There are lots of things going on here at the moment, including the task of figuring out how to technically package and deliver the upcoming serialized story Stigma. Should we just put it on a website, publish it on a news portal, make it a pdf or put it in ebook format? Lots of questions, very few answers.
That’s where all of you come in. Below (or to the right) there is a link to a very short survey (I know, I know everyone and their uncle is in your face with “surveys” these days) but this is not for marketing or to grab your email address. Please click either link to call up the survey form – just seven questions.
What I’m trying to figure out is simply how you might read an electronic version of a serialized story. Unlike an entire novel, it doesn’t appear all at once in one place. It happens in episodes over a period of time somewhat like a TV show. That presents unique problems on delivery. Yes, I miss print…
Each episode is going to run up to about 1,500 words, which is roughly 2-3 printed pages. Would you read that right on a computer? Would you want to download it and read it later? Would you like to use it with an e-reader or on a tablet or iPad? All things are possible, but I need to know the priorities for the different formats. If everyone wants an ebook format it would be silly to just publish pages on a website – you get the idea.
So this is your moment. Again, this is NOT a marketing exercise, this is just a way for me to gauge how to actually package the story. There will be additional features later on that will let you comment on the story as it progresses – but first we need to get it to you in a usable format. See how complicated modern life is? Just a few years ago it would be done in print in a magazine and that’s that.
Thank-you in advance for your input. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want to make additional comments to the survey. As for the story itself, things are progressing nicely. I’m working with an informal team and so far the story itself is a real pot boiler. We hope you will agree and follow each episode.
I’d like to point out that there is NO charge or fee for reading this story regardless of format, and at the end I plan to make it available as an entire story as an ebook and you will get a free copy of that. I’m also hoping to make available some of the artwork that will go along with the story. There are no plans for coffee mugs, t-shirts or Franklin Mint souvenir plates…
I look forward to your responses and will share the results in an upcoming post.
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