Everything You Need to Know About Serial Fiction
Cereal Team
01/30/2024
In this Article
Serial fiction refers to a style of writing where books are published in pieces, instead of as one complete work.
The practice dates back to the 19th century, with Charles Dickens publishing The Pickwick Papers in monthly installments. Popularity of the serial format fell as radio and television became favored, but it’s recently seen a second rise with the introduction of the internet.
Today, serial fiction is a common publishing method among indie authors. Sites like Kindle Vella and Wattpad have built significant audiences, allowing authors to self-publish their works to millions of serial readers.
Recent trends are making the benefits of serial writing more attractive than ever before. Thanks to the development of the internet, the serial industry is ever-growing. Hundreds of millions of readers visit popular serial sites every month, consuming content at a rapid rate.
This permits aspiring and established authors to enter the industry with an audience hungry for more content, allowing them to build a dedicated readership.
Not only are authors able to grow their audience, but they’re able to communicate directly with their readers. Many serial sites support direct messaging, eliminating the disconnect commonly seen with traditional publishing methods. This allows authors to see and incorporate real time feedback from their readers.
Readers are also encouraged to leave comments directly on an author’s work, sharing their feelings, theories, and excitement with other readers. It provides a sense of community, which adds to the appeal of the story as you’re able to watch it slowly unfold with other invested fans.
In a world where we’re consuming more content than ever, often in a traditional format that encourages binging, millions of readers crave something that lasts.
Serialized works can often take weeks, if not months or years, from start to completion. It provides readers with reliable, frequent entertainment that keeps them coming back.
As readers wait for new chapters to be published, they’re left to fantasize about what will come next. Serialized content provides an atmosphere of excitement and eagerness, giving readers something to look forward to every week.
As publication of serial fiction has shifted from newspapers and magazines to the internet, the content has been able to fill niche interests.
Demand for fanfiction in the early 2000s led to the creation of niche sites such as Archive of Our Own (AO3) and FanFiction.net. As more readers poured in, communities grew large enough that authors no longer had to publish content to please the masses.
Nowadays, even the most niche content has an audience. Given the nature of serials, authors can test new themes without the commitment required for traditional publishing. If readers aren’t enjoying the content, they receive immediate feedback and can pivot as needed.
While serial fiction isn’t exclusive to indie authors, many choose this publishing route over more traditional methods.
Unlike conventional publishing routes, there are few entry barriers to serial writing. For most websites hosting this content, all an author needs is original work and internet access.
This allows them to launch their careers and grow their readership without investing too much time or money, making authorship more accessible.
Every serial reader, even those who stick to free-to-read sites, supports an industry of aspiring indie authors.
Thanks to the internet, serial novels are easier than ever to enjoy. There are dozens of sites promoting this style of writing, several with millions of active users.
Wattpad is widely considered one of the top sites for serial reading. Developed in 2006, it rose to fame as a place to read fanfiction and romance novels. Today, it has over 90 million monthly users, and its most popular genres continue to be romance and fanfiction.
Several Wattpad stories have gone on to become bestselling novels and film adaptations. Some of the most famous Wattpad serials include the After series, which saw over a billion reads, and The Kissing Booth trilogy.
While Wattpad originated as a free-to-read site, it now promotes a paid stories program that can be unlocked with a subscription or through coins purchased via the app store.
AO3 is a nonprofit open-source site that rose to fame in the early 2000s.
The site’s most prominent genre is fanfiction, and it supports over 12 million works across 60 thousand fandoms. Some of the most popular are the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Harry Potter, and Star Wars.
AO3 is well-loved for its organization and design, and it’s still considered one of the best places to find free-to-read, ad-free content.
The use of Patreon for serial writing has grown as a way for authors to monetize their works through subscription. It’s commonly used as a place for readers to gain exclusive or early access to content not yet available on larger, free-to-read serial platforms.
Insert something about cereal being a companion app that improves the patreon reading experience.
Royal Road is a smaller, niche website for readers who enjoy progressive fantasy, LitRPG (literary role-playing game), portal fantasy, and Isekai stories. It’s a free-to-read site with thousands of users, and many top authors can be found on Patreon.
Inkitt and Radish are two other large romance serial sites. They feature a wide range of niche genres, from fantasy to historical to fanfiction. Inkitt runs on a free-to-read or author subscription model, and radish content can be unlocked through coins purchased via the app store.
Building a lucrative career through serial writing is more attainable than ever before. No longer are authors forced to go down traditional publishing routes to earn a living, and many have found wild success through serial fiction.
Before beginning your serial journey, deciding how and where you want to monetize is essential. Several options exist, from joining creator programs on pay-to-read serial sites to managing self-owned channels.
Each comes with its own set of pros and cons, and we recommend diversifying whenever possible.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that many serial sites require an exclusivity contract for a work to be eligible for creator programs. Always read the terms and conditions of the sites you’re using, and carefully read through any contracts offered.
So you know where you want to host your content, but now comes the hard part of finding paid readers. Whether you’re new to serial fiction or a veteran author, finding readers willing to pay can be challenging.
Content is easily accessible and often available for free. Readers have a million options when it comes to serial fiction, and capturing their attention is hard.
Serial authors, specifically those looking to monetize their works, are competing against giant corporations with significant time and resources. It’s possible for a serial author to monetize their works, but it takes time, patience, and a lot of creativity.
There are two main strategies to making money: by converting existing readers or by drawing in new ones.
If you already have an existing readership, either through your serial fiction or completed stories, converting them into a paying customer is a great place to start. If not, posting on free-to-read platforms is a popular way to grow your audience. Once your readers are hooked, you can incentivize them to become paid subscribers.
See our Complete Guide to Monetizing Serial Fiction
Why should readers subscribe to you? This is an important question to ask if you choose to host your content on Patreon or through your owned channels. Millions of stories are available on the web, so knowing what makes you stand out is a vital step.
Many authors offer additional incentives to convert free readers into paid subscribers.
There are several standard methods, but the most popular is offering early access to content. Subscribers can read the newest updates before the general public, and they’re the first to hear about new releases or author updates.
Another common incentive is exclusive content. By subscribing to you, readers gain access to content that is not, nor will be, available anywhere else.
Offering subscribers the option to vote is another great way to make them feel important.
See our full list of reader incentives here!
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning. After going through all the hard work of driving paid readers to your content, you want them to stick around.
Many readers are budget-conscious, and they’re only willing to spend so much on ongoing, serial content. They frequently dart between their favorite authors, choosing to support the stories they’re most actively engaged with.
An engaged audience can look different across authors, but building a community within your serial platform is the best way. Encourage readers to engage with one another, and with you, bringing a sense of community and friendship with their subscription.
When people begin paying for you for your work, you become a business. The expectations you set should be met, and this often means planning ahead to be consistent with updates, responding in a timely matter to messages and comments, and remaining calm and polite when faced with negative feedback.
Following these tips won’t guarantee success, but it’ll put you in a position to be competitive with your fellow authors. Providing quality content they want to read is key.