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Marion Hermannsen's avatar

Hi Kim, I bought the paperback version of your excellent book. Loving it so far, but is there a place where I can get the links? The paperback doesn’t provide any, especially for the spreadsheet…

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Lausanne Davis Carpenter's avatar

Hi KimBoo!

I mentioned hearing your interview on the Subscriptions for Authors podcast. It was excellent. So informative. Here’s what’s buzzing around in my head as a result.

I joined Substack having heard of serialization and thinking that might work well for my WIP (long historical fiction). I got here and started learning about it. What I heard was: don’t make it too long (but I hear differently from your interview), and structure it with tidy interior “episodes”, clear internal beats. I imagine that almost like a short story series/anthology with an over-arching plot, like a long fantasy book series, but in shorter increments – if I’m making sense.

Anyway, I’ve decided it would not work for my WIP. My WIP is complex and tightly woven. I’ve long wished I could turn it into a trilogy/series, but there are no big wrap up points until the very end. There are set pieces and big shifts, but too many of the story questions remain and keep pulling the story forward.

I also can’t see readers dipping in and out of it. They would be lost. It’s set in a context unfamiliar to most readers, so nothing can be taken for granted. So, I don’t think a drip, drip of release will work for that book.

However, I am currently reading a long Hist Fic here on Substack and it is excellent. But I am reading it like a continuous ebook. The book is finished and all posted. I can read for as long as I want at any stretch.

I think my book would work fine that way. Essentially as an ebook posted here.

On the other hand, I had one of those in-the-shower ah-hah moments. My mother left me with several manuscripts in various degrees of completion. One of them is 95% done (could use a copy edit), and, she recorded it. The structure of that book is a series of 1st person retellings of what is happening through the story. I think THAT book might just work. It could not go on forever, but it’s about 120K – so, plenty of material.

Anyway, I’m just brainstorming and can’t give that book the time it needs right now, but I’m going to grab your new book and see what I think about turning Mom’s manuscript into a serial before turning it into a book. I think it may be well suited.

Whew. Thanks for what you are doing. You’re bushwhacking ahead of the rest of us!

Back to work!

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