# Serials on Amazon



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Hay guise! 

Who has an active serial out there right now? I want to stalk you. (Yes, I am being super lazy about doing my market research. I feel like it's easier to just ask than dig around in tags and whatnot for hours.)

Feel free to link to serials by other authors, too.  I'm an equal opportunity stalker.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Sky-Darts-Episode-ebook/dp/B009PXF8Y6/

http://www.amazon.com/Serial-Summer-ebook/dp/B009K8QM1O

two friends'


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## DCBourone (Sep 10, 2012)

General Nuisance,

Have considerable interest in serialization, and methods to render said
entirely under our control.  Perhaps, a substantial perma-free sample.
Followed by segments/sections/'stories' of a larger work offered ONLY
AS SAMPLES TO BE VIEWED on Amazon/other sites, with the specific
caveat that the visible works will be included as UPDATES to another
work.  We serialize our own stuff, as UPDATES to a SINGLE TITLE.

I see Gameland below already managing to do this.  Excellent.


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## Thomas Watson (Mar 8, 2012)

The War of the Second Iteration (Luck of Han'anga) is a serial. Technically. 

It'll only really count here when Book Two is out.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

DCBourone said:


> We serialize our own stuff, as UPDATES to a SINGLE TITLE.


We've been doing this with the GAMELAND series. Some glitches with Ammy notifying customers of updates and/or customers having to wait for updates showing up in their "Manage Your Kindle" page, but otherwise it's gone fairly smoothly. I requested a serialization system back in April and ammy said it wasn't possible. I guess it is possible after all.

When I subbed GAMELAND to their serials program, they never replied. Turns out Sean Platt's Z 2143 is pretty much the exact same story. Drats.


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## the quiet one (Aug 13, 2012)

Found this one, written by someone named Dalya Moon. The author's name rings a bell...

Broken Shell Island #2, Episode #1 - A Long Way From Home


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks, folks. Keep them coming! I'm full of stalkery creepiness this week.

HM, I'll let you know if I have any questions for you. In the meantime, I'm just going to lurk outside your bushes with binoculars. That's okay, right?


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm actually curious about how serials have been doing for others. From looking at the reviews on Amazon, some readers lover it, while others are firmly against it.

For those that already have serials out there, what kind of reaction have you gotten? Have sales been okay enough to back up that gut feeling you had to do it?

I'm on the fence right now about a collection of serials (which I'm halfway finished with) but I cannot figure out if it would be better to publish it in parts or as a single novel.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Erin Lark said:


> I'm actually curious about how serials have been doing for others. From looking at the reviews on Amazon, some readers lover it, while others are firmly against it.
> 
> For those that already have serials out there, what kind of reaction have you gotten? Have sales been okay enough to back up that gut feeling you had to do it?
> 
> I'm on the fence right now about a collection of serials (which I'm halfway finished with) but I cannot figure out if it would be better to publish it in parts or as a single novel.


My readers seem to be enjoying it. I'm using it to engage with them more on my FB page, so I'm letting them name characters, suggest plot points, and change the course of the story--in some really big ways--and it's a lot of fun for everyone (me included!). Of course, I think everyone prefers longer books, but I can never write a long enough book to satisfy everyone.  Each of my episodes is also a standalone story, so I haven't really heard any complaints.

Episode 1 of my serial has been out for a bit over two weeks and sold 300-ish copies. Episode 2 came out two days ago and has sold somewhere in the range of 40, but I'm too lazy to check. It's not much money at 99c, but it's tons of fun. I can't say yet if the sales justify the time investment. Since I write really fast, it's not like I'm losing out on anything.

I'm not sure how that info should influence your serial decision. If you already have an entire book's worth of content written, I would probably publish it whole instead of segmenting it, unless it's really in serial format.



Chrystalla said:


> Just popping in to say I'm reading Dark Union and love it (first time I read one of your books). I'm a fan.
> 
> OK, to the topic: I have a series. Is that the same as a serial?
> 
> It's "Elei's Chronicles". Books 1 and 2 are in my signature (Rex Rising and Rex Cresting), and book 3 is coming out in a couple of weeks. It's YA dystopian science fiction.


Chrystalla, Dark Union's an interesting place to jump into the series. I hope it's not confusing you too much. It's the least violent of my UF books, though, so I suppose it's a good way not to scare you off... heheh. 

Serials and series aren't quite the same thing. Series are to Star Wars what serials are to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If that makes any sense. Probably not.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

smreine said:


> My readers seem to be enjoying it. I'm using it to engage with them more on my FB page, so I'm letting them name characters, suggest plot points, and change the course of the story--in some really big ways--and it's a lot of fun for everyone (me included!). Of course, I think everyone prefers longer books, but I can never write a long enough book to satisfy everyone.  Each of my episodes is also a standalone story, so I haven't really heard any complaints.
> 
> Episode 1 of my serial has been out for a bit over two weeks and sold 300-ish copies. Episode 2 came out two days ago and has sold somewhere in the range of 40, but I'm too lazy to check. It's not much money at 99c, but it's tons of fun. I can't say yet if the sales justify the time investment. Since I write really fast, it's not like I'm losing out on anything.
> 
> I'm not sure how that info should influence your serial decision. If you already have an entire book's worth of content written, I would probably publish it whole instead of segmenting it, unless it's really in serial format.


I actually started writing it, intended as a serial. I've made it so every part can stand alone, but to get the full story arc, you need to read all four parts. I have two parts done, and have the other two outlined. I'd love to see how this works, but I'm also really nervous about it.

This is going to be my first self-published piece of erotica (I've done fantasy in the past) and it's also my first serial. It's a huge experiment, and I fear both failure as well as success.


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

smreine said:


> My readers seem to be enjoying it. I'm using it to engage with them more on my FB page, so I'm letting them name characters, suggest plot points, and change the course of the story--in some really big ways--and it's a lot of fun for everyone (me included!). Of course, I think everyone prefers longer books, but I can never write a long enough book to satisfy everyone.  Each of my episodes is also a standalone story, so I haven't really heard any complaints.


This, I have to say, is one of the best things about serials. I like being able to give the little nods to the audience. One of the first reviewers I had for my series who, at the end when I asked what they wanted to see next, said she'd like me to put in a young dragon named Jayson. He is making an appearance in November. I was fully intent on killing off a character but when the readers started asking for him to become the main love interest, it took me for a loop. And it does give great ideas.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

ajalbrinck said:


> Found this one, written by someone named Dalya Moon. The author's name rings a bell...
> 
> Broken Shell Island #2, Episode #1 - A Long Way From Home


Oh, I didn't mention that, because the author had an emotional meltdown and existential crisis and bad hair day all at once and has postponed numbers 3-5. She does feel like a horrible person, but her family is grateful.

Lesson here: Serials may kill you. 

ETA: I'm totally fine. It's nothing too disastrous, but I do have another business I run, which is my primary/only income source, and it's coming up to our busy season. I overcommitted myself, but had the sense to postpone some things so I could ... spend more time on KB of course!!!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Danielle Kazemi said:


> This, I have to say, is one of the best things about serials. I like being able to give the little nods to the audience. One of the first reviewers I had for my series who, at the end when I asked what they wanted to see next, said she'd like me to put in a young dragon named Jayson. He is making an appearance in November. I was fully intent on killing off a character but when the readers started asking for him to become the main love interest, it took me for a loop. And it does give great ideas.


