I published the first chapter of my debut serial in 2015. Approximately three novels and 460 weeks / chapters later, I’m still writing and publishing in this form, now via this newsletter.
Especially if you’re new to writing serial fiction or are thinking about giving it a go, consider this discussion a brain-picking exercise. I’ve likely made all the mistakes one can make with writing serials, so perhaps I can help you sidestep a few of them.
So: What do you want to know about writing and publishing serial fiction online?
I'm curious about how much you've planned already, how much you've written already- before publishing, how much you go off feedback from readers - tangents etc. I'm also curious about the boredom threshold? How you stick with it...
How does serializing on watpad/substack have an impact on your ebook publishing projects? Are they mutually beneficial? Or competitors? Are there circumstances in which you would preferentially select one over the other?
Ditto to every other question here, which are so good. I will add - what tools [Scrivener?] do you use to help you plan as well as backup what gets posted? Thank you so much! Cool discussion.
What is your favorite platform for writing? Have you noticed a shift on certain platforms with the age change on there? What is your daily writing goal?
You've opened a can of worms, here, haven't you! Bless your generous soul. :)
So I've just launched my own novel serialisation, and I'm all planned out for the next 18 months. What have you found to be the best way to promote it? I've done my time with social media, and it doesn't come especially naturally (such as with Tom Cox, whose notes are always funny). But I also don't want to just keep posting "read my book". I know you can have content marketing - which is a lot of work to fit around a day job. Any thoughts?
I'm most curious about keeping your work safe from plagiarism. How do you go about asserting copyright of your work? Is it enough just to publish it and that's that? Or is there more to it? How can you check to see whether it's been nicked by somebody?
I’m curious anything you’ve tried/learned about structuring an ongoing project.
For context, I’m outlining a series now. I haven’t been thinking about it as serializing a “novel” but a “series” that would continue (in seasons? with breaks?) Curious if you’ve done anything along those lines.
Is it better to publish a serial on a daily or a weekly basis? I am trying to figure out how to serialize my work on my Substack and have seen it done in both of these ways.
Do you always finish writing one novel before starting another? So is one being published as you write the next? Are the novels themselves in a series?
Thank you for this thread, I went through some of the comments and your responses and I would like to ask how do you deal with changes? You mentioned that you aim to write and publish a weekly 1,200 word chapter. How many drafts do you write per chapter? How many options for scenes plot twists do you juggle before picking one? I'm asking this because I tend to edit multiple times and the final story is quite different from where I started.
Hey Simon! I absolutely love that you're doing this and I love reading your experience on here.
My question would be: how do you deal with breaks? Do you take any (like in between arcs) or just keep pushing through?
My own serial is on break right now and it's longer than planned because I'm trying to finish another project, and I guess... I worry that I will lose all my readership when I re-start it, even though I did warn them I'm going on break and I have done so before (just that this one is longer than any of the ones before).
So, I noticed that I've fallen into the trap of telling instead of showing again, because I'm trying to move the story along at a tolerable pace while also trying to be economic with my word count for each installment. Do you have any advice on how to hit important and interesting story beats even when they don't fall within the 1000-1500 threshold for the word count per post?
I'm currently posting my finished (and polished) MG steampunk novel on Wattpad, chapter by chapter, as one of my target audiences (MG readers) is definitely active there. I'm not expecting many sales from this audience, but I'd love to interact directly with MG readers and hear what they think. (I do plan on taking my book down on May 8th, prior to publishing wide on all the online retailers.)
I'm trying Wattpad as a bit of an experiment. Will the story generate some reader interest? What will the comments (if any!) reveal? Can Wattpad be a way to cultivate and communicate with a MG reader audience directly? (These are some questions I'm asking as I try it out.)
My question to you is: How long do Wattpad authors (who also want to publish in book form) typically leave their stories up on Wattpad? And do they leave an excerpt posted when they take it down?
I'm so excited that you're offering up your insights this way. I don't know if this is a taboo question, but I am very new to the format of serialized fiction. Are we supposed to copyright our work? Ultimately, in my mind at least, these installments will eventually be edited, improved, and published as a single work of fiction.
Hi Simon, thanks for making this space. My question is when is the best day/time to publish and do you have any tips for accelerating growth from 100 to 1k subs? Also, what kind of perks can people like us offer paid subscribers? Linking Adventure Story below for reference if useful. Thanks again!
Can you share anything regarding monetization? It doesn't have to be figures if that's something you'd rather keep to yourself. But do you make money from paid subscriptions or from selling your books?
Commenting to find this thread leader. Really appreciate you dedicating some time to do an AMA - I'm going to read through the answers later night. I'm writing a serial Choose Your Own Adventure and I'm sure you've dropped some gems in this 'ere comment section! ♡
Am creating a ‘Cinematic Story Outline’ in situ ‘here’ ..
My Options - stemming from this design built endeavour
- include Feature Film as the ‘Prime Directive’ plus Serializing for Streaming TV & Web Medias plus Podcasting inc versioning for Vision Handicapped & Blind plus a Journal/Book re the ‘Making Of’
My questions are more related to Writing Structures & Realities of The Markets.. ie Program Length(s) and Conforming to Other Market Specifications
I don’t & won’t Write Dialogue on this beast.. aside from samples
I also ‘write for the actual very specific Location Settings including Notations For Camera ie Director’s Notes.. and especially as this Project includes extensive Drone Photography as well as being Intensively Marine Environment Scenarios.. including Underwater Drone Photography..
You can see why my ‘Creative must be ultra efficient & realistic - aside from being a ‘great & appealing Story - especially since Budget - All In re Feature Film is under 7.5 Million ideally
I Expect mucho Answers to my many curious questions are found via various & many prior Posts of yours.. but perhaps there’s some interest in this approach .. am no stranger whatsoever re Motion Picture Production & Post.. and ‘Shooting to Budget - and as so.. suggest aspiring Story Outline or Screenplay Writers avoid Writing Scenarios that defy Budget Reality .. haha..
Hi Simon, thanks for this invitation. Well I've been doing this for a while now, 34 weeks, and 57 episodes! And I have no idea what questions I should be asking... I know it's fun, I know I've enjoyed the sporadic engagement I've got so far and I really enjoy the three readers who regularly comment and respond, I think that's the major motivating factor in continuing at this point. I'm really worried about someone stealing my story, and I'm afraid that asking about it might make me seem a little full of myself, like how could I presume to think this story is good enough that anyone would find it worth stealing... Also, my reach is limited and my growth seems to have plateaued. But I'm not really worried enough right now to do the work it would take to grow. At this point I just want to finish the story. My question is, is it worth finishing it, and then doing the marketing?
Do you have any suggestions for how to speed up the writing process without completely sacrificing quality? This is the main barrier to my writing a serial. It can take me months of dedicated writing to finish a short story that I consider worth reading. I've been experimenting with ways to speed up the process, but the results so far have been terrible.
Yet another reason the UK produces better quality of works. It must be very liberating to your creative process, not to have to navigate other superimposed technical issues 😅... based on your link, I did find that in the US you have automatic protection as well. However, when you pay for the copyright you're actually paying for the ability to enforce it, should someone chooses to infringe on your "protected" works... I smell a scam 😒, but what are you going to do? 😂
I'm curious about how much you've planned already, how much you've written already- before publishing, how much you go off feedback from readers - tangents etc. I'm also curious about the boredom threshold? How you stick with it...
How does serializing on watpad/substack have an impact on your ebook publishing projects? Are they mutually beneficial? Or competitors? Are there circumstances in which you would preferentially select one over the other?
Ditto to every other question here, which are so good. I will add - what tools [Scrivener?] do you use to help you plan as well as backup what gets posted? Thank you so much! Cool discussion.
What is your favorite platform for writing? Have you noticed a shift on certain platforms with the age change on there? What is your daily writing goal?
You've opened a can of worms, here, haven't you! Bless your generous soul. :)
So I've just launched my own novel serialisation, and I'm all planned out for the next 18 months. What have you found to be the best way to promote it? I've done my time with social media, and it doesn't come especially naturally (such as with Tom Cox, whose notes are always funny). But I also don't want to just keep posting "read my book". I know you can have content marketing - which is a lot of work to fit around a day job. Any thoughts?
I'm most curious about keeping your work safe from plagiarism. How do you go about asserting copyright of your work? Is it enough just to publish it and that's that? Or is there more to it? How can you check to see whether it's been nicked by somebody?
I’m curious anything you’ve tried/learned about structuring an ongoing project.
For context, I’m outlining a series now. I haven’t been thinking about it as serializing a “novel” but a “series” that would continue (in seasons? with breaks?) Curious if you’ve done anything along those lines.
Is it better to publish a serial on a daily or a weekly basis? I am trying to figure out how to serialize my work on my Substack and have seen it done in both of these ways.
Do you always finish writing one novel before starting another? So is one being published as you write the next? Are the novels themselves in a series?
Thank you for this thread, I went through some of the comments and your responses and I would like to ask how do you deal with changes? You mentioned that you aim to write and publish a weekly 1,200 word chapter. How many drafts do you write per chapter? How many options for scenes plot twists do you juggle before picking one? I'm asking this because I tend to edit multiple times and the final story is quite different from where I started.
Hey Simon! I absolutely love that you're doing this and I love reading your experience on here.
My question would be: how do you deal with breaks? Do you take any (like in between arcs) or just keep pushing through?
My own serial is on break right now and it's longer than planned because I'm trying to finish another project, and I guess... I worry that I will lose all my readership when I re-start it, even though I did warn them I'm going on break and I have done so before (just that this one is longer than any of the ones before).
Simon, thank you , as always, for sharing! I just started serializing my first novel and am enjoying the experience so far.
