The Secrets: Serial Fiction

I am very pleased to announce the release of The Secrets: Serial Fiction. This is a guide to developing and writing the sort of serial fiction that has been a staple of genres and entertainment since storytelling began. It’s my firm conviction that the shift of publishing from paper books to electronic books will favor shorter, serial works. (For a full list of the reasons, you can check The Secrets newsletter.)

The appeal of serial fiction is undeniable—TV is entirely episodic and serial, delivered in shorter bites than a novel. A century and a half ago, Dickens’ readers waiting on the docks of New York for the latest installment in his serially published novels. Before that, bards sang of the exploits of heroes from Beowulf to King Arthur and Robin Hood. The Thousand and One Arabian Nights are serial fiction at its best.

This document breaks the best of serial fiction down into its component parts and shows you how to put together characters, stories and situations that will allow you to unfold a long saga piece by piece. Skills writers took for granted forty or more years ago are presented here so you can master them and profit from time.

The Secrets: Serial Fiction is the manual for fiction that will sell in the electronic age.