Storm Moon Press' New Serial Fiction (GUEST POST)

Storm Moon Press' New Serial Fiction!
by K. Piet

For those familiar with me and my writing, you might already know that I got my start writing fanfiction. In that world, I was used to writing my stories and releasing them by chapter. In some cases, I wouldn't have even plotted out the next chapter but waited for some feedback before proceeding. When I finally moved out of other authors' sandboxes and into my own (well, shared with S.L. Armstrong, of course), I was somewhat happy to leave that format behind. As a reader, I always hated having to wait for the next chapter of my favorite fanfiction to come out. When the idea of serial fiction was first tossed around by the three of us in the core group of Storm Moon Press, I simply asked, 'Why would anyone want to pay more for something they have to wait on each step of the way?'

In the case of serial fiction in the GLBT genre, it's usually presented in a format where the reader has to buy each section of the work as it comes out. Ultimately, however, this means they ended up paying something like $30 when they theoretically could have paid $8.99 for an e-book of all the pieces gathered into a whole. Price gauging is very common, so when we seriously considered serial fiction as a new format for submissions at Storm Moon Press, we knew we had to come up with some way to make it fair not only to the publisher and the author in the way of gaining royalties good enough to make it worth the effort, but aso make it fair to the readers, who have so often paid an unfair price in the past!

What we've come up with at Storm Moon Press is quite a bit different in that we view our serial fiction a lot like we would a great television series. We've broken it down into 'seasons', which are then comprised of six or twelve 'episodes'. Think of shows like Law & Order or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the first two seasons of Torchwood (one of my favorites). You have your 'monster of the week' format for the individual episodes, where a plot plays out from beginning to end in one episode, but you also get the hints of characterization and a larger plot arc that usually culminates in the last couple episodes of the season (and sometimes even bridges seasons to make an even larger series arc). With Storm Moon Press' serial fiction, that's what we're going for!

And we're leaving the door open for all sorts of possibilities. We aren't just looking for gay erotic romance stories for this kind of fiction. We want all kinds of fiction! That means that you lovers of lesbian, bisexual, or trans* fiction will also have a place with us! We love fiction that pushes the envelope, and that means spreading our wings into our new imprints for heterosexual fiction, QUILTBAG genre fiction, and even QUILTBAG young adult fiction. If you're an author who prefers this format for writing but don't think there's a place or your lesbian murder/mystery series or your coming-of-age exploration with genderqueer teens? Think again! We'd love to see it!

By thinking of serial fiction in this new way, I've really found my own creativity renewed, and I have several projects I could see publishing this way! I can only hope that you readers out there like this format and enjoy the ways we offer it up for sale (pay-per-episode, season pass, or final completed e-book). And to all you authors who might be perking up at the sound of all this, by all means, visit the Storm Moon Press serials page to take a look at the details. Don't be afraid to pitch us an idea either! Just send it to editor@stormmoonpress.com, and we'll tell you if we think it would be appropriate for our line of serials, which will begin in 2013!

I'm excited to be part of this expansion in the genre, and I hope you'll come along with us for the ride, be it as a reader or a writer! So, come on! Bring us those submissions so we can share serial fiction done right!

K. Piet is the Marketing Director for Storm Moon Press and the author of Catalyst and her upcoming illustrated novel, Making Ends Meet, both co-authored with S.L. Armstrong. She can be found on her website or Twitter.