It’s no secret that readers love returning to the same worlds over and over again. All we have to do is look at the success of trilogies, series, and multiple novels set in the same fictional worlds to know that once you visit a place, come to know the world and its people, and have a good time…well, you want to go back. 

But there’s an older story form that predates our obsession with series: serialized fiction. Made famous (or at least trendy for the time) by Charles Dickens when he published The Pickwick Papers, serialized fiction was a book published in parts over a period of time. Authors were usually paid per chapter, which sometimes resulted in the last quarter of the book being somewhat unwieldy and drawn out. 

Now, good ol’ Dickens was a big fan of this format and published most of his books this way. But other authors soon followed suit, and some of literature’s greatest classics were published in serial form, including The Count of Monte Cristo, Anna Karenina, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Ulysses, A Farewell to Arms, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 

“Though many acclaimed authors, including Zadie Smith and Jonathan Safran Foer, frequently publish single short stories or essays in magazines like The New Yorker, it’s rare for contemporary authors of traditional, heavyweight fiction to publish work as a serial novel,” writes Andrea Schlottman in “The Serial Novel: A Brief History.” Rare, yes. Unheard of? Not really. Schlottman points to Margaret Atwood’s self-published online serial novel, Positron, as an example of how authors are starting to shift away from traditional models of publishing.

With digital and indie publishing increasing steadily over the last decade—combined with people spending more time reading on their phones and tablets—the opportunity for serialized fiction has returned. 

It’s not a huge leap. Authors have been offering serialized fiction to readers for years. This is often one of the rewards for author crowdfunding sites like Patreon. Support the author, and get a sneak peek at their work as it’s created. Wattpad also offers a similar setup, where readers can read fiction as the author cranks it out.

For the most part, these kinds of reads tend to be free or part of a rewards package. But now serialized fiction is being monetized. 

Last month, Amazon announced the launch of Kindle Vella, a new format within Kindle Direct Publishing. Through Kindle Vella (like “novella”), authors can publish serialized pieces of short fiction from 600 to 5,000 words. The first installment is free, but if readers want more, they have to pay for it with “tokens” (the price hasn’t yet been announced). Authors will receive 50 percent of the cost of the tokens.

For writers and authors, the question will be, “Is this something I want to explore?”

“An appealing aspect of writing serialized novels is that writers do not have to write the whole thing all at once,” explains Schlottman. “While everyone’s creative process is different, it’s useful to at least know what you want to happen—or what you expect to happen—when serializing a story. Outlining your serialized book provides you with a road map to follow, as well as various details to keep track of. You can always deviate from your blueprint, but it can be helpful to keep a general direction in mind.”

In short, serialized fiction is another way to approach writing a book that doesn’t involve elaborate planning and plotting, or sitting down to hammer out an entire novel with only a vague idea of its direction (hey there, pantsers!). And serial fiction writing has distinct advantages. 

For one, it requires a different approach. Each chapter or piece needs to be engaging on its own merit. Bore the reader, and they’ll be gone before you know it. Keep the reader engaged, and they’ll keep paying to come back. This also means authors can have some fun trying to keep the reader on their toes. It’s the perfect opportunity to play around with cliffhangers, delightful plot twists, and emotional drama that will draw readers in and have them begging for more, like a favorite soap opera or epic fantasy. 

The serial format will also challenge authors to explore more character-focused journeys and adventures. More than with any other format, readers will need to feel a strong kinship with your characters and their trials.

As we’ve seen with writing sites like Wattpad, serial fiction introduces a level of reader engagement that you can’t normally find in traditional or self-published books. It forces the writer to keep the story interesting on a chapter-by-chapter basis but also brings readers along on the author’s journey. Suddenly the reader feels like part of the book-writing process. And for authors, it’s almost like having beta readers who can gauge issues with the plot and characters as you go.

But while serialized fiction has a lot of benefits—including encouraging a regular writing practice, which many authors struggle with—it does have a few small drawbacks. 

As mentioned, authors will only be paid as long as the reader is engaged. The minute readers put the book down, so to speak, authors will lose the income that might have been assured by a book sale. Not only that, but purchasing each part forces the reader to reassess their purchase. “Do I want to spend money to keep reading this?” 

There can also be issues—as in Dickens's day—with writing the book in this format, such as erratic or convoluted plotlines, bloated and excessively descriptive prose, and the urge to earn extra income by drawing out of the climax of the book, much to the reader’s frustration and to the detriment of the work as a whole.

But at the end of the day, the reemergence of serialized fiction (whether monetized or not) certainly offers authors some scope for rethinking how they want to write their next book. After all, changing reading habits create new opportunities for writing and selling books. And sometimes it’s a fun experiment to test how we write—and how readers buy—our books. And who knows? Maybe this might be the format that works best for you and your fans. 

Looking for some inspiration or want to see which authors are doing it right? Check out “The Best Online Serial Fiction.”

Hannah Guy lives in Toronto and is a professional writer and copywriter who specializes in books, books, and more books. Follow her on Twitter at @hannorg.