There’s a certain magic to a book that makes you forget the time, forget the laundry, and possibly even forget to feed your pets. (Just me?)
You know the ones: you whisper “just one more chapter” and suddenly it's 3 AM, your partner is snoring beside you, your tea’s gone cold, and you’re Googling whether the sequel is out yet.
Welcome to Bingeable Books—the secret sauce, the literary addiction, the reason readers willingly sacrifice sleep and sanity for your story. And no, it’s not just about a snappy plot. Plot’s important, yes, but plot alone won’t glue a book to a reader’s soul.
So what does?
Here are FIVE important elements to ensure your stories keep your readers bingeing on your books. Plus, a Bingeable Breakdown at the end to reinforce all these points and drive them home!
1. Characters We’d Die (or Kill) For
If your characters feel real, wounded, flawed, fascinating, and maybe even just a little bit dangerous, we’ll follow them anywhere. Even into morally questionable decisions or slow-burn challenges that take four books to complete.
Here’s the thing: they don’t need to be likeable.
Likeable means “I’d have a nice chat with them over tea.”
Compelling, on the other hand, means “I can’t stop watching them crash, burn, claw their way out, and do it all again.”
Compelling characters do many things to us:
- They stir up curiosity.
- They make us uncomfortable.
- They reveal deep layers to intrigue us.
- They drive us to keep reading because they’re unpredictable in ways that feel earned.
- They reveal something deeper—about themselves, about us, and about what it means to be human.
So no, your protagonist doesn’t need to be someone we’d invite to Sunday lunch. But if they make us feel something? We’re hooked.
2. Relentless Curiosity
Each chapter should end with your reader's desperate whisper: “What happens next?”
That’s not about tacking on drama for the sake of it. It’s about ...