Current logo of Realm
Previous logo of Realm, when it was called "Serial Box" before rebranding
Realm Media, or Realm, formerly Serial Box, is a premium reading and digital audio publishing platform headquartered in New York City founded by Julian Yap & Molly Barton in September 2015. This platform delivers ongoing stories, including exclusive ones, online in short, serialized installments. It is designed for consumption on smartphones in either audiobook or e-book format.
The installments in this app are typically 25 minutes to read or about an hour to listen, and are delivered to consumers via its mobile application. The company sometimes produces original fiction with a focus on a few genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime and thrillers. Users can use the mobile appplication to access both audio and text and even toggle between them.
History[]
Julian Yap and Molly Barton launched Realm Media as "Serial Box" in September 2015, then they produced their first original serialized fiction audio drama Bookburners, which was created by Max Gladstone. The writing process was based on television serials rather than novels. Founder Yap realized that he was reading fewer novels due to his job consuming more time than ever, so both Yap and Barton believe that serialized fiction will make reading more accessible and social.
Process[]
Realm Media hires a lead author, or showrunner, write a pilot episode and a summary which will outline the plot for each season. After this, the company brings together a team of writers who will contribute ideas in a manner similar to a television writers' room. At the end of this very period, each author is assigned to write a few episodes. Although a novel generally takes 2–3 years to be written and published, a Realm Media production can be completed in 6 months. Since the first episode is published before the season is completed, the authors can tailor the ending of the season to the reactions of the audience. It is the responsibility of the showrunner to ensure that all episodes maintain a consistent writing style despite the involvement of multiple authors.
Awards[]
Molly Barton, Jeff Li, James Stuart, and Julian Yap were all nominated for the 2019 World Fantasy Professional Award for their work with the platform.
Membership[]
A user can gain membership to Realm Media either by a monthly plan of $3.99 per month or an annual plan of $29.99 per year ($2.49 per month). In either plan, they'll be able to gain full access to Realm Originals without advertisements and earlier than everyone else, free cult favorites & bestsellers every month, member-only discounts, and exclusive invites.