Say hello to the timeless art of serialization. This distinctive
publishing model has been around the block a few times, appearing throughout
history, and now, making a much-needed comeback in these wired and fast-paced
times of Kindle Fires and always-on cloud computing.
As the somewhat lower-tech (but far more influential)
paper-and-ink printing technology advanced into the 17th century,
serialization was used to produce more economical runs on the movable type.
Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers of 1836 are said to have taken the practice of
serialization in publishing to the next level, paving the way for the writers
we know today as “American classics” to make their debut in literary
periodicals.
Heck, it was considered unprofessional for authors to publish in
a standalone volume before strutting their stuff in one of the many
well-respected lit rags.
The popularity of serials continued into the early 20thcentury,
only to meet a gradual demise at the hands of broadcast entertainment, which
drove periodicals to focus on delivering information, rather than
entertainment. Surprise, surprise.
Radio killed the serial star.
It wasn’t until the turn of the century that the said star awoke
again from its dormancy and started giving off some much-needed light –the
Charles Dickens model inspired the likes of Tom Wolfe, Stephen King, Michael
Faber, Orson Scott Card, Neil Stephenson, and others. The advent of the World
Wide Web and its rapidly-evolving transparent nature helped speed along the
process a great deal.
Now, the star of serialization is shining on YOU. And begs the
question – is it still worth it?
I had a very interesting conversation a few weeks ago with
fellow author, Irving Podolsky, who pointed me to a developing discussion about this matter by Jane Friedman.
There, several important caveats were brought up, along with success stories,
important observations about reader behavior, and more. Needless to say, I
recommend you stop by and check it out.
Now, in my chat with Irving, we were discussing the rather mixed
reader involvement in the freebie serialized fiction experiments on his own
website, as well as that of my own Curiosity Quills Press. Instead of
regurgitating the entire conversation for you, dear reader, I will break it
down into a series of Pro’s and Con’s for serializing a work, as we perceived
them:
Pros:
·
- Rapid
turn-around for works-in-progress, since you can release a book in bite-size
pieces that can be individually polished instead of waiting for the full work
to be written.
·
- Intimidating
length of the complete work is not as big an issue, since readers get to enjoy
it in much more easily digestible portions.
·
- Potential path
towards building up a name for yourself, and a fan base, by showing new readers
what you are capable of without the commitment of a full-sized volume.
·
- Fans become a
massive pool of real-time critiquers, able to point authors in the right
direction if you falter in your delivery. After all, if they didn’t love how
you started, they wouldn’t still be reading at the point where you went wrong.
·
- A dedicated
community of fans often is willing to step up with assistance in translation,
cover art, and other help for their author. Who wouldn’t want to show the
community they are appreciated, while getting out of as many pre-publication
expenses as possible?
·
- In addition to
manpower, dedicated fans can go as far as helping fund a project into being
through donations. Kickstarter, anyone?
·
- Having actual
fans waiting for your next installment can be a great motivator to continue, if
you are feeling uninspired or suddenly lured away by other plot bunnies.
·
- Difficult to
publish at just the right pace to keep everyone happy – someone will always
feel it’s too slow or too fast, and lose interest.
·
- Author is in
firm control of how and when the reader gets to enjoy their story, which can
potentially ruin enjoyment.
·
- Your
readership and fan base are only as strong as the amount of readers and fans
whose interest you manage to keep throughout the serialization.
·
- Though readers
don’t have to commit to BUYING a full-sized volume, they must still commit to
the storyline, the characters, the plot – things that are firmly in the
author’s hands, to potentially mangle, reimagine, or worst of all – abandon
without finishing. That’s a big commitment to ask for.
·
- Readers need
to actually remember to stop by at the right interval to read up on your latest
installments. With shrinking attention spans and growing entertainment and
productivity options offered by the World Wide Web, your humble serialization
can easily be drowned out and forgotten.
Needless to say, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to your
self-publishing problems. Nor is it something to run from like the plague when
considering the format for your next potential project.
It is nothing more or less than a way of feeding parts of your
work to the reader in a scheduled and organized fashion – one that can be
enjoyable, fun, and exciting for both the writer and their fans. Providing, of
course, that said writer manages to get his/her fanny in gear and push out the
promised content in a timely and well-edited fashion.
With the days of Scheherazade long gone, and the classics of
literature having been relegated to dusty classrooms and libraries, the most
prominent sort of entertainment – the visual sort – is now leading the charge
by shifting its weight from film to serialized television programs, where
viewers can take in an episode or twenty at their own pace – especially with a
DVR or a handy Netflix subscription. If the show is compelling, viewers tune in
week after week. If it’s not – they tune out.
Obviously, then, if there is a clear and present danger to
serializers – it’s that while potential success is as big as your fan base,
potential failure can occur before you ever gain a following. A chicken-and-egg
dilemma that makes the question of serialization’s viability a continued topic
of debate.
Which side do YOU stand on?
Written by Lisa Gus, marketing director of Curiosity Quills
In her own words: I am...a mother, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a slave to a very persnickety cat, a writer, a foodie, a shoe hoarder, a people watcher, a conservationist, a screenwriter, a reluctant (bit apparently prolific) blogger... So who am I, really? Still figuring that one out. Update as I go along ;-)
This post is part of the Curiosity Quills Blog Tour 2012
Curiosity Quills is a gaggle of literary marauders with a bone to grind and not enough time for revisions - a collective, creating together, supporting each other, and putting out the best darn tootin’ words this side of Google.
Curiosity Quills also runs Curiosity Quills Press, an independent publisher committed to bringing top-quality fiction to the wider world. They publish in ebook, print, as well as serialising select works of their published authors for free on the press's website.
Written by Lisa Gus, marketing director of Curiosity Quills
In her own words: I am...a mother, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a slave to a very persnickety cat, a writer, a foodie, a shoe hoarder, a people watcher, a conservationist, a screenwriter, a reluctant (bit apparently prolific) blogger... So who am I, really? Still figuring that one out. Update as I go along ;-)
This post is part of the Curiosity Quills Blog Tour 2012
Curiosity Quills is a gaggle of literary marauders with a bone to grind and not enough time for revisions - a collective, creating together, supporting each other, and putting out the best darn tootin’ words this side of Google.
Curiosity Quills also runs Curiosity Quills Press, an independent publisher committed to bringing top-quality fiction to the wider world. They publish in ebook, print, as well as serialising select works of their published authors for free on the press's website.
7 comments:
Great post! I'm not sure which side I'm on in this one - I like a good series, but I also do tire of some things after a while... anyway, I thought it was worth linking to this great post in my blog today: http://authorjess.blogspot.com/2012/02/whats-up-wednesday-trip-around.html
One serialized medium that works very well is comics and manga. There may be an individual story for each issue, but there is also usually a meta-story that covers a very long arc. Fans can buy issue by issue and bail out at any time, or commit by subscribing or putting a title on their 'pull list' at the local comic shop.
I think for me one of the big challenges is leaving each part with a clear ending and sense of completeness while still maintaining the meta-story as you put it Mark.
I just found this timely article on Dickens and the serialisation of Bleak House - http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/03/bleak-house-reading-club-rules which might be of interest.
Bleak House is my favorite Dickens. I read the Modern Library version, which has very helpful notes to help navigate the references the author made.
The characters, the plot lines filled with mystery, the names, the writing--all of them excellent. Dickens' life may have been a hectic mess, but that didn't stop him from writing. His efforts should inspire both readers and writers.
Thanks for posting that link!
I haven't read Bleak House but I do love Dickens. I had to study Hard Times for A-level and thought it was brilliant. Since then I've read a few others of my own accord.
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