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1You've written [[{{Doorstopper}} a long book]]. Lots of characters, many PlotThreads, and deep, complex CharacterDevelopment. Your publisher likes it, but unfortunately, you're not a very well-known writer, and readers aren't likely to pick up such a vast novel. Furthermore, limitations in the current printing and binding market make publication as a single volume uneconomical, especially if this is a debut novel; if it goes beyond 400 pages or so, it becomes much more expensive to bind.
2
3The solution? Split the book into multiple volumes. The public will be less intimidated by the shorter length of the individual volumes, and thus more likely to buy them. There are also some practical reasons. For one, the smaller books are individually easier to hold and carry. Two, it places less physical stress on the bindings, so smaller books are less prone to fall apart while the consumer is still reading them. Three, it's easier to sell a cheap book than a costly one. There are also some economic issues in that the large page count has a higher per-volume production and transport cost, so it makes sense to divide that out to maintain a reasonable profit margin and/or price point.
4
5If the book proves successful, it will probably be later released in a single-volume edition.
6
7This happens often with translated works; pithy phrases in the original language often require more words. In particular, English books translated into Romance languages get much wordier.
8
9Note that this trope isn't intended for a series of books that tell a single story. This trope is for those stories submitted as single books, that were then split into multiples at the publisher's request.
10
11A forerunner is the Victorian three-volume novel, where a longer story is told and sold in three parts. In the 19th century, the business model was to use the first volume to get people interested in the second and third parts, and thus extract more money per story.
12
13In the case of video games, [[EpisodicGame episodic installments]] rarely take off, but they fare best when they are actually this: a complete or mostly-complete game broken up into pieces to sell separately. The problem is that most episodic games finish only one episode and hope for it to fund the rest of the series, but even if the first episode sells well, the huge delay in starting the next episode means that interest usually sags and the second episode is the last. More commonly, customers are wary of investing into a series that might never complete and fail to buy the first episode until more episodes are released, which then guarantees that those episodes will never happen.
14
15See also DividedForAdaptation, MovieMultipack, MultiPartEpisode, MultiVolumeWork, MultiDiscWork, OneGameForThePriceOfTwo, and TrilogyCreep. {{Omnibus}} is the opposite.
16----
17!!Examples:
18
19[[foldercontrol]]
20
21[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22* Supposedly, the "Graystripe's Adventure" trilogy of ''Manga/WarriorCatsManga'' was originally meant to be a single volume as long as a normal manga. They decide that it should be released on the same day as the first book in a new series, but the illustrator wasn't done with it, so they decided to split it into three shorter volumes. Every manga afterward has followed suit.
23[[/folder]]
24
25[[folder:Comic Books]]
26* {{Inverted|Trope}} in a non-Omnibus way with the ''ComicBook/TopTen'' {{Prequel}} story ''The '49ers'', which went straight to graphic novel publication despite very obvious cliffhanger endings for a six-issue comic miniseries. It's widely rumoured that this was because DC Comics feared that the serial comics audience of the time would react badly to the story's main romance subplot being a gay male one.
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
30* The 620,000-plus-word ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' got broken into five volumes for its first printing. A second printing recombined these into two volumes.
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
34* ''Film/{{Novecento}}'' was originally released as a two part movie in Italy, totalling at 5 hours and 17 minutes, but when released in the USA as ''1900'', it was trimmed down to 2 and a half hours, with [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating the more graphic scenes cut to get an R rating]]. In TheNineties, the original Italian cut was released in the USA, with an NC-17 rating.
35* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' was so long that a number of scenes were cut and set to be used in ''The Amazing Spider-Man 3'', until Sony shelved the plans for ''3''.
36* The sequel to ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' developed into such a complex story that it was divided into two films, released six months apart. The [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartII second film]] even ended with a trailer for the [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII third]], a practice rarely seen since the demise of the cliffhanger serials of the early 20th century.
37* The movie ''Film/{{Che}}'' about the life of Guerilla leader Ernesto 'Che' Guevara had to be divided into two parts.
