A novel that's published in multiple parts. Popularized in the 19th century, when many writers (including Creator/CharlesDickens and Creator/ArthurConanDoyle) would publish their novels first as monthly or weekly installments in magazines, alongside short stories and novellas. Venues included both dedicated "digest" magazines like ''Magazine/{{Strand}}'' or ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'', and more general magazines like ''Magazine/{{Life}}'' or ''Magazine/{{Esquire}}'' (and sometimes... ''[[IReadItForTheArticles Playboy]]''.) From [[TheGreatDepression the 1930's]] (or earlier) until quite recently many ScienceFiction stories first appeared as serials, being republished as {{Novel}}s later. As time has passed, most readers now get their fix directly from separately printed books. Quite a bit of the more popular FanFiction is published in a serial format. Compare PatchworkStory, where originally individual works are combined into one coherent narrative.

The WebSerialNovel can be considered the format's online SpiritualSuccessor.
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!!Examples of Serial Novels include:

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': ''The Andalite Chronicles'' was originally published as three separate parts, and ''Megamorphs #1'' was published as two. Both were later re-released as single volumes.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov:
** ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'': Each book in the {{Trilogy}} is comprised of several stories that began as short fiction in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.
*** "Literature/TheMule": Despite being {{Novella}} length instead of {{Novel}}, when "The Mule" was first published in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'', it showed up in two parts; the November 1945 and December 1945 issues.
*** "Literature/SearchByTheFoundation": Despite being {{Novella}} length instead of {{Novel}}, when "...And Now You Don't" was first published in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'', it showed up in three parts; the November 1949, December 1949, and January 1950 issues.
** "{{Literature/Hostess}}": This {{Novelette}} was published in four parts when it was translated into the Italian magazine ''{{Literature/Urania}}''.
* ''Literature/BridgetJones'' began as a newspaper column in ''The Independent''.
* Creator/ArthurJBurks's ''[[Literature/EarthTheMaradur Earth, the Marauder]]'' was published in three parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 July 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/HalClement's ''Literature/{{Needle}}'' was serialized in a PulpMagazine.
* Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/TheMonstersOfMorleyManor'': During books seven through eleven of ''Literature/BruceCovillesBookOf'', each book began with a portion of this story. The five portions - "Little Monsters", "Through The Starry Door", "A Trip To The Land of the Dead", "When Evil Wakes and The Coldest Touch" - were [[OrwellianRetcon revised]] and published as this book.
* Creator/RayCummings:
** ''Literature/BrigandsOfTheMoon'' was published in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 March 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
** ''Literature/JettaOfTheLowlands'' was published in three parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 September 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/CharlesWillardDiffin:
** ''Literature/BlueMagic'' was published by ''{{Magazine/Analog}}'' in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1935 November 1935 issue]].
** ''Literature/ThePiratePlanet'' was published in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 November 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/LSpragueDeCamp's ''Literature/TheStolenDormouse'' was published in two parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1941 April 1941 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* ''Literature/TheDoll'': Originally ran as a newspaper serial in 1887-1889.
* Creator/AlexandreDumas: Several novels were originally published as serials, including ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', and ''Literature/TwentyYearsAfter''.
* Creator/CharlesLHarness's ''Literature/FlightIntoYesterday'' was serialized in a PulpMagazine.
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein:
** ''Literature/BeyondThisHorizon'' was published (as by [[PenName Anson MacDonald]]) in two issues, starting from [[Recap/Analog1942 April 1942]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
** ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn ...'' was published in two parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1940 February 1940]] issue of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
** ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'' was published in three parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1941 July 1941 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
** ''Literature/SixthColumn'' was published in three parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1941 January 1941 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/LRonHubbard
** Hubbard (as [[PenName Frederick Engelhardt]]) wrote ''[[Literature/GeneralSwampCIC General Swamp, C.I.C.]]'', which was published in two parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1939 August 1939]] issue.
** ''Literature/FinalBlackout'' was published in three parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1940 April 1940]] issue of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/RaymondFJones' ''Literature/ThisIslandEarth'' was serialized in ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' in three parts between June 1949 and February 1950.
* Creator/StephenKing published his novel ''Literature/TheGreenMile'' in six installments.
* Creator/CyrilMKornbluth and Creator/FrederikPohl's ''Literature/TheSpaceMerchants'' was serialized in a PulpMagazine under the name ''Gravy Planet''.
* Creator/MurrayLeinster's ''Literature/MurderMadness'' was published in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 May 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/FVWMason's ''Literature/PhalanxesOfAtlans'' was published in two parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1931 February 1931 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* ''Literature/LesMiserables'', which is why it is such an infamous {{Doorstopper}}.
* ''{{Literature/Musashi}}'': Published over four years, and it shows in its episodic nature.
* Michael [=McDowell=]'s ''Literature/{{Blackwater}}'' saga was originally published in six parts.
* Creator/VladimirNabokov's ''{{Literature/Pnin}}'': Published in installments in ''The New Yorker'' while he was looking for a publisher for the controversial ''{{Literature/Lolita}}''.
* Creator/VictorRousseau's ''Literature/TheBeetleHorde'' was published in two parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1930 January 1930 issue]] of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/EEDocSmith's
** ''[[Literature/{{Lensman}} Galactic Patrol]]'' was published by ''{{Magazine/Analog}}'' in six parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1937 October 1937 issue]].
** ''[[Literature/{{Lensman}} Gray Lensman]]'' was published by ''{{Magazine/Analog}}'' in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1939 October 1939]] issue.
* Creator/AEVanVogt's ''{{Literature/Slan}}'' was published in four parts, starting with the [[Recap/Analog1940 September 1940]] issue of ''{{Magazine/Analog}}''.
* Creator/ManlyWadeWellman's ''Literature/TheDarkDestroyers'' (1959) was originally published in the [[Recap/Analog1938 December 1938]] and [[Recap/Analog1939 January 1939]] issues of ''Magazine/AstoundingStories'', under the name ''Literature/NuisanceValue''.
* Creator/JackWilliamson's ''Literature/SeeteeShock'' was serialized in a PulpMagazine.
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheCity'' was originally a serial in the ''San Francisco Chronicle''.
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