Novelty, tone, feel, and, what I can only describe as, 'otherworldliness' I think are more important for genre fiction than the quality. But writing quality feeds back into how well those things come across. On SubStack I've read Scoot's 'Sandbox Earth', the start of his, on hiatus, 'Adventures of Tylus Worran', began Sujan's 'Project Fable', and am planning on starting M. Marpaung's 'Inquisitor's Promise' soon. All very different in style, genre, and tone, all bright gems of novelty. I could deep dive into the writing but there's little point because when reading, I have two broad categories - The Story and The Writing. In The Story is the plot, worldbuilding, characterisations, etc. While The Writing is all about the style, quality of said style, voice, etc. If The Story is top notch then The Writing becomes less important in the overall review. If, however, The Writing impedes the story then there's no novelty that can save it. The Writing impeding the story, however, may not be a quality issue but rather that I'm not jelling with it (which is how I am with many, many new release tradpub books in speculative fiction).
My number 1 measure of quality in writing is rhythm. When writing advice is saying to vary sentence length, word length, and such, this is what it is meaning. Rhythm is crucial for keeping the reader reading. If the fiction comes across like a text book or a Terms and Conditions then I'm out and many other readers will be too. It's boring and no amount of novelty will save a writer from this. Fiction requires musicality to the prose, highs lows, loud quiet, fast slow, discords cords, to flow at its best. Do it in whatever style you want, so long as it's rhythmic.
I've written a few serialised stories. A novel, a few novellas (mostly 10 chapters long), and have a new one coming this week (though the 1st chapter was a One Shot). I didn't have much of a readership before but gained traction with Notes and short stories over the last 2 months, so this is both an experiment and return to form for me. The idea is One Shots on Tuesday and serial chapters on Thursday. Hopefully readers come along for the ride.
Very well put. Thank you for this, Redd. I like your explanation of how the story and the writing feed into one another, rather than being isolated entities. And rhythm is an interesting concept, one that can set a gifted writer apart from their peers, sort of like how a musician might be easily recognized as talented just by the nature of the sounds they are producing. Great points! A lot of your work is in my Saved library and I hope to be able to read your stories soon. :)
I just started a story that ended up serializing itself. I thought it was going to be a one-shot short story, but apparently it had other ideas. I've never successfully serialized something before, and the response has been quiet, but it's been a good exercise in writing discipline so far!
I love/hate it when that happens! The story ends up having a mind of its own. I did that last year with a "short" story that was supposed to be 10 chapters and ended up being 30. Response was quiet as well, but I loved doing it that way so much that I'm doing it again this year! Thanks for stopping by to comment, Olivia.
Howdy Winston! Substack and serialization continue to be good to me so far. I haven’t had a chance to write any shorter serialization yet although the hare/rabbit idea I’ve been dabbling in recently feels like I could make it more lean and mean than the more extended efforts I’ve done previously. Thanks for asking and including me!
Hey Thomas, thanks for responding! It's good to hear that things are going well. I really liked the one about the flying mouse that you did a while back :)
Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to hearing more about the rabbit series, and, of course, The Kefi is epic.
Hey Winston! Thanks for the questions, the podcast has been doing well. I recently got my first sponsorship through Spotify due to my podcast audience growing over 200+ back in May. Most of those listening I believe have caught up so now the listener base has dropped. I actually haven't written a script in some time now that my focus is Reborn in Power sessions, and I use cliff hangers mainly on story arcs until they come to a conclusion. I do believe that podcasts are a very unique ways to tell audio based fiction and there's still a niche market for it. The main audio fictions that are out there tend to be crime stories but there have even been a few you've introduced me to that have a similar feel to mine. I do want to get back into writing scripts again but I think that won’t be until The Doctor Series has officially concluded. Right now, I'm just enjoying the journey and have been rekindling my passion for the stories I'm telling!
That's amazing news! Congrats on the sponsorship. Audio fiction is so much fun and I hope it continues to grow for you. Thanks for updating me on your journey! Can't wait to see what is in store next.
Serial fiction on Wattpad helped me finish my first novel and overcome "submitter's block." When Feeding Frenzy won a Watty award, it gave me the confidence to publish it.
Hello, Maaja! Thanks for commenting. Wattpad also helped me in that regard. That's so cool that you won a Watty Award! Congrats. I'm learning that building confidence in yourself and your story is essential to embracing online publishing, and that serial publishing can help with that, too. There's something about engaging with readers and experiencing the book with them that is wholly unique and special. I checked out your latest post. Good luck with Ream! Let us know how that works for you and what the experience is like compared to here.
