 with the 70% rate, then yeah, I'd jump on that. Even with my serial out with 9 parts, the customer pays $7.92 (part 1 is free) and all I get because each is $.99 is $2.80. If it went $4.99, then customer saves $2.93 and I make $3.49. Everyone wins in that case. But most of the serials I see right now are about five parts long. I don't know - I'd need to see some more concrete answers before jumping on board. Serials do work if you find the right audience but how many writers would be willing to write 100k plus words for $1.39? I know the marketing would be much better than what an indie could do but I barely market and I make more. After a while, a serial markets itself. I'll be watching this.


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## Michelle Hughes (Dec 12, 2011)

Saul Tanpepper brought this up in a Writer's group and I think my consensus, is I'll wait to see how Amazon presents this and to what authors.  In theory, the idea might be worthy of pursuing, but how it's put forth would really be my concern.  I hope someone keeps me updated!


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

MegSilver said:


> This. Srsly.
> 
> I am working in serial, and while my price-point is extremely modest, their 1.99 model just made me snort in contempt. Not even for name recognition would I submit myself to that kind of pressure for uncertain compensation.


What if they offered to put you right bang in the middle of a shop window being stared at by 1 million consumers eager to buy a $1.99 serial?


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Danielle Kazemi said:


> After a while, a serial markets itself. I'll be watching this.


After a while a _traditional_ serial markets itself because each piece is an opportunity (several opportunities, I suppose) for discovery by new readers. As far as I can tell, you lose out on that, big time, with Serials - but gain, I suspect, in overall visibility - at least among people receptive to reading serials, which is what matters.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

MegSilver said:


> This. Srsly.
> 
> I am working in serial, and while my price-point is extremely modest, their 1.99 model just made me snort in contempt. Not even for name recognition would I submit myself to that kind of pressure for uncertain compensation.


But I did give away 200,000 copies of my book!


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

George Berger said:


> After a while a _traditional_ serial markets itself because each piece is an opportunity (several opportunities, I suppose) for discovery by new readers. As far as I can tell, you lose out on that, big time, with Serials - but gain, I suspect, in overall visibility - at least among people receptive to reading serials, which is what matters.


Very true. Just adding to basically one file over and over doesn't give you a visibility boost you'd get from uploaded it piece by piece.

(And if I am totally off and misunderstood your comment completely, forgive me for the coffee is taking long to brew.)


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## cdvsmx5 (May 23, 2012)

The pricing model is different than classic serials.  The innovation then was to open a market for inexpensive story chunks.
This is more like a subscription.  Subscription-fiction.  Sub-fic.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Great, now I've Schoolhouse rock going through my head: "Conjunction junction, what's your function..."


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Does anyone know how often episodes will be released? How many episodes are required for a single book?


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

The more I think of this, the more I think their pricing model undercuts everything that makes a serial interesting and different from a novel. By doing pay once pricing, you have an active financial incentive to not continue the series. If people paid by the installment, the longer it goes the better until the writer and their readers are done with it.

Say you have your serial and a vague plan for 10 episodes of 10,000 words. You get to the third and your sales are through the roof, you're having a blast writing it, and you can only thing of more stuff to write. In a real serial, you'd revamp your plans and go to 15 or 20 episodes or open ended. Instead under the Kindle Serial, you'd pitch a sequel serial *headdesk*


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

I'd like some more details about this program, but I'm very interested in it.  I think it could be a great chance to gain exposure.

And I wouldn't approach writing these serials in the same way I'd look at writing a novel.  The series would have an overarching storyline, but each episode would be a standalone story.  I'm actually excited about the idea, I'd just like more of an idea what an agreement to do one of these would entail, as far as author compensation and responsibilities (who does the editing, cover art, etc.) go.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Katie Elle said:


> By doing pay once pricing, you have an active financial incentive to not continue the series.


Your other points are valid, but I think the strongest motivation, regardless of the financial picture, is the impact on your reputation if you fail to deliver. Having said that, Ammy isn't just going to accept every Joe submitting. They'll want some assurance that an author won't renege. How they intend to do this is anyone's guess.

My hope is they'll be flexible with the pricing aspect.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

The interests of the author and the interests of Amazon may diverge here. Which generates the most revenue for Amazon?

1. Consumers pay $1.99 for each episode of serial? 

2. Consumers pay $1.99 per serial, and buy multiple serials? 

I don't know. 

Which option is more attractive to consumers? 

