Serial Box
Serial Box is a premium digital audio and reading platform and publisher that delivers ongoing stories via online and mobile in short, serialized installments. Designed for consumption on smartphones in either audiobook or e-book format, users can read or listen to each weekly episodic installment.
 Official logo of Serial Box | |
| Founded | September 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Julian Yap & Molly Barton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Publication types | Serialized fiction; audio dramas |
| Official website | https://www.serialbox.com/ |
The installments are typically 25 minutes to read or about an hour to listen, and are delivered to consumers via mobile apps. The company produces original fiction with a focus on science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime and thrillers. Users can use the Serial Box mobile app to access both audio and text and even toggle between them.[1]
NPR stated that Serial Box aimed to be "HBO for readers"[2] and BuzzFeed named it a must-have app in 2017.[3]
History
In September 2015, Julian Yap and Molly Barton launched Serial Box.[1] The first production was Bookburners, created by Max Gladstone.[4] The writing process was based on television serials rather than novels.[2] Founder Yap realized that he was reading fewer novels due to time constraints from work. Both Yap and Barton believe that serialized fiction will make reading more accessible and social.[1]
Process
Serial Box hires a lead author, or showrunner, write a pilot episode and a "show bible" which will outline the plot for each season. After this, Serial Box brings together a team of writers who will contribute ideas in a manner similar to a television writers' room. At the end of this period, each author is assigned episodes to write. Whereas a novel generally takes 2–3 years to be written and published, a Serial Box production can be completed 6 months from the start date. Because the first episode is published before the season is completed, the authors can tailor the ending of the season to the audience's reactions.[5] It is the responsibility of the showrunner to ensure that all episodes maintain a consistent writing style despite the involvement of multiple authors.[6]
Awards
Molly Barton, Jeff Li, James Stuart, and Julian Yap were nominated for the 2019 World Fantasy Professional Award for their work with Serial Box.[7]
Serial Box Original Productions
| Show name[8] | Number of Seasons | Showrunner | Other authors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternis | 1 | N/A | Maurice Broaddus, Jacqueline Koyanagi, E.C. Myers, and Andrea Phillips |
| Bookburners | 5 | Max Gladstone | Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, Mur Lafferty, Brian Francis Slattery, and Andrea Phillips |
| Born to the Blade | 1 | Michael R. Underwood | Marie Brennan, Cassandra Khaw, and Malka Older |
| Bullet Catcher | 3 | Joaquin Lowe | None |
| Dark Heights | 1 | CD Miller | None |
| Dead Air | 1 | Gwenda Bond | Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan |
| Exquisite Corpse | 1 | Prompt from Dread Central | Richard Chizmar, Paul Cornell, Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Cassandra Khaw, Stephen Kozeniewski, Nick Mamatas, Sisters of Slaughter, Paul Tremblay, and Alyssa Wong |
| False Idols | 1 | N/A | Lisa Klink, Patrick Lohier, Diana Renn, and Robert K. Wittman |
| First Street | 1 | Catherine McKenzie | Catherine McKenzie, Jasmine Guillory, Elyssa Friedland, Shawn Klomparens, Randy Susan Meyers, Kermit Roosevelt III |
| Geek Actually | 1 | N/A | Cathy Yardley, Melissa Blue, Rachel Stuhler, and Cecilia Tan |
| Gods and Lies | 1 | Elizabeth Vail | None |
| Knox | 1 | N/A | K Arsenault Rivera, Brooke Bolander, Gabino Iglesias, and Sunny Moraine |
| Machina | 1 | Fran Wilde | Fran Wilde, Malka Older, and Curtis C. Chen, with Martha Wells |
| Marvel's Black Widow: Bad Blood | 1 | N/A | Lindsay Smith, Margaret Dunlap, Mikki Kendall, L.L. McKinney, and Taylor Stevens |
| Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire | 1 | N/A | Lauren Beukes, Vita Ayala, Sam Beckbessinger, Zoe Quinn, and Elsa Sjunneson |
| Marvel's Thor: Metal Gods | 1 | N/A | Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, Brian Keene, and Yoon Ha Lee |
| A Most Dangerous Woman | 1 | Brenda Clough | None |
| Ninth Step Station | 2 | Malka Older | Curtis C. Chen, Jacqueline Koyanagi, and Fran Wilde |
| Orphan Black: The Next Chapter | 1 | Malka Older | Madeline Ashby, Mishell Baker, Heli Kennedy, E. C. Myers and Lindsay Smith |
| ReMade | 2 | Matthew Cody | Gwenda Bond, Amy Rose Capetta, Carrie Harris, E.C. Myers, Andrea Phillips, and Kiersten White |
| Tremontaine | 4 | Ellen Kushner | Liz Duffy Adams, Patty Bryant, Joel Derfner, Tessa Gratton, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Karen Lord, Racheline Maltese, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Delia Sherman, and Pat Witcover. |
| The Triangle | 1 | Dan Koboldt | Mindy McGinnis and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley |
| The Vela | 2 | Yoon Ha Lee | Becky Chambers, SL Huang, and Rivers Solomon |
| Whitehall | 2 | Liz Duffy Adams | Mary Robinette Kowal, Madeleine Robins, Barbara Samuel, and Delia Sherman |
| The Witch Who Came in from the Cold | 2 | Max Gladstone and Lindsay Smith | Cassandra Rose Clarke, Michael Swanwick, Ian Tregillis, and Fran Wilde |
References
- Dawn, Randee (28 September 2015). "'HBO for reading': Serial Box delivers new fiction to your phone in TV-style episodes". Today. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Neary, Lynn (26 July 2016). "Can Serialized Fiction Convert Binge Watchers Into Binge Readers?". NPR. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Kevin Smith (30 Dec 2017). "17 iPhone Apps That You Need To Have On Your Phone". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 27 Sep 2019.
- Reid, Calvin (18 September 2015). "Startup Serial Box Wants To Be the 'HBO for Readers'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Locke, Charley (14 September 2016). "THIS EBOOK PUBLISHER DOESN'T HAVE AUTHORS. IT HAS WRITERS' ROOMS". Wired. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Grady, Constance (6 August 2018). "Meet a new kind of book, designed for the age of Peak TV". Vox. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "World Fantasy Awards 2019". SFADB. Retrieved 1 Aug 2019.
- "All Serials". Serial Box.