Have you ever read the serial before reading the book?

A number of times, all of them in Analog. My other regular s-f fix, Fantasy and Science Fiction rarely prints serials and I recall none coming out in book form later.

This is what I was going to mention. I didn’t read the whole thing in serial form, just a few chapters here and there, but eventually read the entire novel when it came out.

I read The Stars My Destination in a Boucher anthology, but I read The Demolished Man in Galaxy.
I’ve read lots of serials back when I was more caught up on my magazines. I seldom reread the book when I get it because I’ve got too many books I haven’t read yet in the queue.

The Martian.

Not sure whether this counts, but I regularly read Manga in serial form and in book form. Mix and match, usually. Though I expect to buy the book version of Hunter X Hunter when it comes out, even though it will be a re-read. The serial form is a little difficult to follow, not least of all because of the slow release schedule.

The Overlook by Michael Connelly was serialised in the New York Times Magazine around ten years ago. Even with sixteen installments, it felt stripped down and a bit light. Or maybe that was just the effect caused by reading it in dribs and drabs, once a week. Connelly added a bunch of stuff and released it as a novel the following year. It was better than the serials, imo.