Copywriter & ghostwriter: when you need help to sell something, or to write a book.
Marketing can be challenging. You may market conscientiously, but struggle with fiction sales. Some books, for whatever reason, fail to launch. They fizzle. Why, oh why? No one knows. You love the book. Beta readers do too. Sadly, the book makes few sales, but you’re not ready to give up. You try commonsense solutions. Results? No. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, … Read more
A popular question: is it hard to write serial fiction? In a word… No. In many ways, it’s much easier to write a serial than it is to write a novel. For example: we’ve discussed hitting the dreaded wall in fiction—you’ll be pleased that there’s no wall with serials. Overall, serials tend to cause far less stress and confusion than … Read more
Amazon has launched a new publishing service, Kindle Vella, for serial fiction. Authors write serials, KDP publishes them; readers pay for serial episodes via “tokens.” As Amazon reports in the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Help files, currently Kindle Vella is only available to US-based authors. If you’re outside the US, I wouldn’t worry; Amazon launches in the US first, then … Read more
When an author tells me that he’s stuck on a novel, or is completely bored by it, I suggest he consider writing serial fiction. Serial fiction can be quick-fix to get you back into a writing groove. You receive feedback fast: write the first 5,000 word episode, publish it, then assess the response you get. But what’s serial fiction? A … Read more
A reader messaged me: “Although I’ve published four novels, I don’t have a mailing list. I realize I need one… Will writing serial fiction help to build my list?” Serials are sometimes conflated with series fiction, so let’s look at what defines “serial” fiction first. What is “serial” fiction? Serials are ongoing stories, published in installments. In Charles Dickens’ day, … Read more