38* The ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise was originally supposed to be a series of otherwise unconnected stories with the only linking theme being that they take place on or near Halloween; it just so happened that the first story (about Michael Myers) took the first two films to tell. When ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch'' came out and it wasn't about Michael, fans were pissed and the producers reverted to just telling stories about the slasher.
39* ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing'', the ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege'' adaptation by Creator/UweBoll, narrowly averted this. The original cut was over 200 minutes long and was planned to be split into two movies for theatrical release, but the editors couldn't find a spot in the middle where there was a good place to end the first installment. Instead, it was released as a single, heavily-cut two hour film in theaters and on DVD. The Blu-ray had an "Unrated Director's Cut" that restored a half hour of cut footage.
40* ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' and ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' were both originally marketed as two-part movies, but ''both'' backed away from this later, likely due to public burnout on the MovieMultipack trend. ''Justice League'' wound up a fairly stand-alone movie, while ''Infinity War'' still ended on a cliffhanger to set up ''Film/AvengersEndgame''. Some years later, the colossal runtime (4 hours) of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' gave credence to the speculation that enough material for two motion pictures was filmed.
41* ''Film/KillBill'' was originally going to be one movie, but was split into two volumes for release.
42* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' and ''Film/SupermanII'' were written and filmed as one production (though the intention was always to release it in two parts from the outset). Unfortunately, this time, the original director was fired after a significant portion of the second half was completed, so the two movies vary wildly in tone.
43[[/folder]]
44
45[[folder:Literature]]
46!!By Author:
47* Creator/CJCherryh:
48** The middle three of the five ''Literature/ChanurNovels'' were one novel split into three to satisfy publishing constraints; they form one story arc, with no mini-resolution at the end of each. Although they've been published together in an omnibus since, but have never been printed as Cherryh really intended, as one novel.
49** ''Literature/{{Cyteen}}'' was published in mass-market paperback form as three novels, although it was released in hardback and "trade paperback" form as a single work.
50* Creator/DavidWeber:
51** The first ''Literature/HellsGate'' novel was split into two books, and it seems likely the same will have to happen to his next ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novel, ''A Rising Thunder''.
52** Another translation split. The Japanese versions of the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' books are split in two starting with the third or fourth book, possibly more with [[{{Doorstopper}} the later volumes]].
53* Creator/IsaacAsimov hated this more than other authors, because he counted his published books, and now had to decide whether this counts as one item or more on his list of published books, with good arguments for either choice.
54** ''Literature/TheBicentennialManAndOtherStories'': When ''Magazine/{{Urania}}'' republished this collection in their series, it had to be split into issue #736 and #738.
55** ''Literature/IsaacAsimovTheCompleteStories'': The UK printing by Creator/HarperCollins chose to split ''Volume 1'' into their own volumes 1 and 2, without publishing additional volumes for ''Volume 2'' of this collection. The Harper Collins volume 1 ends with "Literature/TheLastQuestion" and volume 2 starts with "Literature/TheUglyLittleBoy".
56** ''Literature/TheEarlyAsimov'':
57*** The original Creator/{{Panther}} edition, from 1973, has ''Volume 1'' containing "Literature/TheCallistanMenace" through "Literature/TheSecretSense", ''Volume 2'' containing "Literature/HomoSol" through "Literature/TimePussy", and ''Volume 3'' containing "Literature/AuthorAuthor1964" through "Literature/MotherEarth".
58*** The Italian translation, published in the ''Magazine/{{Urania}}'' magazine, called it ''Asimov Story'', and published it in four parts, including about seven works each time (and often an unrelated story).
59*** Creator/FawcettCrest publishes this story in two parts; ''Book One'' contains "Literature/TheCallistanMenace" through "Literature/{{History}}", while ''Book Two'' contains "Literature/ChristmasOnGanymede" through "Literature/MotherEarth".
60* Minoru Kawakami's two major light novel series have the volumes divided into two or three parts for publication:
61** Volumes 1 through 6 of ''Literature/TheEndingChronicle'' are all split into Part A and Part B (with Volume 3 having an additional Part C as well), with original publication dates only a month apart for each part (with Volume 3 having a two-month gap between Part A and Part B then back to only a month for Part C). Volume 7, which was ''not'' divided, is a {{Doorstopper}} coming in at over a thousand pages.
62** As for ''Literature/HorizonInTheMiddleOfNowhere'', each volume being divided into two (Volumes 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9) or three (Volumes 3, 4, 6, 7, 10 and 11) parts, though starting with Volume 4 (the first part of which was released the same day as the third part of Volume 3), they shifted to a schedule of two months between parts.
63* This has happened twice to novels by Creator/RobinHobb, much to many readers' confusion.
64** The first two books of what is now known as the ''[[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Rain Wilds Chronicles]]'' were written as a single book that was split into two. Hobb then set out to write a sequel which was also split, resulting in books three and four of the series.
65** The French version of the ''Literature/{{Farseer}}'' trilogy had its second book split in two, and the third one split in three.
66* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko:
67** ''Literature/SeekersOfTheSky'' was split into ''Cold Shores'' and ''Morning Nears'', with the second novel picking up immediately after the first (after a day-long TimeSkip).
68** While this may also seem to be the case with his ''Literature/RoughDraft'' and ''Final Draft'' novels, as ''Final Draft'' picks up a few hours after the ending of ''Rough Draft'', it took Lukyanenko two years to write the sequel.
69* Creator/StephenKing:
70** ''Literature/TheGreenMile'' was originally released in 1996 in 6 parts, one being released per month.
71** The paperback reprint of ''Literature/UnderTheDome'' is split into two books, each over ''600'' pages on their own.
72* Creator/TadWilliams has had a few:
73** The Finnish translation of the ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' trilogy was split into no less than twelve volumes. Even in English, the final volume was split in two for the paperback editions.
74** The Czech translation is only slightly better with seven volumes, with the second book split into two and the third into four volumes.
75** ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'' has at the beginning of the first book an admission that it wouldn't be a series if it weren't for the fact that the author needs to keep writing new books at a constant pace, so he'll keep receiving royalties.
76** There's a note at the front of ''[[Literature/{{Shadowmarch}} Shadowrise]]'' remarking that the quartet was originally meant as a trilogy, and "one of these days I will learn to write a last volume that doesn't need its own zip code."
77
78!!By Title
79* ''Literature/OneQEightyFour'' was originally published in Japan as three separate novels. While the American release combined all three for the US English publication, the British release also released it in parts (two not three).
80* ''Literature/Aeon14'': The conclusion to the ''Orion War'' series, ''Return to Sol'', kept growing in length as author M.D. Cooper was working on it, so she polled the members of the series' Facebook group on whether to divide it into two parts. They said yes, so ''Return to Sol'' was released as ''Part I: Attack at Dawn'' and ''Part II: Star Rise''.
81* ''Literature/AgainDangerousVisions'' was published in two volumes in UK hardcover, but confusingly split into ''three'' volumes in paperback.
82* ''Artamene'', a 1600s novel published in ''ten'' volumes, [[{{Doorstopper}} spanning a total of 2.1 million words]].
83* ''Literature/AshASecretHistory'' was split into four parts for US publication.
84* Creator/NealStephenson considered his ''Literature/TheBaroqueCycle'' to be either one '''very''' long book or series in eight volumes. The series was eventually published as a trilogy of three books, with each book contained two or three of the volumes in the series. Stephenson also took advantage of this set up in the second volume by presenting two volumes in one jumble, alternating between chapters of the first volume and second volume so that the two books come together to tell a single coherent story. The three volumes of the first book were published as separate mas-market paperbacks in the US.
85* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'':
86** In a weird case, ''The Belgariad'' was originally intended to be a trilogy, with the three volumes named ''Garion'', ''Ce'Nedra'', and ''Torak'' after three key characters in the story. The author was asked to split the story into five parts instead of three, resulting in the series as we know it. This is noticeable starting in the second book:
87** The climax of the second section (of three) in the second book is the climax of the main character's development up to that point.
88** The final section of the second book is a mostly self-contained episode in the story, but it sets up the quest that takes all of the third book (which ends on a {{Cliffhanger}}) and that isn't properly resolved until early in the fourth.
