Comments on: Poll Re: Serials

By: DS

DS — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:07:53 +0000

Serials are longer works that are published a few pages or chapters at a time.

I wouldn’t pay to read one. I don’t read free ones. I want it all at once.

By: Kaetrin

Kaetrin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:48:11 +0000

Um, okay, at the risk of appearing REALLY stupid – what’s a serial?

*shrugs, scuffs foot and looks generally embarrassed*…..

By: vanessa jaye

vanessa jaye — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:29:19 +0000

I really loved(!) Betty Sharpe’s serialized EMBER, and checked in every week for the next instalment. And I would have paid for the complete book, but doubt I would have paid for the weekly instalments. It would have been an either or situation–if I’m going to pay I want the complete story up front, or else forget about it.

As for printed series of inter-connecting books, I’ve never stuck it out with a series. I jump in at book 3, read books 4 and 1, buy book 7 and throw it in the tbr pile, then drift away. Or I read the first 3 books then jump ship. No rhyme or reason for it (although in some cases I might not care for the direction the series is taking, or certain re-occurring characters or authorly quirks that might have begun to irk). I think I have some internalize programming that says 3 or 4 is enough. Always seem to lose interest after that, if I even get that far.

By: RfP

RfP — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:17:20 +0000

I enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's free monthly shorts. In fact, I enjoyed Bitten more after the novellas filled in some of the missing backstory.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:08:16 +0000

I have the attention span of a gnat. I can’t remember what the next letter in the alphabet is, much less what happened in last week’s episode.

By: cecilia

cecilia — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:01:38 +0000

I’d rather wait till the whole serial was out – I heard about Ember when it was all done, and I remember thinking that I would never have been able to read a snippet and then wait for the next snippet. And that was free. To pay for that suffering? I don’t think so.

By: Monique

Monique — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:55:33 +0000

I’m always leary of serials since I love to read all at once. I also would only read them for 2 reasons: I really like the author (Gennita Low, my current fav, has one on her blog http://rooferauthor.blogspot.com/) or I am trying an author (Lilith Saintcrow I’m trying out on her site http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/selene/).

Right now, I can’t wait until the next chapter comes out for both. Both of these are free and they are a great way to try a new author you have not tried before. They’re both up to chapter 13ish and I highly recommend both.

By: Ann

Ann — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:17:57 +0000

I’d love to try a serial…but I’d want it to be a ‘pay as you go’ thing and not a pay $6 now and wait for each installment. Then I can bail if it didn’t show promise.

Price would also be dependent on length. If it ends up being book length, I’ll pay book price. If longer, I’ll pay more, and likewise the other way.

Some of the best classics were written as a serial, so I sure can’t turn my nose up at it! (And I think I’d even get a kick out of a good natured scholcky take with someone in the bottom of a well or tied to the train tracks at the end of each installment.)

By: Kay Sisk

Kay Sisk — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:01:07 +0000

I’d read a serial only if I trusted the author. And $6 would be the most I’d pay.

By: Janine

Janine — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:32:53 +0000

Having to wait for the next chapter would be frustrating for me, so I wait until the serial is over, and then read it in its entirety.