I have a different perspective b/c I come from the fanfiction world, where serialized stories have been standard fare for a very long time. I love reading and writing serialized fiction, to the point that I've embraced it as my primary storytelling form for my original fiction. I'm currently releasing my latest novel serially and plan on doing that with all my work going forward. What I can say about my experiences is that it takes a while to "train" readers who are used to reading novels but that once they come around they generally love serialized fiction. I also think maybe resistance to it is a generational thing? Most young millennials and genZ have grown up with Wattpad and AO3, and know what they like.
I love this perspective so much! It was tough to break out of the mold of traditional publishing expectations when I sat down to write on Wattpad for the first time in 2014-2015 timeframe, but the process of serialization is so much fun that I find myself pulled toward the experience time and time again. I completely agree that it’s likely a generational thing, and that it could easily become mainstream in the new era of phones, tablets, and screens. There’s an audience out there, we just have to find each other! Thanks for commenting Kimboo.
Archive of our Own - It's mostly for fanfiction, but a few authors use it for original work when they know their reader demographics overlap with fanfiction readers. Readers on AO3 tend to be a little older on average than Wattpad readers.
I hate the term "onboarding" as it's so clinical but, yeah, onboarding is important! What have you found that helps most with the transition for readers?
My experience has been a lot of radio silence, the views are good for the size of my substack I think, but not much engagement, even on votes to shape the story. I suspect the fake video game formatting is too unconventional for most. I've found I prefer to be ahead of the curve with chapters, stay a few chapters ahead of what's being posted next.
I've found serialization very helpful for reading because it sets the pace for me. I don't feel pressured to rush or flip through the pages. Not seeing the amount of pages left to go on something being serialized is great for me.
Hey, William, thanks for commenting. I appreciate your perspective. I noticed that lack of interaction as well, that’s why I’ve decided to stop doing the voting thing. Last year, I had two serials going here on Storyletter and both were on chapter 3, I think. I held a poll to decide which one to go with and there were zero votes. For another series, I asked if I should keep the story going and got 9 votes. Based on that anecdotal experience, I suppose it’s a small percentage of readers who want to be that involved, as well as the questions being asked. But it is fun when it does happen, so if you enjoy doing it, then definitely keep it up so that people can have the option. As for the serialization thing, I like it for that reason, too. Each chapter becomes its own isolated experience in a way.
Hmm, the main lesson learned from the first time around (that I seem to have forgotten when I planned on publishing Book 2 of my trilogy) was to have the book more or less FINISHED and ready to publish BEFORE committing to serializing it. I know a lot of writers write as they go, and this kind of high-wire act is exciting, but I don't have that luxury with the kind of story I've been researching and writing for the last 10 years. I need all of my details worked out beforehand.
The weekly revisions I did last time were just a last pre-flight check before takeoff (and I still missed things!--I have another revision to do before I self-pub!) I would definitely do the same again--having a deadline and some accountability, even just to myself--is important. But I realized I needed to put a lot more work into general editing before I could even get to that point with Book 2, which is where I'm at now.
Some things I've thought about for improving the "Serial" experience, though I don't have the answers necessarily:
-Posting on a different day? I posted Friday afternoons, and I'm not sure if weekends are better?
-Posting shorter chapters (I don't mind reading long chapters, esp. in a physical book, because I can set it down with a bookmark and come back to it. But picking up a blog post in the middle is trickier. After a long day of reading, I can find myself drifting even in stories I enjoy. I've considered breaking longer chapters at scene breaks (rather than rewriting them for Substack--I do still plan to publish in print someday....)
-Not images, necessarily, but more attention to aesthetics of the page for a pleasant reading experience
That's all I've got for now! It's been a fun experiment, and the coolest part has been the help I've had from readers who have commented, made constructive suggestions, and been supportive of the writing. It's even better than I could have hoped for. You're right--that is a big part of the inspiration for The Library. Every indie writer should have access to some of that!
Hey J, thanks for taking the time to respond. This is very insightful. I agree that having the book finished is likely the best-case scenario. Although, I don’t think I will be able to do that any time soon…*cry*
The day of the week is an interesting discussion. I wonder if Substack will be able to eventually show reader analytics at this depth: “Most of your readers tune in at Monday at 11:30 am” kind of thing.
The chapter thing can be subjective for the reader. I know I love short chapters, but, like you said, it’s also the unwieldy nature of reading on the phone that makes it harder to jump back in, otherwise this wouldn’t matter as much. And you bring up a good point about not writing FOR Substack. I did that on Wattpad with my first novel, where I wrote each chapter as a weekly episode almost and it would have cliffhangers and such. But then when compiled it doesn’t flow the same, there’s something off about it. This is mainly an issue if one is discovery writing on Substack like I often do, so if it’s pre written then it should be fine.
