tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post2760297331028651937..comments2024-03-18T21:30:04.613-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: Are Serialized Ebooks a Bad Idea?Dovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-14703161486974006602017-08-02T10:53:29.386-07:002017-08-02T10:53:29.386-07:00I'd like to see this post and polling updated....I'd like to see this post and polling updated. What about a series where each 6,000 to 10,000 word episode is a story in the sense of TV episodes? What should such a thing be called? Is it simply a series of shorter works? Thanks for the data!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13895350495888986317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-74763768299013850122014-11-23T01:01:34.525-08:002014-11-23T01:01:34.525-08:00Well, this was written in 2010, and I can tell you...Well, this was written in 2010, and I can tell you that seialized fiction has caught on. Serialized fiction gives fans a better chance to engage with the author, and it gives the author more a of a chance of hear from fans. Sites like WattPad have really changed people's thinking. Of course, it does get ugly if a story goes unfinished.Tommy Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15430061707630106693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-2109904108473507282014-02-12T15:27:18.911-08:002014-02-12T15:27:18.911-08:00You have to look at context where serialized novel...You have to look at context where serialized novels are concerned. At time of their heyday, they were used to sell magazines. I own a bound edition of Harpers Magazine from 1852, which includes Dicken's serialized Little Dorrit. Harpers was always an interesting magazine, and it is said that people lined up at the post office when the magazine was due to be mailed, so they could find out what happened in the next chapter of that story.<br /><br />In order for a serialized novel to do well, the writing must be compelling. It must then be published in the context of a serialized novel - that is in an e-magazine that publishes a combination of novels, stories and articles. And, when the reader picks it up, he needs to know that it is a serialized book. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17310664022093244330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-10131395154908598702013-04-17T17:06:03.690-07:002013-04-17T17:06:03.690-07:00Your poll wasn't very good, sorry to say. Wher...Your poll wasn't very good, sorry to say. Where was the option for "I'll read either" or "I don't have a strong opinion"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-3113454814369825642013-02-15T07:24:40.336-08:002013-02-15T07:24:40.336-08:00When I heard of serialized e-books, I thought of s...When I heard of serialized e-books, I thought of something different than what they have turned out to be -- a traditional novel cut into chunks. My reaction is why?<br /><br />When I think of a serial, I think of something more like a TV series that goes on and on until the audience tires of it. Why not have an e-book series with a group of wonderful characters people can love (or hate) having adventures in episodic format? Fans could comment and, perhaps change the course of the series. Maybe they could submit portraits of characters, come up with their back story. In the case of SF, discuss the technology or the world.<br /><br />Now that would be fun.Cynthiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02139083906176785605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-31681393545349985062013-01-19T18:02:58.284-08:002013-01-19T18:02:58.284-08:00Hello Mark,
I did leave a comment but it was neve...Hello Mark,<br /><br />I did leave a comment but it was never answered. One could pick up the second book of the Hobbit and start reading it, or Harry Potter or as I had mentioned earlier R.A. Salvatore. But they would not get the full gist of the character and how he/she is built over time through the words of the author.<br /><br />Truthfully I think it is a matter of taste.<br /><br />There are many of those out there who fall into the category of immediate sense gratification. The Burger Kings and McDonalds of the world have us trained into thinking one should just open a book and finish it in one sitting. With the workaday world people don't have time to spend reading a 100,000 word tome.<br /><br />As pointed out by some of your blog comments, there are many groups out there who find no fault with a series. I think that when one opens a site to the public as you have, there will be people who like it and people who don't.<br /><br />The truth is you are still making money for your efforts. You have also opened the doors to people who otherwise may not have had a chance to publish and always was their dream. So is that dream now taken away?<br /><br />Again, it probably (and I agree) is in the wording. Now having written four parts in a five part series (they even do it on television), each volume is over 25,000 words.<br /><br />The bottom line is how many people buy it and like it. Just keep up the good work of giving everyone a chance to write. Otherwise it becomes a "closed club".thewhalepeople.