The ideas really are fantastic. One of my readers said, "Such and such character has to get pregnant. Obviously." And it was like, "...oh... my... GAWD. You're RIGHT." It's like applying the power of a dozen brains to develop the best story possible. They see things I could never begin to come up with on my own.



Erin Lark said:


> This is going to be my first self-published piece of erotica (I've done fantasy in the past) and it's also my first serial. It's a huge experiment, and I fear both failure as well as success.


Erotic serials are a very different animal. It's not _easier_, strictly speaking (I know I would suck at an erotic serial), but I think readers are more prepared for it. I hope you do well. 



Dalya said:


> Lesson here: Serials may kill you.


There is a very obvious joke about serial killers in there somewhere.


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

I've just launched my very first serial.

Episode One is now live - (see signature).

Episode Two will be ready to go next week.

Stalk me! Stalk me! Stalk me!!!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Steve Vernon said:


> I've just launched my very first serial.
> 
> Episode One is now live - (see signature).
> 
> ...


*adds Steve Vernon's photo to my wall-of-faces-pasted-to-cutouts-of-models-from-magazines*


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Thank you for the well wishes, SMReine.


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

smreine said:


> *adds Steve Vernon's photo to my wall-of-faces-pasted-to-cutouts-of-models-from-magazines*


I bet you all the other photos got jealous, now didn't they?

Did the wall hold up? Full-sized photo of this old couch-potato would put an awful lot of stress and strain on a house wall!


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## ChristinaGarner (Aug 31, 2011)

I have absolutely nothing to add to this discussion other than I'm enjoying and grateful for the info.


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## Thomas Watson (Mar 8, 2012)

Steve Vernon said:


> I've just launched my very first serial.
> 
> Episode One is now live - (see signature).
> 
> ...


Uh, dude? She has a knife.

Just sayin'...


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thomas Watson said:


> Uh, dude? She has a knife.
> 
> Just sayin'...


You say that like it isn't normal.

I'm really normal.

Like... _really _normal.


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## Jarrett Rush (Jun 19, 2010)

I've got a serial that I launched at the end of last year. Two parts out so far, and I'm not releasing them anywhere near quickly enough. They are about a small group of cops and the literal monsters they chase. Sales are non-existent even thought they are a ton of fun to write. And read, I think. The first part is here.

http://www.amazon.com/Reunion-Jackson-Cane-Adventures-ebook/dp/B006BO4B68/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351311533&sr=8-3&keywords=Jarrett+Rush

And part 2 is here.

http://www.amazon.com/Scouts-Jackson-Cane-Adventures-ebook/dp/B008LQXVB0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1351311533&sr=8-5&keywords=Jarrett+Rush

Feel free to stalk away. But now that I know you're trying serials also, then I'm going to stalk you back.


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## Thomas Watson (Mar 8, 2012)

A shiny blade _does_ make a rather bold fashion statement.


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## The world would be prettier with more zebra strip (Apr 20, 2011)

Don't forget these two. I just did a review of Mirrorfall on my site too. Def good!


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Not too confused, no. More intrigued.
> 
> As for the serial thing... Still trying to get it. Does it mean the parts of it (episodes?) are very short and not self contained? More like scenes in the overall story?


If you want to know more about how serials work, you should check TW's blog, it is amazing: The Secret Lair.


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

The key three words to remember are "TO BE CONTINUED".

Think about that television series Cliffhangers. Anyone remember that?

A "series" is a group of novels that are separate yet connected. You can buy one, read it, and it ends - but is connected with a longer story arc. Think about Rick Riordan's LIGHTNING THIEF series.

A "serial" is a single novel released in pieces - as Chrystalla said.

The recent excitement over serial fiction began late this summer, when Amazon put out a call for Kindle serials - written along the same idea as the Dickens novels that would come out - one chapter at a time - in the American newspapers.

Think episodic fiction.

The idea is that the author pays an initial charge of $1.99 and then the novel is sent to his Kindle - one episode a week (or so) without any further charge. In effect, you buy a "subscription" to a novel written in five or six parts. Each part should be about 10-12,000 words in length - with an appropriate "cliff hanger" style ending.

Think about Stephen King's initial release of his novel THE GREEN MILE. It was originally released in six very cool separate mini-novels.

Amazon has put out a call for submissions.
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=0JTPY7GMC1EPM1SQPS66&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1394483982&pf_rd_i=5044445011

As TW in the aforementioned THE SECRET LAIR decided - I came to the conclusion that I wanted to publish my Kindle serial separately from the Amazon program. The one thing I COULDN'T figure out how to do was to charge an initial subscription rate. So I have opted to sell each segment separately - at the low fee of 99 cents.

There were authors out there who were already releasing serials before Amazon decided to make it a program. YESTERDAY'S GONE is a good example. http://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Gone-Post-Apocalyptic-Thriller-ebook/dp/B005FHO9AU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351328692&sr=1-1&keywords=yesterday%27s+gone+episode+1

Hope that helps some.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Cliffhangers, wow, that's really going to the wayback machine. The only thing I remember about it is that Michael Nouri played a vampire...


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## 60911 (Jun 13, 2012)

smreine said:


> You say that like it isn't normal.
> 
> I'm really normal.
> 
> Like... _really _normal.


Crazy is the new normal. And there's nothing wrong with carrying a few swords around, because you just never know when some epic evil is going to demand a throw down. I'm speaking, of course, of the teenager behind the counter at McDonald's who doesn't understand the simple request, "No onions." Also, that kid in front of me in The Dark Knight Rises who kept texting during the movie. That'll learn 'em. Evil must be confronted whenever it rears its (often pimply) head, and a blade at your side keeps you ready for these important moments when the tide of darkness must be driven back with all necessary force.

A friend of mine is releasing a sci-fi serial. He's released up to episode 3 and here's the link.

http://www.amazon.com/ALPHASHOCK-Episode-1-ebook/dp/B0083PD5GU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351334993&sr=1-1&keywords=Alphashock


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

I appreciate the blog, TW. I realize I may have to change a few things in my arc as I don't have a big 'shake up' planned.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Serial:










Kindle Serial:










Any questions?


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## Thomas Watson (Mar 8, 2012)

David Adams said:


> Serial:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just one: How does the Kindle hold up to milk?


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

I have two ideas for serials, both of which would be contemporary women's fiction.  Before I'll touch either, though, I have a NaNoWriMo novel to write and a full-length novel that I've dubbed a romantic dramedy that's finished but in edits.  So, yeah, the serials aren't even going to see the light of day until next year.

What's nice, though, is it'll give me time to watch how some of the other KB authors are doing.  I'm also reading two of the Amazon Kindle Serials releases, Hacker Mom and The Many Lives of Lilith Lane, as additional research.  

The good thing about my personal delay is I think I'll have an official author page ready to go by the time I start working on them.  Sara, I think I'll stalk you a bit because I'm also interested in having audience feedback determine some of what happens in my serials.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

Dam_Good said:


> Don't forget these two. I just did a review of Mirrorfall on my site too. Def good!


Oh, yus, that's mine. ^_^

Thanks for making this thread, I had planned on doing something similar (since there seems to be a few people doing serials now). 

Each month, I release one part of a novel (20k word episodes) and one short story - with the day job, I'm not really in a position to accelerate any faster, and this gives me a fortnightly schedule I can easily keep up with.


