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I'm a wordy guy and Simon did heavily edit my long rambling responses - most edits are me saying nice things about Simon - but there's one additional point on serialization I wanna toss out there.

Internet gives the real time feedback, but magazines and comic books have letter's pages, and here a writer could have a delayed, but ongoing conversation with readers. Like every comic book has some reader letter discussing three issues before.

Also, many of our classics started as serials. Dickens and Dumas are only two examples of writers who serialized novels in magazines.

Dumas spent 17 years on all the D'artagnan - related (Three Musketeers, et.al) books. Almost as much time as George R. R. Martin takes to write a chapter of "The Winds of Winter!"

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I always loved the letters pages in Transformers and Marvel comics I read in the 80s. These days I find the ~3 issue delay a bit annoying, but that's only in comparison to the real time online commentary you can now have.

I've always been surprised that ebooks don't have a (optional) community element built-in. Ebooks did a good job of recreating a print book in a digital form, but I do wish they'd innovated a bit further.

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Still waiting for him to finish A Song of Fire and Ice! Happy I read it for the first time only 4 years ago.

Thanks for this great chat to both of you. It’s so helpful for writers. 🙌

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Pretty sure we'll eventually have to have Brandon Sanderson finish ASoIaF...

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Why? Is he writing too many books too fast unlike Martin?

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Nah. Since Sanderson finished up Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan passed away, it's just been my running joke for any time an author is really late on a manuscript that Sanderson should finish it.

I think it's funny. Your mileage may vary.

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It's funny! 😂

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As someone who's released two serial novels here on the platform and is actively publishing a third, I'm heavily invested in this conversation. Having intelligent, loyal readers like Mike is invaluable on so many levels. I love the give and take of the serial release and the reader feedback is wonderful to have. Thanks for sharing this.

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Thanks, Ben. I don't know why I hadn't thought to include a reader's actual thoughts before today - seems obvious in retrospect.

Active readers are such an integral part of my writing process. Certainly in the early days before I developed a healthy writing habit, it was readers like Mike that kept me coming back to the keyboard.

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Really interesting discussion, as always! Great idea to get a reader's perspective and explore the unique dynamic that serial fiction creates between reader and writer. I also think being able to comment and give real-time feedback on a serial as it's in progress is a really wonderful way to create community for readers. I read a lot of web comics and I love reading the comment section after each episode (if there is one) to see how other people reacted and if we noticed the day things etc. Reading can potentially be quite a lonely experience, especially if you're into stuff none of your real life friends are into, so it's nice when there's an online community to connect with over a story you're really enjoying. And it's nice to be able to give a live response to the writer too.

I'll be starting to publish my own serial fiction soon, so I just also want to say thanks for all the work you've put into sharing your experience. It's such a huge help for newbies like me.

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Good point, that's a whole other positive aspect: seeing comments from other readers and taking part in that group experience (or simply lurking and observing from the sidelines). When so many online platforms have ended up driving us apart, one way or another, I love that there are still emerging spaces that help us have shared experiences and conversations.

And I'm very happy to help! I'm always happy to blabber on about this stuff, as you may have noticed...

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Hmmm. Didn't think about writer B getting a good idea from discussion on writer A's serial...

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I'm not sure if we count 2013 as "early 2000's," but always take it as a compliment Simon thinks we've known each other longer than we have. 🙂

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Oh yeah. I never said I was good at numbers. Have amended to '2010s'!

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Well, in (I think), 2014, when you did the Projector tutorial for HF 3, you commented on my being around “for years,” and I was in the “I joined the forum a bit over a year ago,” to which you responded with something like, “You fit into the forum so well it just feels like you've been here forever.”

Again, a nice compliment. Thanks. Good to know you, too, my friend.

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Like Kosh, you had always been there.

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As someone who's been writing fan fiction for most of her life, the serial format has always influenced the way I write novels! I separate each chapter into its own document, make sure it tells its own story, and imagine how an audience would react to its twists and turns. (It also makes editing easier!) Some of the most rewarding moments of my life have been logging onto Tumblr and finding 99 messages in my inbox from readers screaming over the latest chapter of my story.

I'm launching my own online serial here starting in September, and I look forward to seeing how reader interactions unfold on Substack!

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A great addition, Simon, to all the advice and opinions you've dispensed on creating serial(ised) fiction. In particular, I found your take on how to balance 'fan service' and playing to an audience very useful.

It occurred to me that there's a mirrored side to this aspect: readers turning to writing to service authors' efforts. So a similar article on dealing with 'fanfic' (e.g. readers developing backstories of minor characters, or extending a series universe) might provide more fascinating insights.

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Ooooh! Interesting insight, good call!

Here, Wookiepedia might be the ultimate example, as I'm fairly certain any entity which appeared on-screen for more than eight frames of film has been given a completed backstory.

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Including every character and their table location in the Mos Eisley cantina. 👏

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Including calling two actresses', who are quite obviously unrelated, characters "twins."

Although, when I typed the above I was thinking of the Ewok killed in RotJ who was first, sarcastically, named "Corpsey," until other fans decided that was disrespectful, and tossed out a different name and full backstory.

On a side tangent, I once sampled Corpsey's death scream and snuck in onto my wife's phone as her notification tone. She loves Ewoks. She was unamused. It prompted her to dig into her phone settings and learn how to change her notification tones. She's a bar manger, so, to make it up to her I recorded popping the cap off a bottle of beer and pouring it, which she appreciated, and has kept across her last three phones.

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I remember thoroughly enjoying the ‘Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina’ book back in the 90s.

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I'm pretty sure a hand would emerge from the screen and drag me down to the 7th level of Hell if I ever accessed my wife's phone.

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My wife and I each have access to each other's phones, social media, email, etc. A smart thing for certain future legal things (eventually one of us will pass away and the other will have access to all things).

But, in general, that's the only time I've done something like that.

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If you use any Google services then you can set up a plan to automatically share information if an account falls inactive. Details here: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546?hl=en

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Oh Simon! This absolutely made my day! I love that you did this. I don't know how you find the time to do all that you do here, you've certainly got a lot going on, and your writing as always awesome, a highlight of my inbox. I love this interview, probably because it asks and answers so many of the questions I have about my own story here. It's precisely what I needed as a writer this week. I have my own reader like your Mike that's read from the start, and boy oh boy do we have fun sometimes with the discussion and back and forth. The comments are definitely the reason I'm still doing this after a whole year.

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When I started Crann Na Beatha, I wasn't sure that I was going to like writing it as a serial. But after two stories, I love it.

What I miss, is that people read it, but they don't comment. It would be nice to see what people think.

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Yeah, there are always more lurkers than active commenters. I also get many more comments on my non-fiction articles than I do on my fiction chapters.

That said, have you tried posing questions to the readers at the end of the chapters and inviting comment? I've been meaning to do a bit more of that.

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Hello Simon. I enjoyed the article and the topic. My first serialization is launching this Friday. And it’s my second book in my series. The first I self-published, but now I’m trying this method. I did recruit a team of Advanced Readers most read the first book but one didn’t and his feedback was so helpful in figuring how to start. What to include and what the reader will be willing to go on the journey without all the backstory and context from the 1st book. It’s been an interesting experience. Hopefully my readers enjoy the serialization experience. And I never thought about serialization being a cousin of Comic books. Well done. Thanks for sharing your perspective and the comments of Mike.

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Thanks for reading! How did you go about assembling your reading team?

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https://chriskjones.substack.com/p/advanced-reader-team-1

This is the link. I reached out to my subscribers. Many who were fans/friends. My Advanced Reader Team is 7 5 have been pretty active. If you have any other questions let me know.

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Great idea to talk to a reader. As a serial writer, I love interacting with readers. I always listen to suggestions and comments—and respond! If a reader had a great idea, I might incorporate it. But most of the comments I get are about details or a character's actions—more commentary than suggestions. My readers rarely offer plot ideas. In the end, I always write the story I envisioned.

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I think most readers don't WANT to suggest plot ideas. It's not interesting as a reader to say "how about this", and then have the writer just do it. It becomes a sequence of Things That Happen without any real resonance or meaning.

(oh look, I just stumbled upon a genAI metaphor)

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I agree. I would rather be surprised and let the writer do the work. 🤣

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I thought you'd interviewed other readers?

Perhaps this will be a multi-part continued next week.

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I did almost bring in some other readers and anecdotes, but was worried that it would tip over into seeming a bit self-serving! There's definitely more to say on the subject, though.

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You're allowed to be a *little* self-serving on your own newsletter. I was looking forward to reading other's anecdotes.

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