An 18th-century sequel moveSourced
The manuscript grew too long.
A subplot became another book.
In 1794, British novelist Elizabeth Gunning's manuscript exceeded her four-volume contract for The Packet. She split off Lord Fitzhenry's story into a separate novel, left his earlier appearance on a cliffhanger, and directed readers to the next book.
The cliffhanger
is an old publishing trick.
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Lord Fitzhenry · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01