Self-Publishing Serialisations

[TimRees]

I mean of one novel not a series of novels, you know, maybe a chapter released per week etc... Has anyone any experience with this type of self-publishing on Amazon, YouTube, TikTok or any other platform?

 

[Serra K]

I like the idea of it.

 

[JohnBertel]

I think Amazon made Vella for such. Still only available in the US.

Kindle Vella

Serial stories to read one short episode at a time

www.amazon.com

 

[TimRees]

I think Amazon made Vella for such. Still only available in the US.

Kindle Vella

Serial stories to read one short episode at a time

www.amazon.com

Thanks, John. I've sent an ermail to Amazon.co.uk asking when Vella will be available in the UK.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

People do it on Tik Tok (gotta be short chapters/stories.) There's also Patreon and Substack. I don't know the ins and outs of those two though.

 

[Nikky Lee]

Royal Road is a popular platform for this. A fellow Kiwi author I know was picked up by Podium Publishing after the publisher found their work on the platform.

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Also on Substack. And think about Wool on Redit.

 

[AgentPete]

I mean of one novel not a series of novels, you know, maybe a chapter released per week etc... Has anyone any experience with this type of self-publishing on Amazon, YouTube, TikTok or any other platform?

This is a bit of a holy grail in the publishing world… it ought to work for lots of good reasons, and most of us want it to work… but it’s never taken off the way it should have done.

I got involved with a startup aiming to do this some years ago with some good people, inc Tim Waterstone (yeah, that Waterstone).

I dunno now. Maybe the era for serialisation has passed… People expect instant gratification, and if you don’t give it to them, millions of other onliners will happily oblige. Netflix often dump entire series on viewers at once, fodder for binge watching.

I think… if there’s a legit reason for a serial approach to publishing, then it might still work. EG an evolving story in real time...

 

[Pamela Jo]

My understanding is that on Royal Road there is some serialisation, in that if people want to read more they pay a fee. I think that may be the most practical application. After all the point of old serialisations was to make people buy the next newspaper. Or magazine. As Matt said, that no longer sells anything.

Otherwise start writing a story-see if you can get anyone to pay to read the instalments. Writers, actors, painters, filmmakers are in the most elemental phase of capitalism that arises after any disaster. Throw a blanket down and start hawking your wares.

 

[TimRees]

My understanding is that on Royal Road there is some serialisation, in that if people want to read more they pay a fee. I think that may be the most practical application. After all the point of old serialisations was to make people buy the next newspaper. Or magazine. As Matt said, that no longer sells anything.

Otherwise start writing a story-see if you can get anyone to pay to read the instalments. Writers, actors, painters, filmmakers are in the most elemental phase of capitalism that arises after any disaster. Throw a blanket down and start hawking your wares.

Hi Pamela,

After researching platforms I've decided to stick with my original plan of published book one for £0.99p and take advantage of the free offer windows on Amazon, then charge £2.99 for book two and three etc... I think that makes most sense. I'll do some reading from a beach on BookTok as my marketing plan - a reading a day... At the moment I'm still trying to secure the services of an agent, but I'll give that another couple of months.