By Laura M. Campbell
During the 19th and 20th centuries, stories
from the minds of Charles Dickens, Isaac Asimov, Gustave Flaubert, Wilkie
Collins, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found their way into the hands of readers
through serialized fiction in periodicals. Mind you, most people couldn’t
afford to purchase books back then. Serialized fiction also helped sell the
newspaper or magazine it appeared in.
Contemporary authors like Stephen King and Michael Chabon
have published their novels in a serialized format as well. King gave up on his
endeavor because readers were abusing his honor system. Chabon’s story was
published in The New Yorker (pretty
fancy stuff) with success.
Back in May 2012, Jennifer Egan published her short story “Black
Box” on Twitter: 140 characters at a time for an hour over 10 days. I missed
the chance to participate in the reading experience, but the first word to pop
in my head is daunting. Now, if I were to imagine how I would have felt if I
had participated, I think the flow might have been a bit choppy and hard to
follow for me. If nothing else, it’s definitely a way to command the attention
of your readers.
Of course there are a multitude of reasons authors choose to
publish serially, one being fast money. Others dole out their stories on their
blogs or websites to garner readership.
So, is the publishing format of serialized fiction still viable in
today’s world? Or are we trying to keep something alive that expired many years
ago?
From a readers’ perspective, what’s your opinion on serialized fiction?
