Thanks for the very informative video Simon. I am about to try and do the kind of the opposite, I guess. I have a rough first draft which I plan to start serialising shortly, as I go through and edit. Then once completed publish as a stand alone novel. Your Substack has been very helpful with this.
I love your journey. Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in starting a second Substack based on my fiction. This post has been very helpful in deciding how I can approach this.
This is a great insight into your process and back story, Simon - thank you! I have some questions relating to your original serialisations and the conversion effort:
1) What was the serialised word count of NAA vs. the previous two 'epics'? (I'm estimating 70k vs 140-180k).
2) How many words are on average in your chapters?
3) How often did you post a chapter? Did this change during the serialisation?
4) How much structural or line editing did you need to do (and excluding creating title page, ToC, back matter etc) to turn the serialised chapters into a novel? Or was it literally just stitching the already published chapters together 'as-is'?
Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.
1. A Day of Faces, my first serial, was 114,000. The Mechanical Crown was 260,000 and nearly killed me. No Adults Allowed is just shy of 70,000. So very much a conscious effort to keep it tight.
2. I aim for 1,200 words per chapter, but don't stress if it goes over. I very rarely go under, though. No Adults Allowed was a weird one, because I gave the chapters numbers instead of name, but in REVERSE order. So it's like the chapter numbers are counting down to something. Easy peasy to do in a normal book, where you can edit it until it works, but for a serial that meant hitting a precise number of chapters, otherwise the whole thing would be thrown off.
3. Weekly chapters, which I'm quite strict about (mainly for my own accountability).
4. A lot of general line editing to improve the general polish of the copy. I didn't do a full rewrite, but every paragraph got some attention, if not every sentence. Structurally it was fairly fixed, but I did shuffle around some character beats, to enrich their arcs, or change their fates etc. I think there was some work to retrofit some bits onto the earlier chapters that would resonate later. The core was definitely already there, though - it was very much about quality improvements rather than major changes.
I have just gone broke purchasing books from that Bitmaps Books place! It reminds me of my book of consoles and my Mac app and iOS app icons books I have that are great for just displaying on my shelf. I’m def gonna put these with my Zelda collectors editions books cause they would go together.
I enjoyed the video - the peek at your process and inspirations, the overall journey, prompted me to take a second look, and I'm pleased to say I've bought it!
I look forward to "cracking it open" later. Beyond that, it was very inspiring when considering my own serial.
Thanks, Julie. You probably noticed me squirming at the more promotional aspects of the video! I think doing something like this which is intended to be properly useful/interesting is always going to work better than something designed specifically to be promotional.
That they were able to make ‘iconic’ graphics that still instantly trigger those memories 30+ years later is pretty remarkable, given the hardware limitations.
Despite the process being a rollercoaster you learn so much. I remember when you reached out on Notes with your Cover design. The original Cover was super clever indeed but if it does not tell the story then it's even better if it captures that evolution now. Is it available as a Kindle version? I will give it a read.
I am preparing a series about my KDP books, so this resonates a lot. I will share your video as a reference 👌
Thanks. I'm in the process of doing this with Saga of the Jewels Vol. 1. I have the JRPG book by Bitmap Books--I received it as a Father's Day present last year--expensive but awesome!
Thanks for the very informative video Simon. I am about to try and do the kind of the opposite, I guess. I have a rough first draft which I plan to start serialising shortly, as I go through and edit. Then once completed publish as a stand alone novel. Your Substack has been very helpful with this.
Glad to have helped! Hope you enjoy the process.
I love your journey. Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in starting a second Substack based on my fiction. This post has been very helpful in deciding how I can approach this.
Apparently others didn't have this problem: volume is really low. Don't be afraid of the microphone!
Yeah sorry about that. I usually do some audio processing to get the levels right, but was lazy for this one. Apologies!
This is a great insight into your process and back story, Simon - thank you! I have some questions relating to your original serialisations and the conversion effort:
1) What was the serialised word count of NAA vs. the previous two 'epics'? (I'm estimating 70k vs 140-180k).
2) How many words are on average in your chapters?
