Downton Abbey is ending soon, but you’ll be able to drown your sorrows in Julian Fellowes’ new book.
The creator of the hit PBS show is writing a novel called Belgravia that investigates class divisions between old and new money in London during the time of the Industrial Revolution. It will be divided into 11 installments to be distributed to readers weekly on a digital platform—a modern take on Charles Dickens’ serial literature.
Chapters cost $1.99 each, or the full set can be bought for $13.99, the New York Times reports. Each installment will come with audio, music, video, character portraits, family trees, and pictures to help readers get a better sense of the setting. Chapters will be available through the novel’s official website or major e-book retailers, including Amazon (AMZN) and Barnes & Noble (BKS).
The first chapter of Belgravia will be released in April, shortly after the Downton Abbey finale airs. Jamie Raab, president and publisher at Grand Central Publishing, told the Times the timing was strategically set to attract fans of the show looking for more after it ends.
Raab added that she was drawn to the idea of releasing Belgravia in installments because Fellowes has proven through Downton Abbey that he’s capable of keeping an audience engaged week after week. “He gets how to keep the story paced so that you’re caught up in the current episode, then you’re left with a cliffhanger,” she explained.
The company will publish a hardcover version of the novel in July.