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441870930995030220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-1673526450867118292012-08-29T10:16:33.563-07:002012-08-29T10:16:33.563-07:00I think serials are great but prefer each book to ...I think serials are great but prefer each book to also standalone so you only continue on if you love the world the author has created.<br /><br />There are tons of standalone yet series' of books in traditional publishing such as the amazing Philippa Gregory books.<br /><br />That way you're satisfied but can get more if you want. That being said 50 Shades of Grey had me clicking the order button for the next kindle book instantly just because it was a cliffhanger so ...Rachel Henkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06638572531542938796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-11901852137146441972012-08-28T15:53:24.020-07:002012-08-28T15:53:24.020-07:00Hi Mark, J.H. Soeder here. I have my books on Smas...Hi Mark, J.H. Soeder here. I have my books on Smashwords and am in the process of writing a science fiction 5 part series. Each book is not "unfinished" but similar to serials like R.A. Salvatore, or even the Harry Potter. These could be called "serials" but people kept on reading.<br /><br />Could you comment on that?<br /><br />Thanks, Jonthewhalepeople.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441870930995030220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-84828000622567898232012-02-27T08:50:42.294-08:002012-02-27T08:50:42.294-08:00I love serialized stories. I haven't really e...I love serialized stories. I haven't really explored them as ebooks, but I enjoy them as comic books and tv shows. I love cliffhangers and the anticipation they engender. I think that it's something some people like and some people don't; serialized stories are just different from novels. I think that rejecting a serialized story because the ending might not come is ridiculous since often the ending doesn't come or is a disappointment, but people enjoy them nonetheless. It's about the journey, the anticipation, and the delayed gratification--not dependability or resolution.HustJChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03163446419687523532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-40052848099590194042012-01-27T22:56:57.681-08:002012-01-27T22:56:57.681-08:00Apologies; the above, attributed to "unknown&...Apologies; the above, attributed to "unknown", should have my name on it. Not sure what went wrong when I posted it.<br /><br />Camille Gooderham Campbell<br />Every Day Publishing Ltd.Camille Gooderham Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11224240292844358174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-37979698231288095172012-01-25T02:09:39.878-08:002012-01-25T02:09:39.878-08:00As a publisher of serialized novels, I've got ...As a publisher of serialized novels, I've got a bit of an interest in this. There's absolutely a place for serialized novels (not everyone insists on instant gratification), but I do think a lot of readers have been put off by the risk of a never-ending expense and/or a novel that never actually ends. Our answer at Every Day Publishing has been to a) require that the complete novel is submitted before publication, so that even if something dire happened, subscribers would get everything they'd been promised; and b) to charge one single up-front price for the complete serial. Readers tend to be much more confident about committing to a serial when they know they'll get exactly what was promised for exactly the advertised price. For now, we're managing the subscription delivery on our own website, but I'd certainly be open to looking at anything Smashwords might introduce in terms of a serials section and/or a specific delivery mechanism/functionality for serials.Camille Gooderham Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11224240292844358174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-7457761529279589842012-01-10T23:33:26.598-08:002012-01-10T23:33:26.598-08:00Did this get sorted out? The www - the wild world ...Did this get sorted out? The www - the wild world of words - seems like the ideal place for the oddball content. A serial category and less obtrusive display seem a simple answer.Martin Blasickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10761640637583143468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-50531184144414409082011-12-11T09:07:44.048-08:002011-12-11T09:07:44.048-08:00It really depends on individual taste. I recently ...It really depends on individual taste. I recently read a blog by an author who has had great success serializing her novel. She released an 80,000 words novel in four chunks of 20,000. Maybe the readers didn't feel ripped off because they got a large portion of the book with each purchase. With no right or wrong word count for ebooks, I've read completed works at 20,000.September Lynn Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13146387724877301135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-10450779101671749062010-06-24T12:57:42.546-07:002010-06-24T12:57:42.546-07:00Funny...I was just thinking whether or not my book...Funny...I was just thinking whether or not my book (which has an introductory chapter, and then 13 chapters, each of which are a complete free-standing biography of 5,000 words on an entrepreneur) would make sense to offer not necessarily as 13 e-books, but as periodic 'installments'.