A Complete Guide to Monetizing Serial Fiction
Cereal Team
1/30/2024
In this Article
Thanks to the internet, 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.
The industry has seen rapid growth due to the popularization of serial fiction websites such as Wattpad and Archive of Our Own (AO3), creating an environment that allows authors to self-publish their works to hundreds of millions of serial readers.
Before beginning your serial journey, deciding how and where you want to monetize is essential. There are several options to choose from, from joining creator programs on pay-to-read serial sites to posting on 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 pay-to-read serial sites require signed contracts for a work to be eligible for creator programs. These sites often have large audiences and excellent creator tools that help make monetizing easy, but you’ll be expected to sign an exclusivity contract and hand over story rights.
Always read the terms and conditions of the sites you’re using, and carefully read through any contracts offered!
Wattpad is widely considered one of the top sites for serial reading, and it’s one of the largest with over 90 million monthly users. It rose to fame in the early 2000s as a free-to-read site, primarily as a place to read fanfiction and romance stories.
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.
In recent years, Wattpad has developed and launched the Wattpad Originals program that allows authors to monetize their work. Readers can purchase entire stories or pay to unlock portions as they go, but specific author payout amounts aren’t public knowledge.
Wattpad also offers a Creator Program for authors to join, and while it’s not paid, it allows authors to pitch their story ideas to Wattpad’s Originals content team. Perks of the creator program include access to workshops, educational resources, a creator-focused Discord channel, and editorial support.
These programs can be an excellent option for new authors, hobbyist writers, and those looking for a side income.
Both these programs are invite-only, so there’s no guarantee that posting on Wattpad will lead to monetization opportunities. However, writing in the romance genre and consistently posting 1,500-3,000 word chapters will put you in a good position to be chosen.
If you are chosen, Wattpad will require you to sign over temporary rights to your story and post exclusively on Wattpad.
Hosting content on Patreon is a popular option for both established and new authors. There are no requirements to be met before being able to monetize, and authors maintain total freedom of their work.
Readers unlock access to an author’s work through monthly or annual subscriptions. Authors set their prices and can create several tiers, giving them full control of their income.
Patreon also provides analytics tools and handles payment processing, which saves authors significant time and energy.
The largest drawbacks to Patreon are the 8% processing fee and a limited reader experience. Posts are displayed as a feed instead of in a book format, making it hard for new readers to enjoy older works.
Cereal, a reader focused Patreon companion app, allows authors to format and organize their existing patreon content into books, greatly improving the subscriber reading experience!
Hosting content through your own owned channels such as a website or newsletter is a fantastic option for authors who already have a readership or subscriber count.
Similar to Patreon, authors maintain creative freedom over their work and have the ability to set their own prices and tiers. They also have the ability to customize their channels however they please, although this might be difficult to do without coding experience or paying for a website or email building platform.
Management of the owned channel is going to be the biggest drawback of this option. Authors will be in charge of handling payment processing, which may create security concerns among readers.
There’s also the costs associated with running and maintaining a website or newsletter. This includes, but is not limited to, domain name and website fees, CRM platform fees, and payment processing fees.
It may also be more challenging for potential new readers to find the author, so more marketing may be required to drive interest and views these owned channels.
Similar to Wattpad, Radish is a pay-to-read serial app with thousands of published authors in their creator program. They specialize in romance, teen fiction, and fantasy genres, and have a significant audience of paid readers.
Specific author payouts aren’t known, but they claim their top writers make almost $40,000 per quarter.
There is an extensive application process, which allows authors to apply without having to wait for an invitation like other serial sites, but right now they are only accepting romance stories.
So you know where you want to host your content, but now comes the hard part of making money. 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.
If you’re lucky enough to be invited or accepted into a paid creator program on a reading platform like Wattpad or Radish, your works will likely be boosted and put in front of thousands of eyes, but getting that invitation is rare.
This advice is for authors looking to monetize outside those channels.
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.
You’ve already done all the hard work of capturing their attention and driving them to your content, establishing a relationship you both can benefit from. These readers are already familiar with your writing style and are excited to see what you’ll publish next.
By offering additional incentives, you can convert them into a paying customer on either Patreon or through other owned channels. There are several popular incentives, which are listed in the next section below.
Not every reader will be willing to pay, but superfans (those who have read most, if not all, of an author’s works and are engaged member of the community), are more likely to do so.
They know they’ll enjoy your serial content, and they’re excited to support you as an author.
