I’m thinking of serializing my epic fantasy here. I would also link or somehow otherwise mirror it in my Free Reads section. What do you think? Do people serialize fiction on their blogs anymore? Should I do it on Facebook, instead? Should I post just a few chapters or commit to the whole book?
The title is Forging a Legend. Here’s the pitch I evolved in my queries:
Verit is a broken-down, powerless former deity, waiting for death. Then, an old nemesis appears on his doorstop — his former follower, lover, and pupil, Abriel. After telling him that he deserves an explanation for what she has done, she leaves him with her memoirs. And thus, her words carry him back to the old days, the glorious days of his godhood, when he was at the very height of his power . . .
Abriel is a discarded wife, sent back to her father like worn-out sandals. Instead, she chooses her own fate and attracts the attention of Verit, the god of Truth. In an age-old contest among the gods for the celestial throne, Abriel becomes Verit’s chosen game piece. A divine contest requires divine stakes, and in order for Verit even to be able to compete, Abriel must become nothing short of a living legend. Therefore, he sends her for training as a warrior. However, other powers are afoot to cut down the legend before she can become one.
This pleases Verit, because nothing forges a legend quite as well as adversity.
Some of you might suggest I publish it as an ebook, but I don’t want to take that route. I would be using up a very valuable right that I’d rather negotiate with a publisher. I would need to hire an editor to edit it, and a cover artist, and someone to convert it to all the ebook formats. It is a project that I simply don’t have time for.
But serializing it is something I can do. If it takes off, it could help me get it published, and help me with publicity. If it doesn’t, your feedback would be valuable to me, anyway.
What do you think? And should I do it here or at Facebook?
Another author was just asking the same question. Like I told her,
tough call.
As a reviewer, I saw Freebies help sell books.
As an author, I have so many books I’m working on for regular publication that I just don’t have time. I need to budget my time so carefully just to get the work done for books I’ll actually get paid for. The other stories are burning up brain cells wanting to get out, banging on the sides of scull, and I would be willing to do something like this (heck I did it with Star Captains’ Daughter,) but now that I’m published and had a 4th baby I just don’t have time.
Star Captains’ Daughter http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/3372
Yeah, I hear you. This is the easiest way to do the “freebie” thing without committing the HUGE time it would take to just self-publish it. I really don’t want to self publish, anyway, unless its something like this.
I suppose if it is the only way that people can read “Forging a Legend”. Makes me sad that it hasn’t been picked up by a publisher yet.
Pending you don’t need to continue editing it – (hasn’t it had quite a bit now) it might not require such a huge time investment from you.
Thank you, Lisa. I have decided to give it another editing run and start submitting it again. I really only submitted it to agents, and I guess I lost confidence in it when no one picked it up.
But I love this story, and I love Abriel. More than any other female character I’ve created. I’ve done a lot of rework on it, and I think it much better than it was before. I don’t want to do the agent hunt again, and I have a particular publisher in mind. If it is accepted, maybe I’ll try to get an agent then.
I hope that means your confidence picked up. Just because an agent didn’t take it -doesn’t mean it isn’t a fantastic story. There are only so many slots, so many great stories are overlooked. They also try to guess what will work for the current trend – but what do they really know – it is all sort of guess work. Have you done even more rework since I reread it and you added other voices? That was brilliant!
For all the no responses or rejection letters that you may see, – you must remember, it IS a great story.
Thanks for believing in my story, Lisa. It sounds like you’ve read the version where I added Verit’s first-person point-of-view. No, I’m not doing significant rework to it other than another editing pass right now. I’m almost halfway through.
I’m glad you’re giving this another editing pass and round of submissions. {Smile}
I tend to avoid showing “The World” a story when I think I might try to get it publishedbut I often show them to quite a few friends at once, using “locks” to let them but not everyone see the stories. I’ve found such locks on both Facebook and LiveJournal. I’m not sure if a compromise like that would interest you or not. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin