SFFMP 51: Can Serials Still Be Profitable / When to Quit the Day Job
Tonight we discussed Lindsay’s foray into serialized fiction, how it went, what she learned, and whether it’s better to go wide right now or stick that serial into KDP Select so it earns money for page reads in Kindle Unlimited. Some of the specific questions: are serials trickier than novels, should new authors avoid them, and what do you do for cover art when you’re publishing in installments?
We also talked about when it makes sense to quit the day job and become a full-time writer. Jeff is thinking of making the jump soon, so we asked Jo questions about his experiences, how much he saved up, setting aside money for quarterly taxes and health insurance, and how long you should wait, even after you’re earning a good income from your writing.
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Been listening for a while but this is the first time I decided to comment since you asked about other people writing serials. I write a superhero serial, so thought I’d share my experience with it. My serials are five episodes per season (with a bonus episode that goes out to subscribers only at first). Each episode is about 15,000 words and during the initial release period (before the season compilations), I price them at $0.99.
When the season compilation comes out, I price it at $4.99 (and it includes the bonus episodes), and up the prices of the individual episodes to $2.99 (to make the compilation more attractive—I used to go $1.99 but others suggested I put it at $2.99). The very first episode of the first season stays at $0.99 though (and was permafree during the brief period I took the serial wide). The reason I go for the higher price is to encourage people to go for the box set (and I include a link in the description to the season compilation).
My experience going wide with the serial wasn’t that great. I did have one person who bought all the first season episodes at $2.99 on iTunes (despite advertising the cheaper box set). I thought the box set might perform better on the other platforms since people are more used to paying higher prices on there, but I actually didn’t get any buys on the box set. So I decided to put it back in Select.
In Select, I get a decent number of pages read on KU. I also sell a good number of the season compilations. I haven’t gotten any complaints about length or price. I’m pretty upfront about the existence of the season compilation in the descriptions of the individual episodes (and in my back-matter). People will see the description and then if they’re in KU, they’ll borrow each individual episode. If they’re not, then they go to the link and buy the box set.
Cover-wise, I do the same thing as Lindsay. My cover uses a color overlay and I change that color for each individual episode (plus change the title). For the season compilation, I change the color again (and slightly alter the color of the logo so it’s off-set from the individual episodes) and also use a 3D box set image.
Anyway, that’s my experience with it. Thanks for all the great work you guys do on the show.
Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to come by and share your experience, Percival! I’ll tell Jo that someone is making money with superhero fiction. 😀
Loved the show on the self-pub world from your POVs…liked many of the comments and gave me ac couple of things to think on too!
🙂
Awesome, Jim! Thanks for stopping by and letting us know. 🙂
Hi, is there a transcript available I can read of the podcast? Also, do you have other podcasts or info regarding doing serials, particularly in Kindle Unlimited. Thanks so much, sincerely,
Adan
Hi Adan, no transcripts, I’m afraid, as it would cost quite a bit to have them done every week. We do this show purely in our free time and for the love it, so it’s hard to justify spending more money on it.
For KU and serials, we haven’t done any shows dedicated to either, I don’t think (the memory starts to go after a year :P), but I have been thinking of asking some experienced KU folks to join us for a discussion. I only dabble there with the pen name, and the guys haven’t tried KDP Select.
Thanks for listening!
Lindsay