89** The second half of the fourth book and all of the fifth book function together as a single unit, with most of the main character's subplot in the fourth book and almost all of the SupportingLeader's subplot in the fifth book.
90** The Dutch translation of the later "stand-alone" books (''Belgarath the Sorceror'' and ''Polgara the Sorceress'') and of ''Literature/TheRedemptionOfAlthalus'' were all published as two books, as well as the French translation of the former.
91* ''Literature/TheBible'': The Old Testament books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings were originally one book. So were 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, and Ezra (the dividing line between the end of 2 Chronicles and the beginning of Ezra is in the ''middle of a sentence''). These were split in the Septuagint, with the Vulgate following the same convention, because the scrolls used by those "publishers" couldn't fit the text of the whole book, making this an OlderThanFeudalism example of ExecutiveMeddling.
92* ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' was written as a single novel and published as a series of four. Most later editions of it divide it into two books.
93* ''Literature/CalLeandros'': ''Nightlife'' has been published in Japan as two books.
94* The Spanish release of the {{Doorstopper}} ''Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}'' was split into three volumes titled after the three encryption algorithms covered in the series: ''El Código Enigma'', ''El Código Pontifex'' and ''El Código Aretusa''.
95* ''Literature/TheDeedOfPaksenarrion'' also had to be split into three volumes.
96* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations'', the very long TV story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan The Daleks' Master Plan]]" was split into two books. "The Trial of a Time Lord" was split into four books, but it had been originally produced as four separate TV stories and comes across more as a season with an unusually strong StoryArc than as a single story.
97* At least one French translation of ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' splits the novel into two volumes. The story is divided into three parts, the separation happening in the middle of the second part.
98* ''Literature/TheExpanse'': ''Leviathan Wakes'' has been published in Poland as two books.
99* ''Literature/HandOfThrawn'': The German translation of ''Vision of the Future'' was split into two volumes.
100* The ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'' trilogy was originally pitched as one book but split into three to have some hope of actually being read.
101* Creator/CliveBarker's ''Literature/{{Imajica}}'' was split into two volumes. Something similar happened with his ''Books of Blood''.
102* Creator/MarcelProust's ''Literature/InSearchOfLostTime'' was originally published in seven volumes, due to its length. Modern versions are usually in 2, 6 or 7-volume sets.
103* Creator/AlanMoore's almost 1300-page novel ''Jerusalem'' was split into three volumes for the American softcover edition.
104* {{Inverted|Trope}} with ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'', which was intended to be in the style of the Victorian three-volume novel but ended up as [[{{Doorstopper}} one giant-ass book]]. (It did, however, end up published as three volumes in Poland.)
105* ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'': Creator/PatrickRothfuss wrote the whole story over 14 years and then submitted it -- ''then'' his publisher told him to make it a trilogy, so he had to rewrite it yet again.
106* The ''Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata'' books ''When the Devil Dances'' and ''Hell's Faire'' were originally to be published as one volume. However, the [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror September 11, 2001]] attacks left Creator/JohnRingo unable to work on the book for a time, running up against the scheduled publishing date. The work was split into two books to keep it from being extremely late (instead of only somewhat late), as explained in [[WordOfGod the afterword]] of ''Hell's Faire''.
107* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was famously split into three volumes for publication, and in fact to this day is commonly (and erroneously) referred to as a trilogy. It is technically a single novel. This is further confused by the fact that each of the three "parts" -- ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', ''The Two Towers'', and ''The Return of the King'' -- is divided into two of what Tolkien called "books", making six "books" in total. This is using the meaning of "book" as a division of an epic.
108* The ''Literature/MapsInAMirror'' [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was originally published as a single volume, but it has also been published as four books (''The Changed Man'', ''Flux'', ''Monkey Sonatas'', and ''Cruel Miracles'') and as two separate volumes (''Volume 1'', containing parts 1 and 2, and ''Volume Two'', containing parts 3 and 4). Only the full, undivided editions contain "Lost Songs: The Hidden Stories".
