All Pennwriters Courses are conducted in a “live” presentation format utilizing the Zoom platform. If a conflict arises based on the required meeting times, please contact the instructor and Online Courses Coordinator to find a possible solution. ALL sessions will be recorded.
PLEASE NOTE: You should receive a confirmation email upon registering for the course from both Club Express and the Online Classes Coordinator. If you do not receive either emails, please reach out to the Online Classes Coordinator immediately so you do not miss out on information for your class.
Course Information:
E-books did more than create an additional stream of revenue for authors, they revitalized certain forms of writing and made them profitable in a way they weren’t with traditional published. One of those revitalized forms of writing was the serial or publishing a story in installments that connected form one larger story.
Serials have a rich history with some classic novels having first been discovered by readers as a serial. They fell out of favor, primarily because of economics, but with the rise of e-books, they have been rediscovered. In fact, Kindle Vella is an entire publishing arm of the industry leader in e-books dedicated to serials.
However, serials, like other forms of writing, have their own set of best practices. These aren’t necessarily rules, they are things an author can do to create a story readers will enjoy and keep coming back to for new installments.
Besides having some different writing techniques, serials also have different ways they can be marketed to increase sales.
This course will explore both how to write engaging serials through interesting characters and gripping cliffhangers. Then it will move on to how to publish the serials and market in a way continue bringing in royalties for years to come.
Author Benefits/Takeaways — Participants will:
- Learn how to structure a serial and connect the different installments.
- Evaluate whether Vella or e-publishing is the best platform for their serial.
- Develop marketing ideas for the serial during and post publication.
- Develop a unified look and feel for their serial.
- Be able to find the categories where their serial will perform the best.
Instructor Bio:
James Rada, Jr. is a bestselling author of historical fiction and non-fiction history. They include the popular books Strike the Fuse, Canawlers and Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses. He also writes fantasy, horror, and middle-grade books as J. R. Rada.
He lives in Gettysburg, Pa., where he works as a freelance writer. James has received more than two dozen awards from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, Associated Press, Maryland State Teachers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and Community Newspapers Holdings, Inc. for his newspaper writing.
He has also taught writing workshops and classes at Frostburg State University, Harrisburg Area Community College, and Frederick Community College.
E-Mail: jimrada@yahoo.com
Website: www.jamesrada.com
Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/jamesradajr
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-Rada-Jr./author/B001K8UU88