I suspect Amazon wants to make more money AND make consumers happier. That would trump making authors happier.


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

TattooedWriter said:


> If anyone is interested in writing a series in episodic format, you could always take a peek into my Secret Lair.....
> 
> http://thesecretstorylair.blogspot.com/


If you want to write a serial, read this. I was a network television writer, and i can tell you this is pretty much how we did it.

BTW, I think the serial thing has the potential to be HUGE. With the delivery system Amazon has in place, they could sell many, many subscriptions.

Plus, many readers are TV watchers, and are used to the form. I'm amazed at how many new novels are influenced by the hour TV dramatic structure.


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

Steeplechasing said:


> What if they offered to put you right bang in the middle of a shop window being stared at by 1 million consumers eager to buy a $1.99 serial?


Yes indeed.

Just like a TV show.


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## David Wisehart (Mar 2, 2010)

Among the first batch of Kindle Serials, Amazon is offering two release schedules: one episode per month and one episode every two weeks. I'm guessing it's the author who decides this, based on their writing schedule. I would prefer a faster schedule, like one episode per week.

The existing serials are doing quite well in the Amazon rankings, from the low 100s to the low 1000s. So they're selling right out of the gate. Amazon really hasn't pushed these titles much, other than the press release, the live announcement, and placement in the store. The announcement was buried in the roll-out of the new devices, so I don't think the concept of Kindle Serials has reached many readers yet. If the idea catches on, there's great growth potential here for those who can write compelling episodes.

I submitted my own proposal and sample episodes this morning.

No time like the present.

David

*UPDATE:* The Dickens episodes will be released weekly. Just read the first episode of _The Pickwick Papers_. Even though I know I can get the whole book for free, I think I'll enjoy reading it in weekly installments.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

> Your other points are valid, but I think the strongest motivation, regardless of the financial picture, is the impact on your reputation if you fail to deliver. Having said that, Ammy isn't just going to accept every Joe submitting. They'll want some assurance that an author won't renege. How they intend to do this is anyone's guess.


I didn't mean people will intentionally dial it in. Just that the one time payment means you're probably not going to extend it. So the real television metaphor here isn't a tv series, but a miniseries. Would the Simpsons have gone for 23 seasons if Matt Groening received a one time $1.99 payment for it? I don't think so.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Katie Elle said:


> Would the Simpsons have gone for 23 seasons if Matt Groening received a one time $1.99 payment for it? I don't think so.


In 1989, the first season of The Simpsons, the estimated audience was 13,354,500 viewers (according to http://classictvhits.com/tvratings/1989.htm). At $1.99 a pop, that's nearly $27 million. For argument's sake, let's say over the next 22 seasons The Simpsons only picked up 1 million new viewers per season. That would add an additional $44 million. And none of that is including other financial benefits Groening and crew would likely have picked up over those decades (endorsements, better pricing than the $1.99 due to popularity, etc). That's still close to $70 million.

I don't think Groening would have had much to be worried about. Admittedly, I'm sure he's made quite a bit more than $70 million from The Simpsons over the years, but as I mentioned, I also think the popularity of the show would have given him leverage to reach a better deal at some point.

Also, as I don't know the exact details, it's possible that 13,354,500 figure is not individual viewers but total viewership, meaning the same individuals could have watched the show more than once that season. I still think the money would be pretty impressive, especially by 1989 standards, and would hold the potential for more to be made.

If Amazon could provide a writer with numbers even 100th of those, I think most would be a fool to turn it down, contractual details depending, of course. And if a writer was that popular, I'm fairly certain he or she could bargain for a better percentage or higher price or something on their next serial/project.

Think big. Think with potential. Take chances.


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## CEMartin2 (May 26, 2012)

HOLY CRAP! It's my dream come true- to write pulpish adventure stories like the Doc Savage books of the 1930s!

I'm already on track, writing 50,000 word novels every other month (on the third now). breaking them up... wow. Awesome.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

Has anyone who submitted gotten a reply yet?


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## MegSilver (Feb 26, 2012)

Gutman said:


> Yes indeed.
> 
> Just like a TV show.


Two things (which are really aimed more at Steeplechasing, but still):

1) I'm writing an erotica serial, so I think the work _never_ can be bandied about with a fair amount of certainty, and
2) TV writers went on strike, didn't they? Why was that, again?


