Serial novels?

As a reader, I won't even pick up the free first book if it's one of those actually-a-novel-that's-been-broken-up-into-tiny-chunks-to-milk-it books. They annoy me.

chompers said:

As a reader, I won't even pick up the free first book if it's one of those actually-a-novel-that's-been-broken-up-into-tiny-chunks-to-milk-it books. They annoy me.

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+1

As a reader, I want some form of beginning, middle, and end in a story. It can connect to further, larger works. It can have some threads dangling. It can leave me with some questions. But I want some sort of story arc, and I want to be able to walk away with some sense of completion. Not only does it annoy me when a book is just a fragment (especially when not advertised as such), but I've had some very promising serialized stories simply disappear on me before they were completed, due to lack of sales or simple lack of interest on the author's part. It's like walking into a theater and having the projector stop halfway through the film. No matter how beautiful and wonderful that first hour was, all I'll remember is how frustrated and disappointed I was not to know how it ended... and I'll likely remember that when I see more works by the same outfit, and be all the more gunshy about further investment. (Even free downloads cost time to read, if not money.)

That said, if you already have the novel written in full, and want to put the time and effort into promoting a serialized novel, give it a shot. (Just remember to follow through to the end; even if sales are dwindling, someone out there's likely waiting to finish the thing, and that someone could be a repeat customer... or be so impressed with the whole thing that they'll help bring more customers in once it's all available. Maybe a longshot scenario, but at least you'll have proven that you can deliver on your promises as an author.)

JMHO...

I don't read serials for the same reasons chompers and Brightdreamer have stated above. I know one self-published author who tried it: released one chapter a month for twelve months, then released the whole book. A couple of people stuck with it (from the reviews, they sound like author buddies), but most tapered off after the fourth chapter. The book does not appear to have sold well upon its full release. It was a romance, if that makes a difference, which surprised me, since I've heard romance serials sell better than other genre serials.

Hmm, when I'm reading a novel, I want to decide for myself how quickly to read the chapters. Being made to wait a week, a month, or even a day between chapters when I want to keep reading now would not only be annoying, it might mean I get distracted by some other reading material and simply forget to come back to it.

This is also an issue I have when I read the first book in a series or trilogy and the rest aren't published yet. If it's a writer for whom I'm already a Big Fan, I'll likely mark the release date of the next volume on my calendar and pre order it. And if it's by a new author but it rocked my world I might do the same. But if I like it well enough to keep reading, but it didn't rip my heart out, then I may well forget to look out for the next installment.

I've read a couple that were done more like mini standalones with a complete story arc over all. The authors even went on to a couple of spin full novels. At least one of them sold in six figures and was eventually sort out by a publisher. So if done well, it can work. But like the other posters, I'd not want to just buy a book chapter by chapter

Yup - agree with everyone else. Simply put, there are good serials and bad serials. A good serial is a complete story. Something happens. Character arcs ... ahem ... arc. I feel I am getting my money's worth. I want to read the next one, but I don't have to.

A bad serial isn't a complete novel. It's often a money-grabbing exercise like those "build a scale model of the millennium falcon in 100 weekly parts". I don't feel I am getting my money's worth. I am trapped into reading the next one because I need to know how it ends.

Write a good serial and the success of book one drives your readers to book two. Write a bad serial and readers could decide not to buy any of your stuff ever again.

When reviewers say that a book has been divided into too many parts, that doesn't mean that all serials are like that. It's just that particular book. Other serials, like Harry Potter, can be perfectly fine.

An episode in any serial is made of one story arc, implicitly or explicitly part of a larger meta-arc, with certain cliff-hanger moments inside the episode story arc--the ones which in TV tend to be placed by following a more rigid formula intended to make sure either that you come back after the break, or that you come back next week.

I'd say book series in which the installments end at the natural termination of their 'episode story arcs' are easier on the reader, while the ones that end on cliffhangers, have to do so superbly, because one false note will sour this type of ending for a lot of people.

As for size:a book is a unit of meaning, and inside it like nesting dolls are smaller units of meaning--the chapter, the scene, the paragraph, the sentence. Some writers operate best with huge paragraphs, while others break them up into as many sub-paragraphs as they can get away with. Same goes for sentences, scenes, chapters, and books. It all depends on what size is best for your abilities and temperament.

Once! said:

When reviewers say that a book has been divided into too many parts, that doesn't mean that all serials are like that. It's just that particular book. Other serials, like Harry Potter, can be perfectly fine.

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Harry Potter isn't actually a serial, though. A serial is something like Lord of The Ring, a book released in volumes. All the segments are actually a single story and not a series of stories aiming towards a goal. If she had to, Rowling could've figured out a satisfactory ending at an point during HP. I'm a fan, but she definitely could've done it.

Tolkien on the other hand, wrote LOTR from beginning to end as one large tome. It was his publisher who broke the story up into books. Fellowship absolutely cannot stand on it's own, though it has an internal arc. Two Towers is much the same, but is better able to when compared to Fellowship. And Return of the King stands on its own, but there's obviously more to the story than meets the eye so it still needs the first two in a roundabout way.

She who must said:

I've read a couple that were done more like mini standalones with a complete story arc over all. The authors even went on to a couple of spin full novels. At least one of them sold in six figures and was eventually sort out by a publisher. So if done well, it can work. But like the other posters, I'd not want to just buy a book chapter by chapter

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So do you all think this scenario--a series of novellas that contain complete, satisfying stories within themselves (mini-mysteries, sort of), but also have an overarching storyline with both internal and external development that progresses over the course of the novellas--works okay and isn't annoying? Asking for a friend, of course.

Marissa D said:

So do you all think this scenario--a series of novellas that contain complete, satisfying stories within themselves (mini-mysteries, sort of), but also have an overarching storyline with both internal and external development that progresses over the course of the novellas--works okay and isn't annoying? Asking for a friend, of course.

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As so often is the case, it depends on the execution, but it could be done, and likely has been. Short, relatively complete "episodes" would be less frustrating than incomplete chapter fragments, IMHO.

Interesting. I've never heard of a serial novel before. I probably wouldn't buy one, because I'm impatient and I'd want to finish an entire book in one sitting.

Serialized stories are huge in some countries like Japan, where stories are often released as "web novels" that have chapters released weekly or monthly that can be read quickly on your phone while you're commuting to work or whatever, but they've been out of style for a long time in the English speaking world. Charles Dickens serialized his stories for example, and the release of each chapter was a bit of an event.
I actually find serialized stories to be a lot of fun, especially if the story gathers a lot of fans and everyone enjoys the ride together. Novels are more personal, while serialized stories can be quite community driven.
But is there money/an audience in it? Enh, unless you become the epic trailblazer it probably won't catch on, sorry.