Well, I'm thinking about doing it!

1. 88

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   Tess, what's your goal in publishing it on HubPages?   There's no guarantee you won't end up with half of it on Letterpile and the rest on HubPages, there's no way for readers (except other Hubbers) to be notified of new chapters, and it won't be easy for people to navigate the chapters in order.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      GDPR Deleted
      1. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I'd suggest looking at Smashwords, you can publish books in serial format (chapter by chapter) there. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of how to get readers for it...

         replyreport
         1. 0

            TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            GDPR Deleted
            1. 88

               Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Actually  no, I'm not sure.  I got an email about it way back when they started the scheme and considered it for my own novel - but that was then, and they may well have changed the rules since it launched.

               replyreport
         2. 71

            Richard-Bivinsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            I'd publish it on Amazon Kindle and also join some sci-fi groups on Goodreads to get reviews.  Publish chapters on your own blog too to grow a following and then you will have a ready audience when you're ready to publish a lengthier story.  Building an audience and serving that audience is key to success for any author.

            replyreport
            1. 0

               TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               GDPR Deleted
               1. 88

                  Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  I would question your SEO expert's credentials, personally.  His advice is somewhat outdated.
                  
                  Google DOES just send traffic to a blog.  In fact Google LOVES niche blogs far more than it does HubPages, and if you post regularly and build good content you don't need to do any promotion at all. And the blog then achieves a far higher conversation rate from that traffic, because you're able to KEEP the reader reading your own writing (and not diverting off on to articles written by others), and you're not subject to petty restrictions on advertising.  And of course, you're keeping 100% of the income from those sales.  Also you build an email list which you can then market to directly.
                  
                  Your problem is not that Google won't send traffic to a good niche blog. Your problem is that if you write about writing, that niche is saturated already - and if your blog is just your writing on mixed subjects, that is not a niche.  Google will reject any site that doesn't have a clearly-defined focus. 
                  
                  I'd say your solution, if the novel is science fiction, is to focus on science fiction sites and forums and build a following there.

                  replyreport
                  1. 0

                     TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     GDPR Deleted
                     1. 88

                        Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                        If you're talking about author blogs, then I agree, they do not build traffic.  Maybe that's why the SEO guy said what he did.   But you quoted him as saying blogs (not just author blogs) do not get traffic, and I was correcting that for others reading this thread. I'd hate people to be discouraged from blogging for the wrong reasons.
                        
                        That line about there being millions of blogs is one I used myself in a Hub about blogging years ago.  But one of the huge changes Google has made since 2011 is that it now FAVOURS niche blogs (and websites, they are not treated differently).  So if you have a niche, you can get traffic - and it doesn't even have to be that unique a niche.  Why do you think HubPages is switching to niche sites - even though subjects like Pets aren't exactly short of existing competition?  Because it works.
                        
                        For proof, all you have to do is look at the many Hubbers who went off and started their own niche blogs when HubPages was going downhill. Most of them found they got more traffic on their own blog than for the same topic on HubPages.  Earning money from it, now that's a different story and requires learning a new skill, but that's by the by.   
                        
                        It's true there are millions of blogs that don't get traffic, but that's because most blogs are about what someone had for breakfast, or they're a blog about "My Writing", or the content was too thin, or they didn't offer any navigation beyond monthly archives, etc etc. Because blogging is a solitary exercise, most bloggers never learn the basic skills they need to be successful.  That's where Hubbers have the advantage because they learn most of those skills here on HP.

                        replyreport
2. 97

   Kylyssaposted 8 years ago

   I'm serializing a science fiction novel on HubPages. I published the introduction with a linked table of contents and the first chapter in one hub. I add new links to the table of contents every time I publish a new chapter on its own hub. I have nineteen chapters up so far.
   
   Because the table of contents is linked, it doesn't matter that the TOC, introduction, and first chapter are on LetterPile and the other chapters are not.
   
   Every new chapter published results in a small burst of views to the other chapters. None of the chapters have ever failed to get enough views to remain published. I intend to add more chapters, but my personal life and writing life are a bit too full lately.
   
   Putting a link to the first chapter/TOC at the top of every chapter hub greatly improved views on all chapters.
   
   It's not particularly tidy or polished, but you can see what has worked for me as far as format goes by clicking on "Gift of the Gruldak" hub in my spotlight section on my profile.

   replyreport
3. 88

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   Another point about author blogs:  it's not true to say that everyone agrees they're a waste of time.  This is a very good discussion, it is a couple of years old but I think it still has great relevance:
   
   http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/th … -websites/
   
   https://janefriedman.com/publishers-author-websites/
   
   I'm on the side of the people who think an author website IS worth doing, because I relate it to how they influence me in real life.   I'm old - over 60 - so you might not expect it - yet when I'm thinking of doing business with someone, the FIRST thing I do is check their website. If they don't have a website, they don't get my business.   
   
   Examples:   If I'm asked to organise a belly dancer for a function, I'll look online. If all she's got is a Facebook and/or LinkedIn page, I won't bother - she's an amateur.   My niece was looking for an at-home hairdresser for her wedding.  Same thing - found one in her neighbourhood, checked online.  No website, only Facebook.  She chose someone else.
   
   It's true that when I buy a book, I don't go checking the author's website - I just pick up the book and read the first few pages. BUT if I was looking for more books by that author, I would Google her and if she had a website, that would certainly make me more inclined to trust her brand.  Or if I was thinking of buying a book online, where I can't flip the pages, then an author website would reassure me of her professionalism.
   
   So I think an author WEBSITE is worth having, though I wouldn't think it worthwhile to have an author BLOG (i.e. a site where you're regularly posting new material) unless you're looking for a place to serialise a story (which you are).  And even in that case, I wouldn't expect you to get much Google traffic to the story:  you would drive traffic from your social networks and other forums.

   replyreport