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## AJCooper (Sep 9, 2012)

The only thing holding me back is the 10,000 word requirement. When I write short, my max is about 5,000 words. 10,000 is more of novella-length for me, not an installment of a serial. Then again, some readers get mad when they buy something that short.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

EllenFisher said:


> Has anyone who submitted gotten a reply yet?


No word yet, but it hasn't even been a week yet, and I'm sure they were flooded with initial submissions.


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## Dave Walker (Jul 20, 2012)

As a reader I'm decidedly nervous about this whole thing. My gut reaction is that I will never buy a serialized novel, but it's early days yet and I don't have enough information.

Also, there's a distinction in my mind between a serialized novel and episodic stories. They are not the same thing. I would buy episodic stories no problem, as long as they were self contained stories linked by the background. If that is the case, however, why would a writer not just sell each episode individually?


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

EllenFisher said:


> Has anyone who submitted gotten a reply yet?


Me neither, but then again I wrote Ammy about my ongoing Gameland series (40K-50K/episode) before I thrice read their brief announcement and fully understood what they were doing. Not sure whether they'll jump on my sub or laugh it straight into the trash. *shrugs*

On a related topic, Glinda Harrison at the eBook Evangelist is 2 posts into a 3-post discussion about serialized novels. (Disclosure, today's post is mainly my guest post discussing my experiences publishing Gameland as a "pay once upfront" deal without Amazon's blessing, explaining how and why I did it and what the outcome has been). The link to Glinda's blog is here.



Dave Walker said:


> As a reader I'm decidedly nervous about this whole thing. My gut reaction is that I will never buy a serialized novel, but it's early days yet and I don't have enough information.
> 
> Also, there's a distinction in my mind between a serialized novel and episodic stories. They are not the same thing. I would buy episodic stories no problem, as long as they were self contained stories linked by the background. If that is the case, however, why would a writer not just sell each episode individually?


Admittedly, Gameland falls somewhere between the two categories. Each episode is not entirely self-contained, like they are in _Law and Order_. If you're a fan _The Walking Dead_ or _Game of Thrones_, that's what my series is like. As to why publish this way? My intention was to encourage buy-in early on. There are other advantages regarding royalty difference etc that I won't go into. Suffice it to say, I hope this format grows in popularity. I really enjoy the interaction I'm getting with my readers as the story unfolds.


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## Dave Walker (Jul 20, 2012)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> Each episode is not entirely self-contained, like they are in _Law and Order_. If you're a fan _The Walking Dead_ or _Game of Thrones_, that's what my series is like.


Just going to add a little bit of insight into the pyschology of this particular reader.

I'm currently reading the second book in the Game of Thrones series and am really enjoying it. I have no qualms dropping the full price on each of the novels.

If each novel had instead been published in 3-Chapter serials available once per month, I would _never _buy or read them.

Oddly, my experience in going between Book 1 and Book 2 reads like it's a serial epic, and each novel is just a serial of the greater work. Each serial being 300k+ words, of course. But that's what a series is. So perhaps I'm not against the idea of serials in general, just in practice. I would want them to be full length novels, in which case it's really just a normal series. Shorts simply don't enter into this equation.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

See, but that's a case of apples and oranges Dave, because ASOIAF was never intended to be read as a serial.  An example of a serial fantasy novel that would make a better barometer are Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone novels.  Originally they were published as short stories and novellas in various magazines that were later compiled into larger novels, so if you've ever read them or find occasion to, that'd give a better feel for what reading fantasy in serial form would be like.


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## glc3 (Jun 24, 2009)

You have to submit your serial to Amazon. Here is the link to the page with more detail: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_364921022_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000828741&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-10&pf_rd_r=1Y64JQXVZ2TB2K8KZ9C9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394483982&pf_rd_i=5044445011


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

I just submitted Require: Cookie, I'm already writing it as a serial, so it seems silly not to at least submit it.


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## bookworm77 (Mar 10, 2012)

Yes, it sounds very interesting. Thanks for the post.


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## Spinneyhead (Nov 4, 2010)

I just sent in my proposal.  It's based upon something I wrote as a serial already- in significantly shorter parts- for my blog.  I was going to dust it off and release it eventually, but it was so far down the list of things to do that waiting for the reply isn't going to hold me up at all.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

I didn't apply, because I already have a novel out as Episode 0, but I'm staring a serial before end of the month.

I expect to make at least 35cents x 10 fans = $3.50 per episode. And there's room for growth.