109* The first novel in ''Literature/TheMerchantPrincesSeries'' was split into two books. What had originally been planned to be the second book ended up being split into ''four''. Even after being partly re-written to publish the series in an omnibus edition, it still finished as three books rather than the original two.
110* ''Literature/LesMiserables'' is over 1900 pages in the original French, and to this day is usually published as two separate volumes. English translations usually come in around 1500 pages (more with appendices); some of these are published as two volumes as well.
111* ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'' was split into six books for the American release.
112* Creator/CordwainerSmith's ''Norstrilia'' was originally split into two volumes, ''The Planet Buyer'' and ''The Underpeople''. It took the better part of another decade for the complete novel to be published. To make the novel fit better into a two-volume format, Smith added some new material to the end of one book and the beginning of the next. The additional scenes are not necessary to the plot but may be of interest to Smith completists.
113* Some editions of ''Literature/NorwegianWood'' split the novel in two very small volumes, one red and one green (sometimes inside a gold-colored case, as per [[http://www4.alibris-static.com/isbn/9781860468001.gif here]]). As the novel is not particularly long (and in at least one case the split causes a mid-chapter break), this was presumably done for strictly aesthetic reasons.
114* The second and third books of ''Literature/OldKingdom'' are basically one story, but after Creator/GarthNix finished writing ''Lirael'', he apparently realized that this was getting [[{{Doorstopper}} way, way too long]] for a single young-adult-aimed fantasy novel and split it in half.
115* When translated into German, the {{Anthology}} ''Literature/PossibleTomorrows'' was also incorporated into an existing series, and then split into two different publications. Since each book had three stories, a translation of "Literature/TheMissionaries'' (by Creator/EverettBCole) was added to the second book.
116* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'':
117** The first book, ''Magician'', is usually published in two parts, called ''Magician: Apprentice'' and ''Magician: Master''. This may vary by region; in Australia, it is more common to find it published as a single volume and only imported versions split into two parts.
118** The Czech translation continues with the splits into the sequels as well, publishing the ''Empire'' trilogy in five books (splitting the second and third volume into two books each), splitting ''The King's Buccaneer'' into ''Crydee'' and ''Novindus'' volumes, and dividing ''The Serpentwar Saga'' into a total of 8 volumes, two for each book.
119* Books three and four of the ''Literature/{{Rihannsu}}'' series were originally meant to be one volume, but ExecutiveMeddling forced ''Literature/{{Swordhunt}}'' to be split in two, creating ''Literature/HonorBlade'', with the chapter numbers starting at six. The ''Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages'' {{omnibus}} merges them back together.
120* The ''Literature/RiftersTrilogy'' novel ''βehemoth'' was split by Tor Publishing into two books: ''βehemoth: β-Max'' and ''βehemoth: Seppuku''. This did not go over well with Creator/PeterWatts.
121* ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' is often divided for publication, as is ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and other classical Chinese novels.
122* Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold originally submitted the first two books of ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'' as a single book.
123* The first story in the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' series was split into ''Spellsinger'' and ''The Hour of the Gate''.
124* ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' was originally intended as one book for the adult market, but Creator/TamoraPierce had to cut and rewrite it into four parts to market it as a young adult title.
125* The UK edition of ''Literature/AStormOfSwords'' was split into two volumes, ''Steel and Snow'' and ''Blood and Gold'' (661 and 637 pages in paperback, including appendices). The French edition split it into ''four'' volumes -- and, in fact, the French translations of all the ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' books were split into at least two volumes, and again in the UK with the ''Literature/ADanceWithDragons'' paperback, split into ''Dreams and Dust'' and ''After the Feast''. This happened in the American series as well, as ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'' came into being accidentally, originally intended to be ''A Dance with Dragons''. However, ''Dance'' was too large in whatever form it was in at the time, so Creator/GeorgeRRMartin split it into two books based on character POV groupings as opposed to chronology. Fans have since crafted reading lists that allow readers to follow the books' plots in chronological order just like the rest of the series.
126* Creator/BrandonSanderson's own ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' series is subject to this, with ''Literature/TheWayOfKings2010'' and ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' both being divided into two parts for the UK edition. This seems to have been dropped beginning with ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'', which is ironically the longest instalment so far.
