[iaefai]

I think the poll is missing one critical answer - those that will read them and complete books.

Now onto the first thing that crossed my mind: Some of the best books in the science fiction and mystery genres have been serials.

An example of Sherlock Holmes was given, which is probably fair. Not being around at that time, I don't know if what I have seen of stories were split up or not. But what I remember about his stories is that each one seemed to basically be a short story that could stand on its own, with a little bit of context perhaps.

Asimov's Foundation 'trilogy' started out as a serial. Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles is most definitely a short story collection format, but has so much in common with a serial.

Were Asimov's and Doyle's serials sold on their own initially? No. They were sold as part of a publication. In fact, they are very much like the original Doctor Who.

I would submit that a serial format is not a bad thing, but individual stories may not be the great method of doing it. I would suggest collections, magazines, or other collations would be better suited.

But at the same time, I would not want to discourage the serial author.