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## Pelenor (Nov 17, 2011)

ChristinaGarner said:


> I'm going to make a prediction: At least one TV show will come out of this program. Hollywood spends outrageous $$ developing a TV series--imagine if they could already have a built-in audience from a best-selling serial, AND already have the first season laid out...


Maybe not Hollywood but Amazon's own Production arm. http://studios.amazon.com/


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

I understand the financial factor of many sales at $1.99 being potentially worth a lot - but what I don't understand is how the serials will sell better than any other literature on offer at Amazon.

I have a sci fi burning away at the back of my mind, which I wanted to write sometime next year as a serial, but was just planning on releasing in the usual way - each for 99c.
I LOVE the idea of reader involvement etc but don't get how Amazon plans to get readers invested in the serials. I did read through the thread but am no wiser. Does anyone know?


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

EllenFisher said:


> Has anyone who submitted gotten a reply yet?


Bumped, in the hope someone might have an affirmative answer to this by now...


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

I submitted the very first day they announced it, but no reply either way yet.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

No reply yet either, so I'm just going to do it myself (20k episodes, 99c a shot, release the full novel afterwards at 4.95, that way it's the same price, no matter which way you read it).


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

Rin said:


> No reply yet either, so I'm just going to do it myself (20k episodes, 99c a shot, release the full novel afterwards at 4.95, that way it's the same price, no matter which way you read it).


I didn't submit, but I'm also putting out a serial. I've had about 20 people pick up the first episode, so that makes me happy. My episodes are shorter 10k or so, and the arc will likely be 5 episodes. I'll do the book version for a discount, likely 2.99 the same as my other books. So, it'll cost an extra $2 to read it ahead of time. I'm sure that, with all things, there will be a few people who don't like the financial aspect, but I'm trying to be completely up-front in all my descriptions. And, some of the episodes will likely be a lot longer than 10k.

I have to say I like the schedule. It's terrifying. I don't have the book written. I'm literally doing it as I go, though I have a basic outline in my head. I have to remember it's a fantasy story, pure escapism, and I should relax a bit and have fun with it, and hopefully the readers will too.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I didn't submit, but I'm also putting out a serial. I've had about 20 people pick up the first episode, so that makes me happy. My episodes are shorter 10k or so, and the arc will likely be 5 episodes. I'll do the book version for a discount, likely 2.99 the same as my other books. So, it'll cost an extra $2 to read it ahead of time. I'm sure that, with all things, there will be a few people who don't like the financial aspect, but I'm trying to be completely up-front in all my descriptions. And, some of the episodes will likely be a lot longer than 10k.
> 
> I have to say I like the schedule. It's terrifying. I don't have the book written. I'm literally doing it as I go, though I have a basic outline in my head. I have to remember it's a fantasy story, pure escapism, and I should relax a bit and have fun with it, and hopefully the readers will too.


Yeah, I'm going to be really upfront in the description so people don't feel like they're being cheated.

I've been serialising for a while now, so I've already got a bit of a fanbase ready to pick it up (and also word-of-mouth advertise it for me), but on top of that, regular releases will help to keep the series on the new releases list, so people will get used to seeing it there (episodes on the 13th of the month, short stories on the 27th), so hopefully they'll get curious.

My other mitigating factor is that people are free to read it on the site, so the Kindle editions basically become the convenience editions.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Len Edgerly of the Kindle Chronicles did a blogcast of Amazon's VP Publishing Jeff Belle regarding Serials on ~Sept 20th. Jeff intimated that they'd already acquired some from the submissions they'd received, but wasn't very forthcoming on much else. I suspect what they've acquired were already in the works before the announcement. I haven't heard anything on my sub, either, and it went in the day they announced.

Here's the blogcast: http://www.thekindlechronicles.com/2012/09/21/tkc-216-jeff-belle/


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

This does answer one question for me which is the price doesn't increase as more episodes get attached. That's a killing point for me. Because to put out one book for $1.99 nets me $1.39 max using the 70% as opposed to putting out eight (their standard number it seems) at $.99 which brings in $2.77 using the 35% model. Maybe it'd be worth it if Amazon did an excellent job promoting them - I'm not sure what they're doing.


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

MegSilver said:


> Two things (which are really aimed more at Steeplechasing, but still):
> 
> 1) I'm writing an erotica serial, so I think the work _never_ can be bandied about with a fair amount of certainty, and
> 2) TV writers went on strike, didn't they? Why was that, again?


That depends on which strike you are asking about.  I've lived through a couple.

