What this is about

Some time back, a number of writers came up with the idea that web pages would be ideal venues for serialized long fiction. We were very much mistaken. We thought there would be flocks of readers who would come back for each installment; they did not. We misjudged the online readership. The internet surfer is all about getting quick hits of information and rushing on to the next new thing.

Long fiction cannot be thrilling every minute; to create a satisfying story world takes thousands and thousands of words. Telling a complex story takes lots of events, not all  of them thrill packed. These factors were at odds with supplying pop and sizzle in every post. If the writer filled in needed details, the result was a post that bored readers; if the details were omitted, and the episode sweetened instead with action that did not need to be there, that weakened the story line.

The most successful of the online serials were outrageous in one way or another, in language, in far fetched premise or, sometimes, in sheer smuttiness. But even the most successful of them fell short of what we all hoped for, which was income comparable to the rates in print fiction. The long fiction market on the web belongs to the e-book; that was the main lesson.

So I started thinking. The online reader likes things a bit outrageous and he is not keen on returning over a course of months or years to find out what finally happened to the magical princess, her slightly bumbling father the king, or her kindly wizard friend. People who like that sort of thing like printed and bound books, or e-books they can load on their Kindles.

Still, there must be a market for web fiction; it is a matter of bringing the right product to market, that's all. So, here we go with web fiction, second attempt. On the available evidence it would seem the audience wants things that are short and outrageous. Short fiction, and most people do not suspect this, is actually more difficult to write than long fiction. Never mind: One does what one must. As for outrageous, that's easy. Hold my beer and watch this.

An ongoing problem with web fiction is that it is hard to monetize. Online ad services depend on context--what the posting is about determines what ads show up, via a sophisticated computerized process. That works splendidly for nonfiction. Write about lawn care and you get ads for lawn mowers. Write about recipes and you get ads for pots and pans. When you write fiction it does not work so well. When I write about kings and nobles and so forth riding around on horses, the ads that show up are for horse shampoo, riding clothes, tack and even horse laxatives. Most readers do not own horses--some do, but the ad response (click rate) was abysmal.

That's why this new site is going to work on the tip jar basis. If you like the short stories, click the donation button.

Update (August 2013): I have become aware of some advertising options that are better suited to what I'm doing than the ones I was using a few years ago. Maybe some of those will appear here if they prove workable.