They build you up just to drop you right down again

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Eoin Purcell

September 4, 2006

Penguin run a wonderful blog. And recently they promised an exciting idea: the serialisation of a novel like the glory days of Dickens.

Well the official word is out and it is very dissappointing. Not only is the idea expensive (£25.00 for 10 issues delivered direct to your door seems steep to me especially as it’s €38.00 in Euro and I am sure there would be extra postage for Ireland), subscriptions are limited to 5,000 copies and clearly more for PR than anything else.

Surely serialisation was originally designed to reach mass audiences and not a limited elite of high paying ones? Oh well! You can check out the details here.

Eoin

5 responses to “They build you up just to drop you right down again”

litlove

September 4, 2006

Ah, I did wonder whether it would turn out to be more puff than substance. It seems all wrong to sell it first at such a high price. If they believe in the stories, the sensible thing would be to sell the first installments dead cheap, but charge more for later ones. Or perhaps have a scale of charges whereby the more you subscribe the cheaper it becomes. And I’d love to know if they’ve read some of those old ex-installment novels by the likes of Balzac and Eugene Sue. They are enormous because of course, it was a good deal for the author. It was a nice idea in theory, but it doesn’t correspond to current market conditions, I think. Making it easier to download books from the web, and more publicity about that would perhaps be a better way to go.

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Addy

September 4, 2006

There is a new blog of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ being told in real time by different characters. Such an intersting idea. And free!

http://community.livejournal.com/dracula1897/

Addy

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Nicky

September 5, 2006

That’s nuts – and shows blow-all marketing nouse. It’s a great idea but I can’t see anyone shelling out 25quid for ten copies (never mind postage if you’re outside the UK). I thought the digital age was about making things more accessible (including cheaper). Best Penguin write this one off as a flop and try again – and actually think about what they’re doing and why.

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Lee

September 5, 2006

And I reckon I don’t have any marketing sense at all!

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eoinpurcell

September 5, 2006

No Lee I think you are smack on track!
Nicky it is nuts. They posted again today defending their error/compunding it in my view!
Addy nice idea is right!
Litlove spot on!
EOin

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