It's a bit chicken and egg. Without something to attract people to read, it's going to be harder to grow the newsletter; but without subscribers, your story isn't going to get the attention you might want.
Perhaps start with short stories or side projects before diving into the main event?
FWIW, I'd say no, do not wait for your stack to grow before putting your story out.
It's giving yourself an excuse not to write it.
Not serial novels, but still art. Back in the before-times, in the long-long ago of the 1990's I was with a band. We were all synth geeks, so most of the work was working and reworking the same dozen songs ad-infinitum, passing the updated sequencer files around. Occasionally we'd meet up for group editing sessions, play parts in, work on the same machine, pool up our gear (we all had a couple synths in common, but, maybe the strings on my Kawaii K4 worked better than Bill's Korg M1), and drop a mix to DAT.
But we were all chasing a "Perfect Sound." The kick isn't beefy enough, but a new drum machine will handle it. That vocal effect isn't swirly enough, but this new effects processor will fix it.
Of course we were so busy puttering away refining the same stuff from 1990 to 1998 we never released anything. Or played gigs for that matter. I was the only one pushing to rehearse songs for live performance, but the others didn't want to do so because the songs "weren't done yet."
In retrospect we didn't have confidence in the craft and we're looking for excuses to stall.
Most of the stuff we recorded was crap, anyway. Many recordings are on my phone, and, if they come up on shuffle when streaming audio on a drive my wifey is diving for the track skip button by measure 2.
Eventually I left. Worked with another band where, on a few occasions, we went out on stage and performed things which had been thrown together the day before. That band never attained fame or fortune, but we played shows, and actually released material. We put ourselves out there, rather than stall. This band broke up because two members got jobs out of state, and the rest of us decided that (after several lineup changes over the years) the current lineup WAS the band, and another lineup wouldn't do.
Several of us remained collaborators since. Just not that project.
When those songs come up on shuffle, wifey sings along (I met her 6 years after the band ended).
Point being, you have to start sometime, and waiting for a bigger audience isn't writing. It's stalling. Put it out there and trust an audience.
I've been reading Simon's works since he began on Wattpad, and you WILL get readers later who go back to the beginning. I know because I comment on every chapter and comments I wrote years ago still get replies.
Someone had to read Simon to see my comment and be engaged enough by Simon's writing to delve into and respond to years old commentary.
I am working on growing my audience through short stories while I work on growing my audience, but that's also because my book isn't ready yet. I've been on Substack a little over years and have 57 subscribers and about 200 followers--so it's slow growth indeed. But once I start publishing the novel, I'll be able to publish a lot more frequently, so I think it will pick up a little more steam. I'm hoping to have 100 subscribers by launch in January--not a lot, but at least a little foundation!
Short fiction can work really well. I've been writing something very long, but short stories and one-offs (or standalone stories in an anthology) are better suited to newsletter publication. Simpler to understand, to navigate, readers aren't expected to find their way across and around different posts etc.
The main decision to make is how frequently to post. Once a week is the standard, but if you have a large backlog already and the stories are short, you could potentially consider a faster pace.
If you have capacity to do audio it's worth it - another way to get people in the door, and also useful for accessibility.
Thank you for providing this comprehensive archive of your experiences and thoughts of serialization. It's a fantastic time-saver for us authors contemplating how to share our stories.
Only read the opening,...I'm about to start driving...but I am so glad I'm here. Glad to be a part of this community,..oh, and Simon, I found my new Nook.
...so I get to start your series from the beginning tonight!
Thanks for putting this together. Much needed reading for me.
I've been pretty relaxed on that side of things. I tried several different approaches but the most successful one for me has been to put almost everything out for free. My paid subs don't seem to be paying for 'a product' (like a book) but more as a general vote of support, like a patronage model.
It's very dependent on what you're trying to do, though, and the kind of audience you're cultivating!
This is great Simon thank you. A question: Should I grow my 'stack to a certain subscriber level before introducing a serial novel?
Hm, great question.
It's a bit chicken and egg. Without something to attract people to read, it's going to be harder to grow the newsletter; but without subscribers, your story isn't going to get the attention you might want.
Perhaps start with short stories or side projects before diving into the main event?
I went straight in, mind you. While compiling today's newsletter I actually stumbled upon an old article I wrote 6 months into doing this newsletter which is an interesting time capsule: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/dispatches-from-the-serial-frontier
I don't think there's ever a perfect time for these things. At some point you have to just take the plunge.
