Serial Fiction Writers on HubPages
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In this hub, I will be discussing the pros and cons of publishing serial fiction stories on HubPages. By “serial,” I mean a story spanning 3 or more chapters, either a complete work or a significant portion. Short stories can usually be presented in a single hub, two at the most, so these would not be included here. Novellas, which is a hybrid between a short story and a novel, would typically take up at least three hubs, and would be included as such. Even though the chapters can be read individually, as is often the case, that doesn’t disqualify them as a serial for my purposes, as long as it is the author’s intention that the readers hopefully will read all hubs from start to finish.
Reasons to publish serial stories of fiction
To get a better understanding of this, I posted a couple of questions and received much more valuable feedback than expected. The question “Why do you post serial fiction online?” has received 6 answers to date, one of them in the form of a hub. The answers may be summarized as follows:
- ACSutliff: The convenience of posting existing material as opposed to writing something entirely new. Also, a strong desire for reader feedback;
- kaltopsyd: A desire for feedback from “neutral” readers;
- KFlippin: A desire for unbiased feedback, interested in testing whether readers seem enthusiastic about her material;
- Nick B: A desire for reader feedback with a view to improving writing skills;
- KKalmes: Has decided to publish a novel as it is being written, one page at a time. Reader feedback stimulates the writing process.
Pros and cons of publishing stories online
As far as I am concerned, publishing any work of fiction online is a pretty
important decision, and putting major works online is an even bigger one.
Personally, I prefer to use only material that was written exclusively for this
purpose – mostly for fun. I have received good feedback on my serious work over
the years, and therefore I feel that I would have relatively little to gain
compared with the drawbacks.
Arguments in favor:
- Why not? It is your work, you own the copyright, and you can do with your material as you please. So why not take it for a spin?
- Motivation. If reader feedback helps you stay motivated while you struggle with writing, rewriting, and editing of your masterpiece, a daily or weekly dose of encouragement from fellow Hubbers is a lot better than nothing;
- Self-improvement: The feedback you can expect to receive will likely be valuable, as it comes both from interested readers, fellow writers, and people with some editing and critiquing background. Results may be mixed, and there are things you should be doing to improve the scale and quality of reader feedback. But whatever feedback you do receive will probably teach you much more about your writing and skills compared to with showing your manuscript to a friend or relative.
Arguments against:
- Discouragement: You do not know in advance what type of feedback your are going to receive. Being lectured and criticized can be an overwhelming experience, which may discourage rather than encourage you. Are you mentally prepared, and do you have the stomach for it?
- Distraction: Once readers start responding to your story, and if you take their opinions and advice seriously, how do you avoid getting distracted and confused about where to take your story next?
- Copyright: Like anything else that is posted online, your story could be copied and then posted elsewhere (plagiarism, copyright theft). Moreover, it is a fact that only manifest expressions, not ideas, are protected by copyright laws. Therefore, the overall theme and general ideas behind your story, including ideas for characters, settings, and even some aspects of your plot, enjoy no legal protection in case someone decides to do something very similar. The chances of any of this happening may be slim, but the risk is real and not negligible;
- Novelty: Many mainstream publishers and literary agents will not look at material that has previously been published online. This should be factored in when you decide whether or not to put your work online;
- Interface: Compared with blogs and personal websites, HubPages provides a relatively unattractive interface for putting stories online. There is no easy way to create a sidebar with previous chapters; all must be linked individually one by one or by generating a custom RSS feed. Furthermore, only your latest 6 hubs appear on your profile page, therefore your story may soon disappear. Chapters cannot be displayed in chronological order on any of the pages auto-generated by HubPages, all of which makes your material harder for your visitors to find.
Opinion and recommendations
Serial fiction writers are the unsung heroes on HubPages, in my not-so-humble opinion. They provide some of the best, most original, and most exciting content found anywhere on the site. They deserve every bit of support and encouragement that they can get.
