Turning a serial into books seems like a no-brainer to me. I wrote my second novel live on my Substack as a serial and just published it on Amazon. I will be writing the third book in the series on Substack also. Why not?
Absolutely. I've been sitting on three completed books since finishing my serial projects, and really need to get on with it. I think I've always shied away from the amount of editing needed to jazz the serials up into a form that works as a standalone book. But, really, I need to get over myself and get on with it. :)
For better or worse, my first draft is my only draft. I write one chapter per session. The next session, I read what I wrote the previous session and fix clunky sentences and typos. Then I write the next chapter. I rarely do any major edits. That is just the way I write.
For my novels, I do outline fairly extensively. So when I go to write a chapter, I basically know what to write. And having readers catch typos and errors, and make suggestions really helped with book 2.
It works for me. After I finished writing the second book on Substack, I basically just had to put it into the proper format and publish. The thought of rewriting a whole novel or serial boggles my mind. Once is enough for me! 🤣
I have to agree with you, Mark. It almost seems silly to have a completed serial and not put it all together in one place for readers to grab in another format if they want it. I went in “inside-out order” a little bit: took a short novel I had finished and used that to get my newsletter up and running and then started on a sequel that I plan to revise and pull together once I’ve finished.
Yeah, There are some people who will not read a serial. They can buy the books. 🙂
I had my first novel written before I started Substack so I posted all the chapters on my Substack all at once, so new readers could read it and start following the second book as I wrote it.
Writing the book live on Substack was a good motivator and I got some very helpful feedback. And readers caught a lot typos that I excel at. 🤣
When you mention engaging with readers, do you mean allowing comments to be open? How important do you think that is? I am starting a serial January 3 and was planning not to allow comments because as a reader, I think I'd enjoy reading more without other readers telling me what to think. But not everyone is like me, I learn anew everyday in one way or another, haha.
It’s totally your call: don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.
That said, being unable to leave a comment can be disappointing for those readers who would like to. And the way Substack is designed, comments are easily ignored — in fact, anyone reading via email won’t see them unless they click through.
I find comments on Substack fiction are less frequent than over on other platforms like Wattpad, so it might not be as big a factor anyway.
Oh, and I forgot to say that it is completely written already. Of course, it's not absolutely impossible that they could influence the story, but it's unlikely.
This article has me a little curious if it matters that I'm reversing the order? I already wrote the book, but recently discovered Substack (originally for my flash fiction), and see this is an ideal place to share my Novella as a serial. Do you have any special advice regarding this approach?
"In the meantime, if you’re working on a serial please do let me know!"
I too am reversing the order. I wrote the story (it's not a book, but a longer story in 13 parts) without publishing any of it. Later, I'll start pushing it out there. It'll be my first time here on Substack publishing a series. My pieces so far are all stand-alone. Still working on a few details for the schedule, but looking to start after summer.
Turning a serial into books seems like a no-brainer to me. I wrote my second novel live on my Substack as a serial and just published it on Amazon. I will be writing the third book in the series on Substack also. Why not?
Absolutely. I've been sitting on three completed books since finishing my serial projects, and really need to get on with it. I think I've always shied away from the amount of editing needed to jazz the serials up into a form that works as a standalone book. But, really, I need to get over myself and get on with it. :)
Do it!
For better or worse, my first draft is my only draft. I write one chapter per session. The next session, I read what I wrote the previous session and fix clunky sentences and typos. Then I write the next chapter. I rarely do any major edits. That is just the way I write.
For my novels, I do outline fairly extensively. So when I go to write a chapter, I basically know what to write. And having readers catch typos and errors, and make suggestions really helped with book 2.
It works for me. After I finished writing the second book on Substack, I basically just had to put it into the proper format and publish. The thought of rewriting a whole novel or serial boggles my mind. Once is enough for me! 🤣
I have to agree with you, Mark. It almost seems silly to have a completed serial and not put it all together in one place for readers to grab in another format if they want it. I went in “inside-out order” a little bit: took a short novel I had finished and used that to get my newsletter up and running and then started on a sequel that I plan to revise and pull together once I’ve finished.
Yeah, There are some people who will not read a serial. They can buy the books. 🙂
I had my first novel written before I started Substack so I posted all the chapters on my Substack all at once, so new readers could read it and start following the second book as I wrote it.
Writing the book live on Substack was a good motivator and I got some very helpful feedback. And readers caught a lot typos that I excel at. 🤣
When you mention engaging with readers, do you mean allowing comments to be open? How important do you think that is? I am starting a serial January 3 and was planning not to allow comments because as a reader, I think I'd enjoy reading more without other readers telling me what to think. But not everyone is like me, I learn anew everyday in one way or another, haha.
It’s totally your call: don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.
That said, being unable to leave a comment can be disappointing for those readers who would like to. And the way Substack is designed, comments are easily ignored — in fact, anyone reading via email won’t see them unless they click through.
I find comments on Substack fiction are less frequent than over on other platforms like Wattpad, so it might not be as big a factor anyway.
Oh, and I forgot to say that it is completely written already. Of course, it's not absolutely impossible that they could influence the story, but it's unlikely.
This article has me a little curious if it matters that I'm reversing the order? I already wrote the book, but recently discovered Substack (originally for my flash fiction), and see this is an ideal place to share my Novella as a serial. Do you have any special advice regarding this approach?
"In the meantime, if you’re working on a serial please do let me know!"
https://open.substack.com/pub/writingontheledge/p/cant-wait?r=3o6d41&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I too am reversing the order. I wrote the story (it's not a book, but a longer story in 13 parts) without publishing any of it. Later, I'll start pushing it out there. It'll be my first time here on Substack publishing a series. My pieces so far are all stand-alone. Still working on a few details for the schedule, but looking to start after summer.
Excellent. I hope it all goes well.