Romance writers in
general have a dual agenda; primarily they can’t not
write. But secondarily, most hope to make some money
from their writing. And in order to fulfill this
secondary agenda, they must attract readers, and keep
attracting them.
I have addressed some
methods for accomplishing this end in my May ‘07
article,
Free and Inexpensive Ways to
Market Yourself,
and June ‘07,
More Free and Inexpensive Ways…,
as well as September ‘07’s article,
Blurbs, Taglines, Teasers and Ads,
and November’s
A Press Kit with Clout.
Also read Jeremy Hoover’s article,
How to
Get More Readers For Your Books.
Recently, I personally
ventured into a new area of endeavor, writing a free
eserial for my readers, both as a means to draw new
visitors to my site, but also as a gift to my existing
readership. A couple of writer friends of mine, Skyla
Dawn Cameron (urban fantasy) and Elaine Corvidae (sci-fi
and dark fantasy) have provided free stories for their
fans for the past few years. I read them, studied them
and came to the conclusion that I could do this too.
I made a couple of
false starts in the beginning as I floundered about
trying to find the right story and the right format, and
then it hit me. A soap opera! Romance, intrigue, endless
plot twists and turns. Desperate Hearts was born.
I launched on Valentine’s Day ’08 and am really enjoying
the journey.
For those unfamiliar
with the eserial, it is simply a story told in a
serialized format (think of the tv shows 24, Lost, Buffy
the Vampire Slayer) and posted on your website. Chapters
(generally between 3K-6K words) are posted on a regular
schedule (mine appear the first of the month). There is
a long, noble history of serialized fiction in print
(Dickens, for example). This is just taking it into the
cyber age.
Now the question you
may be asking is, "Why should I work this hard on
something if I’m not going to make money? After all, my
secondary agenda is to make money."
Consider the eserial a gift for your loyal fans, and a
taste of your writing for potential fans. Go into it
with the idea that you’re writing this for fun and do
just that. Look at it as a clever marketing ploy,
because it is.
"So why," you might
also ask yourself, "would fans buy the cow if they can
get the milk for free?" The answer is ridiculously
simple. They just do. Readers, particularly romance
readers, are loyal. If they find a writer they like,
they will read anything they write, purchase their books
and keep coming back for new releases. Since we writers
are not machines, there may be times when there is a
lull between our last book and our next one. Having an
eserial keeps the fans coming to your site each month
and gives you a chance to promote your backlist and your
upcoming releases.
There is a lovely
freedom to writing an eserial. After all, it is not
intended for "formal" publication, therefore there are
not editors involved, or waits for release dates. You
have total control of the story, its presentation, its
release, and its fate. That takes the pressure off and
makes the writing great fun.
An eserial also gives
your fans an opportunity to get involved with you as a
writer. I have a forum where my readers can come and
discuss the latest episode of the eserial. I give them
permission to post fanfic and fanart. I run little
contests for them from time to time. They have input
sometimes on potential plot twists. And I’m honest with
my fans. Most eserials are presented as first drafts,
since I don’t want to put valuable time into finite
editing. Let your readers help in this regard by
pointing out errors they may find.
Here are some basic
points to keep in mind when starting your eserial:
Make a schedule
and stick to it.
Start small until
you gain confidence.
Be flexible.
Sometimes your characters have ideas of their own.
Write a few
chapters ahead so you’re not scrambling each month.
Be considerate.
Offer your eserial chapters in PDF as well as on
your site as some readers might like to print it out
for reading.
Reread your
eserial from time to time to refresh your memory and
catch plot points you may have missed.
Now another concern
you might have is with copyright. What’s to stop someone
from stealing your story and publishing it under their
name? Well, you can visit the website
www.creativecommons.org.
There are several different kinds of intellectual
property licenses available and you choose the license
which suits you and your purposes best. And best of all,
it’s a free service!
A free eserial is just
another tool in your writer’s toolkit, one that will
bring both you and your readers much enjoyment. It truly
is a gift for both of you.
More information on
producing eserials can be found in the Marketing Whore’s
newest guide,
Building A
Fanbase:eSerial Edition.
http://www.lulu.com/indigochickpress
You can read Desperate
Hearts at
www.desperatehearts.homestead.com
- I hope you do!