If you have published serial fiction on HubPages, or are contemplating to do so, here are a few suggestions to avoid the pitfalls and maximize the benefits:
- Do not do this unless you are fully prepared, truly interested, and aware of the cost-benefit issues discussed in the above;
- Check out the Answers and Forum sections carefully to learn about different people’s experiences and points of view. There has been a lot more going on in this area previously than you may think;
- Do not publish faster than you can handle. Do not fall into the trap of letting your readers dictate the speed of your writing. Most likely, your readers are more than happy to wait for the next installment, and if someone seems eager take it as a compliment and nothing to be taken too literally;
- If you experience a crisis midway through your program, take a break – however long it takes to find your balance. If you feel bad about exposing your work in this way, unpublish it. Your readers will understand; your development as a writer is much more important compared with giving others the benefit of spending a few moments to read your stories free of charge;
- Consider getting a manuscript critique from Website Examiner or another professional reviewer/editor as a supplement to the feedback provided from your online readers and followers. This may help you settle some of the issues that the online experience cannot.
What’s next...
I have been on the lookout for serial fiction writers for the past few months, and am close to writing one or more hubs about them. Please leave a comment if you write serial fiction on HubPages or know someone who does, so that I can include their work as well.
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Thanks Cybersupe, I appreciate this and wish you a good day also.
Dohn121's Revenge Inc. is great. Or did you mean outside of hubpages? sorry. I dont get out much. I honestly hadnt thought much about copyright law before as I dont write anything with a chance monetary value. No one would steal it. But the fact that someone can take your whole idea and change a couple words around and use it as thier own, is disturbing. Thanks for mentioning it.
DoorMattnomore, thanks for mentioning this writer. No, I meant strictly on HubPages, and so I will edit the hub to reflect that. Some of the serial writers here see publishing their work here as a stepping stone on a literary career, so issues such as copyright would concern them.
Thank you for this helpful Hub! Learning...
I started a concept and got to chapter three, before I ran out of time (called Giant) but do intend to follow through.
I did notice that the three chapters got far fewer reads than my normal stuff, but then I have a fairly dedicated audience for my off beat religious stuff, and the three chapters to date do not get enough detail in them to grab a reader.
Maybe when I could have enough story line and detail they may take off, but for now I have more pressing matters than writing hubs!
Thanks for the hub and research.
john
WE,
Thank you for publishing this hub! You even mention me, which I do very much appreciate! I would like to add that my biggest reason for publishing serials online is that I want to entertain people with my writing, and I have found that if I can't get published, I can still entertain through hubpages, and that's all any writer should ever want to do, in my opinion. :)
Also, I find it very sad that publishers would refuse to publish something just because it was on the internet as a blog or a hub. (The two are so similar, don't you think? And I know blogs have been turned into books before.) I am not too concerned for myself, since I would truly honestly sincerely remain 100% content with myself without having ever published anything that I write, but I still find it unfair.
I am interested in getting a manuscript critique, but I have yet to decide for which serial. By the way, you haven't asked me to read anything for you lately. I was hoping I could help you out again. :)
Thanks again for mentioning me!
~AC
Thanks for the mention! I'm surprised the you would mention me.
My first concern when beginning to publish my serials was: "What if people don't like it and I just make a fool of myself?"
My mother's concern was, "What if someone steals your work?"
It goes to show you, people have different reservations about these kinds of things. Still, I think overall it's been a good experience publishing serial fiction online (although I did face a bit of discouragement just the other day).
Again, thanks for a great hub!
Aguasilver, I appreciate your comment very much. I remember you whispering something about a novel in progress, and would be most interested in hearing more about that. I wish you luck on that story, and do get in touch if you want feedback or an informal discussion about your project.
AC, your point about wanting to entertain with your writing is well taken, and I do remember you mentioning that when first you got here on HubPages. I do not personally believe that having published on HubPages or a blog would necessarily preclude a story from getting published conventionally, but it is something each author would want to look into. I have booked you for a manuscript (either story is fine with me), and will put you prominently on my readers’ list – thank you very much!
Kaltopsyd, of course you should be included here, and your story will certainly be included in forthcoming hubs in this series. The only reason that I have never commented upon your story is its very magnitude. I have a fair amount of reading to do, much of it critiquing, and so I do not casually voice my opinion as often as some other Hubbers tend to do. I look forward to learning more about you as an author and about your stories. Thanks for your comment.
Hello WE, thank you for this additional information about serial fiction on-line... I think it is important for my readers to understand for me this is as much an experiment as an attempt to complete a novel. I am actually writing one page at a time letting the voice of the material with each writing dictate the story direction, mood, tone, honesty, and full disclosure decision making take place with each page. I am hoping my readers will find themselves in the mind of the writer and Kathryn with each read. As each page is written only grammar and spelling will be corrected, the page posting is a commitment to move forward from that point in the story-telling without rewrites.
