Serialization and Business Models

in which our author is pinned between his wallet and his dreams

The fine folks over at Pimp My Novel (I'm sorry, I have forgotten the author's name and don't know if they'd appreciate being called "Mr. Pimp") have posted an excellent entry on the return of serialization and the possibility of low-priced short stories as a valid business model.

I am intrigued by these ideas, and wish to subscribe to their newsletter.

More specifically, I am wondering if there is something here for me; if maybe I can pull off the kind of business model they are describing with some of my short works, for just $1 or $2—not the kind of prices that'd let me quit my job and buy an island, but the sort that would help me build a fanbase, or have some numbers to spit at possible agents and publishers. I'm not sure if this is worth it, but I tell myself that the worst that happens is I waste a couple hours determining that it's fiscally infeasible.

What does this mean for you? Well, it might mean you get bugged about buying stuff off Amazon in a week or two, or start seeing Amazon buttons in the sidebar off to our right. Also for now it means one or two stories are coming down from the "Selected Writings" section while I go over the old contracts for them and see if they'd be viable candidates for said small-ticket sales. They may just get popped right back up to the Interwebs, but we'll see, on all counts. Rest assured you will be kept updated, my loyal fans and constant readers.

Time to roll the dice, I guess. Let's hope for boxcars.