Combining ebooks, audiobooks and eventual paperbacks in episodic eSeries, BigWorldNetwork.com may be the new television for books. Guest poster and Managing Editor at BWN, Amanda Meuwissen explains:
BigWorldNetwork.com is The eSeries Network, a new kind of publisher offering serialized
online publication of fiction and non-fiction, audio versions of all eSeries
episodes, and eventual compilations to turn our authors’ series into
paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks. We also help create merchandise and
sometimes artwork to accompany our authors' stories.
Unlike a traditional novel with a clear
endpoint, series on BigWorldNetwork will continue for as long as their
readers want more and new seasons are renewed (a season being 12 episodes in
length). Our episodic format is also nice for those who do not always have the
time to sit down and read a complete novel. The average BWN episode is between
5-9 pages and often less than 15 minutes of listening time for the audio
versions—the perfect length to sit back and relax
while catching up on your favorite series.
We are now on
our fourth major season, offering a wide range of genres from Science Fiction
and Fantasy, to Romance and Mystery, Non-Fiction, and everything in between.
I got involved with BigWorldNetwork before
its initial launch in November 2011, first by submitting my own eSeries to the
site, The Collector, and then by
offering my editing skills to assist the creator of BWN, Jim McGovern, since he
did not yet have a staff. Together, Jim and I worked to gather a great team of
editors, our eventual Creative Director, Mario Hernandez, to handle various
design and other tasks, and a truly stellar lineup of authors and narrators.
What drew me to the site early on was the
concept of serialized publication, the chance for eventual compilation as
paperbacks and ebooks, and the audio option. As someone who has been active in
fanfiction for well over a decade now, I was already quite familiar with episodic
format, and the idea of including audio, since podfics—much like podcasts—have become
popular amongst underground writing groups.
As Marketing Generalist and Social Media
Manager for the digital marketing company Outsell by day, I have been able to
add my skills in organization, social media, and my talents as a writer and
editor to become much more than just a contributing author to BWN, but a
partner, and I could not be happier with the commitment I've made.
I have been an online writer for years,
writing articles for several online publications, as well as running my own
blog in the past, my company website and blog, and managing screenplay coverage
for a company in LA. Becoming Managing Editor of BWN is finally something that is
much closer to my true loves—writing and editing.
While Jim McGovern has some background in
writing, as well as two English teachers for parents, what really impressed me
from the start was his passion for the ideas of the site, and his support of
the modern writer. Traditional publishing can be brutal. BWN is dedicated to
producing quality material, but we also feel that publishing should be a
positive experience, where writers share ideas, less-polished work has a chance
for additional editing before being rejected, and unknown writers can showcase
their stories alongside veterans.
We have been blessed with over 35 series so
far from new and already published authors alike. We offer an alternative to
traditional publishing that can provide a new outlet for writers, in some cases
allowing authors to produce prequels for their previously published works, take
a break from the hassle of self-publishing, especially for those authors less
familiar with it, and it can also be a great way to get a new author's name out
there.
Even though BWN has been around for less than
a year, we have grown exponentially each month in traffic and interest in
publishing with our site, which couldn’t make us more proud.
One of the first eSeries we completed and
published as a compilation was Homecoming
by Heather Justesen, a very popular self-published author, who also has a book
on print-on-demand and how to correctly typeset and prepare a manuscript for
print, POD Like a Pro: An Author's Guide
to Typesetting and Formatting a Print Book. Some of our initial authors
with experience like Heather have been paramount in our early success, helping
spread the word not only for readers and listeners, but for additional
submissions.
Our biggest challenge is the same as it is for
many in the indie publishing industry: bringing in revenue. We want to be here
for the authors first, so it is our goal to provide our authors with payment
for their series and adequate percentage on sales of compilations before we
ever see a dime ourselves.
One way we are hoping to expand the site and better bring in revenue is by using an Indiegogo campaign to help purchase a dedicated server to support the large file size of audio, as well as our growing viewership, and to help create mobile and tablet apps to make reading and listening our eSeries even easier. You can visit and support our campaign here.
But we couldn't do any of it without the
incredible support of our staff and the writers and narrators who provide our
content. We feel truly blessed to hear some of their comments after almost a
year of working with us:
"I love the idea of books in episode format online, and BWN has done an excellent job of creating exposure for literature on iTunes! The world of publishing has definitely changed and BigWorldNetwork.com is helping to mold the future of literature!" -Trina Boice, author of How to Stay UP in a DOWN Economy
"BigWorldNetwork.com has given me a whole new way to showcase my writing and to reach more readers than ever before. This is a cutting-edge idea with fantastic people at the helm, and I've loved every minute of my experience." -Tristi Pinkston, author of Taking Out the Trash
We really feel like we are doing something
different, especially with our personal touch that we never plan to lose. We
carefully look through every submission that comes through, which we request be
a synopsis of the series idea and the first episode, and we take the time to
offer suggestions for improvement even on series we don't feel are right or
ready for the site. We also encourage repeat submissions, and in fact, some of
our current series were initially rejected, but the authors came back with a more
polished submission and have been a joy to work with ever since.
We want to be an outlet for improvement in
writing as well as for publication, because we love what we do, we know that
true writers love what they do, and everyone deserves the opportunity to
display their passions.
BigWorldNetwork.com is open for submissions
and will work with accepted series for whatever upcoming season works best for
them. Authors can give us an entire series at once, a season at a time, or
episode by episode following our guidelines. We are also interested in
additional narrators, editors, or people with graphic design and art
experience, as all of these aspects come together at our site to create a truly
unique experience for the authors and for their fans.
Amanda Meuwissen - Photo by: Stephen Stephens
She has a Bachelor of Arts in a personally designed major from St. Olaf College in Creative Writing, and has been writing and posting fiction and blog articles online for many years, including maintaining the company blog for the digital marketing firm Outsell LLC. Amanda spent a summer writing screenplay script coverages for a company in L.A. Currently, she is a Marketing Associate and Social Media Manager for Outsell in Minneapolis, and remains an avid writer and consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games.
About BigWorldNetwork.com
BigWorldNetwork.com began in early 2011, created to offer a distinct and entertaining way to read and enjoy both fiction and non-fiction in an episodic format, not unlike a television series. The concept is unique in today’s world of tablet readers and mobile devices, but not new. Series writing has been around since before the 1800s, and many authors have gotten their start by publishing with serialized installments (including Charles Dickens).
Unlike a traditional novel with a clear endpoint, series on BigWorldNetwork.com will continue for as long as their readers want more and new seasons are renewed. Our serialized format is also nice for those who do not always have the time to sit down and read a complete novel. The average BigWorldNetwork.com episode is between 4-7 pages, the perfect length to sit back and relax while catching up on your favorite series. We have also created an exciting, creative outlet for our writers. Many works published on BigWorldNetwork.com will go on to be published as complete eBook and print anthologies in the future.
Unlike a traditional novel with a clear endpoint, series on BigWorldNetwork.com will continue for as long as their readers want more and new seasons are renewed. Our serialized format is also nice for those who do not always have the time to sit down and read a complete novel. The average BigWorldNetwork.com episode is between 4-7 pages, the perfect length to sit back and relax while catching up on your favorite series. We have also created an exciting, creative outlet for our writers. Many works published on BigWorldNetwork.com will go on to be published as complete eBook and print anthologies in the future.
Mick Rooney – Publishing Consultant
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