Kkalmes, that sounds like a very constructive and feasible approach. Good luck on that. Thanks, W.E.
Good hub!I don't read serials on the hub. I just don't have the time, no matter how good they are.
interesting, and i have been trying to make corrections on my story, literally only time for work, sleep and eating, and spanish stuff that is unplesant....lol
Bayoulady, I don't blame you for not reading the serials, it does take up a lot of time. Thanks for commenting.
Starqueen, I look forward to read more of your stories and will definitely mention your work in the next hub on serial fiction. Please go ahead and contact me so that I can look over the revised files before you republish them.
Hi W.E., A couple things particularly resound with me here, one is serial fiction writers staying very aware that their ideas, premises, even character types can be taken and spun by another writer, that certainly nagged a bit at me.
And I would have never considered 'publishing' a section of chapters here on HP as an act that might lead to a publisher not considering a manuscript! No point in shooting yourself in the foot.
Also, Bayoulady commented that reading serial fiction on HP is something she doesn't do because it's time consuming. Now that my own chapters are unpublished, and I've set out to read others' serial fiction, I find it is hard for me to start and continue on - it is time consuming, and reading lengthy material on a computer screen is just not real cozy. I'll comfort myself with that realization and better look back and understand reader response, or lack thereof!
Thanks for another enlightening hub article....Katie
Katie, I see where you are coming from, and I think the decision was the right way for you. As for reading off the screen, I completely agree. I use advanced text-to-speech software to do most of the reading for me. Thanks, W.E.
Hi web.e. great hub as usual, although you mention the advanced text to speech software, do you mind if I ask which program that is.
I tried that naturally speaking,and dragon....cant remember exact name but they were too hard had to read and train it so much, that it didn't seem worth the effort.
Eileen Hughes, the text-to-speech software that I was talking about is for reading documents out loud, using human-sounding voices. You can select any text or file, then have them either read out loud right away or saved as mp3 / wave files. It is very easy to use, and there are many different voices. The program I am using is called TextAloud, and it is available from Nextup.com.
The other side of the issue, speech recognition software used to transcribe speech to text, has advanced enormously in recent years and has become much easier to use. I am familiar with that too, mainly the predominant program Dragon Naturally Speaking. Cyber Lawyer on HubPages has written a hub about that called Free Transcription Services.
I hope this helps. Feel free to send me an email if you have questions.
WE,
I love reading fiction,especially detective stories.It would nice if have them here.
Your "Opinion and recommendations" is going to be a lot of help.I have a request.If you do find serial fiction stories can you let it be known to others on HP?I would like it.
I enjoyed this hub very much.Thanks.:)
Uma07, I am glad to hear you found something useful in this. Well of course, I will be happy to do what you have requested. In fact, I am preparing one more hub about serial fiction stories on HubPages; it will focus on the writers and their stories, where this one is more about the fundamentals. I will be happy to include anyone who comes to my attention. Thank you very much, W.E.
Hi, WE,
I'm currently running two novels on hubpages. One of them, a mystery, was published several years ago and is now out of print, except in Japan, and the other, a comedy/farce, is unpublished.
I'm benefiting from this experience.
One way is that, as I do a quick edit on each chapter before posting, I've been surprised to find things I want to correct or change. Posting them chapter by chapter is helping me to look at what I thought was finished work in a different way.
Another benefit is that, in posting them here, I find I know my audience better and can edit with a particular readership in mind.
And a third is reader input. It hasn't happened often, but readers have found errors, and they've contributed to making my work better.
Of course, there are risks, but I feel it's a lot better (and more fun) to take the minor risks online than to take the major risk of having my stuff sit in a drawer.
So far I've had a good experience with hubpages. I'm not attracting as many readers with my fiction as I did with a few humor pieces I posted because a lot of people don't want to take the time to read long postings, but I'm not in this for the money, so I'm happy to settle for fewer but more interested readers.
L.T.
Hello LT, thank you for taking the time to leave this insightful comment. What you are saying is more educational for me than I am able to explain in this space. I will study your comment carefully, and learn quite a bit from it - including some of the things I've been wondering about. Surely, I will include you in the forthcoming hub about serial fiction stories on HubPages. Best regards, W.E.
