Serial Box brings everything that’s awesome about TV (easily digestible episodes, team written, new content every week) to what was already cool about books (well-crafted stories, talented authors, enjoyable anywhere).
Like TV, we release a new episode of our serials every week and serials typically run for seasons of 10-16 weeks. Easy to pick up, episodes are enjoyable on their own but build over the course of the season to tell a bigger story. Each episode is available in ebook and audio and takes about 40 minutes to enjoy.Basically, Serial Box has taken the concept of releasing serialized stories, popularized by Charles Dickens in the 1800s, into the 21st Century. They have many genres of content to choose from too. But her is the kicker, they have the biggest names in media- TV and Print- involved in content creation. For example their nonfiction serial, 1776, is done by the AP.
But wait, there's more, you can read AND listen to every episode. And switching back and forth is super easy. I know because I did it yesterday.
From the library perspective there is much we need to be aware of here. First, as you look through the list of stories available, you can see that readers of all stripes will be drawn to this service, and they are constantly adding more content. Second, because each "episode" is the length of a podcast, I think the more savvy podcast listeners who are looking for well produced content will turn to paying for a better product, and this is a great option. Third, and most importantly for us as I will show today, authors that our patrons already enjoy and ask for are releasing new content exclusively on Serial Box. We need to at the least be aware of it when they ask us for "Paul Tremblay's" new story and, if we can, find a way to provide that content to our readers.
For right now, the solution to this third point is similar to how we get e-only or audible only titles to our patrons, and it's fairly piecemeal. I have seen libraries load iPads with e-only content and then circulate those for people to use. I have also begun to hear about a few libraries who are trying to create their own databases of purchased e-only material that they can then circulate behind a wall that requires they enter their library card number. But I am hoping in the future, the people behind Serial Box will begin to work with libraries more directly. I have been in touch with some of the management and libraries are a market they are interested in pursuing.
Now back to the horror angle. This month Serial Box has doubled down to get horror readers to notice them by releasing one paid horror serial and one free one. And these are not small releases. In the rest of this post I will give you some info on each series so that, at the very least, you know what your patrons are talking about when they come in and ask about Silverwood: The Door and Exquisite Corpse this month and you can't find them in any of your normal book purchasing or borrowing platforms.
I'll begin with Silverwood: The Door which debuted yesterday. It is written by show runner Brian Keene, Richard Chizmar, Stephen Kozeniewski, and the Sisters of Slaughter-- all authors whose books I have reviewed here on the blog.I bought the full season and am already hooked after the first episode, written by Brian Keene. But what I am also excited about is how the different authors will bring their particular talents to the different episodes as the series goes on.
In this interview from Cemetery Dance, Brian Keene talks about the series and how they wrote it. That interview gives a lot of background detail about the story and the Serial Box platform. And here you can read a review of the story itself from Cemetery Dance. I did not read ahead, although I was offered a free copy for the entire run. I want to experience the story as everyone else will both because it will be fun and because it will help me to better understand how the Serial Box experience will be for patrons and how we can incorporate it into our library collections. I am equally excited about both.
Later this month, you will all have a chance to try this service for free with Exquisite Corpse:
Follow along as these masters of horror delve into the darkest corners of their imaginations and either set their fellow players up for success, or back them into narrative traps and laugh maniacally as they try to escape. How does it work? It begins with a prompt from horror experts Dread Central. Each author picks up the story where the previous writer left it, adding their own nightmarish short installment and passing it on to the next (un)lucky participant to create a twisty, turny, occasionally peculiar, always terrifying ride. Ten installments will be released hourly for free on October 19th in text (less than 5 mins to read) and atmospheric 3D audio (between 5 and 10 mins to listen).Brian Keene, Christoper Golden, and Paul Tremblay are among the authors working on this story; authors your patrons will ask for, authors whose newest works people will want to read. This one is going to be fun for the Halloween season, and it is FREE! You do need to sign up here to be a part of it though.
Sign up and follow along for yourself, both to experience a horror story in short bursts and see how the platform works. Think about ways you could incorporate more of Serial Box's content into your library's collection. Remember, they have content for every genre. We can't afford to ignore this service anymore. Our patrons are starting to learn about it, and they will soon come asking us about it. Be ready.
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