Thank you for the updates on what you learned! Very excited to continue reading your novels, and picking them up when they go to print.
Thanks for this thread Winston, it is very timely. I launched my serialized novel 5-weeks ago with a story I completed in 2018 and spent the past two years revising, following the advice of a good literary editor. Its early days, but I am seeing gradual growth and new readers engaging with my characters and narrative everyday. I made an early decision to turn off comments and likes as reading is deeply personal for many and I did not want my readers to be confronted by unwanted influences, good or bad. Anecdotal feedback suggests that my readers like the serialized format because it works well with their other reading demands, which are many and varied these days. Another piece of feedback that may help writer's considering serializing is that my readers were 'in' from the get go, thanks to the pace of the story, the strength of the characters and the very real stakes. This, of course, is storytelling 101, which can sometimes get lost in the excitement of innovation! Thanks again. I greatly valued this discussion and hope there will be more 😉
Hey D, congrats on the recent serial launch! That’s very exciting to hear. I’m interested in the comments and likes being turned off. I can’t say for certain, but I feel like some posts get likes based on the amount of likes, so this sounds very appealing as a way to gauge genuine interest. I like your point about the core elements of storytelling and remaining true to those tenets. I hope to instill that in the serial I’m publishing over on my other Substack. Thanks for sharing this awesome advice! What is your novel about? Do you have a first draft planned out or are you discovery writing?
Hi Winston. Thanks for your interest. My value proposition is "subverting the dominant narrative" and to this end, I am publishing a story about two sisters who grow apart, and exploring the intertwined issues of sexuality, politics, family and gender through the relationships and career of the protagonist (a badass). I have, in fact, completed the novel and the work now is in the line edits, between chapters. Discovery writing is not really an option for me as I write literary fiction, which does not lend itself to the demands of the weekly turnaround. When Dickens and Flaubert serialized their work, it was at a time when folk were willing to wait for the weekly installments. Today, time constrains, regularity, and the capacity of technology to 'remind' the reader another chapter awaits probably account for the growing popularity of serialization (though some of my readers 'collect' a few weeks of chapters and read them in one sitting) and mitigate the risk of the reader setting the book aside and never getting back to it. With this understanding, the biggest revisions for me, after I wrote SISTERLY LOVE and in preparing it for serialization, were structural (figuring out the chapters) and in the transitions, the latter was particularly challenging because the reader can't turn the page to find out what happens next, they have to wait! Here's the link to my book: https://dlleeauthor.substack.com Where can I read your serialized book?
Thank you for asking, Winston. Truthfully--and I'm not just being cheeky here as I'm wont to do--I really have no idea what keeps readers engaged. I've been at this for a minute--ten years as a novelist in November--and I can't say I've really figured that out. People seem ever busier, even less interested each year than the one before. Is it my work or the larger culture? Both? Who's to say.
What I can say--and I'm cribbing from Bester's 'the book is boss,' here--is that it's easiest and best to write the way in which the work demands. That can sound airy-fairy or pretentious, but I mean it quite practically. If it feels better to write the work ahead of time, then do that for that work. If the next time out it seems like it needs to go out each time you finish, do that. Not every work will have different needs, but many will, and by going with it, you'll have a much easier time.
There's a caveat, as always. I'm not having a very easy time in life right now, and so the work is not particularly easy, either. This seems to be the way of things. Again, not always, but often when life is rough, writing is rough.
Have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend, sweet Winston!
Hey T, thanks for responding with your experience. I suppose it isn’t an exact science. I really like the point you make about doing what the work demands. I try to work ahead, but then sometimes I don’t know where the story is going until I reach a certain point in the book, so it’s definitely dependent on the work. And your caveat couldn’t come at more applicable time for me as I’ve broken an ankle and have been getting over a cold. Writing and making time for Substack has been insanely difficult this summer. I’ll manage though. Hope you’re doing okay!
When I wrote fan fiction (from the age of 15-29!), it was a shared universe of over a dozen writers at any given time, writing stories set in the same continuity, with the same "versions" of the characters. That meant a level of planning and plotting that I don't think I should have been exposed to at such an early, literary age-- it probably broke my brain!-- but what it meant was, you had to write an "issue" of a "title" every month. And if you were writing multiple titles, that meant you had more deadlines, so it was a constant state of juggling priorities, and making sure everything fit in the structure of the world we had built.
I loved it. I loved releasing a new issue every month of Batman, Green Lantern, whatever. There was an audience waiting for it, and I think another thing that broke me was that almost... instant gratification of writer-to-reader contact. I wrote something. It posted on the website. People read it. Wednesday was release day, so it was destination viewing.