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## BrentNichols (Mar 18, 2011)

And then there's Juke Pop Serials. Has anyone tried these guys? I think they only opened their doors in the last month or two.

http://www.jukepopserials.com/


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

TattooedWriter said:


> Mignon:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll take one of each.

Thanks for the recommendations, guys. I actually have Require: Cookie on my Kindle, but it's behind... um... about a zillion other books on my TBR. They need to make a show for book hoarders. I would call it: _Book Hoarders_. What do you think? Good premise?


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

TattooedWriter said:


> Minion:


I'm a good minion!  Although I don't think I'm as well cooked...


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Fun fact! _Mignon_ (in French) means "cute." So you can use that word for David Adams and his pinchable cheekies as well.

Oh yeah, I went there. *pinch*


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

smreine said:


> Thanks for the recommendations, guys. I actually have Require: Cookie on my Kindle, but it's behind... um... about a zillion other books on my TBR. They need to make a show for book hoarders. I would call it: _Book Hoarders_. What do you think? Good premise?


1) *incomprehensible squeeing noise* Butbutyou'reSMReineandyouboughtmybookthat'skindareallyawesome.
2) No, everyone you asked to participate would go "too busy, reading". If you could set up some sort of automated tracker though, that grabbed people's TBR piles and tracked what common books people had, and how many people buy but don't read, etc, that would be cool.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

smreine said:


> Fun fact! _Mignon_ (in French) means "cute." So you can use that word for David Adams and his pinchable cheekies as well.
> 
> Oh yeah, I went there. *pinch*


^^^ This.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

smreine said:


> Fun fact! _Mignon_ (in French) means "cute." So you can use that word for David Adams and his pinchable cheekies as well.
> 
> Oh yeah, I went there. *pinch*


Tee hee!


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## Thomas Watson (Mar 8, 2012)

I'm sure I saw a fire hose around here somewhere. . .


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Chrystalla said:


> Reviving this thread 'cause I have a question: SM Reine mentioned that her "episodes" are standalone stories - but all form part of one long story, with the same protagonists?
> And is this how all of you guys do it - or are your episodes like sections in a book, with no definite ending?


Basically, they're like mini novels that are 10k words each, and although they have a little "reminder" at the beginnings/scattered throughout about what happened, you can't really read the episodes out of order whereas you can for a novel series. In fact I've had a number of people email me saying that they read _Sands of Karathi_ before they read _Demons of the Void_ even though Sands picks up right after Demons. I pity the fool that reads _Rakshasa _out of order though.



Spoiler



Off topic, but sometimes in my darker moments I worry that because Sands gets a lot higher feedback than Demons (and is objectively the better story) I should just pretend that Sands is the first one, then rewrite Demons. :/


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Yeah, I give them all a little ":" and a title. Yeah, it's the Rakshasa serial.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Reviving this thread 'cause I have a question: SM Reine mentioned that her "episodes" are standalone stories - but all form part of one long story, with the same protagonists?
> And is this how all of you guys do it - or are your episodes like sections in a book, with no definite ending?


Hi Chrystalla! You should really get a look at TW's blog about serials, he explains how he does it: http://thesecretstorylair.blogspot.fr/
It's full of great tips exclusively about serials - too bad he doesn't update it these days! I love to read his blog posts.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Chrys, start at the very beginning of the blog. He basically covers everything from writing the stories to wrap up and such like that. It was super helpful when I was working on the last half to All He Desires.

http://thesecretstorylair.blogspot.fr/2012_08_01_archive.html

For my serial, I had an overall arc to get finished by the end of part/book 4, as well as smaller arcs that were tied up at the end of each one. However, I did create a few questions at the end of each part as to intrigue readers to read the next one. Like David, I kind of give a short look back on what happened earlier in the series/season before jumping into the next piece.

Overall, it was a lot of fun to do. I admit it took a bit of planning, and there were times I wanted to quit because I had to keep track of things, but it's been worth it.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Chrys, I just started publishing a little under 2 weeks ago. It's the All He Desires series


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I have a question I doubt anyone can answer.   But do serials sell any better/worse than regular (non-serial) short stories? I know several KBers are experimenting with this new format but haven't heard how it's going for them.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Dara, I'm not sure how they do compared to shorts as I have yet to put one online. However, compared to the release sales I had with my fantasy (or even after doing a free run with select), the numbers from releasing a new part of the serial has had better numbers (for me). Of course, this may have more to do with the genre than it being a serial.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Dara England said:


> I have a question I doubt anyone can answer.  But do serials sell any better/worse than regular (non-serial) short stories? I know several KBers are experimenting with this new format but haven't heard how it's going for them.


I just saw a fellow writer announce publication of "episode one" of a sequel to a novel. It's the first five chapters. He's releasing it as a serial, but I think in this case he's making a mistake. I think in most cases, readers are not going to want to read a partial book, especially if it takes a month to get the next installment. Every "episode" must be a package, with its own story arc and new issues to be solved by the end of that episode. Simply breaking up a book and publishing the parts because of convenience or because of some misguided idea that serializing encourages sales and interest is a bad practice.

Now, as to serial "episodes" versus short stories, for me, my GAMELAND series sells way more books than any of my short stories. But then again, each of my episodes is quite long (averaging ~45K). I wouldn't draw any conclusions about this, and I certainly wouldn't want to extrapolate my experiences to make any sort of predictions for anyone else.


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

I don't have a serial just yet, but my plan is to publish my next book chapter by chapter til it's done and out. I'm thinking 99 cents for a good, thick, juicy chapter. If I have two or three short chapters, I'll bundle them.

I'm doing this because it takes me about two years to get a book out (I have a demanding other job and demanding other commitments) and I like to take my time doing fifth and six drafts anyway and because I keep hearing the mantra, "Put out more product..." Is there a downside to this? I dunno.

Anyway, this isn't high-quality intelligence, but I suppose almost any information is useful.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Chrystalla said:


> I still can't get over the covers of your serial. They're awesome.


Thank you!  Honestly I have KB, and especially Dalya Moon, to thank for it: the amount of feedback I got was _awesome_ and really helped shape the covers into something not crap.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Dara England said:


> I have a question I doubt anyone can answer.  But do serials sell any better/worse than regular (non-serial) short stories? I know several KBers are experimenting with this new format but haven't heard how it's going for them.


Rakshasa Part I came out late last month, but the current rate of sales (for all markets) is as follows:

Rakshasa - 57 sales, 3 borrows, 1111 giveaways.
Rakshasa: Aurora - 14 sales, 1 borrows, 0 giveaways.
Rakshasa: Tigerheart - 2 sales, 0 borrows, 0 giveaways.

Which, for me, isn't too bad at all.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

TattooedWriter said:


> I'm still updating the blog when I get chance but my Christmas writing schedule seems to have eaten all my time at the moment. The Secret Lair is still an ongoing project.


Oh, don't mind me, of course you have things to do, who hasn't! 
I'm just a selfish, avid reader of your blog. I'm an addict, really.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

TBC said:


> I don't have a serial just yet, but my plan is to publish my next book chapter by chapter til it's done and out. I'm thinking 99 cents for a good, thick, juicy chapter. If I have two or three short chapters, I'll bundle them.
> 
> I'm doing this because it takes me about two years to get a book out (I have a demanding other job and demanding other commitments) and I like to take my time doing fifth and six drafts anyway and because I keep hearing the mantra, "Put out more product..." Is there a downside to this? I dunno.
> 
> Anyway, this isn't high-quality intelligence, but I suppose almost any information is useful.


