Reader’s Perspective: Why Episodic?

I am as much a reader as I am a writer and so I’d like to share my reason’s for releasing  The Eighth City as a serial from a reader’s perspective.

First, I’d like to mention why serialization is NOT a good idea. If you’re a writer and you’re considering serializing your work it would do you well to think carefully on this section. It’s not a good idea to serialize if you are simply attempting to get your material out quicker. Do not serialize something if it is already written as a typical novel without a thought to a proper episodic structure. Absolutely do not serialize if it is an attempt to get more money (As an independent author your readers are your best friends, don’t screw them). Lastly, don’t do it because it is new or different. The choice to serialize ought to be deliberate.

The two most important aspects I considered when I chose to release The Eighth City as a serial were the story and my audience. My story has many different climaxes and spans a long time, so it made sense to cut it into several different “episodes”. Furthermore, I’m telling a story that introduces a myriad of different characters, some that only spend a little bit of time in the action and then disappear. Instead of the typical fantasy saga that requires the memorization of countless characters, the episodic feature of this series means that side characters are clearly labeled as such.

In addition to the story I wanted to consider my audience. The idea to split my story into shorter “episodes” that could be digested in 40-80 minutes began after I watched the first season of Game of Thrones. Massive fantasy series being, as one might say say, “my bag” I thought to myself, “Why don’t I read that series? I expect it will be rather enjoyable.” And I’m sure it would have been except that as soon as I saw the massive length of A Game of Thrones I immediately abandoned all thought of reading it. It wasn’t because I don’t like long fantasy series, I mean, I had read almost all of the Wheel of Time , Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings (including The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales). It was because I didn’t have time to read a gargantuan series while I tried to juggle school, a job, and a career search. I kept that thought in mind when I began writing I did my best to design something that someone with a busy schedule could still enjoy. I wanted to create a “TV show” for people who enjoy reading.

I certainly hope that you enjoy this somewhat less time intensive series that (hopefully) still contains a fantasy series worth of characters and landscapes. Feel free to share your own thoughts on serialization and how the new eBook market is changing the way books are sold and written in the comments!

R.C.

P.S. For any writers trying to decide between self publishing and traditional publishing or are considering serialization check out my other blog post below or at “Flux and Flow” for more detail.