Pivoting into writing my own stories, I know that my style and approach is informed by these fan fiction experiences. Hell, I'm even adapting my own stories, set in my own universe, because I am still so proud of the work I did then. I self-published the first book in a new series back in November 2022, and I'm sitting on the second book right now. I'm considering serialising it via my substack (shameless plug: https://chwilkins.substack.com/), because I just want it out there. The thought of receiving live feedback gives me the serotonin buzz I think I need to keep engaged with writing. I used to finish writing something on Monday, and it would post on Wednesday. Instant feedback. Instant gratification. I miss that.
So, yes, I'm really interested in the idea of serialising my longform stories. I've retained all the lessons learned from my previous "life" as a fan fiction writer, so it's just about making that final decision: Do I throw something that has been beta-read but not edited into the world, with all the potential errors that involves, and see what happens? And then do I take everything I learn during that time for a Version 2.0 in time for a physical launch? It's a conundrum!
Hey, Charlie, nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by to comment and share your experience and perspective.
Your past life sounds pretty awesome. That’s a lot of good serialization skills that you got to develop and hone over the years. I completely connect with what you said about the instant gratification of writer-to-reader contact. I think I prefer it. It’s something that keeps me going.
I’m excited to check out your work on Substack. It sounds like something I’d be really into. Shared universes are one of my favorite things. As for your final questions, they are good ones. I’ve been following that method for the past 2 years so far. It’s working for me, but I’m experimenting. It also seems to be the only way I can get myself to finish a novel. Try it out and see if it works for you, too! Or stick with whatever makes you comfortable.
Great comment, Charlie! Can’t wait to follow up with our experiences. Let’s stay connected!
"Victor, are you still publishing short stories and writing in the Mega Universe? How many rounds of edits are the sweet spot for you before you’re comfortable posting a chapter or story online for others to read?"
Hey Winston. Yes sir, I still do release chapters still on my substack and have seen some readership growth. I try to at least edit seven times before I post, and run each chapter through some online grammar checkers. That at least gets the errors down to a minimum.
And I sure do still write in the Megacosm! I have a new story I plan on publishing soon called The Mark. It's about a woman and her Ex-Ranger husband being stalked by an obsessed retired Green Beret. I am trying a new format as this will be a novelette. I wanted to challenge myself to see how much story I can fit in a 20K word cap. I have the first three chapters out right now. Going to publish the rest as digital for 99 cents to get my feet wet with digital publishing.
However, all my main novels will still be print only.
Hey Victor, thanks for replying with an update on your journey. Good to hear that you’re still posting and growing. The Mark sounds pretty epic. I love the novelette/novella format. There’s so much that can be done with it.
That’s an interesting strat with the digital vs physical publishing aspect. I might follow suit. Do you have any specific reason for doing it that way?
Hey Winston. It's mostly a personal philosophy. I know I am missing out on sales not going digital but I am big on physical media. Even wrote an article about it. Just seen too much censorship of digital from books, comics, and videogames to get behind it.
I don't begrudge anyone though because I get that more people read digital these days. I'll release the shorter stories digital because I can't justify charging more for stories that size, but I think, personally, people should physically own the work I put months into. They won't regret it!
I like that concept. I just had a fiasco with my ebook, which I've tried to pull down but can't seem to get them to. We'll see in the next couple days if it stops showing up on Amazon. Physical copies just seem to have more value.
Hey Mike, thanks for the comment. I'm a collector at heart, so I like buying physical books, too. There's also something special about reading and commenting on a story one chapter at a time that doesn't occur the same way with the physical version, and in that regard they are almost completely separate experiences. I've found that the readers who have followed the story/stories online end up being the same supporters purchasing the book on launch day. In terms of read-through, for me it drops off significantly with each chapter to the point of it being only 1-2 people by the very end. However, that's all the motivation I need to keep going! Physical books are definitely still the end goal in mind. I suppose it's a preference on what works to get there. Anyway, that's just my anecdotal experience.
I'm in the process of serialising a book, but I don't have any print copies or much of a reader base yet. I also prefer physical books, but I feel that in the current age, a fair share of people prefer reading online (especially in my target audience, teenagers).
Since I haven't had much success with serialisation, I plan to release a physical version of my book after it's finished online. My lack of success could be attributed to the fact that I only publish monthly, instead of weekly like most Substackers do.