But in general, the strikes have been about new media and how we would be paid, first for cable, and now the Net. The formulas for payment do not exactly make TV writers rich. I remember how much per episode I lost when a network show I wrote for was sold to cable instead of standard syndication. We all lost a great deal of money on that deal.

I do see the Amazon Serials as a potentially good deal for writers. The devil, of course, is in the details. To be really like a series, it should have a mechanism where, according to demand, another "season" could be launched. One could argue that the pricing structure is not good for writers, but there is another way to look at it. If Amazon can put your series in front of a huge number of readers, and you can continue to write new seasons and keep the series going, then new readers will find the series as time goes on, just as new viewers find TV series year after year. That has the potential to be a huge revenue stream, even with a one-time payment.

Too soon to tell. But once again, Amazon is willing to try new ideas.

G


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Gutman said:


> Too soon to tell. But once again, Amazon is willing to try new ideas.
> 
> G


Apparently only after a lot of begging and pleading and road testing by others first. Okay, call me bitter... *grumble grumble*


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

Having just gotten sucked into reading a serial (Dalya's!) I have some thoughts about it from a readers perspective now. At first, I was really excited to be reading it episodically, wanted to keep reading about the characters and world and get new episodes regularly. But then something struck me that I didn't like. And this is probably one of the shallowest reasons to not like serials put out as individual ebooks, but I realised that I didn't want a whole bunch of little episodes clogging up my kindle. I know that might sound weird, it's not like it can fill up or anything and some people have no doubt thousands of ebooks in their kindle account, but I like mine to be clean and organised. Amazon's version of having the one file that gets updated with new content (is that how it works?) seems much better to me. Just my random opinion on the matter. Knowing me I'd end up having to buy the final compiled book as well to keep in my collection and delete or archive the episodes just to keep things neat. Wait, maybe that is a good thing for authors...
Another thought struck me to. Those who are releasing serials on your own, how are you managing the covers? Do you have one cover per season with just minor changes per episode (colour, title) or do you do a whole new cover? That's going to get expensive if you have a cover per episode but I'm guessing that's not how it's going to work for most. 
Also, will you remove all of the episodes from sale once the compilation comes out, or leave them available? It's something I'm interested in trying and I'm curious about the workings of it all.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Selina Fenech said:


> Having just gotten sucked into reading a serial (Dalya's!) I have some thoughts about it from a readers perspective now. At first, I was really excited to be reading it episodically, wanted to keep reading about the characters and world and get new episodes regularly. But then something struck me that I didn't like. And this is probably one of the shallowest reasons to not like serials put out as individual ebooks, but I realised that I didn't want a whole bunch of little episodes clogging up my kindle. I know that might sound weird, it's not like it can fill up or anything and some people have no doubt thousands of ebooks in their kindle account, but I like mine to be clean and organised. Amazon's version of having the one file that gets updated with new content (is that how it works?) seems much better to me. Just my random opinion on the matter. Knowing me I'd end up having to buy the final compiled book as well to keep in my collection and delete or archive the episodes just to keep things neat. Wait, maybe that is a good thing for authors...
> Another thought struck me to. Those who are releasing serials on your own, how are you managing the covers? Do you have one cover per season with just minor changes per episode (colour, title) or do you do a whole new cover? That's going to get expensive if you have a cover per episode but I'm guessing that's not how it's going to work for most.
> Also, will you remove all of the episodes from sale once the compilation comes out, or leave them available? It's something I'm interested in trying and I'm curious about the workings of it all.


I'm doing one cover per book, just changing the episode number and title - but to mitigate this sameyness, I'm commissioning art for each short story (expensive, but I can reuse the art as banner, avatars, etc).

As to the cloggigng up of lists - I'm going to give a free copy of the compilation for each person who has bought the episodes.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Selina Fenech said:


> Having just gotten sucked into reading a serial (Dalya's!) I have some thoughts about it from a readers perspective now. At first, I was really excited to be reading it episodically, wanted to keep reading about the characters and world and get new episodes regularly. But then something struck me that I didn't like. And this is probably one of the shallowest reasons to not like serials put out as individual ebooks, but I realised that I didn't want a whole bunch of little episodes clogging up my kindle. I know that might sound weird, it's not like it can fill up or anything and some people have no doubt thousands of ebooks in their kindle account, but I like mine to be clean and organised. Amazon's version of having the one file that gets updated with new content (is that how it works?) seems much better to me. Just my random opinion on the matter. Knowing me I'd end up having to buy the final compiled book as well to keep in my collection and delete or archive the episodes just to keep things neat. Wait, maybe that is a good thing for authors...
> Another thought struck me to. Those who are releasing serials on your own, how are you managing the covers? Do you have one cover per season with just minor changes per episode (colour, title) or do you do a whole new cover? That's going to get expensive if you have a cover per episode but I'm guessing that's not how it's going to work for most.
> Also, will you remove all of the episodes from sale once the compilation comes out, or leave them available? It's something I'm interested in trying and I'm curious about the workings of it all.


