What Is A Serial? With Natashya Wilson

I am so, so excited to welcome my friend, Natashya Wilson, onto the blog. Tashya is one of the top editors over at HarlequinTEEN and an all around amazing woman. She took the time out of her insanely busy schedule (not even kidding - I've seen her office in person and can attest to her crazy amount of work) to explain a little about how these "serial novels" work. 

1.   So what exactly is a serial novel?

A serial is a story told in parts or episodes—like a TV show, or the original style of publishing novels via a weekly paper or other recurring publication. The story is divided into parts, to be read in order, that are released at regular intervals.

2.   Was RUN TO YOU originally planned as a serial novel? If no, then why was it decided to make this book into a serial?

RUN TO YOU came to me as a complete novel. When we acquired it for our digital-first program, we were looking for a story that could be released as a serial. Author Clara Kensie’s tight, intense thriller element combined with sweet romance and intriguing (psychic!) family secrets offered perfect breaking points in the story, places where the relationships and plot revelations reached highs and lows that raised the stakes and revealed crucial elements while feeling like a complete act or scene. We decided to make it our first serialized novel in Harlequin TEEN.

3.   Is editing a serial different from editing a full-length novel?

It isn’t different in general, you’re still looking for the same things—are the characters “in character” and consistent, do they have desires/goals that drive story and conflict, does the plot hold together, are there holes, are the stakes high enough, does the dialogue ring true, is the pace balanced, and more. But with a serial, you do want to be sure each break point brings the story to a new level and feels like a mini-ending, but that there is still more story to tell if readers are interested. Luckily, Clara is terrific at that and made sure each break point is as strong as possible!

4. Will serials eventually be available in print format?

All our digital first titles have potential to be printed in the future, though we have no specific plans at this time.

5. Does HarlequinTeen have any other serial books coming up?

Currently RUN TO YOU is our only serial, with parts 1-3 having been released, and parts 4-6 coming up in June 2014. We are so excited to share what happens next for Tessa and Tristan in Clara Kensie’s thrilling and romantic story! We may do another serial in the near future, stay tuned to our social media (@HarlequinTEEN on Twitter and Harlequin TEEN’s Facebook page) for news about our digital first books and all our titles.

Thank you, Hannah, for hosting me on your blog! If readers have any questions about our serial and Harlequin TEEN, I would be  very happy to answer them.

So there you have it! Clara Kensie's RUN TO YOU was my first experience with a serial novel, and if they're half as good as this, then I cannot recommend them enough! And don't forget, Part I is still free:

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