Serial romance has become a new norm in indie publishing, at least if we’re talking about erotic romance or erotica in general. A more popular author doing this right now is Delilah Fawkes, author of The Billionaire’s Beck and Call series. Donovan and I have each decided to write at least one serial for our Seductive Dreams imprint. Donovan is writing a serial called A Game of Inches, a gay football romance. I’ve chosen to write my own take on the very popular billionaire domination story.

     Writing a novel requires a different approach than the short story format. Serial writing requires yet another unique approach. I’m writing The Billionaire’s Bedmate like this: I have three major scenes per instalment, all of which raise important questions, and have a cliff-hanger at the end so the reader will be excited about the next instalment. The cliff-hanger has always been in the nature of serials, and I try to add more by keeping the reader curious at all times. It occurred to me that if all novels in general were written like serials then whole novels would pack way more of a punch.

     My instalments are longer than many you will find of the billionaire domination variety. Please don’t take that as a knock against other authors who are currently writing these serials, as it isn’t intended to be. But I find that the biggest customer complaint about these serials is their length. So, I make mine longer so the readers are more comfortable with the price paid per instalment.

     So far, I’m really enjoying the process. It’s nice to write this just a little at a time rather than have to push myself to write it all at once. That allows me to work on other things that I want to, but I can also return to some very enjoyable characters regularly.

     If you’re considering writing a serial, my advice is to make your instalments a bit weightier. That way your readers will be happier. Make your characters ask tons of questions, particularly as the motivations of other characters are concerned. That will keep readers curious. And, most of all, give your readers one doozy of a cliff-hanger so they’ll be good and excited about the next instalment.

     I invite you to have a look at instalment #1 of The Billionaire’s Bedmate – “His Commanding Touch”, which is available at Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords.