Forms of serialisation
Pre-written. Buffered. Live. Brain hack.
(Big hello to new arrivals from the big Fight the Monster giveaway! Hope you enjoy all those free books)
Today I continue my dive into the world of writing serialised fiction, taking a look at the different ways of approaching it as a form and publishing route. This is about the level of intensity you’re comfortable with for your writing - and I’m a firm believer that artists don’t need to suffer for their art, so finding a happy balance is crucial.
I originally started writing a serialised story as an experiment to see how the social publishing platform Wattpad worked with on-going, multi-part stories. Prior to that I’d only published one-off short stories, which had never attracted much attention. Publishing a book in a serial format sounded fun and interesting, but I had no idea if it would work or whether I’d be able to pull it off.
Two things became rapidly apparent: writing in a serialised form suits my brain, and it also fits perfectly into how people use the internet. As such, I completed A Day of Faces, my first novel, and found thousands of readers in the process. Bear in mind that I’d never finished writing a novel before, much less make it available to readers. That was back in 2015-16.
Serialisation is an incredible productivity hack for anyone who is prone to procrastination or becoming distracted. For me, the knowledge that there are readers waiting for more is all I need to keep writing. Not theoretical, in the future readers, but actual, real people on planet Earth who want to read the next chapter right now. The project is no longer a private, secret thing hidden on my computer, but a living, breathing story that is already being enjoyed. It can’t be ignored, or forgotten.
On the reader end, they get to be part of the creation of the story. They’re not receiving the finished book, perfectly bound and presented in its totality. Anyone who hops on board from the start or halfway through gets to experience the unfolding of the tale in real time, similar to watching a TV show except those readers are far closer to the creative process. Many online platforms make it easy for readers to comment on chapters and it’s not unusual for discussions to take place between readers and between readers and writers.
To get more precise about my method, here’s how it works:
I work extensively on pre-production materials, which means developing characters, themes, world building and the plot. I’m not a detailed plotter, but I like to understand what I’m getting into before I start publishing. The way I publish, there’s no going back once I start releasing chapters, so it’s critical to know where I’m headed.
I’ll create a cover for the book to help promote it and give it a (hopefully) striking presence on the virtual bookshelves.
Ideally I’ll write half a dozen chapters ahead of time, as this helps me to settle into the groove of the book and also confirms to me that it’s a project I’m invested in, before going public.
When I’m ready I’ll publish the first chapter. Everything is set in motion. Point of no return. No going back, etc.
Each week I write and publish a new chapter. Sometimes I’ll have a buffer, so that I’m writing a few weeks ahead of what I’m publishing. More often than not, though, I end up writing a chapter and publishing it in the same week. It’s very seat-of-your-pants, and exhilarating, and rewarding. This is the aspect that makes a lot of writers run to the hills, which I fully understand.
I keep publishing every week, without fail, until the book is done.
It’s an intense experience and not for the faint of heart. As I mentioned at the top, that sense of laying the train tracks just before the train is what keeps me honest, and keeps me coming back to the keyboard. It’s just the right amount of social pressure that is healthy, and it’s what’s enabled me to write and publish three books in this way. I can confidently state that there is no way I’d have completed the 250,000 words of The Mechanical Crown without serialising it along the way.
If this sounds terrifying you can of course go about it very differently. At the other extreme is to write and edit the entire manuscript in advance, so that you essentially have a complete book which you then break apart for serialising. This has numerous advantages, not least that you’ve already done the hard work. You’re not going to trip up on any issues, or have a problem with producing enough material. You have the benefit of being able to do a full-manuscript edit prior to starting your serialising, which can result in a more coherent and satisfying experience for readers, and you’ll have more time to dedicate to promotion.
The flipside is that you miss out on a unique aspect of serialisation: live reader feedback. As I’m writing and publishing, I’m also absorbing the reactions of readers. Sometimes that’ll trigger new, better ideas, or I might spot a plot hole thanks to an innocent question from a reader. It’s also simply exciting to be writing something, knowing that there are people out there reading it already. It creates a white-hot kind of creative spark that is irresistible to me.
The mid-ground is to create a significant buffer of material and maintain it throughout publication and writing, so that you’re always a healthy number of chapters ahead of your readers. This way you still get that live feedback, and still have opportunities to tweak and improve the story, but you also have a safety net built into the process. The safety net can be important, because life has a tendency to get in the way.
You probably already have a good sense of which approach best suits your personality and writing style. Or you might need to give it a try before finding out. I certainly didn’t know that I’d find serialised writing so satisfying until I gave it a go - I now can’t imagine writing a novel without having that live audience.
I should also note that it isn’t about big numbers, or glory-hunting. In the early days I only had a couple of readers, but even that was enough to keep me going. It’s the knowledge that someone out there cares which boosts my productivity, and which banishes any risk of distraction or writer’s block. It only takes one person to do that. This is especially useful for new and previously unpublished writers, for whom it’s all too easy to give up: serialised publishing immediately gives you the proof that people are interested in your work, and will show up. That your work has value. That you should keep going.
If you’re a writer of serial fiction, or are thinking about giving it a go, please do let me know in the comments!
Talking of which, you can also check out the book I’m currently serialising right here. It’s called Tales from the Triverse and it begins here:
Thank for reading!
Simon K Jones
I'm late to the original conversation, but the wisdom is evergreen.
Truly, I think serialization may be the missing link to jump past the limited success I've had over the years. My first book alone was on the front page of Amazon in my category for four years. Always in the top 20, ...but few comments, almost no reviews, but sales. I'd have a week when I'd sell 9000+ books (yes, nine thousand books) in 72 hours...but no knowledge why. It would trickle again for weeks, then get another 2K-3K sales over a week. Again, no feedback.
It was...weird.
Goodreads, I received a tad more feedback... but here on Substack the environment is perfectly suited for what I crave, and that's interaction. I'm obsessed with entertaining readers, and you've explained what iI believe I've been missing.
Thank you, Simon, for posting this.
...I'd like to add something, and that's to encourage people to keep writing, despite what experiences you have. So much happens in secret, and you never completely know why some thing happen the way they do.
I am 'nobody' in the way of writers. Most people do not know me and will never know me, but guess what? The money still comes in. My readership still grows over time.
So please don't give up/.
Hi Simon, thank you for this post. I am planning to serialize my novel, in a couple of months time. Have earmarked this post for rereading.
A quick question - Did you post anything other than the novel during that period?