FWIW, I'd say no, do not wait for your stack to grow before putting your story out.
It's giving yourself an excuse not to write it.
Not serial novels, but still art. Back in the before-times, in the long-long ago of the 1990's I was with a band. We were all synth geeks, so most of the work was working and reworking the same dozen songs ad-infinitum, passing the updated sequencer files around. Occasionally we'd meet up for group editing sessions, play parts in, work on the same machine, pool up our gear (we all had a couple synths in common, but, maybe the strings on my Kawaii K4 worked better than Bill's Korg M1), and drop a mix to DAT.
But we were all chasing a "Perfect Sound." The kick isn't beefy enough, but a new drum machine will handle it. That vocal effect isn't swirly enough, but this new effects processor will fix it.
Of course we were so busy puttering away refining the same stuff from 1990 to 1998 we never released anything. Or played gigs for that matter. I was the only one pushing to rehearse songs for live performance, but the others didn't want to do so because the songs "weren't done yet."
In retrospect we didn't have confidence in the craft and we're looking for excuses to stall.
Most of the stuff we recorded was crap, anyway. Many recordings are on my phone, and, if they come up on shuffle when streaming audio on a drive my wifey is diving for the track skip button by measure 2.
Eventually I left. Worked with another band where, on a few occasions, we went out on stage and performed things which had been thrown together the day before. That band never attained fame or fortune, but we played shows, and actually released material. We put ourselves out there, rather than stall. This band broke up because two members got jobs out of state, and the rest of us decided that (after several lineup changes over the years) the current lineup WAS the band, and another lineup wouldn't do.
Several of us remained collaborators since. Just not that project.
When those songs come up on shuffle, wifey sings along (I met her 6 years after the band ended).
Point being, you have to start sometime, and waiting for a bigger audience isn't writing. It's stalling. Put it out there and trust an audience.
I've been reading Simon's works since he began on Wattpad, and you WILL get readers later who go back to the beginning. I know because I comment on every chapter and comments I wrote years ago still get replies.
Someone had to read Simon to see my comment and be engaged enough by Simon's writing to delve into and respond to years old commentary.
Trust yourself. You can do this.
I am working on growing my audience through short stories while I work on growing my audience, but that's also because my book isn't ready yet. I've been on Substack a little over years and have 57 subscribers and about 200 followers--so it's slow growth indeed. But once I start publishing the novel, I'll be able to publish a lot more frequently, so I think it will pick up a little more steam. I'm hoping to have 100 subscribers by launch in January--not a lot, but at least a little foundation!
I write short one page pieces that are part of a series. I have many of them. How do you suggest I use them?
They are all uplifting and fun. Can be done in audio as well.
Short fiction can work really well. I've been writing something very long, but short stories and one-offs (or standalone stories in an anthology) are better suited to newsletter publication. Simpler to understand, to navigate, readers aren't expected to find their way across and around different posts etc.
The main decision to make is how frequently to post. Once a week is the standard, but if you have a large backlog already and the stories are short, you could potentially consider a faster pace.
If you have capacity to do audio it's worth it - another way to get people in the door, and also useful for accessibility.
I'm new to Substack. I've only been posting notes
How do you begin a newsletter?
If you go to your profile settings, you can create a publication and get started.
Thanks!
Thank you for providing this comprehensive archive of your experiences and thoughts of serialization. It's a fantastic time-saver for us authors contemplating how to share our stories.
Only read the opening,...I'm about to start driving...but I am so glad I'm here. Glad to be a part of this community,..oh, and Simon, I found my new Nook.
...so I get to start your series from the beginning tonight!
Thanks for putting this together. Much needed reading for me.
You've got lots of reading ahead of you! And that's just my stuff.... :)
LOADED on my NOOK……LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!
…my proof =)Seriously, people, get this book on your eReader.
..and how do you monetize?
I've been pretty relaxed on that side of things. I tried several different approaches but the most successful one for me has been to put almost everything out for free. My paid subs don't seem to be paying for 'a product' (like a book) but more as a general vote of support, like a patronage model.
It's very dependent on what you're trying to do, though, and the kind of audience you're cultivating!
I’ll be putting it in book form too. I could do a pre sell if I develop an audience.