<br />Bad? Good? indifferent?SuzannePaschallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17141316193010137397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-58790797449216194032010-06-24T08:56:09.182-07:002010-06-24T08:56:09.182-07:00For what it's worth, I experimented with a ser...For what it's worth, I experimented with a serialized story on my blog, then published it to Amazon as a series of 10 ebooks. I did okay (well I didn't have any expectations, just wanted to see what would happen) but I got a lot of comments from people saying they didn't want to read it until it was 1 ebook. So now that it's complete, I have taken down the 10 ebooks and posted 1 complete ebook, both at Amazon and Smashwords. I only did it a week ago, so it's hard to say if I am seeing more or less interest, but it's certainly more convenient for all parties involved.Kristanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771013578685419826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-38632039479780435312010-06-21T19:52:15.552-07:002010-06-21T19:52:15.552-07:00Is Lord of the Rings an unpublishable serial??? Do...Is Lord of the Rings an unpublishable serial??? Does a trilogy have to be finished before publishing any of them? As your workload grows, it will be hard to keep a lid on this sort of thing. Like policing for youtube and trying to weed out violaters. One easy metric might be length, a series of books might have to be 40k+ words each to be acceptable... This would at least prevent the "chapter of the day" syndrome.bvlarsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00985012470991217363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-58730585399134395042010-06-12T12:50:27.842-07:002010-06-12T12:50:27.842-07:00Hi S. Wolf, absolutely no apology necessary!
Our ...Hi S. Wolf, absolutely no apology necessary!<br /><br />Our policy has needed some clarification for some time, so it's possible your series and the other series I alluded to served as prompts to start this valuable discussion and gather feedback. In other words, you were in the right place at the right time, and for that I thank you. :)<br /><br />At Smashwords, our primary focus is to help connect readers with complete, finished works. You fit this requirement, and now that you've combined the chunks into a single book, you're all set.<br /><br />Changing the subject a bit (doesn't really apply to you), as a note for other writers who are <br />looking for helpful feedback and criticism on works-in-progress or partial works, communities such as WattPad.com or Gather.com are good resources.<br /><br />If readers here have other suggestions for good communities where writers are encouraged to post partial works, or works in progress, please feel free to add in the comments here. Maybe I'll do another post in the future to profile some of these sites. I see them as great training grounds for future Smashwords authors.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-25147913082596954282010-06-12T12:11:46.508-07:002010-06-12T12:11:46.508-07:00Since I'm the one who posted the five-part sto...Since I'm the one who posted the five-part story on June 6th, I guess I'm responsible for this installment of this debate.<br /><br />So first off, allow me to apologize. I'm new here and didn't realize it was frowned upon to publish stories in separate parts. Mark has since set me straight and my ebook is now a single entity.<br /><br />But I'd like to take this opportunity to explain my reasons for separating it. First, it was a complete story. I agree that it would be wrong to release parts of an unfinished story, and expect readers to commit their time (and/or money) to something that may never be completed.<br /><br />The reason I released it in parts was because I was attempting to generate feedback from the readers; either positive or negative. I made Part 1 free, and then charged .99 for each of the other four parts. However, I made an offer at the end of Part 1 to the readers: If they would promise to review the story, I would send them coupons to get the other parts free.<br /><br />The results of those efforts were a bit disappointing, but relatively successful compared to the norm. At the time the parts were merged, Part 1 had about 280 downloads. Of those, about ten took me up on my offer for the coupons. And of those ten, I received four reviews so far, and one of those reviews was from someone who didn't ask for the coupons. And another of the reviews got lost in the merge because it was attached to Part 5.<br /><br />Again, I'm new here. But from a newbie's perspective, it amazes me that books which are leaders in downloads, and have been available for a year or more - and more importantly are pretty good stories - have been given feedback from the readers very rarely, if at all. As a writer, it's frustrating to send your work out into the void, and never hear anything back. Even someone telling you your story sucked is at least something.<br /><br />But again, I apologize for making this discussion necessary. Won't happen again. Looking forward to seeing you all between the pages.