Web fiction

Web-based fiction dates to the earliest days of the World Wide Web, including the extremely popular The Spot (1995–1997), a tale told through characters' journal entries and interactivity with its audience.

Possibly as a result of this, more fans of web serials have decided to create their own, propagating the form further, leading to the number of serious, original works growing quickly.

Some serials utilize the formats of the media to include things not possible in ordinary books, such as clickable maps, pop-up character bios, sorting posts by tag, and video.

Free writing platforms such as Wattpad have alleviated most serial writers from financial concerns, as well as any requirement for technical knowledge.

These are sometimes sufficient to cover the basic costs for hosting, and some of the more popular web serials can succeed with their entire budget made from donations or revenue of this type.

A few web serial authors have taken to collecting their work and releasing in a book format for easy consumption offline.

The advent and acceptance of the ebook has allowed writers to become quite prolific with "bound collections" offered as downloads in formats such as pdf, Smashwords, and Mobipocket.

On-demand merchandising sites like CafePress and Zazzle are also sources of income from sales of T-shirts, mugs, calendars, mousepads and other fan items.

Fan fiction popularized the publishing of writing on the internet and set the standards for much of the community interaction surrounding web serials.

Most web serials tend towards regular publication schedules, however, whereas the bulk of fanfiction is published at the author's convenience.

Authors of traditional paper-and-ink novels have sometimes tried to give readers an interactive experience, but this approach did not become completely feasible until the development of digital media and hypertext.

Interactive novels, however, offer readers a unique way to read fiction by choosing a page, a character, or a direction.

[10] However, as webcomics have risen in popularity in recent years, many artists have garnered the support and trust of loyal audiences who are willing to pay for their work through sites such as Patreon or Podia.