127* ''Literature/TheSuccessionDuology'' was split into two volumes, ''The Risen Empire'' and ''Killing of Worlds''. Confusingly, the book was published as a single volume in the UK, under the title ''The Risen Empire'' (704 pages in paperback).
128* The original Czech translation of ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' split every single book into two volumes.
129* ''Literature/SylvieAndBruno'' was written as a single novel, but due to its length, Creator/LewisCarroll's publisher suggested it be released as two volumes. Thus, it was separated into ''Sylvie and Bruno'' and ''Sylvie and Bruno Concluded'', published four years apart.
130* ''Literature/TheTaleOfGenji'', due to its sheer length, is frequently divided into two volumes.
131* The 2018-on reissue of ''Literature/TheUnicornChronicles'' divides book #3 (''Dark Whispers'') into two books, ''Enter the Whisperer'' and ''Secret of the Delvers'', with appropriate edits (and some entirely new chapters). Similarly, the original book #4 (''The Last Hunt'') is being divided and expanded into three books (''The Invasion of Luster'', ''The Wounded Tree'' and ''The Gathered Glory''), thus bringing the entire series to a more uniform length.
132* The second volume of the ''Literature/WarsOfLightAndShadow'' series, ''Literature/ShipsOfMerior'', was such a {{Doorstopper}} that it couldn't be published in paperback form as one book, so the paperback version is split into two volumes, entitled ''Ships of Merior'' and ''Warhost of Vastmark''.
133* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'':
134** The first two books were split in half as part of a 'young adult special edition'. This doesn't seem to have done well, none of the other books were split. The German translation of the series has passed 31 books, corresponding to the first 11 books and prequel in the English version.
135** The final three books -- ''The Gathering Storm'', ''Towers of Midnight'' and ''A Memory of Light'' -- were originally intended to be one book ("Even if they have to invent a new method of bookbinding and sell it complete with its own library cart"), but upon taking over the writing of the series after Creator/RobertJordan's death, Creator/BrandonSanderson immediately decided to split it into thirds. Given the each of those three books are nearly a thousand pages, that was probably a good idea.
136** The Swedish print versions of the books where all split up in half when published to not make them as big {{Doorstopper}}s, effectively doubling the number of books in the collection.
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
140* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E3FrontierInSpace "Frontier in Space"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E4PlanetOfTheDaleks "Planet of the Daleks"]] were written as a single twelve-part serial, which would've tied it with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan "The Daleks' Master Plan"]] for the position of the show's longest story by episode count (discounting "The Trial of a Time Lord", which was billed as a 14-part story but written and produced as four interconnected serials). However, the production team ultimately decided to bill the two as a pair of interconnected six-part serials, hence why part six of "Frontier in Space" ends on a {{cliffhanger}} that gets reprised and resolved in part one of "Planet of the Daleks".
141* The US version of ''Series/ResurrectionErtugrul'' splits dozens of 2-hour episodes into 40-45 minute segments that are more bearable for Westerners.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Music]]
145* Music/GunsNRoses' ''Use Your Illusion'' 1 & 2.
146* When Music/SteveMiller wrote and recorded ''Fly Like An Eagle'', he had enough good songs for two records. Half were released on ''Fly Like An Eagle'' in 1976, with the other half released on ''Book Of Dreams'' a year later.
147* While producing a follow-up to ''Music/OKComputer'', Music/{{Radiohead}} had so much usable material that they considered releasing it as a double album. However, this was considered too dense of a product, and as a result it was split into ''Music/KidA'' and ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'', released six months apart from one another. While the original double album configuration was never revisited, the pair saw their 20th anniversaries celebrated together with the ''Kid A Mnesia'' set, which featured both ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac'' plus a bonus disc of outtakes.
148* Music/{{REM}} wrote so much material for ''Music/{{Reckoning}}'' and ''Music/LifesRichPageant'' that they were both considered for release as double albums. However, the idea was shot down in favor of a single-disc release both times; the songs that were removed in the process were revisited in different forms across multiple later albums.
