Doing serialized fiction the right way

I want to learn how to do serialized fiction the right way. The right way for me, that is. Earlier I mentioned my new interest in Japanese light novels which typically start as serialized fiction before a select few become published light novels, manga, and even anime.

I want to do something like that with my fiction. Getting paid would be nice, but what I’m really looking for is a runway. I want a chance to have an audience react before I publish a novel indie-style.

Serialized platforms

• Wattpad - Readers are used to free stories. Paid is invite only and confusing.
• Radish Fiction - Can only publish to app. Hard stop.
• Kindle Vella - More access to younger audience that would read the books I’m currently writing. Also, can republish as long as story is behind a paywall.

Direct subscriptions

• Substack - Can set my own price, choose what is free/paid, add audio or discussion questions. Also, the mailing list can be exported. Has some potential for discoverability.
• Patreon - I see this working only if you already have a following. Nobody goes to Patreon to look for something to read.
• Ko-Fi - Same here, but it’s also easy to add a Ko-Fi button to other places.

Other

• Medium - No guarantee readers will see latest chapter unless they subscribe to emails.
• Simily - Pays a percentage based on reads. Again, no guarantee of consistency. Rather new = potential for growth or possibly not.
• Audio/Video - Could I turn stories into a podcast or YouTube channel where I release each chapter as read by me?

Conclusion

I think the best options – of the choices I’ve looked at above – is to publish on both Kindle Vella for discoverability and a Substack paid tier for the best payout. For the Substack newsletter I could publish related shorts for the free content and keep the book itself behind the paywall.

Once a series runs its course I can work on publishing it as I start another series. One benefit of using Substack is that I won’t need to start a new newsletter at the end of each book. When I finish a serial I can start sending out chapters on my next project or fill in weeks with shorts.