Well… I did it. I published the first four chapters of my gothic novel Obscurity for free—and the fifth one went out to paid subscribers on Friday night. If you didn’t get it and you want to continue reading, you can still subscribe here: Before we get into all that happened during book launch month, I want to take a moment just to be excited about it all.
Thank you, Elle. I've started serializing my novel MOVIELAND on substack. How did this experiment with the other platforms work out? Did you attract new subscribers, free as well as paying?
I went to the various links, saw that you linked back to your substack when you could, but it was not clear how many readers you had. Nor how many had crossed over to your paying substack novels.
For myself, I've already written the 4 novels that comprise the MOVIELAND story. The first book is going out free. I'm hoping by the time Memorial Day, 2023 rolls around, when Book 1 will conclude, I'll have a larger following than I have now and can then offer the remaining books to paying subs. Best to you. J.
Hi John! It ultimately wasn’t worth putting my book on the other platforms. With all of them, you get what you put into it, and as I was doing all my reading/writing/commenting on Substack, the others generated maybe a dozen readers, while Substack generated thousands. Best to focus on the platform where you hang out, I think. (And that’s what I’m doing this time!)
Your strategy is the same as mine. It took about a year to serialize Obscurity, and that put me in a much better position to serialize Oblivion!! While learning from all my mistakes the first time around 🤣
I subscribed to read your novel. I'm not so much interested in the journey (I've got long one of my own), though I find the concept of serialization intriguing. I could read for free on Wattpad, but probably wouldn't. At least when you buy something you've made a commitment. With all the theological imagery, I don't think you're just putting up an atmospheric gothic tale, but an attempt at high art (I thought of Bernini's St. Theresa in ecstasy with chapter five - the bride of Christ). You spent time putting yourself in this story and have set yourself an ambitious goal.
Well, I am certainly making an attempt at high art. Whether or not I succeed is entirely subjective and up to the reader. Though I appreciate you feeling that way about my novel thus far! (And yes, I was certainly influenced by St. Theresa and other stories of spiritual ecstasy!)
Thanks as always Elle for sharing your journey. After reading your interviews with other serial fiction creators over the past few months, my takeaway was that putting your work out there for free (as counterintuitive as it seems) can reap dividends down the road. I'm now contemplating do a timed exclusivity with my books as well, with book 1 going up entirely for free on Substack but with lagging chapters being posted elsewhere (as an incentive for people to subscribe to my free tier on Substack), and then gradually bringing chapters from book 2 out of the paid tier as well.
Yes, I think that's a good model. Or at least, it worked for the people I interviewed, and I'm hoping it works for my novel too (and yours!) Good luck and let me know how it goes!
I think this is the right move for you. Like it or not, visibility matters. If your current plan isn't getting you there, then change the plan. You don't get extra points for sticking to a course of action that isn't working.
Next to being prolific, being omnipresent is the best thing you can do for visibility.
Congrats!! It is so exciting to hear about your journey. I knew it wouldn't be the book for me but I do love your newsletters and am so excited to see what happens on your journey. I applaud your flexibility in the promotion of your book!
Congratulations, Elle! Pivoting is definitely a smart thing to do when it feels right. I usually give myself some time to sit on the idea before committing to the change to make sure I'm not acting out of fear or on impulse. From your awesome Find Your Readers summit session, I decided to start my own Substack newsletter and, though it's growing slowly, I plan to release my first paid story in the summer 2022. All things take time, but it only takes one or two avid fans to spread the word. Good luck on your endeavors! I look forward to watching you grow on this journey.
I agree. I want to know people are enjoying my novel. Even if it is a small group. I love getting comments. To me, that connection and feedback is better than sales numbers on Amazon. Or the occasional review.
I also think pivoting when things aren't working, and continually trying new things, is the smart way to go. Especially since we are all still trying to figure out how to make this work. Nothing is set in stone.
Maybe because I write creative writing, but I rarely get any negative comments. Non-fiction seems to be where the trolls live. Or maybe I am too small potatoes to bother with. 🤣
That is what I love about your Discord. There are so many different ideas shared. It helps me think differently than I would have on my own. And try things that work for others.
Love this, Elle. Celebrate those milestones. Writing and releasing a book is huge. I’m with you in every way possible. Can’t wait to continue following your journey!
Promotion is an interminable process. You’ve been quite successful with your newsletter. It’s the reason I followed the page. You write well when illustrating the process and your strategies therein. It’s fascinating to track it along with you, mainly because I’ve gone through a similar experience with my self-published books. Without a mainstream publisher’s money and reach, finding the largest and best audience is inordinately hard. Andrew Weir did it by spending ten years online—way ahead of the indie novelist curve—and, in addition to writing in a genre he knew about and was popular, he took his self-built readership’s plot advice through the ten years, making narrative changes to fit their needs. In producing The Martian, he produced his audience. It was a brilliant stroke, if aided by timing and position, being the first of our kind to start this back in the late 1990s, I believe. Being the first to fill a void best is always the ticket to success. With that in mind, I think the feedback you got from your subscribers is probably correct: monetize the thing that attracts the most eyes. Monetize your newsletter; publish your chapters for free with a free newsletter post in the mix to satisfy all needs. I spent years with queries to agents. I’ve pitched editors in-person from the Big Five houses. I’m on Amazon, moving over 1150 copies of my first thriller, which is decent for a nobody. But that costs money. You’ve got to try everything you want to try. It’s a rough business. I’m at the point of sending pitch letters and a copy of whichever book I’m pitching to filmmakers, sending the book which best matches its themes and subjects to their work and experience. For example: I’ve got two vigilante thrillers. One deals with mass shootings with a middle-aged male protagonist (No Winter Lasts Forever), and the other deals with sex-trafficking, based on the Epstein scandal, with a mid-twenties female protagonist (Until Morning Comes). Both subjects scare off agents, publishers, and readers alike, but both books feature a moral center within their heroes which transcends the hideous nature of the themes. I recently sent Until Morning Comes to Rose McGowan—she’d be a perfect fit to direct a film adaptation—and I sent No Winter Lasts Forever to Matt Damon. It’s a crap shoot, a ridiculous one. But, at this point, I’ve done all of the preparatory hard work. All I need is that stroke of luck, and this is one lottery I’m willing to play. 🤷🏻♂️
Andy Weir is a great case study, and I am definitely basing my process on his to some extent. And now, like you, I'm going to keep tweaking until I find what works best for me! And maybe that will be monetizing my newsletter, I'm not sure. I'll see what happens with all these serial fiction apps and maybe tweak again for my second novel.
I have to say, I LOVE how big you are going with your pitches. I have quite a few of those up my sleeve too. (And have already made a few of them.) After all, if you don't try, it will never happen. But if you do, you give yourself a shot!!! I'm all for dreaming big!
I am def at the “go big or give up” phase, however tenuous an approach it is. I’ve been rejected by a too wide range of agents here and abroad, I believe because of my subjects and the fear it instills in them to support a plotline that implicates elite culture. We shall see. It’ll likely end in a whimper, but whatever.
Wishing you the absolute best with your launch, your book, what you're doing! I'm not your target audience either -- as Gayla Gray commented below. But on the strength of your newsletter writing, your efforts, your willingness to be so open and sharing about the "business" side (as Gayla also commented), and also a willingness to try a new genre of book that I've never read --- ever -- before ... I've subscribed and am looking forward to digging in. Good luck with it all, Elle!
Thank you so much MC. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Everytime I send a newsletter I think "is this interesting to anyone other than me?" Because all I'm doing is documenting my process as I try to figure out the publishing industry! But I'm so glad that you enjoy it, and I really appreciate you being a subscriber!
I enjoy reading about your journey and now the pivots you are and will surely take. I'm not your target market for your book, but I enjoy reading about the business side of it. :)
Thank you, Elle. I've started serializing my novel MOVIELAND on substack. How did this experiment with the other platforms work out? Did you attract new subscribers, free as well as paying?
I went to the various links, saw that you linked back to your substack when you could, but it was not clear how many readers you had. Nor how many had crossed over to your paying substack novels.
For myself, I've already written the 4 novels that comprise the MOVIELAND story. The first book is going out free. I'm hoping by the time Memorial Day, 2023 rolls around, when Book 1 will conclude, I'll have a larger following than I have now and can then offer the remaining books to paying subs. Best to you. J.