149* Music/SimpleMinds recorded many songs for ''Sons And Fascination'', and liked so many that they couldn't fit them all onto one album (optimum space for a vinyl LP is around 22 minutes per side). They initially were going to put out ''Sons And Fascination'' as a double album, but decided that might make people think they were a ProgressiveRock group rather than the NewWaveMusic band they wanted to be. Instead, they released the second half as a separate album called ''Sister Feelings Call''. This was originally shrinkwrapped with ''Sons And Fascination'', and later sold as a budget release. Both albums are available on one CD and are now considered by the band to be one album again, simply titled ''Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call''.
150[[/folder]]
151
152[[folder:Video Games]]
153* Several Famicom Disk System were released in two parts, such as ''Shin Onigashima'', ''Yuuyuuki'', ''Time Twist'' and both [[VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClubTheMissingHeir the]] first [[VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClubTheGirlWhoStandsBehind two]] entries in the ''VideoGame/FamicomDetectiveClub'' series. Squaresoft's ambitious RPG ''Seiken Densetsu: Emergence of Excalibur'' (no relation to the later ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Seiken Densetsu]]'' series), was planned to be released in five parts, but the whole project ended up being cancelled.
154* The [[InteractiveFiction text adventure game]] ''Dungeon'', originally developed for the PDP-10, was adapted into the ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' games for microcomputers, due to memory / disk size limitations. ''Zork 1'' and ''Zork 2'' are the two halves of the original ''Dungeon,'' with a few details added to each to round them out. ''Zork 3'' (other than one puzzle) was developed ''de novo'' by Infocom.
155* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'' and its direct sequel ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' were conceptualized as one game. When the game shifted from the N64 to the GBA, it had to be split due to space limits, but also allowed the story to be given more depth. The main character of the second game is [[spoiler:an antagonist from the first, and]] the game explores his [[spoiler:much more complex]] motivations.
156* The Platform/{{Atari 2600}} port of ''VideoGame/Miner2049er'' was released in two parts due to system limitations, but even both put together had only 6 out of the original 10 levels.
157* Falcom's ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' needed to be divided. The game that would be known as Trails in the Sky First Chapter was released at a good stopping point before the story begins in earnest. The second game starts immediately after the first ends as a direct continuation. Considering the First Chapter clocks in at above 400000 words, and the second at more than 700000, you can see why the plan to publish it as one large game needed to be scrapped with its [[DoorStopper sheer volume of text]], to say nothing of the stint of DevelopmentHell for the translation team at ''Creator/XSeedGames'' to localize it all. When Second Chapter came out, the PSP port required two UMD drives to play, making it one of the largest games on the handheld. Thankfully The Third written after the games were published is a still long, but more managable 250000 words or so, acting as an extended epilogue.
158* History repeated itself with ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel II'', which was so large that it capped the size limitation of the ''Vita'' where it was natively published, requiring Falcom to create a third game to put in the remaining material.
159* Irony struck yet again with ''III'', which now takes the trophy as largest game in the franchise with just over a million words of text and crossing over several characters from the previous arcs, only for the ending to reveal a cliffhanger so devious it borders on NoEnding at all. A fourth and final game was made the following year to wrap up the Erebonia storyline for good. The fanbase went into such an uproar ''Falcom'' has gone on record to promise the following arcs won't exceed two games in length. Then interviews implied they're working on DLC stories for ''Cold Steel IV''...
160* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes'' was originally intended to be a prologue portion of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', but was repurposed as a stand-alone game with several additional missions set in the same location as an appetizer due to the prolonged development of the main game. As an incentive to get people to buy both games, completing ''Ground Zeroes'' unlocks additional content for ''Phantom Pain''. Eventually both games were released as a bundle titled ''Metal Gear Solid V: The Definite Edition''.
