The More You’re Looking For…

The More You’re Looking For…

With the completion of this novel, I am altering how I publish my work. I shall be following in the footsteps of two great novelists of the 1800’s: Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas. Their works first appeared serialized in periodicals, not in book form.

Dickens’ novels, most of them published in monthly or weekly installments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense and engaged, wanting to know what happened next and willing to pay weekly or monthly for the magazine or newspaper which published the episode.

I will be serializing A Man of Business on the Substack platform.  The first nine chapters will be free, to give you a taste of what I have created. A Man of Business is a large book at 60+ chapters.  When the weekly serialization is complete, the book will be available in its entirety as an ebook and a paperback.

Whichever level you choose, know that you will be supporting me and my work. Word of mouth is the most powerful testament an author can receive.

Here are the subscription tiers on the Annie Parnell substack:

  1. Free: This will include The Sisterhood Gazette Newsletter, the first nine chapters of A Man of Business, and access to The Reluctant Countess in its weekly serial form.
  2. Monthly: This will include access to new chapters from A Man of Business, a members only newsletter, and all the perks of lower tiers.
  3. Yearly: A discounted rate, periodic coupon deals for books, limited time offers, preview access to the Sisterhood Historical Society (see below), and all the perks of lower tiers
  4. Sisterhood Council Membership: Currently under construction, this tier will include complete access to the Sisterhood Historical Society (see below), live video chats with Annie Parnell, work-in-progress reads, and all the perks of the lower tiers.

*What the heck is the Sisterhood Historical Society? Well, reading my books you have an inkling of the tons of research I do—everything from scientific discoveries and technological inventions to the construction of buildings that included fire escapes. I couldn’t bring myself to let that information languish on my hard drive so my web mistress and I are building an online museum to house all this information. There will be exhibits of documents and significant memorabilia e.g. the original Sisterhood manifesto written by Libby Archer and Eleanor Barrett when they were eight years-old and floor plans of significant locations such as the main building at Hartwell, the Sisterhood School, and detailed biographies and portrait gallery of original Sisterhood Council members: Eleanor Barrett, Elizabeth Archer, Lady Beatrice Whitely, Lady Jillian, and others.

Why make this change?

At the start of my publishing career, I had a small amount of capital and I needed to make some tough decisions about where to spend it. A short list of my potential expenses included: editing, proofing, formatting, marketing, designing an eye-catching cover, purchasing an ISBN, arranging publicity, and paying for printing and distribution of paperback copies.

Then along comes a well-known platform that whispers in my ear, “give us exclusive rights and we’ll give you”: an ISBN#, a webpage on our very popular platform where they make the empty promise you’ll be seen by many eyes, formatting tools, and publishing and distributing for your electronic & paperback book. Then, to add insult to injury, they add a lending library to their platform which is a perk for the platform’s regular customers but basically stabs the authors in the financial back.

From the beginning, I have been uncomfortable in this out of balance relationship. The best partnerships are among equals. This was never a partnership. It is an ugly game where creatives with their dreams of sharing their work receive pennies a month for something, in my case, which took a year to create.

Sisters, I hope you stick around. I hope you choose to support me as I continue to create entertaining tales of daring women because we need daring women in our dreams, our entertainment, and our lives.

Recap:

What does this look like for you:

  • I will be publishing weekly on Substack (first publishing date TBA)
  • The first nine chapters of A Man of Business will be available for free
  • The entirety of The Reluctant Countess will be serialized for free
  • Subscriptions will be available to enable you to read the entire book
  • Once A Man of Business has been released in its entirety on Substack, I will publish it in paperback and ebook form through a variety of channels

If you made it this far, I thank you for your time and support.

All the best,

Annie P

(Link to choices for subscription on Substack)