Hi John! It ultimately wasn’t worth putting my book on the other platforms. With all of them, you get what you put into it, and as I was doing all my reading/writing/commenting on Substack, the others generated maybe a dozen readers, while Substack generated thousands. Best to focus on the platform where you hang out, I think. (And that’s what I’m doing this time!)
Your strategy is the same as mine. It took about a year to serialize Obscurity, and that put me in a much better position to serialize Oblivion!! While learning from all my mistakes the first time around 🤣
Good luck with Movieland!
Thank you for your reply. Best... John
I subscribed to read your novel. I'm not so much interested in the journey (I've got long one of my own), though I find the concept of serialization intriguing. I could read for free on Wattpad, but probably wouldn't. At least when you buy something you've made a commitment. With all the theological imagery, I don't think you're just putting up an atmospheric gothic tale, but an attempt at high art (I thought of Bernini's St. Theresa in ecstasy with chapter five - the bride of Christ). You spent time putting yourself in this story and have set yourself an ambitious goal.
Well, I am certainly making an attempt at high art. Whether or not I succeed is entirely subjective and up to the reader. Though I appreciate you feeling that way about my novel thus far! (And yes, I was certainly influenced by St. Theresa and other stories of spiritual ecstasy!)
Thanks as always Elle for sharing your journey. After reading your interviews with other serial fiction creators over the past few months, my takeaway was that putting your work out there for free (as counterintuitive as it seems) can reap dividends down the road. I'm now contemplating do a timed exclusivity with my books as well, with book 1 going up entirely for free on Substack but with lagging chapters being posted elsewhere (as an incentive for people to subscribe to my free tier on Substack), and then gradually bringing chapters from book 2 out of the paid tier as well.
Yes, I think that's a good model. Or at least, it worked for the people I interviewed, and I'm hoping it works for my novel too (and yours!) Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Just letting you know that I found you.
I think this is the right move for you. Like it or not, visibility matters. If your current plan isn't getting you there, then change the plan. You don't get extra points for sticking to a course of action that isn't working.
Next to being prolific, being omnipresent is the best thing you can do for visibility.
Thank you. That's certainly the goal! Let's see what happens...
Keep pivoting! You're blazing a trail, Elle. I keep trying new things, though I have less energy available to put into it than you.
100 percent yes, Elle. You've got tremendous creativity and energy.
Thank you so much Bill!!!!!! I'm working on it!!!!!!
Well I'm running out of it. I might have to limit my ideas to only the really big ones pretty soon here.....
You've been pushing really hard. Energy and willpower are both finite resources!
Congrats!! It is so exciting to hear about your journey. I knew it wouldn't be the book for me but I do love your newsletters and am so excited to see what happens on your journey. I applaud your flexibility in the promotion of your book!
Thank you so much Emily!
Congratulations, Elle! Pivoting is definitely a smart thing to do when it feels right. I usually give myself some time to sit on the idea before committing to the change to make sure I'm not acting out of fear or on impulse. From your awesome Find Your Readers summit session, I decided to start my own Substack newsletter and, though it's growing slowly, I plan to release my first paid story in the summer 2022. All things take time, but it only takes one or two avid fans to spread the word. Good luck on your endeavors! I look forward to watching you grow on this journey.
Oh that is so exciting! Please share your novel with me when it comes out. And thank you so much for following along as I figure everything out!
I agree. I want to know people are enjoying my novel. Even if it is a small group. I love getting comments. To me, that connection and feedback is better than sales numbers on Amazon. Or the occasional review.
I also think pivoting when things aren't working, and continually trying new things, is the smart way to go. Especially since we are all still trying to figure out how to make this work. Nothing is set in stone.
I used to dread the comments, but you all have been so positive about my novel that now they completely make my day!
And I agree. I love watching you pivot with your novels too because we can learn from each other. It's an interesting time to publish a book for sure!
Maybe because I write creative writing, but I rarely get any negative comments. Non-fiction seems to be where the trolls live. Or maybe I am too small potatoes to bother with. 🤣
That is what I love about your Discord. There are so many different ideas shared. It helps me think differently than I would have on my own. And try things that work for others.
