Why the ongoing series?
I've recently read some concerns about the serials trend in the ebook world, and I wanted to say that I totally get it. I buy my fair share of ebooks and it's frustrating to not have the entire story at your fingertips.
But I just wanted to add that there are many things that go into writing and marketing a story. For some reason, it takes me several months to write a full-length novel. To me, it's an uphill battle all the way, slogging through chapter after chapter. It becomes a real chore and I lose some of my excitement for the story.
I wanted to try and write a series of short novelettes to see if that new format changes things. And sure enough the first novelette, DISARM, nearly wrote itself. I wrote 6K words that first day and I knew that this was a format I could really work with. I was so excited! I fell in love with my characters, fell in love with the story, fell in love with their history. Nothing about writing it felt like a chore. Even the dreaded editing phase was a joy.
I knew then that this was a game-changer for me. I could write these novelettes and release them as episodes, kind of like television shows. I gave myself deadlines and was actually getting done ahead of time. For someone who hadn't released anything since July, that's a marked improvement.
Series and serials are a trend for sure, one that I think won't be going away in the foreseeable future. Heck, even Amazon has jumped on the serial bandwagon. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense to have more titles out there. More titles = more exposure. For little indie writers like me, exposure (along with a good story) is key.
(An aside: thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read and review my stories. I really, truly appreciate it!! You guys are the best kind of exposure!)
So I guess the point I was heading towards is that I didn't just cut up a novel in order to squeeze more money out of the buying public. Each installment has a beginning, a climax (so to speak) and an end. This is just the way my brain can write right now, so I'm going with it.
For those of you who want to read the entire thing at once, take heart: after the series is over, I'm planning on selling it all together as an omnibus. I'm guessing the series will end around December (although the holidays are ramping up so it might end up being later).
One final thing: I wish you guys in the USA a Happy Thanksgiving!
But I just wanted to add that there are many things that go into writing and marketing a story. For some reason, it takes me several months to write a full-length novel. To me, it's an uphill battle all the way, slogging through chapter after chapter. It becomes a real chore and I lose some of my excitement for the story.
I wanted to try and write a series of short novelettes to see if that new format changes things. And sure enough the first novelette, DISARM, nearly wrote itself. I wrote 6K words that first day and I knew that this was a format I could really work with. I was so excited! I fell in love with my characters, fell in love with the story, fell in love with their history. Nothing about writing it felt like a chore. Even the dreaded editing phase was a joy.
I knew then that this was a game-changer for me. I could write these novelettes and release them as episodes, kind of like television shows. I gave myself deadlines and was actually getting done ahead of time. For someone who hadn't released anything since July, that's a marked improvement.
Series and serials are a trend for sure, one that I think won't be going away in the foreseeable future. Heck, even Amazon has jumped on the serial bandwagon. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense to have more titles out there. More titles = more exposure. For little indie writers like me, exposure (along with a good story) is key.
(An aside: thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read and review my stories. I really, truly appreciate it!! You guys are the best kind of exposure!)
So I guess the point I was heading towards is that I didn't just cut up a novel in order to squeeze more money out of the buying public. Each installment has a beginning, a climax (so to speak) and an end. This is just the way my brain can write right now, so I'm going with it.
For those of you who want to read the entire thing at once, take heart: after the series is over, I'm planning on selling it all together as an omnibus. I'm guessing the series will end around December (although the holidays are ramping up so it might end up being later).
One final thing: I wish you guys in the USA a Happy Thanksgiving!