[Smashwords]

Do you love or hate serialized ebooks?

Let's hear what MobileReaders think in this attached poll.

For those not familiar with serial ebooks, they're nothing more than a series of individual ebook files featuring installments of a story. Most serials I see range from 800 to 2,000 words. Charles Dickens, for example, serialized his stories by releasing chapters or chunks over time in a series, as he wrote them.

Would you rather purchase a complete book in one fell swoop, or do you prefer to read individual serialized installments?

At Smashwords, we're torn on this issue, and we feel compelled to clarify our policies. We generally try to let the author publish their ebook their way, yet on the other hand we don't want to see a 100,000 word novel divided into 100 ebooks of 1,000 words each. We also don't want to see, as we have seen already, a serial start then left unfinished, only to clutter our virtual shelves and frustrate readers. We think such scenarios are counterproductive to both the author and the reader.

Tell me what you think about serials. Vote in the poll, and then in the comments below, I'd welcome additional feedback. Should Smashwords create a special category for serialized books, or should we maintain our current policy of complete, standalone works only?

Thanks, Mark.