Serial Publishing

Serial publishing has been around a long time.  Charles Dickens made it popular in 1836 with his Pickwick Papers, although the method of publishing in installments has been around much longer. Newspapers and magazines across the globe picked up the idea in the 1800s, hoping to increase readership, and it worked. With innovations and decreasing publishing costs, books became more affordable, and the popularity of serials waned.

The internet brought them back to some degree with online publishing. There are sites devoted solely to posting serial publications. Hoping to hook readers and seeing the possibility of making more money on a single book, indie authors and a few traditional publishers have also divided a book into several installments, usually leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each.

Now Amazon is setting up a platform for serial publication. "Kindle  Vella is a new storytelling option from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to self-publish serialized stories, one short episode at a time. Readers will access Kindle Vella stories in the Kindle iOS app and on Amazon.com." One of the most positive things about Vella is it's designed with mobile phone uses in mind.

I admit this option is not for me. I despise stories that end in a cliffhanger or don't have a firm conclusion. I want the whole book in my hands when I begin to read it. However, I have no problem with anyone who publishes this way as long as they let the reader know before they purchase the book. It's those that market their serial books without this notification that bother me. I see it as sneaky, underhanded, and somewhat dishonest. I won't be buying any serials, but I'll be interested to see how Kindle Vella plays out.

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