So, I noticed that I've fallen into the trap of telling instead of showing again, because I'm trying to move the story along at a tolerable pace while also trying to be economic with my word count for each installment. Do you have any advice on how to hit important and interesting story beats even when they don't fall within the 1000-1500 threshold for the word count per post?
Whats you writing frequency and how do you decide when to publish?
Hi Simon,
I'm currently posting my finished (and polished) MG steampunk novel on Wattpad, chapter by chapter, as one of my target audiences (MG readers) is definitely active there. I'm not expecting many sales from this audience, but I'd love to interact directly with MG readers and hear what they think. (I do plan on taking my book down on May 8th, prior to publishing wide on all the online retailers.)
I'm trying Wattpad as a bit of an experiment. Will the story generate some reader interest? What will the comments (if any!) reveal? Can Wattpad be a way to cultivate and communicate with a MG reader audience directly? (These are some questions I'm asking as I try it out.)
My question to you is: How long do Wattpad authors (who also want to publish in book form) typically leave their stories up on Wattpad? And do they leave an excerpt posted when they take it down?
I'm so excited that you're offering up your insights this way. I don't know if this is a taboo question, but I am very new to the format of serialized fiction. Are we supposed to copyright our work? Ultimately, in my mind at least, these installments will eventually be edited, improved, and published as a single work of fiction.
Hi Simon, thanks for making this space. My question is when is the best day/time to publish and do you have any tips for accelerating growth from 100 to 1k subs? Also, what kind of perks can people like us offer paid subscribers? Linking Adventure Story below for reference if useful. Thanks again!
https://niccolohilgendorf.substack.com/p/adventure-story-episode-15-hero-versus
How do you deal with the fact that some traditional publishers don't want work that has already appeared online, or do you not care about this issue?
Can you share anything regarding monetization? It doesn't have to be figures if that's something you'd rather keep to yourself. But do you make money from paid subscriptions or from selling your books?
Commenting to find this thread leader. Really appreciate you dedicating some time to do an AMA - I'm going to read through the answers later night. I'm writing a serial Choose Your Own Adventure and I'm sure you've dropped some gems in this 'ere comment section! ♡
So a short story is finished. Drafted, edited, drafted, published online, edited. Moved on to next one.
What's next for a short story? Where could it go, and how could it get there.
I just started serial publishing my novel. What would you say are the advantages and disadvantages to this method?
Am creating a ‘Cinematic Story Outline’ in situ ‘here’ ..
My Options - stemming from this design built endeavour
- include Feature Film as the ‘Prime Directive’ plus Serializing for Streaming TV & Web Medias plus Podcasting inc versioning for Vision Handicapped & Blind plus a Journal/Book re the ‘Making Of’
My questions are more related to Writing Structures & Realities of The Markets.. ie Program Length(s) and Conforming to Other Market Specifications
I don’t & won’t Write Dialogue on this beast.. aside from samples
I also ‘write for the actual very specific Location Settings including Notations For Camera ie Director’s Notes.. and especially as this Project includes extensive Drone Photography as well as being Intensively Marine Environment Scenarios.. including Underwater Drone Photography..
You can see why my ‘Creative must be ultra efficient & realistic - aside from being a ‘great & appealing Story - especially since Budget - All In re Feature Film is under 7.5 Million ideally
I Expect mucho Answers to my many curious questions are found via various & many prior Posts of yours.. but perhaps there’s some interest in this approach .. am no stranger whatsoever re Motion Picture Production & Post.. and ‘Shooting to Budget - and as so.. suggest aspiring Story Outline or Screenplay Writers avoid Writing Scenarios that defy Budget Reality .. haha..
Hi Simon, thanks for this invitation. Well I've been doing this for a while now, 34 weeks, and 57 episodes! And I have no idea what questions I should be asking... I know it's fun, I know I've enjoyed the sporadic engagement I've got so far and I really enjoy the three readers who regularly comment and respond, I think that's the major motivating factor in continuing at this point. I'm really worried about someone stealing my story, and I'm afraid that asking about it might make me seem a little full of myself, like how could I presume to think this story is good enough that anyone would find it worth stealing... Also, my reach is limited and my growth seems to have plateaued. But I'm not really worried enough right now to do the work it would take to grow. At this point I just want to finish the story. My question is, is it worth finishing it, and then doing the marketing?
Hey there! Thanks for doing this.
Do you have any suggestions for how to speed up the writing process without completely sacrificing quality? This is the main barrier to my writing a serial. It can take me months of dedicated writing to finish a short story that I consider worth reading. I've been experimenting with ways to speed up the process, but the results so far have been terrible.
Yet another reason the UK produces better quality of works. It must be very liberating to your creative process, not to have to navigate other superimposed technical issues 😅... based on your link, I did find that in the US you have automatic protection as well. However, when you pay for the copyright you're actually paying for the ability to enforce it, should someone chooses to infringe on your "protected" works... I smell a scam 😒, but what are you going to do? 😂
I am battling with my mental health issues and I am thinking about writing about it what do you think about doing a book about mental health