This question comes from Caroline Simmons in Altoona, IA:

Have you considered serializing any of your books on a site like Royal Road? I find a lot of indies there.

Thanks for writing in, Caroline. I’ve poked around Royal Road a bit since launching HTP. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of this platform until I started researching the ins and outs of the publishing business. For the uninitiated, Royal Road is a social publishing platform where independent authors serialize their work and interface with readers. It’s become the platform of choice for the emergent LitRPG/Progression Fantasy genre, and some authors have used it to build massive followings. The platform isn’t monetized, though I do see a lot of Royal Road authors directing readers to their Patreon pages to support the ongoing work.

This isn’t really a distribution model that I would consider, not because I find it objectionable in any way, but because it doesn’t really match the business model for HTP. Philosophically, I’m not really keen to ask readers to make contributions to a Patreon or Kickstarter account. I’m glad these platforms exist. Indie authors often use them to replace the advance payment model that traditionally published authors enjoy, but I’m not currently comfortable asking readers to share risk in this way. My goal is to continue sustaining HTP by selling books, and philosophically, I think it’s on the author and the publisher to absorb the upfront risk, produce an excellent product, and earn revenue via direct sales.

I think my work compares favorably to the best traditionally published fantasy and sci-fi coming out of the major publishing houses. Maybe this is foolhardy, but I want to compete with those works on their turf. That means taking our books to Amazon, to Barnes & Noble, to libraries, and to the vast network of independent bookstores that we love to support. I want readers to see HTP books on virtual and physical shelves right next to the Brandon Sandersons and Sarah J. Maas’s of the world and to make the decision each time to cast their dollar votes with us.

For those reasons, I don’t foresee serializing HTP books on sites like Royal Road, though I am grateful that they exist. They make a unique contribution to a healthy book culture.

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