Decisions to Make Before (or as) You Serialize Your Novel or Memoir

Basic Guidelines

Vladimir Nabokov Creates a Hand-Drawn Map of James Joyce’s Ulysses

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Basic Guidelines

Unlike writing a traditional book, the logistics of serialization are less straightforward. The rebirth of serialization is still in its infancy, and there aren’t really any rules yet.

That said, there are guidelines and logistics, but they’re individual.

How you’ll serialize a novel or memoir depends on answers to these three questions:

1. What do you want to produce?

2. Why are you doing this? What do you want to achieve?

3. How will you measure success?

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1. What do you want to produce?

Choose one of the following:

• a serialized work that will exist only in serialized form

• a serialized work that will eventually be published in book form

For a work that will exist only in serialized form:

• Ideal word count: 10,000 to 40,000 words

• Word count for each installment/post: 800 to 1000 words

• Number of installments/posts: 13 to 40

For a work that may end up a book:

• Ideal word count: 70,000 to 85,000 words

• Word count for each installment/post: the ideal is still 800 to 1000 words

• Number of installments/posts: 68 to 85

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2. Why are you doing this?

There are, of course, many answers to this question, but each will demand a slightly different approach in terms of going public, remaining private, and going paid. Some reasons might be to

• attract subscribers to your newsletter,

• draw readers to this particular novel/memoir,

• have a sandbox to see what resonates with readers.

Goals: Attract subscribers to your newsletter and/or novel/memoir

• Have all posts available to free subscribers or have a paid option. You can make the chapter/installment free to all and include paid-only content behind a paywall. For example, Elle Griffin of The Novellist offers author commentary for paid subscribers.

• If you already have a Substack, create a section within your current newsletter. Dedicate it to your serialized work. Here’s how to do that.

Goal: Have a sandbox to see what resonates with readers

• Go private first, publishing only to a small group, get feedback, revise as you go, and then publish for a wider audience or put together what you have and submit to agents.

• You can also use your private Substack in a writing group/workshop to hold each other accountable and access full manuscripts.

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3. How will you measure success?

This is crucial. If you don’t define success for yourself, this could end up being stressful and discouraging instead of challenging and career-enhancing. Your measure of success should be possible and specific. Some examples:

• Attract thirty free subscribers during the serialization

• Post every week without fail

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