Finding new readers can feel like a daunting task, especially early in an author’s serial writing journey.
Posting on free-to-read serial platforms is a great tool for growing your readership. Popular sites such as Wattpad and Inkitt have a large free-to-read audience, and many authors find success in getting attraction through those channels then using additional incentives to drive those readers to paid platforms.
If going this route, especially if a complete book isn’t going to eventually be posted on the free-to-read sites, it’s recommended to be upfront that the completed work is only available thorugh paid sources. Readers will feel tricked if they reach the ‘end’ of a free work only to realize they have to pay to actually complete it, and they likely won’t be interested in engaginging with any of your other existing or future works.
Being upfront about payment will mean less people give the book a chance, but it creates a better reading experience for all.
It’s possible to build an audience through traditional publishing methods such as Amazon Kindle, but it may be harder to convert those readers to a paid serial subscriber. Many of those readers are looking to read already completed works, and they may not be interested in the longevity and wait that comes with 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 popular methods, but some of the most common are:
Offering subscribers early access to your writing is one of the most popular benefits used by serial authors. Subscribers can read your content before the general public, and they’re often the first to hear about new releases or author updates. This works great for readers who can’t get enough and need immediate relief from a cliffhanger on a free-to-read site!
Not only is it a strong incentive to subscribe, but it gives readers a reason to stick around!
Exclusive content is another popular tool used by serial authors. By subscribing to you, readers can access content that is not, nor will be, available anywhere else.
Bonus chapters is a great type of exclusive content to offer a subscriber. They get an inside look into the lives of their favorite characters, and it keeps your book alive.
It’s also a great way to monetize and drive readers to completed serial books. Once they finish reading, say on Amazon Kindle, they can pay to read additional chapters unavailable anywhere else.
Behind-the-scenes looks are another common form of exclusive content subscribers enjoy. This can be in the form of pictures, rough drafts, mood boards, or sources of inspiration.
Offering subscribers the option to vote is a great way to make them feel important. They can help decide what direction a story will go or what story is written next, which helps build excitement for future works.
Voting rights can even use it for smaller details, such as deciding character names and appearance.
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 surrounding your content is the easiest way. Encourage readers to engage with one another, and with you, bringing a sense of community and friendship with their subscription.
One of the many amazing things about serial fiction is the communities. People love to discuss the books they’re reading, hypothesizing about the direction they think a book is going to take and sharing their emotions about the parts they’ve already read.
Most hosting platforms give the option for readers and authors to leave comments and send private messages. They promote discussion among readers, and it’s smart to take advantage of that. Ask your readers questions at the end of each chapter, and encourage them to engage with one another.
It can deepen the experience and give them something, beyond your stories, to look forward to between updates.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media. It can be a great tool for both finding new readers and retaining current ones.
Authors take several different strategies to social media, but a successful one we’ve found is to communicate with others and show readers who you are as a person. It’s an excellent way for readers to get to know you better, which makes them want to stick around.
People want to support people, not a faceless username.
When people pay you for your work, you become a business.
The expectations you set should be met, and this often means planning ahead in order to be consistent with updates, responding in a timely matter to messages and comments, and remaining calm and polite when faced with negative feedback.
Consistency is everything when it comes to serial writing. Readers want to know what to expect when they invest in a work, whether that be the length of the chapters or the frequency of updates.
While nobody expects you to work year-round with no breaks in between, it’s best to plan so if there’s an emergency or unforeseen event that prevents you from writing, readers aren’t left high and dry.
Having chapters written ahead of time, and being upfront about vacations and update schedules is a helpful way to prevent readers from feeling forgotten.
Nobody likes being left on read, especially a paying customer. Setting aside time to check and respond to messages can make or break a relationship with a reader.
It’s not only appreciated, but it’s often expected. Especially for questions about billing, scheduling, or other logistical concerns.
Making it a goal to respond to all messages with a 24-hour or 48-hour hour time period is a good place to start.
You are customer service. You’re also in charge of content moderation.
Not every comment or message will be positive, and it’s important to remain polite and diplomatic when faced with negative feedback.
Readers aren’t always going to love your current story or update, and while that’s not fun to hear, it’s within a reader’s rights to feel that way. Unless a reader crosses the boundaries of what’s appropriate (ex: bullying others), there’s not always a need to go on the defense.
If a reader is crossing boundaries, however, it is your responsibility to address them. How you choose to handle it is up to you, but blocking the user and deleting the harmful comments is an effective option.
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!