Novelty, tone, feel, and, what I can only describe as, 'otherworldliness' I think are more important for genre fiction than the quality. But writing quality feeds back into how well those things come across. On SubStack I've read Scoot's 'Sandbox Earth', the start of his, on hiatus, 'Adventures of Tylus Worran', began Sujan's 'Project Fable', and am planning on starting M. Marpaung's 'Inquisitor's Promise' soon. All very different in style, genre, and tone, all bright gems of novelty. I could deep dive into the writing but there's little point because when reading, I have two broad categories - The Story and The Writing. In The Story is the plot, worldbuilding, characterisations, etc. While The Writing is all about the style, quality of said style, voice, etc. If The Story is top notch then The Writing becomes less important in the overall review. If, however, The Writing impedes the story then there's no novelty that can save it. The Writing impeding the story, however, may not be a quality issue but rather that I'm not jelling with it (which is how I am with many, many new release tradpub books in speculative fiction).
My number 1 measure of quality in writing is rhythm. When writing advice is saying to vary sentence length, word length, and such, this is what it is meaning. Rhythm is crucial for keeping the reader reading. If the fiction comes across like a text book or a Terms and Conditions then I'm out and many other readers will be too. It's boring and no amount of novelty will save a writer from this. Fiction requires musicality to the prose, highs lows, loud quiet, fast slow, discords cords, to flow at its best. Do it in whatever style you want, so long as it's rhythmic.
I've written a few serialised stories. A novel, a few novellas (mostly 10 chapters long), and have a new one coming this week (though the 1st chapter was a One Shot). I didn't have much of a readership before but gained traction with Notes and short stories over the last 2 months, so this is both an experiment and return to form for me. The idea is One Shots on Tuesday and serial chapters on Thursday. Hopefully readers come along for the ride.
Very well put. Thank you for this, Redd. I like your explanation of how the story and the writing feed into one another, rather than being isolated entities. And rhythm is an interesting concept, one that can set a gifted writer apart from their peers, sort of like how a musician might be easily recognized as talented just by the nature of the sounds they are producing. Great points! A lot of your work is in my Saved library and I hope to be able to read your stories soon. :)
I hope you enjoy my stories :)
I agree with so much of this. Especially the rhythm, pace and good writing sentiments. No matter what the genre, readers appreciate these.
I just started a story that ended up serializing itself. I thought it was going to be a one-shot short story, but apparently it had other ideas. I've never successfully serialized something before, and the response has been quiet, but it's been a good exercise in writing discipline so far!
I love/hate it when that happens! The story ends up having a mind of its own. I did that last year with a "short" story that was supposed to be 10 chapters and ended up being 30. Response was quiet as well, but I loved doing it that way so much that I'm doing it again this year! Thanks for stopping by to comment, Olivia.
Howdy Winston! Substack and serialization continue to be good to me so far. I haven’t had a chance to write any shorter serialization yet although the hare/rabbit idea I’ve been dabbling in recently feels like I could make it more lean and mean than the more extended efforts I’ve done previously. Thanks for asking and including me!
Hey Thomas, thanks for responding! It's good to hear that things are going well. I really liked the one about the flying mouse that you did a while back :)
Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to hearing more about the rabbit series, and, of course, The Kefi is epic.
Hey Winston! Thanks for the questions, the podcast has been doing well. I recently got my first sponsorship through Spotify due to my podcast audience growing over 200+ back in May. Most of those listening I believe have caught up so now the listener base has dropped. I actually haven't written a script in some time now that my focus is Reborn in Power sessions, and I use cliff hangers mainly on story arcs until they come to a conclusion. I do believe that podcasts are a very unique ways to tell audio based fiction and there's still a niche market for it. The main audio fictions that are out there tend to be crime stories but there have even been a few you've introduced me to that have a similar feel to mine. I do want to get back into writing scripts again but I think that won’t be until The Doctor Series has officially concluded. Right now, I'm just enjoying the journey and have been rekindling my passion for the stories I'm telling!
That's amazing news! Congrats on the sponsorship. Audio fiction is so much fun and I hope it continues to grow for you. Thanks for updating me on your journey! Can't wait to see what is in store next.
Serial fiction on Wattpad helped me finish my first novel and overcome "submitter's block." When Feeding Frenzy won a Watty award, it gave me the confidence to publish it.
Hello, Maaja! Thanks for commenting. Wattpad also helped me in that regard. That's so cool that you won a Watty Award! Congrats. I'm learning that building confidence in yourself and your story is essential to embracing online publishing, and that serial publishing can help with that, too. There's something about engaging with readers and experiencing the book with them that is wholly unique and special. I checked out your latest post. Good luck with Ream! Let us know how that works for you and what the experience is like compared to here.
Thank you very much. How sweet of you to wish me well. I won't start Ream until the summer when I will have more time to dedicate to it.
