First, a quick word. I’m limiting myself to 200-300 word posts as an exercise in conciseness. I really should try drabbles.
The morning presentation at the RWA meeting on 4 Jan was about ebook serials. Not quite the same as a weekly update like what I’m trying to maintain for Cantata, but more of a novel broken into several parts, delivered over time. The speaker had some comments about serials as a whole (she’s published a few commercially):
- Exploiting high drama cliff hangers with little room for world-building.
- Committing to the reader that you’ll complete the serial and publish on a schedule.
- Ongoing social engagement with the audience.
- Adjusting to the publishing process to support the regular updates. That means knowing how long it takes to get things proofed & edited, obtain cover art, format for ebooks, etc. Unless you’re lucky enough to be serialized by your publisher, you’ll have to handle all scheduling yourself.
One of my older original novels is practically in serial format already, with plot-supported breaks. The characters still talk to me, so revising with my improved style should fly. I’d wanted to try to get something commercially published in 2014, and this might be it and the venue. We’ll see.