No, but we can all sit on our asses and spin bullshit amateur theories.

Mike

Yeah, but who knows? I imagine The New Yorker or Harper's would be glad to serialize chapters from many (good) authors. They do publish chapters as previews. But why would authors or publishers want to decrease their potential novel buyers? Surely they wouldn't make as much from serialization. Not to mention the aesthetic problems with it, such as being locked into what you've previously published. Unless serialization is an actual aesthetic purpose, it's kind of stupid.

1. Individual issues of the serialized format will naturally cost far less than the completed novel, expanding the potential audience greatly.

2. While the individual issues of the serialized format may cost less, the total cost of purchasing the completed run may be greater than what you could charge for a single book.

3. The serialized format is appealing to advertisers in a way books are not. That may not be money that flows directly to creators, but the more money any industry makes, the more there potentially is for everybody.

4. When talking about a serialized format for prose, we're not really talking about publishing individual chapters of a novel. We're really talking about periodical platforms where prose can be published in a serialized format. Those platforms, however, would not be restricted to merely publishing novels. They would also be places where writers could sell short stories and novellas or other work which isn't all that economically viable in a book-dominated marketplace.

And just to be clear, I'm not talking about replacing the novel or even substituting serialization for novels. I'm talking about an industry having another format through which it can sell its product to the public, a format which has different strengths and appeal than the existing format or formats that industry uses. I don't get how the attractivness of that is so hard to understand.

Mike

I don't understand this complaint. Obviously, writers publishing their work in serialized format would work out all the major plot points and issues before putting out that first installment, which I would imagine many writers do anyway. I don't know why somebody who doesn't know what's going to happen in his story from one page to the next would even attempt serialization.

Mike

I'm so glad I chimed in four pages back.

This is the internet. We can't be bothered with people who know what they're talking about.

Mike

I have stated that it's important to work with the skills you have. You brought up a married couple who worked together. This supports what I said. They worked with the skills they had and created something from that. They didn't hire an outside artist. They didn't set up a sweat shop of nameless crumbsnatchers. If the relationship of the people working together supersedes the work, that supports my position.

You don't know how to read.

Don't tell me I've hurt your feelings.

You said a serialized format like comics, where the first issue of an arc is released three months before part four is even begun. Even a huge event like Frank Miller's Dark Knight sequel suffered that reality.



If that's what they want to do, I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do it now with either the Kindle or through apps of various smart phones.

You have still failed to name someone who wants this, however.