Serial novels used to be a thing in ancient times (see Charles Dickens, Isaac Asimov, Alexander Dumas, who published their masterworks in newspapers and magazines). Are they about to be a thing again?

Elle Griffin certainly thinks so. After surveying the publishing landscape and finding it wanting, she decided to serialize her first novel on Substack, releasing a new chapter every week.

Substack is a new(ish) newsletter platform that allows you to send out newsletters in a very readable format and offer paid subscriptions. Whereas existing mailing list providers are more geared toward marketing emails Substack is designed to deliver content to be read or listened to.

It’s also similar to Patreon, but again, focused more on delivering readable content. Think of it as an easy way to create your own online publication. Many popular reporters with niche beats and opinion writers have joined the site and their readers have followed. In recent months, Substack has courted comic creators and food writers and seems intent on growing further.

But what about fiction?

Right now, most indie authors focus on writing their book and then uploading the finished story to Amazon or another retail platform. During the past several years, serial fiction platforms like Wattpad and Royal Road have grown in popularity, with hungry audiences consuming episodic chapters week-after-week. However, those sites make it somewhat difficult to monetize on their platforms. Substack changes the equation, by allowing writers to post their books-in-progress and offer paid subscriptions with exclusive content.

This is all a long run-up to say that going forward, I will be serializing my novels (both new and old) on Substack. You can read more about why I am pivoting to serial novels here. I’m excited to start this next chapter of my author career and I hope you’ll join me on this journey by subscribing to the ARC Worlds fiction newsletter.