I honestly would recommend against doing this. Releasing a novel in chapters isn't a serial, it's a serialized novel (which is very different). You may upset readers, not only with the short length, but also with the lack of an ending (possibly for months according to your work).

It's one thing to put out an 'episode' with a cliffhanger, and something else entirely to give readers a chapter of backstory and expect them to buy the next one.

If you don't have your entire book done, I suggest you finish the story first. If you start releasing chapters now, the story might change later on, and then you're pretty much screwed.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Dara England said:


> I have a question I doubt anyone can answer.  But do serials sell any better/worse than regular (non-serial) short stories? I know several KBers are experimenting with this new format but haven't heard how it's going for them.


My serial sells much better than my short stories. Heck, better than some of my novellas, too. My serial has cumulatively sold 2000+ copies between three episodes (over about six weeks), whereas I have a standalone novella that's only sold... oh, maybe forty copies.  It helps a bit that my serial is extending a series with preexisting readers, so it's not like I had to start from scratch on it. I already had a few people waiting for that serial.

I still love my novellas, though.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

TBC said:


> I don't have a serial just yet, but my plan is to publish my next book chapter by chapter til it's done and out. I'm thinking 99 cents for a good, thick, juicy chapter. If I have two or three short chapters, I'll bundle them.
> 
> I'm doing this because it takes me about two years to get a book out (I have a demanding other job and demanding other commitments) and I like to take my time doing fifth and six drafts anyway and because I keep hearing the mantra, "Put out more product..." Is there a downside to this? I dunno.
> 
> Anyway, this isn't high-quality intelligence, but I suppose almost any information is useful.


Please reconsider. If it's early feedback you want, or just to share the work and get it out there to generate some early buzz, consider publishing it on your blog. Engage your fans. Then, when you've finished, publish the whole book and charge for it. You can even tell your readers (upfront) that they are more than welcome to follow along for free, but but that you'll only be publishing the ending (ie., the full, finished product) as an ebook, which they'll have to buy to find out what happens.

I'm just not sure a chapter or two, no matter how meaty, will pay dividend. Serializing doesn't work unless you can promise 1) the work WILL absolutely be finished by some set time _and _2) each chunk fulfills some minimum level of reader satisfaction (a "beginning, middle, and end," which is hard to do is a single chapter or two).

Having said that, there are other ways to incentivize readers through serializing. For example, as I did by promising a low price with early buy-in, which I describe in a guest post here: http://ebookevangelist.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/kindle-serials-part-two/

There's also the idea of publishing chapters as updates to your blog and then publishing the blog through Kindle through their Blogs and Periodicals subscription service. A customer subscribes to the "book" and so gets all chapters that get published within the subscription period.

In any case, expecting customers to pay each time to read a chapter or two is, in my opinion, ill-advised.


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

Erin Lark said:


> I honestly would recommend against doing this. Releasing a novel in chapters isn't a serial, it's a serialized novel (which is very different). You may upset readers, not only with the short length, but also with the lack of an ending (possibly for months according to your work).
> 
> It's one thing to put out an 'episode' with a cliffhanger, and something else entirely to give readers a chapter of backstory and expect them to buy the next one.
> 
> If you don't have your entire book done, I suggest you finish the story first. If you start releasing chapters now, the story might change later on, and then you're pretty much screwed.


Agreed. My advice exactly.


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> Please reconsider. If it's early feedback you want, or just to share the work and get it out there to generate some early buzz, consider publishing it on your blog. Engage your fans. Then, when you've finished, publish the whole book and charge for it. You can even tell your readers (upfront) that they are more than welcome to follow along for free, but but that you'll only be publishing the ending (ie., the full, finished product) as an ebook, which they'll have to buy to find out what happens.
> 
> I'm just not sure a chapter or two, no matter how meaty, will pay dividend. Serializing doesn't work unless you can promise 1) the work WILL absolutely be finished by some set time _and _2) each chunk fulfills some minimum level of reader satisfaction (a "beginning, middle, and end," which is hard to do is a single chapter or two).
> 
> ...


Thank you for this advice, Saul. But I'm a bit stubborn and am still considering. Publishing a novel in serial form has a long history: Dickens, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Wilkie Collins, Wodehouse, and more recently, Tom Wolfe and Michael Chabon, have done it. The thing to do would be to guarantee a new chapter or bundled smaller chapters every month, which I could do. And my chapters or bundled chapters are certainly just as "long" as pieces that I've seen described as shorts or novelettes.

I wonder if anyone else on the Boards has tried this, or whether I'm just being absolutely tone-deaf.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

TBC said:


> Thank you for this advice, Saul. But I'm a bit stubborn and am still considering. Publishing a novel in serial form has a long history: Dickens, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Wilkie Collins, Wodehouse, and more recently, Tom Wolfe and Michael Chabon, have done it. The thing to do would be to guarantee a new chapter or bundled smaller chapters every month, which I could do. And my chapters or bundled chapters are certainly just as "long" as pieces that I've seen described as shorts or novelettes.
> 
> I wonder if anyone else on the Boards has tried this, or whether I'm just being absolutely tone-deaf.


If you're really attached to that idea, I'd probably release the chapters for free on your blog/website first and put it on sale when you're actually finished. Folks really shouldn't be expected to pay for incomplete fragments of a book.


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

smreine said:


> If you're really attached to that idea, I'd probably release the chapters for free on your blog/website first and put it on sale when you're actually finished. Folks really shouldn't be expected to pay for incomplete fragments of a book.


I have to agree. This is mostly because you never know what will come up (in real life or in the story). You want to make sure all the plot holes are filled, which is something you cannot do if you release it as you write it.

Be patient, take your time and give your readers the quality they deserve.


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## WG McCabe (Oct 13, 2012)

David Wright and Shawn Platt write as they go and they publish weekly.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

WG McCabe said:


> David Wright and Shawn Platt write as they go and they publish weekly.


Wright and Platt have the system figured out, several established serials under their belts, and each other to rely upon. They have a track record and they write serials, not novels that are serialized. Just because it's been done (and done well) in one case (or a few) doesn't make the practice broadly applicable.


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## 鬼 (Sep 30, 2012)

WG McCabe said:


> David Wright and Shawn Platt write as they go and they publish weekly.


They write every week but you don't necessarily know WHAT they're writing every week. I remember listening to one of their recent podcasts and Z2134 had just been released and they were writing the last episode. Plus, let's be honest, those guys are machines at this point.


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## WG McCabe (Oct 13, 2012)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> Wright and Platt have the system figured out, several established serials under their belts, and each other to rely upon. They have a track record and they write serials, not novels that are serialized. Just because it's been done (and done well) in one case (or a few) doesn't make the practice broadly applicable.


That was sorta the point. They DO have it figured out. They attack it like a TV series instead of just breaking up a novel into chunks and releasing them periodically. Done that way, serials can work. Serializing a novel is just a bad idea, in my opinion.


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

I have to be honest, if I look at this from a reader standpoint, I really dislike the idea of releasing a novel chapter by chapter and asking someone to pay for it.  Even if you charge 99c, by the time the novel is done, any readers would have paid a considerable amount.  I personally would not purchase something like this.

However, I really enjoy serials.  I've purchased three of the Amazon Kindle serials, and I'm planning on reading some of the serials KB authors are putting out.  I've got two ideas for serials myself, but both would have a set number of episodes (probably eight each), and I'd approach them like a TV show; meaning, each will function as a standalone story with overarching themes that tie them all together.