<br /><br />S.Wolfs,wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758527393568936175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-49151885494098166472010-06-11T13:47:39.011-07:002010-06-11T13:47:39.011-07:00I'll just reply in agreement to Teel. Continut...I'll just reply in agreement to Teel. Continuting to update and adjust the price is a great idea. Also, the ability to notify readers would be a very useful tool as well.<br /><br />I too love the work you are doing at Smashwords as well, Mark. I am on here everyday. It has been an important tool in my quest to 'Free my voice'.<br /><br />Some great ideas can be found on another indie arts site called Sellaband.com. I like the believer/musician relationship that has evolved on that site, and the way the artist and music lovers can interact with one another.<br /><br />If looking for ideas, that is just one other example of some aditional functionality that could be adopted into the Smashwords platform.<br /><br />Some great feedback here on this post. <br /><br />Smashwords seems to be a great example of 'everything has been done before so find a way to make it your own'. I love the creativity that exists within these digital pages.Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10998113859653153093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-65671850625428163232010-06-10T16:15:57.767-07:002010-06-10T16:15:57.767-07:00It was actually a pulp style serial that got me in...It was actually a pulp style serial that got me interested in Smashwords in the first place.<br /><br />I guess the age of serials (which I love) and their ongoing stories has given way to the age of instant gratification, which is rather sad - though shows like 24 show that it isn't completely dead. <br /><br />But only wanting complete works is also understandable (even if the aforementioned 24 couldn't be done that way here.)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660882695807943694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-66255775428370602742010-06-09T17:29:45.753-07:002010-06-09T17:29:45.753-07:00Here's an article on a wide-angle approach to ...Here's an article on a wide-angle approach to serialization of eBooks: http://www.jcamberger.com/2010/06/the-future-of-publishing-3-proven-strategies/Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07181856534872511095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-57644797346241550752010-06-08T21:32:07.981-07:002010-06-08T21:32:07.981-07:00Mark, the poll has a serious problem in that it on...Mark, the poll has a serious problem in that it only offers the options of saying you avoid them or prefer them. Even people who LOVE serials don't actually prefer them to other kinds of books.<br /><br />It also doesn't differentiate between real serials - which are a kind planned series - and incomplete books which are simply chopped up and offered piecemeal.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-80085044931374810882010-06-08T11:38:11.657-07:002010-06-08T11:38:11.657-07:00Add me to the list of not liking serialized books....Add me to the list of not liking serialized books. If I want snippets, I read blogs...<br /><br />It's hard enough to tap into the short story market. I can't imagine that a serialize story has much of a market. (As the polls are suggesting.)Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-42596258915508065602010-06-08T11:15:18.593-07:002010-06-08T11:15:18.593-07:00I understand the desire some authors have for writ...I understand the desire some authors have for writing serials; after all, I am one of those who was heart-broken to see Lost ending. However, as an author of complete novels I know the time and effort I put into finishing a story before uploading it for others to read. It isn't easy. It would be much easier to keep writing one chapter at a time and letting everyone read it as a serial. But then where is the gratification for me in finishing my work and the reader in reaching the last page and being satisfied (hopefully) with how events turned out?<br /><br />I don't read serials - ever - because I don't want to be limited in how much of a story I read at one sitting. Mostly when I read a book (With my busy schedule I still read three books a week) I want to read until I don't have time to read any more. If it's a good book I will push that limit past what is reasonable. Serials prohibit me from reading as much as I want with an interesting storyline, so I stay away from them altogether.<br /><br />My feeling is - allow serials only if you create a section for them so they are uploaded to that section and those who want serials can find and read them easily without having a half-dozen or so "new books" clogging the front page of Smashwords where those who don't read serials are looking for new - complete - books.<br /><br />Clearly in our society there is a place for serials, but they need to be in that place.<br /><br />Jacob M. DrakeJacob M. Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01174909444635378754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-13611480761247899712010-06-08T09:53:03.905-07:002010-06-08T09:53:03.905-07:00Oops. 4 coniditons above. Sorry about that!Oops. 4 coniditons above. Sorry about that!W. A. Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12606812592458219778noreply@blogger.com