Guest Post: The Serialisation of Novels by Lisa Gus

One Thousand & One Nights spotlighted the shrewd Scheherazade keeping her execution at bay by leading on a rapt King Shahriyar, night after night, with cliffhanger after cliffhanger.

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 17^th 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 20^thcentury, 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.

 Cons:

·                                     - 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. 

What is wrong with e-books?

Right, this is a bit of rant, just so you are pre-warned! Anyone who reads my tweets may have seen this coming...

I am getting a bit naffed off with people slagging off those of us who prefer to read e-books. Lately I have seen various articles where people, who often don't seem to have ever tried one, feel it's perfectly reasonable to be rude about fans of the kindle, nook and their kind. The most recent one I've seen is one in which Penelope Lively (who I used to rate but am now rapidly going off of) has declared we are "bloodless nerds" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/jul/11/penelope-lively-kindle?CMP=twt_gu) There was another one last week that also got my goat but typically I now can't find it to share. 

I would just like to point out my preference for e-book over tree book does not make me a philistine (or indeed bloodless, or soulless) While I wouldn't deny anyone their opinion belittling a group of people because of their personal preferences seems pretty juvenile to me. By all means state your preference and reasons but less of the name calling please! 

I have no problem with books, or with people that like the smell and feel of them, but personally I have too many of them, and I'm more about the content and the writing than the delivery system. Do I not like the tactile experience a book provides? Yes, absolutely,  and I was concerned at first that I would miss turning the page, but I find the leather and felt cover on my beloved e-reader a far nicer experience than a mass market paperback, and have no problem with pushing a button instead. And why the apparent assumption that you can only read one or the other? I suspect lots of e-book lovers probably still have shelves of books, or will continue to buy the books they really like in a physical format. It doesn't have to be us vs them.

Maybe I am just missing the articles that declare people who still prefer a physical book are Luddites. If anyone wants to provide me with links that pursue that argument, to give me a sense of balance, I'd be delighted. In the meantime I'm thinking that there are a lot of people out there who are afraid of change and feel threatened by it.T hat or it's just an extension of the sort of snobbery that persists in relation to, horror of horrors, the rise of the self-publisher or indie author.

As to why I have, and prefer, a kindle (I haven't tried any other major players but I'm sure some of the arguments are equally applicable)...

1) Storage! I have several book cases, most shelves have two rows of books jammed on, with more books laid on top. I DO love books and have a hard time getting rid of them. By being more selective about what I get in hard copy I can control my storage problem better.

2) Related to 1) is space - but in my handbag, or hand luggage. One the days I work I spend a lot of my time commuting, and there's very little worse than finishing one book and sitting twiddling your thumbs for ages because you don't have another with you. When we're off camping or flying somewhere it's a real boon being able to take more than enough books to keep even me going.

3) Choice. Yes, I will freely admit there is some absolute dross available for the kindle but I've also picked up some stinkers that have won major awards in physical copy. At least I have a huge range to pick from and the great Sample feature to help filter out anything too awful. Another admission, yes there have been books I'd like to read that aren't available, and other that have been "price fixed" by the publishers at a level I'm not prepared to pay,  but I have the choice to go to a bookshop, or a library, or wait until it is available or the price is more palatable.

4) An enhanced experience. There are plenty of added features, but the only one I use regularly is the facility to look up a word in the dictionary. So simple, and I'm expanding my vocab no end. In the past I would have understood an unusual word in context but would never go to the effort of getting a dictionary out. Now it's so quick I'd be a fool not to.

5) An unexpected bonus - it's easier to read lying down than a book, at least if you, like me,hate your books less than pristine and refuse to risk a spine break. And when your days are as busy as mine a lot of reading gets done in bed!

6) Instant gratification. You have one of those moments where you're watching something or talking to a friend and a book is mentioned that you think you'd really like. Downloading takes a matter of seconds and there it is. No having to head into town or wait for the postman. Just so convenient.

7) I may not be a philistine but I am a bit of a cheapskate, so buying books from supermarkets to get a good deal was starting to limit my reading. (As above I'm a bit precious about my books being pristine so charity shops aren't much of an option for me) While Tesco, Asda and co are great for umpteen and one thrillers they're not so hot for anything more literary.While I don't think it's fair to authors to expect them to accept the 99c/72p price model I think it's a useful tool to introduce readers to new authors or new genres, and I've certainly widen the scope of my reading no end.

Now in the interests of balance, the one thing I really do prefer about a physical book is the cover art. Some of them truly deserve to be called art, and a small reproduction in black and white just isn't the same. I think that's about it though. I'm selfish and don't particularly care that I can't lend a copy in the same way. Maybe if books were still leather bound and gilt edged I might be a bit more sentimental about them.

My conclusion? Let the debate rage, but please no name calling children!