Sometimes, people just aren't going to enjoy what I do. Them's the breaks. And I totally understand that: tastes vary, preferences change, and sometimes I just write something that isn't as good as I had hoped. And I genuinely don't mind when people write reviews that reflect their disappointment with the writing. Didn't think the character development was there? Tell me about it. Thought the prose was messy? I want to hear it. Was it poorly paced? Shout it from the rooftops. If you hate a thing, by all means, give it One Star and go about your day. I would never begrudge a reader their opinion. My only hope would be that they might give me another try some day.

Of course, I love my positive reviews, and my Five Star ratings. They give me the Warm 'n Fuzzies, that goes without saying. However, there is another kind of review. The review that addresses not the quality of the writing, nor the content of the story, but only the length of story itself. What purpose does it serve to give One- and Two-star ratings to something just because it's short? Why leave a negative review because a book is serialized?

When I do a series, the first book in that series is always free, so I am getting a lot of flack for free content that's too short. And I just don't understand that.

There is a long history of serialized fiction. It rose in popularity in 19th century and the early 1900's, due largely to a rise in literacy during the Victorian era, and the advancement of printing technology. Many books originating in that time period appeared as serials, beginning with the booming success of Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, first appearing in print in 1836. And one of my favorite books, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, was stretched to 139 installments. Back then, there was no distinction between "high literature" and "commercial fiction" -- they were one in the same. I am by no means claiming to be composing the next great classic; I'm just saying that my style of storytelling isn't new, by any stretch of the imagination. 

I like serialized storytelling. My publisher likes serialized storytelling. And if you don't, hey, that's cool, you don't have to read serialized books. But imagine if you were in Russia in 1873 -- would you really want to miss out on Tolstoy's Anna Karenina? 


Also: TV. Television is serialized, but many platforms offer a per-episode payment so that you can enjoy them one bite at a time. I couldn't find a way to transition into that point gracefully, so it's kind of just stuck on here at the end. Because not everything I write is good.