There's something wonderful about the anticipation of the continutation of a story from week to week, and serial eBooks are surging in popularity. Serial eBooks take advantage of an old approach to publishing that gained popularity with Charles Dickens, who published The Pickwick Papers and Hard Times as serials. The trend was continued in Germany and France by authors like Alexandre Dumas, who published both The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo as serials. In America, Harriet Beecher Stowe first published Uncle Tom's Cabin as a serial in the 1850s.
The Benefit of Serial eBooks for the Indie Author
Smashwords is anti-serial, citing lack of immediate gratification, risk, cost, and inconvenience as major reasons. But most of us are familiar with the thrill and anticipation of waiting week after week for a new installment of our favorite TV dramas, and serials fulfill the same purpose for avid readers. Popular serial author Samantha Warren explains the benefits of writing serial eBooks include not having to meet minimum word counts or deal with the gatekeepers of traditional publishing who reject authors who aren't producing "massive tomes of literature." Creating serial eBooks allows you to publish more frequently and develop characters and story arcs over time. Many people who love to read don't have the time to delve into a 400-500 page novel and serialize the reading themselves by reading small portions. Delivering them segmented, planned, serial stories is a great way to give readers what they want: immediate entertainment in short bursts that they can consume when they have some downtime.Serial eBooks Are Different than Novels
Serial eBooks are different from novels and need to be marketed differently. As you write your serial installments, you should have at minimum a general idea of each subsequent serial when you publish so that you can tease readers with what's coming. Clearly identify to your readers (before they buy) that it is an installment series so that they know what they are buying. Other than that, all of our eBook marketing tips will help you sell more serial eBooks. Once you have a few installments published, it can be useful to make the first installment permanently free to entice new readers to try the series.