161* When the Platform/PCEngine port of ''VideoGame/RType'' was first developed, the ROM capacity of [=HuCards=] at the time were limited to 2-Megabits, which was not sufficient enough to contain the whole game. Thus, the Japanese version was split into two separately sold [=HuCards=]. ''R-Type I'' contains the first four stages, while ''R-Type II'' (not to be confused with the arcade sequel of the same name) contains the final four stages. While the two [=HuCards=] function as they were individual games, completing ''R-Type I'' gives you a password that can be used in ''R-Type II'' that carries over your score, lives and power-ups from the first game. Likewise, completing ''R-Type II'' gives you a password that allows you to start the second loop at ''R-Type I''. These size constraints were no longer an issue by the time the U.S. version was made, allowing the whole game to fit into a single 4-Megabit [=HuCard=].
162* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndTheSevenSirens'': The game was released in two installments. Part 1 released for Platform/AppleArcade and Platform/MacOS in Fall 2019, with Part 2 released in March 2020; the full version of the game released for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and PC in May 2020. The game also received a free update in November 2021 that rebalanced the difficulty and added new game modes.
163* The ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' series was supposed to be released in serialized installments that would have spanned 16 chapters across at least four games for the Platform/{{Dreamcast}}. But since the first two games failed to recoup their expensive development budget (even after ''Shenmue II'' was ported to the Xbox), concrete plans for a third game in the series didn't materialize until 2015 before it was eventually released in 2019... with director and producer Creator/YuSuzuki hinting that he still sticking to that four titles plan.
164* ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''. It had to be split into two cartridges: Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. However, thanks to the "lock-on" technology, which allowed users to insert their ''Sonic 3'' cartridges onto ''Sonic & Knuckles'', this became [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools kind of a good thing]], as otherwise Knuckles probably wouldn't have become playable, much less in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2''.
165* ''VideoGame/TwilightSyndrome'' was initially envisioned as a single release with ten scenarios, but [[TroubledProduction complications]] and [[ScheduleSlip delays]] during production led to it instead receiving two separate releases with six episodes each (not counting the bonus episode), ''Search Volume'' and ''Investigation Volume'', which tell a continuous storyline bridged by a {{Cliffhanger}} which is meant to be a unified experience.
166* ''Episodes I'' & ''II'' of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' were originally intended to be one game. About half the original trailer for ''Episode I'' is comprised of scenes that don't occur until ''Episode II''. Monolith later published a version for the Platform/NintendoDS which had the plot of both games forged into a single cohesive narrative aptly titled ''Episode I&II''. They never stated [[SchrodingersGun which version was canon]] vis-a-vis the rest of the series, though.
167* The first two installments of Creator/{{Falcom}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series, ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen'' and ''VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter'', were originally written as two parts of the same story, which is why most remakes, starting with the Platform/{{TurboGrafx CD}} version remake both games as one.
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170[[folder:Web Original]]
171* Creator/UrsulaVernon of ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}'' fame had a WebSerialNovel called "Black Dogs" which is making the jump to print in two parts - as of mid-2009, only Part One is out.
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174[[folder:Western Animation]]
175* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' was planned to be a six-season series with each season comprising of 13 episodes, but ExecutiveMeddling resulted season 3 and 4 to be split into season 3-6, which ultimately totalled the season count to eight.
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178[[folder:Other]]
179* Sets of Architectural and Engineering design drawings require special bindings and storage techniques that publishers don't use. A single 36"x48" design drawing printed out on paper weighs more than a 72 page (36 sheet) trade paperback. They aren't bound with glue. They are bound with staples or screws. Hand drawn antique mylar, vellum, sepia, and/or linen originals are much heavier and often stored unbound in drawers so that they won't distort.
180* This is a common practice in Japanese publishing in general. Books with a high page count will often be released as two or more smaller volumes of no more than 200 pages or so. There are a few reasons for this, but one is because this is thought of as more practical; compared to a full-length book, a couple of slim softcovers are more portable (the better to bring on the long train commute to and from work) and take up less shelf space in cramped apartments.
181* The original design of the board game ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan'' included additional content like a board consisting of multiple islands and the ability to construct ships. The publisher decided to simplify the base game and make these elements into the first [[ExpansionPack expansion]] ''The Seafarers of Catan''. This decision has been blamed for [[ExecutiveMeddling creating balance issues in the base game]], especially decreasing the value of wool as a trading commodity.
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