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

This is interesting because it seems to be common for "short stories" or "novellas" or "novelettes" or "vignettes" or whatever one might want to call a work of 10k or fewer words to sell for 99 cents at Amazon (and 50k or fewer words for $2.99). The distinction seems to be that the story must be "complete". I don't think Tolstoy or Dickens or Wodehouse would have understood that distinction.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Just want to jump in and thank everybody who has shared their serial experiences. It's a format I'm watching with interest.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

TBC said:


> This is interesting because it seems to be common for "short stories" or "novellas" or "novelettes" or "vignettes" or whatever one might want to call a work of 10k or fewer words to sell for 99 cents at Amazon (and 50k or fewer words for $2.99). The distinction seems to be that the story must be "complete". I don't think Tolstoy or Dickens or Wodehouse would have understood that distinction.


I also don't think anybody on this board is Tolstoy, Dickens, or Wodehouse. Just putting that out there. Lots of lovely KBers floating about, definitely, but... well, I'd be lucky to be Joss Whedon's poorer, less-witty, and boobier doppleganger on my good days. Trying to draw comparisons between what most (all?) of us do to writers who are such outliers that we can refer to them by surname alone long after their deaths is somewhat... optimistic.

When I become a craft master/literary great/surname-only-author that lives in the 19th century, maybe I will also put out fragments of my books in that fashion. Until then, I'm going to do what I prefer as a reader, writer, and person who enjoys making money on occasion.


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## ZacharyBonelli (Jun 29, 2012)

I just launched the first book in my serialized sci-fi adventure, Voyage. If you're interested, please see my website, or I can ramble on at some length about my grand story arc and the numerous, bizarre alternate universes that live in my brain.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

I've been releasing on my website for the past few years, getting the first drafts of five books out. I've now started on the rewrite process, and I'm releasing chunks of the rewritten novel each month on Amazon. Because it was always serialised, there's natural stopping points, so while it's not short story after short story, it does fall naturally into the episode, "satisfied for now" format.

The first two episodes have done ok (especially considering I've done basically no advertising outside of the existing fanbase), but what I'm expecting to happen is that after the release of the full #1 in February, the #2 serial will be a lot more popular, as I've had people tell me they want to see the first one done first, I've set up reviews for the first collected edition, etc.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Rin said:


> I've been releasing on my website for the past few years, getting the first drafts of five books out. I've now started on the rewrite process, and I'm releasing chunks of the rewritten novel each month on Amazon. Because it was always serialised, there's natural stopping points, so while it's not short story after short story, it does fall naturally into the episode, "satisfied for now" format.
> 
> The first two episodes have done ok (especially considering I've done basically no advertising outside of the existing fanbase), but what I'm expecting to happen is that after the release of the full #1 in February, the #2 serial will be a lot more popular, as I've had people tell me they want to see the first one done first, I've set up reviews for the first collected edition, etc.


Oh! I didn't even notice you had episode two out. *click* I know they're on your site, but it's so much more convenient to read on my Kindle. 

Can I derail the thread to say how much I liked the first episode of your serial? I really liked the first episode of your serial. It pushed my buttons in a good, non-dirty way.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> So, still trying to figure this out.
> 
> Serials means: episodes (complete stories) set within an over-reaching arch which is the backbone of the whole serial, right? So each release should be a self-contained story (but could end in a cliffhanger - ?) and the protagonists are the same but secondary characters may change.
> 
> Is this correct?


Yeah, TW explains it well, it's like a TV show, there is one "monster of the week" that has to be a whole story, but meanwhile you can also write about the whole arc (season) where the bigger things are happening. Monster of the week can also be problem of the week.

For example, in my WiP's first issue, my protagonist discovers her nightmares are coming to life and trying to kill her. This is not her "monster of the week", though there is some action due to that, it's the season theme. During this first season, she will try to survive and understand why she is cursed.

The first issue is dealing with the first problem arising: her father puts her in some kind of asylum, where ugly things happen to her, and she has to find a way to survive it.

In the meantime, there is also character development, character relationships, different agendas, etc.

Just examine your favourite TV show and look at how they do it, Supernatural is a good example.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

You can read those blog posts in that order, it's the ones you'll need the most:


Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season One Set Up where TW explains A, B and C stories (a must)
Supernatural And The 'A Story' Arc
Buffy And The 'B Story'
TV Guide And The 'C Story'
Summary Of Arcs
The Central Situation


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Many thanks!!


You're very welcome! 
I'm still a wannabe serial writer and also a wannabe fiction writer too, though, so be aware that I might forget key points or say something stupid.
You should always go to the source. Bilinda, TattooedWriter, SM Reine, Dalya, David Adams all do serials, they surely have great tips to share with us.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> You're right and thanks again!
> One more question: do you have the whole story written down before you start publishing the serial? Or/and do you have the whole story in your mind?


Diagram

I think some sort of planning might come in handy, yes. At least for the A stories, that you'll want to sprinkle during the C stories.
You need to at least know where you're going.

I wrote my first fiction book during NaNoWriMo 2010 and I wrote it, you've guessed it, in French. I didn't think I could make it in english (well, I've made it in english in 2011 and I'm making it, though with almost 5k words late, in english this year too, so that was not a good idea to write the first one in french). So, I wrote it as a whole novel at first.

When I heard about serials, before starting rewriting it, I observed and saw that I would have minor changes to do, but nothing major, to make it into a serial, because it's the way I write naturally (I'm a big TV show watcher). So now I do have the A story, I have most of the C stories, and the B stories are there too. It's just a matter of rewriting, which I was going to do anyway.

What I try is write only candy bar scenes, if I can, because those are the ones I want to read and write. That way, they are more easily repackaged as parts of issues, and need just a little backstory padding so that people don't have to go back and read the previous issues to remember what happened then (but even then, not too much, it's hard finding the right amount between being useful and being annoying).


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Also: checked out SM Reine's serial and it appears that each episode is told from a different POV. Is that usual or just SM Reine genius?


I haven't read SM Reine's serials yet, but I plan to!

For my writing, I'm a big fan of the 1st person POV. I had never thought of jumping from head to head from one issue to another, though. It's a great idea!

I think I'd prefer my protagonist to be the sole POV, but that's a personal preference. I think some short stories written from the POV of the other characters in my series could be something worth writing - and maybe even reading.    

Thanks SM Reine for the idea!


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> This article had gotten me a bit confused: http://www.lindsayburoker.com/e-publishing/serial-books-e-publishing-interview-with-w-brondt-kamffer/
> But now I think it's the distinction you guys make between the serialized novel and serial. His is a serialized novel, yes?


Sorry, didn't see this before.
Yes, there is a big difference:

a serialized novel is a novel cut in parts, with no obligation to have a self-contained story
a serial is many short stories that make a big story when all issues have been written

For example, David will correct me if I'm wrong, but his serial Rakshasa is like a serialized novel - part one ends on a cliffhanger but doesn't have a "resolution", and does not have a self-contained story. (Can't give away plot!)


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Nathalie Hamidi said:


> For example, David will correct me if I'm wrong, but his serial Rakshasa is like a serialized novel - part one ends on a cliffhanger but doesn't have a "resolution", and does not have a self-contained story. (Can't give away plot!)