Who knows, it's a strange world on the internet! But yes, it also comes with amazing perks like our little community!!!!
Really enjoyed reading this issue.
Thank you!
Brava! I love all of this. Onward ❤️
Thanks Coleen!
Love this, Elle. Celebrate those milestones. Writing and releasing a book is huge. I’m with you in every way possible. Can’t wait to continue following your journey!
Thank you so much Kyle, that means a lot to me!
Promotion is an interminable process. You’ve been quite successful with your newsletter. It’s the reason I followed the page. You write well when illustrating the process and your strategies therein. It’s fascinating to track it along with you, mainly because I’ve gone through a similar experience with my self-published books. Without a mainstream publisher’s money and reach, finding the largest and best audience is inordinately hard. Andrew Weir did it by spending ten years online—way ahead of the indie novelist curve—and, in addition to writing in a genre he knew about and was popular, he took his self-built readership’s plot advice through the ten years, making narrative changes to fit their needs. In producing The Martian, he produced his audience. It was a brilliant stroke, if aided by timing and position, being the first of our kind to start this back in the late 1990s, I believe. Being the first to fill a void best is always the ticket to success. With that in mind, I think the feedback you got from your subscribers is probably correct: monetize the thing that attracts the most eyes. Monetize your newsletter; publish your chapters for free with a free newsletter post in the mix to satisfy all needs. I spent years with queries to agents. I’ve pitched editors in-person from the Big Five houses. I’m on Amazon, moving over 1150 copies of my first thriller, which is decent for a nobody. But that costs money. You’ve got to try everything you want to try. It’s a rough business. I’m at the point of sending pitch letters and a copy of whichever book I’m pitching to filmmakers, sending the book which best matches its themes and subjects to their work and experience. For example: I’ve got two vigilante thrillers. One deals with mass shootings with a middle-aged male protagonist (No Winter Lasts Forever), and the other deals with sex-trafficking, based on the Epstein scandal, with a mid-twenties female protagonist (Until Morning Comes). Both subjects scare off agents, publishers, and readers alike, but both books feature a moral center within their heroes which transcends the hideous nature of the themes. I recently sent Until Morning Comes to Rose McGowan—she’d be a perfect fit to direct a film adaptation—and I sent No Winter Lasts Forever to Matt Damon. It’s a crap shoot, a ridiculous one. But, at this point, I’ve done all of the preparatory hard work. All I need is that stroke of luck, and this is one lottery I’m willing to play. 🤷🏻♂️
Andy Weir is a great case study, and I am definitely basing my process on his to some extent. And now, like you, I'm going to keep tweaking until I find what works best for me! And maybe that will be monetizing my newsletter, I'm not sure. I'll see what happens with all these serial fiction apps and maybe tweak again for my second novel.
I have to say, I LOVE how big you are going with your pitches. I have quite a few of those up my sleeve too. (And have already made a few of them.) After all, if you don't try, it will never happen. But if you do, you give yourself a shot!!! I'm all for dreaming big!
I am def at the “go big or give up” phase, however tenuous an approach it is. I’ve been rejected by a too wide range of agents here and abroad, I believe because of my subjects and the fear it instills in them to support a plotline that implicates elite culture. We shall see. It’ll likely end in a whimper, but whatever.
It's going to end in a whimper anyway. Might as well dream big!
Wishing you the absolute best with your launch, your book, what you're doing! I'm not your target audience either -- as Gayla Gray commented below. But on the strength of your newsletter writing, your efforts, your willingness to be so open and sharing about the "business" side (as Gayla also commented), and also a willingness to try a new genre of book that I've never read --- ever -- before ... I've subscribed and am looking forward to digging in. Good luck with it all, Elle!
Thank you so much MC. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Everytime I send a newsletter I think "is this interesting to anyone other than me?" Because all I'm doing is documenting my process as I try to figure out the publishing industry! But I'm so glad that you enjoy it, and I really appreciate you being a subscriber!
I enjoy reading about your journey and now the pivots you are and will surely take. I'm not your target market for your book, but I enjoy reading about the business side of it. :)
Thank you, Gayla! I'm so glad you're here. :)