I have a different perspective b/c I come from the fanfiction world, where serialized stories have been standard fare for a very long time. I love reading and writing serialized fiction, to the point that I've embraced it as my primary storytelling form for my original fiction. I'm currently releasing my latest novel serially and plan on doing that with all my work going forward. What I can say about my experiences is that it takes a while to "train" readers who are used to reading novels but that once they come around they generally love serialized fiction. I also think maybe resistance to it is a generational thing? Most young millennials and genZ have grown up with Wattpad and AO3, and know what they like.
I love this perspective so much! It was tough to break out of the mold of traditional publishing expectations when I sat down to write on Wattpad for the first time in 2014-2015 timeframe, but the process of serialization is so much fun that I find myself pulled toward the experience time and time again. I completely agree that it’s likely a generational thing, and that it could easily become mainstream in the new era of phones, tablets, and screens. There’s an audience out there, we just have to find each other! Thanks for commenting Kimboo.
A03? What genres are there?
Archive of our Own - It's mostly for fanfiction, but a few authors use it for original work when they know their reader demographics overlap with fanfiction readers. Readers on AO3 tend to be a little older on average than Wattpad readers.
I’d never heard of AO3. Thanks for sharing this!
I find that putting a lot of effort into the transitions helps with building reader trust.
I hate the term "onboarding" as it's so clinical but, yeah, onboarding is important! What have you found that helps most with the transition for readers?
My experience has been a lot of radio silence, the views are good for the size of my substack I think, but not much engagement, even on votes to shape the story. I suspect the fake video game formatting is too unconventional for most. I've found I prefer to be ahead of the curve with chapters, stay a few chapters ahead of what's being posted next.
I've found serialization very helpful for reading because it sets the pace for me. I don't feel pressured to rush or flip through the pages. Not seeing the amount of pages left to go on something being serialized is great for me.
Hey, William, thanks for commenting. I appreciate your perspective. I noticed that lack of interaction as well, that’s why I’ve decided to stop doing the voting thing. Last year, I had two serials going here on Storyletter and both were on chapter 3, I think. I held a poll to decide which one to go with and there were zero votes. For another series, I asked if I should keep the story going and got 9 votes. Based on that anecdotal experience, I suppose it’s a small percentage of readers who want to be that involved, as well as the questions being asked. But it is fun when it does happen, so if you enjoy doing it, then definitely keep it up so that people can have the option. As for the serialization thing, I like it for that reason, too. Each chapter becomes its own isolated experience in a way.
Yes. I have a reader who asked not to be told how many chapters there are! So I took this info off my About page.
Hmm, the main lesson learned from the first time around (that I seem to have forgotten when I planned on publishing Book 2 of my trilogy) was to have the book more or less FINISHED and ready to publish BEFORE committing to serializing it. I know a lot of writers write as they go, and this kind of high-wire act is exciting, but I don't have that luxury with the kind of story I've been researching and writing for the last 10 years. I need all of my details worked out beforehand.
The weekly revisions I did last time were just a last pre-flight check before takeoff (and I still missed things!--I have another revision to do before I self-pub!) I would definitely do the same again--having a deadline and some accountability, even just to myself--is important. But I realized I needed to put a lot more work into general editing before I could even get to that point with Book 2, which is where I'm at now.
Some things I've thought about for improving the "Serial" experience, though I don't have the answers necessarily:
-Posting on a different day? I posted Friday afternoons, and I'm not sure if weekends are better?
-Posting shorter chapters (I don't mind reading long chapters, esp. in a physical book, because I can set it down with a bookmark and come back to it. But picking up a blog post in the middle is trickier. After a long day of reading, I can find myself drifting even in stories I enjoy. I've considered breaking longer chapters at scene breaks (rather than rewriting them for Substack--I do still plan to publish in print someday....)
-Not images, necessarily, but more attention to aesthetics of the page for a pleasant reading experience
That's all I've got for now! It's been a fun experiment, and the coolest part has been the help I've had from readers who have commented, made constructive suggestions, and been supportive of the writing. It's even better than I could have hoped for. You're right--that is a big part of the inspiration for The Library. Every indie writer should have access to some of that!
Hey J, thanks for taking the time to respond. This is very insightful. I agree that having the book finished is likely the best-case scenario. Although, I don’t think I will be able to do that any time soon…*cry*
The day of the week is an interesting discussion. I wonder if Substack will be able to eventually show reader analytics at this depth: “Most of your readers tune in at Monday at 11:30 am” kind of thing.
The chapter thing can be subjective for the reader. I know I love short chapters, but, like you said, it’s also the unwieldy nature of reading on the phone that makes it harder to jump back in, otherwise this wouldn’t matter as much. And you bring up a good point about not writing FOR Substack. I did that on Wattpad with my first novel, where I wrote each chapter as a weekly episode almost and it would have cliffhangers and such. But then when compiled it doesn’t flow the same, there’s something off about it. This is mainly an issue if one is discovery writing on Substack like I often do, so if it’s pre written then it should be fine.
