Shifts in the way people read

Worth and Soul of Words, October 2024 newsletter by Ken Baker, author for young readers

Insights into the rise of serial fiction

What is serial fiction and why should you care?

Serial fiction had its beginnings in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that it really grew in popularity, thanks to Charles Dickens and The Pickwick Papers. Back then serial fiction appeared in newspapers and magazines, but their popularity shrunk in the early 20th century as newspapers and magazines started concentrating more on providing information than entertainment. But in today's digital era, serial fiction is making a comeback.

For example, that blockbuster movie with Matt Damon called The Martian started as a serialized story written by Andy Weir.¹ The serial fiction platform, Wattpad has 90 million readers, with Gen Z making up 80 percent of those readers.² Patreon has 8 million active patron with a growing number of those patrons coming to the platform for serial fiction.³ The founder of Ream Stories was making a 100k+ per year in subscriptions to her serial stories before creating her own serial story platform.⁴

So how does serial fiction work? Typically, authors will post one chapter of their book at a time (i.e., daily, weekly, or monthly) and readers will subscribe to the author's story. Some authors will post their entire books all at once for users to read. The appeal to serial stories are varied. Some readers like the fact that most serial books have short chapters for a quick read. Others like the idea that they can engage with the author on each chapter posting, providing comments and feedback. Readers might be attracted to a specific serial fiction platform based on the features it offers. A few platforms to check out include Ream Stories, Patreon, Vella, Wattpad, and Royal Road.

While serial fiction provides readers a variety of benefits and the resurgence of is still in its infancy, the jury is still out on its future success.

Susan Cady Allred, serial fiction author

Shout out!

Interview with Susan Cady Allred, Successful Serial Fiction Author

Susan Cady Allred is a prolific career author of PG‐13 fantasy, thrillers, and romances. But you won't likely find her books on bookstore shelves. If you want to read her books, you'll need to go the digital route where serial fiction books can be found and look for her different genre pen names.

Me: Tell us a little bit about yourself and the books you write.
Susan: I've written 39 books under five different pen names. I do Susan Cady Allred mystery thriller suspense. Bryn Lee are my sweet romances, Ally Riggs are my speculative urban fantasy, high fantasy, and sci fi. Jana Mason is all my fringe stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else. And then Susan Allred are my nonfiction, which are usually inspirational based or disability based.

Me: That's wonderful. So, if I understand right, a lot of your success has come from, non‐traditional publishing on serial fiction(subscription platforms. For those who may not be familiar with what a serial fiction platform is or subscription platform is, tell us how they work.
Susan: Serial fiction is relatively new in the United States, but it's been pretty popular in other countries. Rather than paying for a book, you pay per episode. So it's designed for long stories. So, if you have a novel, you might have 35 to 50 chapters, but with a serial platform, you might have closer to 100, 200, or 300 episodes. You really don't even get started in your story until you're 30 to 50 episodes into it or chapters into it.

It allows the reader to really sit in that world and to immerse themselves in that culture and in that lore in that story much longer. For the author, the perk is that you can sell by chapter instead of by book. Usually when you get someone who's a big reader, they'll like to binge.

Me: So, it's interesting to me that they're longer books, but is it correct to say that the chapters are typically shorter?
Susan: Yes, depending on the author and what their preference is. For serial fiction platforms like Kindle Vella or wherever, they have a minimum number of words and that's what many authors shoot for. So, in Vella, it's about 600 words to a thousand. That's equivalent to about two pages in a novel.

Me: What type of readers tend to use serial fiction platforms?
Susan: It caters to younger readers. Also, there are lots of international readers, although Kindle Vella isn't available to international readers.

Me: Why do serial fiction platforms engage readers versus a traditionally published book?
Susan: For the serial platform, one of the big things is that you get smaller bites. So, if someone wants to get their reading fix first thing in the morning or on their lunch break, they can do that in 15 minutes. The other big thing is that readers get to read it before it becomes a physical book and they get to be a part of that process by providing feedback and comments on each chapter.

Me: So, tell me what has been the secret to your success with serial fiction?
Susan: One, I'm a workaholic. Second, I have learned to pivot to what's new and what's working.

Me: What are the differences between going straight to self‐publishing an ebook versus serial fiction?
Susan: For me, when I do serial fiction, it gives me accountability. I have followers who will email me and say, When's your next episode coming out? It's been a week or two, and I'm waiting. That gives me accountability.

The second thing is you're building your following before your book comes out. We've found that even though someone has read your chapters ahead of time, that won't keep them from buying the novel. They want to buy the novel. They want to see the finished work. They want to see the changes that you made from point A to point B.

Me: What advice would you give to authors who are considering one route or the other?
Susan: I would say that there's room for both. Don't limit yourself to just one thing. Do whatever makes you happiest.

Me: What advice would you give to authors who are considering one route or the other?
Susan: I have a link tree, which basically is a list of all of my books and my Vellas in all of my different pen names. You can find it at www.linktr.ee/susancadyallred

The above has been edited for length. To see and hear the rest of the interview and get even more details about serial fiction, watch the full interview at www.kenbakerbooks.com/expert_susan_cady_allred

To learn more about Susan Cady Allred, visit www.JANAELCO.com/

Book business and life ‐

An expansive fantasy

As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, I've started dabbling in serial fiction myself. Heaven's Warrior is the story I'm most excited about. Christy Ottaviano, executive editor of her eponymous imprint at Little, Brown, and Company says, HEAVEN'S WARRIOR is an expansive fantasy with a rich historical backdrop and suspenseful pacing. You can find it at reamstories.com/kjbaker, www.patreon.com/c/kjbaker/collections, or www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0DHDG4ZSV.

Instead of providing a chapter at a time, all the chapters are ready to read. I hope you enjoy it.

Heart image by Ken Baker

What I love

Fantasy

I love reading fantasy. Fantasy is where my love for reading blossomed. I remember reading John Carter of Mars and Louis L'Amour in Junior High, but it wasn't until High School when I read Lord of the Rings did I become a reading fanatic. Nowadays, I have to read less and be very selective than in the past, because as soon as I start a story that engages me, I can't put it down until I finish, ignoring all other aspects of my life.

P.S. — Sad news! I just heard that the hardcover version of my picture book How to Care for Your T ‐Rex will soon be going out of print. So, if you want to get your hardcover copy or copies before they're gone, order them from Amazon or Barnes & Noble before it's too late.

Missed September's newsletter? Check it out!

Thank You image by Ken Baker

Thank you to Susan Cady Allred for taking time to participate in this month's newsletter.

1. Serial Fiction on Subscription Platforms: A New Age of Storytelling,” The Bookish Elf, July 17, 2024. 2. Sophie Campell, “Is Serialization the Future of Publishing?” Freewrite, August 11, 2024. 3. Brian Dean, “Patreon: Subscriber and Creator Statistics,” Backlinko, March 01, 2024. 4. Michael Evans, “The Ream Founding Story,” January 1, 2023.