Serializing All the Relic Worlds Books

Book three in the Relic Worlds series is the first one I'm doing that is truly serialized; meaning I'm releasing it in parts rather than as one full book.  There will be a completed book at the end that will be available both as an e-book and as a paperback.  But I'm first going to release it in three parts scattered throughout the year.

I was originally doing this mostly because I realized book three was going to take longer to do it right.  But then I realized that this is the best format for Relic Worlds.  First, the whole series is supposed to reflect the feeling of serials, where you follow your characters through multiple stories, each of which getting more severe, and often ending in cliffhangers.  When I watch Netflix series, I often feel like they are exemplifying the feeling I want to get across in Relic Worlds; catching their attention, then hooking them at the end to make them want to keep watching.

So I'm purposefully shifting Relic Worlds to have this style.  I already had some short stories like that, but now I'm going to bring it to the novels.  I'll also be giving them more of a sense of suspense between sections.  Up until now, and to an extent, even including book three, I've had a tendency to wrap up chapters and entire sections without any suspense or immediacy.  That's a habit of mine where I want to complete things.  But the model of hooking the audience that's been exemplified in "binge-worthy" television is to always end making the audience want more.

In addition to breaking up the stories from now on, I've also gone back to the first two books and broken them into three parts.  Each one is 99 cents, and the completed book is 2.99.  I just think this will be an exciting way to read it.  You can find the first one at Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2nYTStU  

This isn't entirely a business decision.  I genuinely feel the most enjoyable experience for an adventure story like Relic Worlds is to leave the audience on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next.  And so that will be more of the format from now on.

Relic Worlds, Book 3 Will be in Three Parts

The third Relic Worlds book will be releasing the end of next month, but instead of coming out as one full book, I'm releasing it in 3 parts.  Part 1 will release March 23rd at Wondercon.  Part 2 will release three months later, and part 3 will release three months after that.  Then a paperback will be published with all 3 parts included.

The real reason for this, unfortunately, is because I didn't have book 3 as far along as I'd have liked it.  I found that I'd be rushing to get it done in time, despite having 2 years to complete it.  But then it occurred to me that I've always meant to do Relic Worlds as a serial; and with serialized stories doing well on Netflix and Amazon, I thought this would be a good idea.  So I'm releasing it in these three sections with cliffhangers and such.

This will have the added benefit of being spread out over time so more people can learn about it.  In the world of independent publishing, you want to remain in people's faces as much and as long as possible.  So the best thing for me to do is have material spread out over time.

We'll see if that works.  In the meantime, part 1 is now on pre-sale at: Relic Worlds 3, Part 1

Netflix and the Future of Entertainment

It’s been said for a long time now that Netflix is leading the future of entertainment.  Many people saw it years ago when they were taking business from Blockbuster Entertainment and other video stores, and amazingly, they did nothing to counter this.  Despite the fact that Netflix’s model was working better than theirs, the heads of Blockbuster ignored these obvious signs and continued their business as usual rather than adjusting and evolving.  This was due in large part to ego.  I know because I’ve talked with someone who served as president for a time at Blockbuster and left because he saw that no one would even consider changing tactics.  When he pointed this out, they ignored him and kept their ship driving right into the iceberg.

            Now Netflix is continuing their innovative efforts in competition with regular television.  What’s amazing is how little these networks have learned from Blockbuster.  They believe that, because they are the big guys on the block today, they are destined to always be that way.

            To be sure, they are adjusting in some ways, but usually they are the wrong ways.  CBS is beginning a subscription service that will be led by their Star Trek series in which viewers will have to pay to watch.  However, viewers aren’t going to see any reason to pay for this television service that they are getting for free with other shows unless CBS offers something more.  Of course, they’ll have some shows that they know audiences will want on the subscription channel, but that’s not enough.

            What’s caused viewers to turn to Netflix is that their programming has been more interesting and innovative than network TV.  Rather than following tired formulas and using outdated methods, they have created new ways of telling stories both artistically and technically.

            Artistically, they tell stories in unique fashions and they make sure the entire show is aired so the whole story is there.  What I mean by unique fashions is that they do not limit their writers to specific formula patterns.  On television, you have five acts broken up by commercials.  Every show has to follow those acts, and executives will require that producers break down their scripts into these acts to prove it.  Netflix makes no such requirement, and thus the stories are more interesting.

This is further improved by the fact that they don’t make pilots, see how they go, then just a few episodes and see how they go before making entire seasons.  Networks do this all the time, and it makes for very broken up storylines.  Worst yet, they will cancel a show if it’s not doing well.  This may save them money in the short run, but it destroys trust in the viewer, who decides not to watch the next show.

Many people will not waste their time on a network show because that show may be cancelled next week.  There’s no point in wasting the time getting invested.  But with Netflix, you know that if you try a show out, they’ll at least get through a season, so there will be some semblance of a story.

Basically, think of it like this.  If you buy a book, would you rather get one that the author is still writing and might not finish, or would you rather get one that you know has been finished, and may even go on to more books?

Unless the networks wake up, they’re going to go the way of Blockbuster.