Thank you for the updates on what you learned! Very excited to continue reading your novels, and picking them up when they go to print.
Thanks for this thread Winston, it is very timely. I launched my serialized novel 5-weeks ago with a story I completed in 2018 and spent the past two years revising, following the advice of a good literary editor. Its early days, but I am seeing gradual growth and new readers engaging with my characters and narrative everyday. I made an early decision to turn off comments and likes as reading is deeply personal for many and I did not want my readers to be confronted by unwanted influences, good or bad. Anecdotal feedback suggests that my readers like the serialized format because it works well with their other reading demands, which are many and varied these days. Another piece of feedback that may help writer's considering serializing is that my readers were 'in' from the get go, thanks to the pace of the story, the strength of the characters and the very real stakes. This, of course, is storytelling 101, which can sometimes get lost in the excitement of innovation! Thanks again. I greatly valued this discussion and hope there will be more 😉
Hey D, congrats on the recent serial launch! That’s very exciting to hear. I’m interested in the comments and likes being turned off. I can’t say for certain, but I feel like some posts get likes based on the amount of likes, so this sounds very appealing as a way to gauge genuine interest. I like your point about the core elements of storytelling and remaining true to those tenets. I hope to instill that in the serial I’m publishing over on my other Substack. Thanks for sharing this awesome advice! What is your novel about? Do you have a first draft planned out or are you discovery writing?
Hi Winston. Thanks for your interest. My value proposition is "subverting the dominant narrative" and to this end, I am publishing a story about two sisters who grow apart, and exploring the intertwined issues of sexuality, politics, family and gender through the relationships and career of the protagonist (a badass). I have, in fact, completed the novel and the work now is in the line edits, between chapters. Discovery writing is not really an option for me as I write literary fiction, which does not lend itself to the demands of the weekly turnaround. When Dickens and Flaubert serialized their work, it was at a time when folk were willing to wait for the weekly installments. Today, time constrains, regularity, and the capacity of technology to 'remind' the reader another chapter awaits probably account for the growing popularity of serialization (though some of my readers 'collect' a few weeks of chapters and read them in one sitting) and mitigate the risk of the reader setting the book aside and never getting back to it. With this understanding, the biggest revisions for me, after I wrote SISTERLY LOVE and in preparing it for serialization, were structural (figuring out the chapters) and in the transitions, the latter was particularly challenging because the reader can't turn the page to find out what happens next, they have to wait! Here's the link to my book: https://dlleeauthor.substack.com Where can I read your serialized book?
Thank you for asking, Winston. Truthfully--and I'm not just being cheeky here as I'm wont to do--I really have no idea what keeps readers engaged. I've been at this for a minute--ten years as a novelist in November--and I can't say I've really figured that out. People seem ever busier, even less interested each year than the one before. Is it my work or the larger culture? Both? Who's to say.
What I can say--and I'm cribbing from Bester's 'the book is boss,' here--is that it's easiest and best to write the way in which the work demands. That can sound airy-fairy or pretentious, but I mean it quite practically. If it feels better to write the work ahead of time, then do that for that work. If the next time out it seems like it needs to go out each time you finish, do that. Not every work will have different needs, but many will, and by going with it, you'll have a much easier time.
There's a caveat, as always. I'm not having a very easy time in life right now, and so the work is not particularly easy, either. This seems to be the way of things. Again, not always, but often when life is rough, writing is rough.
Have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend, sweet Winston!
Hey T, thanks for responding with your experience. I suppose it isn’t an exact science. I really like the point you make about doing what the work demands. I try to work ahead, but then sometimes I don’t know where the story is going until I reach a certain point in the book, so it’s definitely dependent on the work. And your caveat couldn’t come at more applicable time for me as I’ve broken an ankle and have been getting over a cold. Writing and making time for Substack has been insanely difficult this summer. I’ll manage though. Hope you’re doing okay!
Keep at it! Its not meant to be easy but if you persevere it can be very rewarding 😉
When I wrote fan fiction (from the age of 15-29!), it was a shared universe of over a dozen writers at any given time, writing stories set in the same continuity, with the same "versions" of the characters. That meant a level of planning and plotting that I don't think I should have been exposed to at such an early, literary age-- it probably broke my brain!-- but what it meant was, you had to write an "issue" of a "title" every month. And if you were writing multiple titles, that meant you had more deadlines, so it was a constant state of juggling priorities, and making sure everything fit in the structure of the world we had built.
I loved it. I loved releasing a new issue every month of Batman, Green Lantern, whatever. There was an audience waiting for it, and I think another thing that broke me was that almost... instant gratification of writer-to-reader contact. I wrote something. It posted on the website. People read it. Wednesday was release day, so it was destination viewing.