3) How often did you post a chapter? Did this change during the serialisation?
4) How much structural or line editing did you need to do (and excluding creating title page, ToC, back matter etc) to turn the serialised chapters into a novel? Or was it literally just stitching the already published chapters together 'as-is'?
Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.
All good questions!
1. A Day of Faces, my first serial, was 114,000. The Mechanical Crown was 260,000 and nearly killed me. No Adults Allowed is just shy of 70,000. So very much a conscious effort to keep it tight.
2. I aim for 1,200 words per chapter, but don't stress if it goes over. I very rarely go under, though. No Adults Allowed was a weird one, because I gave the chapters numbers instead of name, but in REVERSE order. So it's like the chapter numbers are counting down to something. Easy peasy to do in a normal book, where you can edit it until it works, but for a serial that meant hitting a precise number of chapters, otherwise the whole thing would be thrown off.
3. Weekly chapters, which I'm quite strict about (mainly for my own accountability).
4. A lot of general line editing to improve the general polish of the copy. I didn't do a full rewrite, but every paragraph got some attention, if not every sentence. Structurally it was fairly fixed, but I did shuffle around some character beats, to enrich their arcs, or change their fates etc. I think there was some work to retrofit some bits onto the earlier chapters that would resonate later. The core was definitely already there, though - it was very much about quality improvements rather than major changes.
Thank you so much for these detailed answers, Simon. They help greatly in preparing my own approach to serialisation.
I have just gone broke purchasing books from that Bitmaps Books place! It reminds me of my book of consoles and my Mac app and iOS app icons books I have that are great for just displaying on my shelf. I’m def gonna put these with my Zelda collectors editions books cause they would go together.
I've resisted so far, but it's only a matter of time.
This won't help with the bank account emptying, but might also be of interest: https://www.lostincult.co.uk/
I enjoyed the video - the peek at your process and inspirations, the overall journey, prompted me to take a second look, and I'm pleased to say I've bought it!
I look forward to "cracking it open" later. Beyond that, it was very inspiring when considering my own serial.
Thank you!
Thank you, Carolyn! I hope you enjoy the book.
Interesting listen - thanks for sharing. By the way, there was a real life Lord of the Flies event that turned out to suggest a much more optimistic side to human nature: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months
Thanks for the link - it's popped up a few times now. Really interesting.
Thanks for this talk. Very illuminating. I admire how you combined useful info with promotion of your book in a natural way that makes me want to read it. 😊 “Inherited prejudice” is a brilliant insight. Your mention of “Lord of the Flies” reminded me of this story about the *real* event that inspired it — which was quite different and much more hopeful. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months
Thanks, Julie. You probably noticed me squirming at the more promotional aspects of the video! I think doing something like this which is intended to be properly useful/interesting is always going to work better than something designed specifically to be promotional.
I agree. And it didn’t seem at all forced or squirmy.
SABRE WULF!!!!
I know!
I was obsessed with that game - and Atic Atac. Ultimate games seemed a cut above in terms of gameplay and especially graphics.
That they were able to make ‘iconic’ graphics that still instantly trigger those memories 30+ years later is pretty remarkable, given the hardware limitations.
Brilliant Simon!
Despite the process being a rollercoaster you learn so much. I remember when you reached out on Notes with your Cover design. The original Cover was super clever indeed but if it does not tell the story then it's even better if it captures that evolution now. Is it available as a Kindle version? I will give it a read.
I am preparing a series about my KDP books, so this resonates a lot. I will share your video as a reference 👌
Yes, it's available as a Kindle version too. :)
Asking about the cover and blurb on Notes was very early in Notes existing, so I was really surprised at the quality of responses.
The early vibe of Notes was surprising indeed. By asking you showed fellow writers like myself, Notes could also be used in that feedback manner.
You didn't think there were quality people using the platform? 😂
Thanks. I'm in the process of doing this with Saga of the Jewels Vol. 1. I have the JRPG book by Bitmap Books--I received it as a Father's Day present last year--expensive but awesome!
Nice! I can't decide which of their books to get first. :D