WE - My goal with my serial is purely entertainment. I hope to also build interest in my writing style so that when I do publish I will have a following that knows me by the quality of my work. I appreciate critiques such as the one you created for Jenny's Life so i can improve and fine tune my writing.
Dobson, thanks for that. I see what you mean, and that is a good attitude and a good position to be in. There are other writers for whom publishing a serial here is an important stepping stone in finding themselves as a writer, and sometimes what they are posting here is the very best of what they've got. I was glad to review Jenny's Life, and look forward to getting to know more about you as a writer.
thanks for the reply and the information on text and speech recognition. cheers
W.E. (and to all...) - Many of you already know of this, but I just learned about it the other day. Using Adobe Reader Version 9.3, I found that it provides an audio conversion to voice from text without recourse to any other software. People with whom I work were also not aware of that feature. It is far from perfect, but it is very definately there if you want to use it.
Gus :-)))
Hello Web Examiner,
I have only been on hubpages a few months now and was excited to have a place to share my writing. I am not necessarily looking to get published but I certainly wouldn't mind it.
I posted a question in the forum asking about publishing novels on hubpages and received some very good advice. One mentioned posting "teasers", I am not certain of how hubbers feel about my serial but the people I have shared with face to face seemed to feel what I shared was a teaser. They wanted more. They are excited to hear when I have written more, yet I don't show it to them. I am making them wait until I have finished it to see the rest.
The other I did let the rush to get the next part published get in the way of the quality of the third part and will probably have to remove that one, or at least make necessary changes and risk the chance that no one will come back for more.
Thank you for this hub it is very helpful.
Also I am very interested in getting a manuscript critique for both of my serials.
Thank you again for such an enlightening hub.
Gus, well thanks for this information. Adobe Reader is a free, popular program that handles some e-book formats, so that may be an attractive option for some. The Opera browser also has built-in text-to-speech.
Dardia, I did read some of your hubs and the question that you asked. I found the answers very informative. I sent you an email concerning manuscript critique for your stories. Thanks.
I've been debating for some time now if I should post some works of fiction on HubPages. If I did it would be something written exclusively for this site. Either that or a revised short story that got rejected a lot. My issue is that I suck at writing short stories. If I have several hundred pages to work with I can create interesting characters and storylines, but when I'm limited to the shorter stories I tend to have trouble focusing on one event and the story just become a tedious mini-novel. Though I suppose it would be good practice to write for HubPages. I think I'm going to think about it more, but this hub was a lot of help.
M.T. Dremer, those are interesting reflections. A novelist may also want to write a few good short stories sometime. If ever you need an editorial opinion and some guidance, feel free to contact me. Thanks, W.E.
Good advice to the writers of serial fiction.
I have 2 serial fiction stories, also some of my followers are serial fiction writers from what I can tell namely:
1. Resolver2009
2. gachapoz
Qudsia, I look very much forward to reading your serial stories, and appreciate the information you have given.
Hello, thank you for writing this article. I'm so glad there are people out there recognizing us fiction folk. I don't want to sound like a self-promoter here, but given the subject and intent of the hub...
I currently have two fantasy novella serials on the go:
Vannryks and Werewolves
- the forbidden love of a werewolf and a vannryk son escalates into the battle of the century.
The Dormant Soldier Chronicles: Beauty of Darkness
- Four unsuspecting youths discover that they each have amazing powers, but also, that have been plunged into a very complicated struggle between good and evil.
Thanks Spongy, your fiction project sounds intriguing. I'll go read some of it, come first given opportunity. That could be a couple of weeks from now, but I'll be there. W.E.
I have to say I am truly surprised to read this article, because I have been trying to start a new hub for a serial novel, have been unsuccessful on HubPages, and am currently looking for another outlet.
I had kind of come to the conclusion that HubPages didn't publish fiction until I found this. Guess that would mean that they are just not interested in mine. Live and learn. I'll just have to find someone who is.
Very interesting. This hub was written quite awhile back. Since then, I have created a private network for Novelty Fiction, which probably is a better forum for posting a novel for feedback and critique. Feel free to contact me via my profile page if you would like for me to issue an invitation.
I've just started a serial fiction series on this site, and would love to be included in any future hubs about fiction. I'm also looking forward to reading other fiction scattered around this 'hub' world.
Thanks Carolus, I'll work something out. Good luck to you!
CYBERSUPE 22 months ago
Very interesting hub website examiner. Do have a good day.