Pivoting into writing my own stories, I know that my style and approach is informed by these fan fiction experiences. Hell, I'm even adapting my own stories, set in my own universe, because I am still so proud of the work I did then. I self-published the first book in a new series back in November 2022, and I'm sitting on the second book right now. I'm considering serialising it via my substack (shameless plug: https://chwilkins.substack.com/), because I just want it out there. The thought of receiving live feedback gives me the serotonin buzz I think I need to keep engaged with writing. I used to finish writing something on Monday, and it would post on Wednesday. Instant feedback. Instant gratification. I miss that.
So, yes, I'm really interested in the idea of serialising my longform stories. I've retained all the lessons learned from my previous "life" as a fan fiction writer, so it's just about making that final decision: Do I throw something that has been beta-read but not edited into the world, with all the potential errors that involves, and see what happens? And then do I take everything I learn during that time for a Version 2.0 in time for a physical launch? It's a conundrum!
Hey, Charlie, nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by to comment and share your experience and perspective.
Your past life sounds pretty awesome. That’s a lot of good serialization skills that you got to develop and hone over the years. I completely connect with what you said about the instant gratification of writer-to-reader contact. I think I prefer it. It’s something that keeps me going.
I’m excited to check out your work on Substack. It sounds like something I’d be really into. Shared universes are one of my favorite things. As for your final questions, they are good ones. I’ve been following that method for the past 2 years so far. It’s working for me, but I’m experimenting. It also seems to be the only way I can get myself to finish a novel. Try it out and see if it works for you, too! Or stick with whatever makes you comfortable.
Great comment, Charlie! Can’t wait to follow up with our experiences. Let’s stay connected!
Thanks, Winston. I look forward from seeing more from you too!
"Victor, are you still publishing short stories and writing in the Mega Universe? How many rounds of edits are the sweet spot for you before you’re comfortable posting a chapter or story online for others to read?"
Hey Winston. Yes sir, I still do release chapters still on my substack and have seen some readership growth. I try to at least edit seven times before I post, and run each chapter through some online grammar checkers. That at least gets the errors down to a minimum.
And I sure do still write in the Megacosm! I have a new story I plan on publishing soon called The Mark. It's about a woman and her Ex-Ranger husband being stalked by an obsessed retired Green Beret. I am trying a new format as this will be a novelette. I wanted to challenge myself to see how much story I can fit in a 20K word cap. I have the first three chapters out right now. Going to publish the rest as digital for 99 cents to get my feet wet with digital publishing.
However, all my main novels will still be print only.
Hey Victor, thanks for replying with an update on your journey. Good to hear that you’re still posting and growing. The Mark sounds pretty epic. I love the novelette/novella format. There’s so much that can be done with it.
That’s an interesting strat with the digital vs physical publishing aspect. I might follow suit. Do you have any specific reason for doing it that way?
Hey Winston. It's mostly a personal philosophy. I know I am missing out on sales not going digital but I am big on physical media. Even wrote an article about it. Just seen too much censorship of digital from books, comics, and videogames to get behind it.
I don't begrudge anyone though because I get that more people read digital these days. I'll release the shorter stories digital because I can't justify charging more for stories that size, but I think, personally, people should physically own the work I put months into. They won't regret it!
I like that concept. I just had a fiasco with my ebook, which I've tried to pull down but can't seem to get them to. We'll see in the next couple days if it stops showing up on Amazon. Physical copies just seem to have more value.
Do not have any experience of my own, other than with experimenting with short stories... but I liked reading this piece. Quite thought-provoking!
Thank you, Oganga. I’m glad that it was helpful for you!
Hey Mike, thanks for the comment. I'm a collector at heart, so I like buying physical books, too. There's also something special about reading and commenting on a story one chapter at a time that doesn't occur the same way with the physical version, and in that regard they are almost completely separate experiences. I've found that the readers who have followed the story/stories online end up being the same supporters purchasing the book on launch day. In terms of read-through, for me it drops off significantly with each chapter to the point of it being only 1-2 people by the very end. However, that's all the motivation I need to keep going! Physical books are definitely still the end goal in mind. I suppose it's a preference on what works to get there. Anyway, that's just my anecdotal experience.
I'm in the process of serialising a book, but I don't have any print copies or much of a reader base yet. I also prefer physical books, but I feel that in the current age, a fair share of people prefer reading online (especially in my target audience, teenagers).
Since I haven't had much success with serialisation, I plan to release a physical version of my book after it's finished online. My lack of success could be attributed to the fact that I only publish monthly, instead of weekly like most Substackers do.