|
As The World of The Serial Novel Expands |
The
Warren Adler E-Sheet 40
In
this issue:
| |
|
 |
Greetings
From Publishing Central
We are happy to offer you another issue of
the Warren Adler E-Sheet, which
keeps you up to date on what is happening
in the author's world. |
| |
|
 As
The World of The Serial Novel Expands
It is always a frustration to know in your gut
that something will happen, but never knowing
when. I'm talking about the impending tipping
point when the reading of fiction in novel and
short story form will be more of an
"on-screen" rather than an "on paper"
experience.
Dedicated readers, especially in the older
demographics, with limited computer skills,
are understandably resistant to change the way
their beloved novels and stories are
delivered. But one thing has happened that has
cut across all demographic lines, the
phenomenon of e-mail. Even the most resistant
and barely computer literate person is
becoming addicted to e-mail. It is now the
most ubiquitous communications technique on
the planet. It has been said that people who
don't do e-mail are irrelevant.
That may be a bit harsh and there is a lot to
be unhappy about the decline of letter writing
as we once knew it. Not to be judgmental, like
it or not, e-mail is here to stay. It is
portable, efficient, instant and everywhere.
You can get your e-mail on a little screen, a
big screen, through your telephone, audio or
visual. Who knows, some day a device might be
invented that will give you your e-mail via
brain waves while you sleep.
The e-mail serial mystery novel, an old
fashioned concept in new clothes, is gaining
traction among some writers, like yours truly,
who believe that it is a logical way to
present a story. After all, a story is a
device to gain our interest and curiosity and
arouse our sense of expectation. It is the
content of a story, its characters, plot,
insights, and discoveries that hold the
reader's interest and satisfies his or her
urge to know "what-happens-next." By its very
nature, the mystery convention, with its
puzzles, red herrings and plot turns is a
perfect vehicle for the serialization
experiment.
Our experiment with my newest mystery novel,
Death of a Washington Madame which
continues the saga of my detective heroine
Fiona FitzGerald and (for E-Sheet readers
only )
downloadable in sequence and at the
reader's own timetable, has resulted in
renewed interest in these stories, especially
as a TV series. On September 13, 2005,
Death of a Washington Madame will also be
published as a print-on-demand trade paper
back and in six e-book formats by our
publishing imprint
Stonehouse Press.
I am not the only author to ply the e-mail
route. Others are getting into the game and we
asked to compare experiences with a couple of
them. We are all throwing pebbles into an
infinite pool whose ripples sooner or later
will develop into waves that will attract more
and more surfers.
Michael Betcherman and David Diamond,
the authors of the epistolary
Daughters of Freya, wrote their mystery
novel in the form of emails. The story unfolds
over a three-week period and subscribers never
know when the next "episode" will appear in
their emailbox, which no doubt heightens the
suspense.
"The project mirrors the way people actually
use the Internet," says Betcherman. "Just like
regular email, our emails link to external
websites we've created for the project, with
newspaper and magazine articles, photographs
and other content that is part of the
mystery."
Robert Joseph Levy's
The Ghosts of Partition Street is written
in blog format. The story can be read in short
chapters, or navigated leisurely on Levy's
website, which includes character profiles and
links.
"I started writing The Ghosts of Partition
Street first and foremost as a serialized
novel because of my love for the format - the
serialized novel is old-fashioned in all the
best ways," Levy explains. "The Internet makes
the perfect serial publishing vehicle - a near
limitless audience potential, no overhead, no
editorial interference."
Levy writes from an outline. "I post a new
short chapter every Tuesday, and let me tell
you, it's the greatest motivational tool a
writer could ask for."
Gaining readership on the web for a long-form
electronic novel has been a learning
experience and an enormous challenge for
authors who try this device. Daughters of
Freya is accessed by paid subscription:
Partition Street is freely available, and
both projects have been helped substantially
by links from like-minded
literary blog sites. The latest promotion
for Daughters of Freya is a "group read" that
allows subscribers to discuss the emails, in
the manner of chat groups for a favorite TV
show.
"Since we've launched we've gained a true
understanding of the cliché, 'it's all about
the marketing,'" says Betcherman. "The only
advice I would have for other writers is to
persist, way past your comfort level."
How does this apply to the ebook experience? A
novel in the form of an email prepares the
next generation of readers to adapt to
long-form novels as a good screen read. And
the players here are published authors, not
wannabees. Betcherman is a seasoned
screenwriter, his writing partner, David
Diamond has a co-authored book due this fall
from Penguin with Poker expert
Annie Duke; Levy will have his
second novel in the "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer" series of books based on the
television series out from Simon & Schuster in
2006.
The internet has given rise to infinite
creativity as writers young and old pursue,
with fierce determination, a strategy to make
their mark in the tough fiction writing
sweepstakes. Indeed, I am always astonished
when I confront the numbers of people
determined to become novelists, the novel
being a shrinking category for mainstream
publishers.
For novelists fishing around in the new
technology for the magic bullet of readership
, renown and, of course, sales, Internet
serials are sure to accelerate as more and
more writers get into the game. There will be
failures, disappointments, and, hopefully, a
breakout or two. I was very surprised to learn
that Levy is a downstairs neighbor of our old
friend Nick Bogaty, the executive
director of the
IDPF, International Digital Publishing
Forum which perhaps is an indication that we
are becoming a community, offline as well as
virtually. As a pioneer in the field who comes
to it from a mature and successful career as a
full-time novelist, I love the challenge of
confronting this marriage of technology and
fiction writing.
For five years now I have beat this drum and
watched the concept crank along in tiny steps.
Numerous experiments have been tried, all
geared to draw more and more readers into the
on-screen net. The resistance has been both
economic and emotional. Publishers, fearful
that any new technology will undermine their
business interests, have been reluctant to put
the full force of their industry behind the
concept.
I try my best to be of help. Unfortunately the
struggle is a very personal journey, requiring
a tough skin, a strong stomach, and above all,
a special gift called talent.
News and Notes: More Joys
of "Yiddish"
We are
happy to report our audio short story
programs from
The Sunset Gang and
Washington Dossier will now be
available for sale to libraries through
Library Reserve, one of our vendor
partners now distributing Warren Adler's
novels in Adobe Reader, Microsoft Reader and
Mobipocket ebook formats. The tales include
"Yiddish," "The Detective" and are read by
the author. For more information on where to
find Warren Adler's short stories as
digital audio downloads for your iPod or
similar device, contact us at
customerservice@warrenadler.com.
E-Sheets
1 to 39
For
your convenience, we now offer an online
archive of Warren Adler E-Sheets. See the
E-Sheet
archives now.
Until
next time, happy reading, and we hope to hear
from you in our interactive
book chats.
Warren
Adler
If
you like this E-Sheet, use the following form
to subscribe for monthly distribution.
Visit
Warren
Adler's homepage now! |