I offer individual episodes, two-episode packages and the entire series package, all with their own covers. I, too, would rather have one book on my Kindle. The on-going series package gets updated with each new installment released, and customers are notified and instructed how to get the updates. It's not as automatic as the Kindle Serials program, and it has had its difficulties, but it does work. My customers know ahead of time that this is an experiment, and as a trade-off, have gotten the series at substantial discount. When I'm finished in Dec, I'll leave all the files up so customers can have a choice of buying individual episodes or packages.


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## BJ Whittington (Aug 30, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I didn't apply, because I already have a novel out as Episode 0, but I'm staring a serial before end of the month.
> 
> I expect to make at least 35cents x 10 fans = $3.50 per episode. And there's room for growth.


Unless I am wrong. You would only be paid ONCE, not per episode.

From Amazon:
Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

BJ Whittington said:


> Unless I am wrong. You would only be paid ONCE, not per episode.
> 
> From Amazon:
> Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost.


Dalya is serializing it on her own, not through Amazon's serials program. She is charging 99 cents per episode, sold separately.


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I didn't apply, because I already have a novel out as Episode 0, but I'm staring a serial before end of the month.
> 
> I expect to make at least 35cents x 10 fans = $3.50 per episode. And there's room for growth.


I like your thinking, Dayla!


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

On covers:

Here's another idea. If you are truly planning to do a series and not a _mini-series_, why not one cover per season, with just the episode title or BG color changing? Then, with each new season, a new cover.

To me, the entire power of the idea of a series is its similarity to what TV episodic shows do: multiple seasons, lots of time to build a fan base. TV Shows don't change main titles every week; some change with a new season.

( BTW--Tattooed Writer explains the mechanics of a series very well on his blog.)


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

More about covers:

I was writing something a little while back and decided that it was better as a serial. I use the same cover, but adjust it for each episode. The cover art was $ and goes well with the story, so I wanted to use it for all of them. Here r the covers so far:
























I also have another serial where the background color and title font change for each episode. It's easy to tell they go together.


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

H.M. Ward said:


> More about covers:
> 
> I was writing something a little while back and decided that it was better as a serial. I use the same cover, but adjust it for each episode. The cover art was $ and goes well with the story, so I wanted to use it for all of them. Here r the covers so far:
> 
> ...


A very clever use of what is basically a single image for your series. Just enough of a difference to let readers know it's a new episode, yet keeps within a theme. Brava.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

H.M. Ward said:


> More about covers:
> 
> I was writing something a little while back and decided that it was better as a serial. I use the same cover, but adjust it for each episode. The cover art was $ and goes well with the story, so I wanted to use it for all of them. Here r the covers so far:
> 
> ...


That looks quite lovely, HM.

I'm my own cover designer, so that wasn't really an issue for me. I was just psyched to have a chance to make a bunch of new covers again. Heh.










That said, if you're doing a serial, I would almost think it's better to have one cover for all of the books with numbers/colors swapped. Easier brand recognition. I just... can't control myself.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

smreine said:


> That said, if you're doing a serial, I would almost think it's better to have one cover for all of the books with numbers/colors swapped. Easier brand recognition. I just... can't control myself.


I think though, in your case, you've your big title block, so you'll get your series recognition that way.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Rin said:


> I think though, in your case, you've your big title block, so you'll get your series recognition that way.


Yeah, that was the plan. Uh... maybe more like the hope. It's not all that well planned out, tbh--I just really wanted to use swirly, swooshy fonts.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

LOL smreine.  You sound like me.  Half of my shorter works arose from me being bored and making random covers that sat on my hard drive until I came up with stories for them.


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## CEMartin2 (May 26, 2012)

Any news on the Amazon Serials hunt?


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

CEMartin2 said:


> Any news on the Amazon Serials hunt?


As someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, those who did get serials news from Amazon probably had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.


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