10/3/08

Serial Anyone?

This week, the topic of serializing writing came up at links at pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum of how it works.

First, I read about http://www.dailylit.com, a company that promotes the sale of books bit by bit in the electronic age. Readers can get deliveries of installments of books to their email, phone or other e-device. For those people who barely have time to read their grocery lists, it's a useful purchase option. The prices are a little low for the author side, but that's a whole other topic.

On the other side of the spectrum is an article about an author who serialized most of his work. He sold a set number of pages per installment, often through weekly magazines. When he reached the end of a novel, those who'd purchased the installments could have them all bound into a book if they wished. People who didn't want to buy the whole book at once had options, as did those who wanted it. By the way, this all happened in the 1830s! Find out more here http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dickens/life_publication.html

If you've ever dwelled on the thought that you can't sell your book if the big publishers aren't interested, maybe it's time to think again.

Good Writing & God Bless,
Cheryl Pickett

1 comment:

Lillie Ammann said...

As a reader, I love DayLit, but I only subscribe to classics I never got around to reading. Writing styles have changed through the years, and it seems to me that the classics are better for reading a little at a time. Otherwise, I generally like to read books in larger chunks.