Dear Authors: Not Every Story Belongs on Amazon

I don’t want to throw a grenade into the writer-sphere, but not every story needs to be a novel. In fact, a lot of them shouldn't be.

We all grew up with novels as our medium for the written word. Of course we did; the big publishing houses were still firmly in control. But now, even in the wild west of the indie author landscape, a lot of us are still operating under the assumption that success requires churning out 300-page epics destined for Amazon's bestseller lists. This mindset ignores a fundamental truth about the current market—different narratives require different formats, audiences, and platforms.

I used to write fan fiction. X-Men fan fiction, specifically. So know that it comes from a place of love when I tell you that your weird self-insert daydream, if published at all, doesn’t belong on Amazon.

Because of the stranglehold of trad pub, writers have gotten it into their heads that every piece of fiction MUST be a novel. But it’s not true. Kid Dynamo is the finest X-Men fanfiction ever written. But even if it got the copyright blessing of Disney Marvel, Amazon isn’t the right place for it. It’s not accessible to anyone without 30 years of X-Men knowledge… and it’s still a self-insert fanfiction, albeit a good one.

We’re all still clinging to the idea that if our story was GOOD, it would be sold on the Zon. If it’s available anywhere else (or God forbid, it isn’t behind a paywall), then it’s not REAL writing.

This is my plea to indies to look around. Trad pub is dying. So why are you clinging to their business model?

The Death of the Publishing Gatekeepers & New Tech Platforms

Yes, I said it: The traditional publishing model—query agents, submit to publishers, pray for acceptance—is dying. Spare me your list of the four or five BookTok favorites that made their authors famous.

Legacy publishers cling to their antiquated systems, which requires a few winners and a whole lotta losers. Kind of like a pyramid scheme. And frustratingly, many so-called independent publishers are also following this model (and promptly going belly-up within a few years).

The internet has democratized storytelling, and it's time to stop pretending that a 300-page novel on Amazon is the only path to literary success.

Trad pub might be too big to pivot their entire business model, but they probably won’t, especially when it comes to male readers:

Part of the need to embrace new channels is the existence (and rapid acceleration) of AI, the steep competition for readers’ attention, and the simple disinterest in many to sit down with a hard copy book and read in silence. Stories can and should come in different forms to appeal to different audiences.

Before anyone freaks out on me, I am not advocating for the erasure of the traditional novel. They should (and will) continue to exist. And I will continue to read them. But there are a variety of ways to create, publish, and distribute stories.

Maybe you tried to write a novel and it just didn’t pan out. It’s not necessarily because there was a problem with the story. It might be because it needed a different format.

If you’re an indie author, you have options. Readers want stories that speak to their specific interests, their niche communities, their particular brand of weird. The mass market is fragmenting into thousands of micro-audiences, each hungry for content that understands them. And you already have what you need to provide them with the stories they crave.

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Fandom Pulse

Serial Fiction: Building Your Audience One Chapter at a Time

Kindle Vella may have gone belly-up, but serial fiction is still popular and can help you build an audience while you write. Platforms like Royal Road, Radish Fiction, and Inkitt have created ecosystems where readers develop relationships with their favorite authors.

Popular formats on these sites (in addition to regular chapter novels) include:

• Web novels: Long-form stories published chapter by chapter
• Flash fiction series: Connected short stories exploring a theme or world
• Choose-your-own-adventure narratives: Interactive storytelling that builds community engagement

Interactive and Multimedia Storytelling

You don’t actually have to limit yourself to text to tell stories. If you (or your audience) doesn’t particularly like sitting still or being in silence, there are growing multimedia storytelling options:

• Audio fiction: Podcasts and audio dramas are exploding in popularity
• Visual novels: Combining text with artwork and music
• ARGs (Alternate Reality Games): Stories that blend fiction with real-world elements
• Social media storytelling: Twitter threads, Instagram stories, and TikTok series
• Choose Your Own Adventure: Interactive fiction platforms like Twine, Choice of Games, and Episode allow authors to craft branching narratives where readers shape the story.

Community, Not Profit

My next video (coming Monday), is focused on readers who are not looking to replace their current income. There are many such authors; if you’re one of them, there’s no need to deal with Amazon or other e-commerce platforms. You write to share stories and to talk to people about stories.

There are places just for you and your work. Your vampire romance novel might flop on Amazon's general market, but it could thrive on Dreame or Galatea, platforms designed for romance readers. Whatever your niche or community, there is a site that’s right for you:

• Wattpad: Young adult and romance fiction
• Archive of Our Own: Fanfiction and transformative works
• Tapas: Webcomics and illustrated stories
• Radish Fiction: Serialized romance and fantasy
• Royal Road: LitRPG and progression fantasy

Revenue Streams (NOT Amazon)

Most writers want to make money from their work, even if only a little. The Amazon bestseller dream dominates most writer’s forums, but it's not the only way to monetize your writing. Or even the best way.

Smart independent authors diversify their income through multiple channels:

Subscription Models: Platforms like Patreon, Ko-fi, and Substack allow you to build a steady income from dedicated readers. Even Buy Me a Coffee has a store feature now. A hundred subscribers paying $5 monthly generates more reliable income than hoping for viral success.

Patronage and Crowdfunding: If you have a lot of upfront costs (graphic novel writers and other multimedia authors, especially) can use the crowdfunding model. Kickstarter campaigns for special editions, character art, or world-building content can fund your creative projects while building community.

Licensing and Adaptation: Your web novel could become a podcast, your short story collection might inspire a visual novel, or your serial could be adapted for other media. Think beyond the original format.

Merchandise and Ancillary Products: Fan art, character guides, world-building documents, and even physical merchandise can generate income while deepening reader engagement. Remember the interview I did with John A. Douglas? Well, he has since become a meme. His books have been selling like hotcakes and, hopefully, he can get some Orc City merch on the market so he can cash in on the internet fame. Get on it, John!

Genre-Blending and Experimental Fiction

Traditional publishers shy away from genre-defying work, but independent authors can embrace the weird. Your cyberpunk western romance isn't “too niche,” the audience you want just hasn’t been able to find it on Amazon. The internet rewards specificity over broad appeal in a way the traditional book market can’t.

Experimental formats gaining traction:

• Epistolary digital fiction: Stories told through emails, texts, and social media posts
• Hypertext fiction: Non-linear narratives that readers navigate
• Collaborative storytelling: Community-driven narratives where readers contribute
• Transmedia storytelling: Stories that span multiple platforms and formats

I’m Trying Something New Too

My latest WIP is a little something different than anything I’ve written before. It’s a thriller. It’s contemporary…

And it’s a serial epistle.

Starting in August, I’ll be releasing The Twitter Crush on Substack (on my other publication, Serial Journeys). I’m also planning a stylized hardback (much more than text on the page). God willing, I’d also love to do a full-cast audiobook, as it would translate perfectly to the medium.

I figure why be an indie author if I’m confined to one type of writing and one type of publishing?

Serial Journeys | Novels by Kristin McTiernanThe in-progress novels of Kristin McTiernan. Some Thrillers. Some Spec-fic. Always Awesome.

Every day you spend trying to squeeze your creative vision into traditional publishing expectations is a day you're not connecting with readers who need exactly what you're offering. The internet is vast, varied, and hungry for authentic stories, told in the format that works best for the story.

The traditional publishing model is dying. So stop wrapping yourself in the straitjacket they designed. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what new models indie authors come up with, and how readers respond.