It's leaning slightly more towards a serialised novel in that respect, yes. But with each part I try to keep an actual narrative within the broader arc (some have more, some have less). That said, the scene at the very beginning of the first part is two months in the future, so there's definitely a long term goal in mind. The Champawat Tiger, the coming eclipse, and _Libby getting shot in the opening moments_ is my A arc, you could say. 

For B arcs I have things that are usually resolved within a few episodes. Meeting the rest of the Rakshasa. Her best friend's boyfriend. Her growing power.

For C arcs I have much smaller things that are resolved within an episode. Her first transformation, her friend going missing, etc etc. Whatever "this episode" is about.

The awesome diagram on TattooedWriter's blog pretty much summed it up.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

TattooedWriter said:


> Nathalie, I don't mind you posting links to my blog on KB but please don't copy my diagrams over to here. There's no point in me having a blog if you're just going to post all of it onto KB.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> TW


Oops, sorry, didn't mean to be a pain! I'll take it out now.


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## ZacharyBonelli (Jun 29, 2012)

Nathalie Hamidi said:


> You can read those blog posts in that order, it's the ones you'll need the most:
> 
> 
> Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season One Set Up where TW explains A, B and C stories (a must)
> ...


This is some great stuff. And thanks to TattooedWriter for putting this together!

It's interesting, I had never thought about this framework explicitly, I just knew that this was how I wanted to tell a story. Voyage definitely has those elements though.

There is one difference. In my case, there's a fourth layer. All five of my planned A stories ("season" stories) fit together into bigger story, a single story that encompasses all chapters, and there are little hints sprinkled throughout all the A, B and C stories that tie them into the ur-story at the end.

For example of someone else doing this, take a look at how J M Stracszynski did Babylon 5.

TattooedWriter is this "A-B-C" story an established meme, or something you've generated? Any thoughts about how to talk about the fourth story arc type, the broad, overarching plot, that I described?


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

TBC said:


> Thank you for this advice, Saul. But I'm a bit stubborn and am still considering. Publishing a novel in serial form has a long history: Dickens, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Wilkie Collins, Wodehouse, and more recently, Tom Wolfe and Michael Chabon, have done it. The thing to do would be to guarantee a new chapter or bundled smaller chapters every month, which I could do. And my chapters or bundled chapters are certainly just as "long" as pieces that I've seen described as shorts or novelettes.
> 
> I wonder if anyone else on the Boards has tried this, or whether I'm just being absolutely tone-deaf.


Know what, we tell each other what not to do here all the time, and then people go do it anyway. Sometimes the collective wisdom is right, but sometimes the trailblazer is onto something after all.

So while I agree with the others--it doesn't strike me as a great idea, especially if the total cost to the reader's going to wind up in the $10-20 range or something--I say do it anyway. If you really want to give it a shot, then give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, nobody buys it, or a few do and start complaining that it costs too much/takes too long/isn't a full story/whatever.

But so what? As long as you're not trying to actively bilk readers, who cares. There's no knowing whether anyone will like this format until you try it. Let readers make that decision. And if it goes south, all you have to do is scrap the serialization, delete the products, and wait to publish until you've got the whole thing ready. It's not gonna kill your career. All it will do is waste a little time.

I mean, speaking as a reader, I doubt I would enjoy that format very much. But we'll never know unless we experiment. It's all a learning process.


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## 60911 (Jun 13, 2012)

I've always wanted to write TV without having to actually be involved in the TV business, so this kind of format sounds like it might be ideal for the next series I'm starting, which I had plotted to be more episodic than even what I'm presently writing. Thanks for the advice all, and I gotta remember to stop into TW's blog more often, it's been a while and that's some great reading.


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## ZacharyBonelli (Jun 29, 2012)

TattooedWriter said:


> It's my own terminology.
> 
> As for the fourth story arc.....how about......."D"?


Well, except that then the order of letters from largest spanning to smallest spanning plot becomes D-A-B-C. That's kind of weird, don't you think?


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

Edward W. Robertson said:


> Know what, we tell each other what not to do here all the time, and then people go do it anyway. Sometimes the collective wisdom is right, but sometimes the trailblazer is onto something after all.
> 
> So while I agree with the others--it doesn't strike me as a great idea, especially if the total cost to the reader's going to wind up in the $10-20 range or something--I say do it anyway. If you really want to give it a shot, then give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, nobody buys it, or a few do and start complaining that it costs too much/takes too long/isn't a full story/whatever.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the advice, Edward. I think I'll go ahead with it, knowing that it's a bit like walking a tightwire. I'll do my best to give the readers (if indeed there are any) good value for money. (And if this doesn't work well, I can always turn to churning out erotic zombie novelettes!)


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## Bilinda Ní Siodacaín (Jun 16, 2011)

I write my serials as though I'm writing a novel. I also write and publish as I go. You couldn't start in the middle of my serials and know what was going on, you do need to start at the beginning. And when they are complete each part flows one into the other in the same way a novel flows. I'm a huge fan of cliffhangers. However, each episode ends at a natural lull in the story or one serious cliffhanger. I'm not just clumping chapters of a larger book together and readers are satisfied at the end of each part but are usually chomping at the bit for more. I have well over a 90% sell through rate from episode one to episode two and from there it's almost 100% from two onwards. And I've sold thousands of copies which tells me I must be doing something right, that and my rapidly growing mailing list, and the emails I receive from fans.

One thing I will say though before I start writing I do know the overarching plot of what is going to happen in the story. From there I let my mind work on what is going to happen in each episode. I seem to have the ability to lay clues for huge reveals that will happen in later episodes, which at the time I might not know about but all that is, is using everything I have in the story to my advantage. I spent years watching and soaking up series like Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural, and all the others. Joss Whedon really is a master at laying clues and setting things up which later become huge. And really once you study one of them and mentally work out what the plot lines are, the arcs etc, it makes it really easier to do it for all of them.


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## Bilinda Ní Siodacaín (Jun 16, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Very interesting!  Bilinda, which is your serial?


I write all of mine under a pen name and I haven't yet shared the name. I will at some point but not until I can get some personal issues with some rather nasty people resolved.


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

Here's a link to my latest blog entry on how the marketing of my serial is going.

http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/setting-your-e-book-free/


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## Bilinda Ní Siodacaín (Jun 16, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Bilinda, why would anyone attack you because of your serial?


It's not because of it, I just happen to have some nasty people in my life at the minute who would do anything to attempt to destroy any little bit of success I've achieved. Jealousy is a terrible thing. So I'm protecting my interests and keeping my lips sealed until I'm sure I've cemented my success and that nothing can be done to change it  Well unless I mess up myself of course.


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## ZacharyBonelli (Jun 29, 2012)

TattooedWriter said:


> Hmm true. How about "Z". The Z arc is the all-encompassing arc beyond the story's 'big bad'.


What do you think of greek letters, like alpha-beta-gamma-delta? Most people are going to think Star Trek galaxy quadrants, but I'm okay with that association.

Something like:
Alpha plot: Overarching, multi-season-book story
Beta plot: Story contained within a season-book
Gamma plot: Story the spans several episode-chapters
Delta plot: The specific story of a single episode-chapter


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Edward W. Robertson said:


> Know what, we tell each other what not to do here all the time, and then people go do it anyway. Sometimes the collective wisdom is right, but sometimes the trailblazer is onto something after all.
> 
> So while I agree with the others--it doesn't strike me as a great idea, especially if the total cost to the reader's going to wind up in the $10-20 range or something--I say do it anyway. If you really want to give it a shot, then give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, nobody buys it, or a few do and start complaining that it costs too much/takes too long/isn't a full story/whatever.
> 
> ...


Agree with you you 99%, Edward  I always cringe whenever making declarative statements about writing and publishing (and marketing), especially when we're taking "rules" and "conventions." We all know there's more about this business that we don't understand than we do. For every rule, there are always exceptions. But, other than the fact that they defied convention, what makes them successful is rarely clear. Above all else, anyone who comes here to solicit advice gains my respect; anyone who then chooses to pursue their aims despite knowing the risks earns my best wishes. We all want each other to succeed, because every success helps us in direct and indirect ways.

The 1% I disagree with is the comparison with trailblazing. I agree that trailblazers can achieve great success by finding new and innovative paths to achieve their goals, but serialization as a path to publication is well-trodden. Many of the hazards are clearly marked.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Also: checked out SM Reine's serial and it appears that each episode is told from a different POV. Is that usual or just SM Reine genius?


Shucks.  There are three main perspective characters in my serial: Rylie, Seth, and Abel. They each get plenty of POV scenes every episode, since they're the corners of the love triangle. I didn't even realize that I had started each episode with a different character until you brought it up! I try to give them all equal page time, though, lest my readers tear me limb from limb.



Edward W. Robertson said:


> So while I agree with the others--it doesn't strike me as a great idea, especially if the total cost to the reader's going to wind up in the $10-20 range or something--I say do it anyway. If you really want to give it a shot, then give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, nobody buys it, or a few do and start complaining that it costs too much/takes too long/isn't a full story/whatever.


Whoa, whoa, _whoa_ there, turbo. Look at you being all reasonable and shit. We don't allow that around these here parts. Begone with ye!

TBC, I realize that my earlier posts in this thread might have seemed snarky and argumentative. Sorry if I came across as a grade-a sandwich. It wasn't my intent.  I don't really care enough about the serialized novel/serial/whatever thing to argue, honestly. I wish you best of luck in whatever you want to do, short of genocide. I was only sharing my opinion in the most sarcastic way possible. I always forget that people aren't going to hear my tone on forum posts and assume that I'm on the verge of stabbing or something.

So, with that in mind, I still feel that serialized novels which readers must pay for are not a good value. I can be pretty mercenary about the commercial aspects of publishing, but I always, _always _want my readers to know that they're the apples of my eye. The cream in my Twinkie. The jam in my jelly roll. Even if you can be successful at this particular format, it's worth questioning if you're giving readers the product that they want and deserve at a good value. I don't charge $2.99 for my 18k serial episodes for a reason. I'm pretty sure I could sell it there, and I _know_ I would make much more money, but there other factors to consider. I wouldn't be comfortable publishing the first ten chapters of my next novel and asking my readers to shell out 99c for that, either. But YMMV.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

smreine said:


> So, with that in mind, I still feel that serialized novels which readers must pay for are not a good value. I can be pretty mercenary about the commercial aspects of publishing, but I always, _always _want my readers to know that they're the apples of my eye. The cream in my Twinkie. The jam in my jelly roll. Even if you can be successful at this particular format, it's worth questioning if you're giving readers the product that they want and deserve at a good value. I don't charge $2.99 for my 18k serial episodes for a reason. I'm pretty sure I could sell it there, and I _know_ I would make much more money, but there other factors to consider. I wouldn't be comfortable publishing the first ten chapters of my next novel and asking my readers to shell out 99c for that, either. But YMMV.


I totally agree, but I think it depends on the genre. I also have a soft spot for readers and I initially priced all the installments in my erotic romance serial at $0.99. It didn't do very well. I kept seeing everyone crying "not less than $2.99" so I finally broke down and raised the prices on parts two through four and suddenly sales started taking off. I really wish I could afford to leave prices low, but it seems readers of certain genres are a bit "judgy".


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

T.S. Welti said:


> I totally agree, but I think it depends on the genre. I also have a soft spot for readers and I initially priced all the installments in my erotic romance serial at $0.99. It didn't do very well. I kept seeing everyone crying "not less than $2.99" so I finally broke down and raised the prices on parts two through four and suddenly sales started taking off. I really wish I could afford to leave prices low, but it seems readers of certain genres are a bit "judgy".


This is really good to know. The serials I have planned are contemporary women's fiction, so I'm anticipating that I might have to play with the pricing a bit there. I'm planning on starting out at 99c, so it'll be good to know that I might need to switch it up if they're not selling at that price point.

Sara, I saw you mention that yours are around 18k? I've been kicking around ideas for how long I'm targeting for mine, and I was thinking somewhere in that ballpark. It's good to know your readers are happy with that length.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

T.S. Welti said:


> I totally agree, but I think it depends on the genre. I also have a soft spot for readers and I initially priced all the installments in my erotic romance serial at $0.99. It didn't do very well. I kept seeing everyone crying "not less than $2.99" so I finally broke down and raised the prices on parts two through four and suddenly sales started taking off. I really wish I could afford to leave prices low, but it seems readers of certain genres are a bit "judgy".


Erom is a completely different beast with a unique set of rules, and I'm not familiar with it. I'm a little terrified by it, actually. _Sexy_ terrified. I'm only talking about general fiction here.



Nicole Ciacchella said:


> Sara, I saw you mention that yours are around 18k? I've been kicking around ideas for how long I'm targeting for mine, and I was thinking somewhere in that ballpark. It's good to know your readers are happy with that length.


I was actually shooting for ~12k originally, but I'm a wordy motherlover. Heh. I can't seem to keep these puppies under control. I think episode one was 15k, two was 17k, and three was... 19k? I'm trying to finish episode four today, but it has a wedding-_cum_-utter bloodbath, so it's probably going to end up running long.

Be forewarned--when my last episode got announced on FB, I had people coming back ten minutes later to tell me that they had already finished it. _Ten minutes_. That's from clicking the link on Amazon to telling me they liked it. Of course, it only took about an hour or two for some readers to get through my last novel, which was 90k words, so... I'm thinking length isn't hugely important, within reason. It's never going to be long enough.


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

smreine said:


> I was actually shooting for ~12k originally, but I'm a wordy motherlover. Heh. I can't seem to keep these puppies under control. I think episode one was 15k, two was 17k, and three was... 19k? I'm trying to finish episode four today, but it has a wedding-_cum_-utter bloodbath, so it's probably going to end up running long.
> 
> Be forewarned--when my last episode got announced on FB, I had people coming back ten minutes later to tell me that they had already finished it. _Ten minutes_. That's from clicking the link on Amazon to telling me they liked it. Of course, it only took about an hour or two for some readers to get through my last novel, which was 90k words, so... I'm thinking length isn't hugely important, within reason. It's never going to be long enough.


Yeah, I can be very wordy too. Round one of edits always consists of chopping massive numbers of words from my manuscripts. I'm not sure I can manage less than 20k-ish. 

I loved your wedding invitation, by the way. What a great promotional idea!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Nicole Ciacchella said:


> I loved your wedding invitation, by the way. What a great promotional idea!


 That's what happens when I get writer's block. Photoshop. It's a hell of a drug.

For those of you wondering--


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

That is such a cool promotional piece.

So far, the first in my serial is $2.99. It started at $.99, but wasn't selling well at all. It's been doing fairly well at the $2.99 price point. I'm wondering if and when I should lower it. After all four parts are out, or after I release part 3 this week?

The omnibus and printed season is releasing in January.


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## Rin (Apr 25, 2011)

smreine said:


> Oh! I didn't even notice you had episode two out. *click* I know they're on your site, but it's so much more convenient to read on my Kindle.
> 
> Can I derail the thread to say how much I liked the first episode of your serial? I really liked the first episode of your serial. It pushed my buttons in a good, non-dirty way.


They are seriously more convenient to read on the Kindle - I've taken to doing all my rereading on my Kindle app now. 

And thank you.    *ego inflates and pops* I hope you like #2, it's a good chunk longer than the first episode, and you get to see at least some of the rest of the cast. 



Edward W. Robertson said:


> So while I agree with the others--it doesn't strike me as a great idea, especially if the total cost to the reader's going to wind up in the $10-20 range or something--I say do it anyway. If you really want to give it a shot, then give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, nobody buys it, or a few do and start complaining that it costs too much/takes too long/isn't a full story/whatever.


My episodes are 99c, five to a novel, for a total cost of $4.95 - which is the same price that I'll be releasing the collected edition for - I don't want to give an advantage to either way of reading, so it's just left as a personal choice as to whether you're happy to read piecemeal, or if you'd rather devour the whole thing in one go.



Nicole Ciacchella said:


> Sara, I saw you mention that yours are around 18k? I've been kicking around ideas for how long I'm targeting for mine, and I was thinking somewhere in that ballpark. It's good to know your readers are happy with that length.


Another data point, if you're curious: I aim for 20k episodes - well, 20k minimum and then the first natural stopping point after that - there's no point in having a hard limit when it makes sense to add in another chapter or two to make an episode feel more "complete".

&#8230;which is why my #2 is 26k, it ends on about the same level of cliffhanger as the first episode, but it's more satisfying than if I'd cut it off a chapter before.


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

Rin said:


> My episodes are 99c, five to a novel, for a total cost of $4.95 - which is the same price that I'll be releasing the collected edition for - I don't want to give an advantage to either way of reading, so it's just left as a personal choice as to whether you're happy to read piecemeal, or if you'd rather devour the whole thing in one go.
> Another data point, if you're curious: I aim for 20k episodes - well, 20k minimum and then the first natural stopping point after that - there's no point in having a hard limit when it makes sense to add in another chapter or two to make an episode feel more "complete".
> 
> &#8230;which is why my #2 is 26k, it ends on about the same level of cliffhanger as the first episode, but it's more satisfying than if I'd cut it off a chapter before.


I'll have to check yours out too. And thanks for the feedback! This is a seriously useful thread for me, as I'm planning on taking the plunge with my own serial early next year.

I'm going to blame you all for making me broke, as every time I read this thread, my to-read list seems to increase exponentially.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

I'm interested too, I want to publish my first in january.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> Heh. I was under the (obviously wrong) impression you had started publishing your serial.


No, I'm worse than a snail.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Under my own name and a pen name, I've put out a few series of 5 parts each at a price of 99 cents each. So far my experience has been that the initial sales for the individual parts sell fairly well ... not great, but initially better than I expected. I try to make the first part permanently free, though Amazon sure takes its time about it. A month or so after the series has been published to completion, about the time sales start slowing, I release a collection at a price of $2.99. In the long run, I've found sales for the collections to be pretty good, better than the individual parts.

I've tinkered with pricing, but so far the above prices seem to be the sweet spot for me. I'll be starting a new series within the month, and I might tinker some more.

One interesting thing I've noticed is that when I release that first part for free over at Smashwords, it's not uncommon for a number of readers to then jump over to Amazon and purchase that e-book before it has gone free at Amazon.

Also, I make sure each Amazon page for the individual e-books has mention and links to all the others, including the collection, and I make sure each individual e-book does the same after the end of each "episode."


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

I expected initial sales of GAMELAND to be low, so I "incentivized" customers to buy the whole package before the series was completed using a "Buy Now, Get the Works For Cheap" approach taking advantage of Amazon's "willingness" to send customers free updates. Price of the package was hiked with each episode added (on the 1st of each month between May and December). It's worked fairly well, and I did get early reviews, which was good. Sales of the package (now called omnibus) trickled in at the beginning, growing with each month. Still low (less than 100/month), but my customer loyalty looks very good if I can get them to buy the second episode. 

Sales figures*:
Episode 1: perma-free; given away 10,214; 127 actual paid sales
Episode 2: 776 (7.6% conversion rate)
Episode 4: 724 (93% CR)
Episode 5: 677 (94% CR)
Episode 6: 642 (95% CR)
Episode 7: 551 (86% CR; released Nov 1)
Episode 8: 146 (26% CR; released Dec 1)

* figures are from single episode books and two-episode books (1+2, 3+4, 5+6, 7+ across all distributors as of this morning. The 1st book is free on all sites.

So, again, the trick is converting readers of that first book into readers of the second. The major obstacle appears to be that it takes time for a book to trickle to the top of a freebie hoarder's TBR list. The good thing about that is my purchases of the omnibus have been steadily rising, whereas purchases of individual episodes have leveled or dropped (conversion of 1st episode readers directly into fans of the full series with incentive pricing--cheaper to buy the omnibus than individual episodes).


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> So, I've decided to take the plunge. I started a serial.
> 
> I was wondering... How are your sales, guys? Are your serials selling? Have you set the first one free? What are your strategies?
> And how often do you release an episode?


Congratulations! I hope it goes really well for you. 

My unit sales are good. Sell-through is fantastic. Royalties are... well, the serial episodes are 99c apiece, so I'll let you guess how the money is.  I have not done any freebies on the serial. Each episode was published two weeks apart, aside from the final episode, which is a full-length novel by reader request and will be out in less than a month if I can get my act in gear (fingers crossed).

Sell through stats:
1 > 2: 77%
2 > 3: 99% (!!)
3 > 4: 90%

I expect to see the 3 > 4 number increase a bit more, since that's still the most recent release and not everyone has found it yet. So far, 68% of people have bought all four episodes. (I do not currently offer them as an ebook omnibus, but I will put it out before the last part is released.)

The biggest benefit has been the increase in reader engagement in my email inbox and FB. It's really helped turn my readers into a community, and we've had so, so much fun with this. I can't wait to deliver the final episode to them. As a side note, I think that this serial has done pretty well because I was building it off of an existing series. I'm connecting with the readers I already had better than I'm getting new readers, I think. Although I'm very happy with sales on my serial, results are going to vary widely for others, and I wouldn't really recommend it as a financial thing.


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## 60911 (Jun 13, 2012)

smreine said:


> My unit sales are good. Sell-through is fantastic. Royalties are... well, the serial episodes are 99c apiece, so I'll let you guess how the money is.
> 
> Although I'm very happy with sales on my serial, results are going to vary widely for others, and I wouldn't really recommend it as a financial thing.


I've been seriously considering a serial for next year but this (the financial balance of price/royalty vs. length) is my biggest concern. I'm thinking about structuring it in a six episode "season" with each being 30-50k words and priced at $2.99 in order to hit that 70% royalty, then making box sets of episodes 1-3, 4-6 because I don't want to exceed that $9.99 price either. Being a comic book and Buffy/Angel fan I love the idea of an episodic format and it would fit well with the ensemble cast and the idea I'm incubating...thanks to all for sharing experiences.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Yay! \o/
I'm such a slowpoke... I WILL be one of you this year!


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Chrystalla said:


> *pokes Nathalie into action*


*dodges, Indiana Jones style* \\_)o)


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