What a very encouraging pattern, ElHawk. Thanks for sharing, and congrats on the success.

 

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As a reader, I've always enjoyed books in a series, Burroughs, Asimov, Moorcock, Rowling. And more recently I've been enjoying the Pendergast books by Lincoln and Child. I think it has something to do with staying in a world we know with characters that become something more than words on a page. I always pick up the next book if it ties into the previous one I liked. In fact, I buy the next series release before another stand alone.

I think it also has something to do with finding authors you like. When I find a new writer that I enjoy, I usually read everything they ever published.

Me too!! As an avid reader, I love reading series (not serials but series) because it makes it easier for me to find books to read -- I just follow the author's series and keep on reading them. E.g. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series...

The thing that's stood out to me in 2013 is how much working with a series of novels has sustained my sales. I released two new books in the series in 2013 (yeah, that's all... With a demanding day job and a crazy commute, plus an out-of-state wedding to plan this year, my writing time has been sadly limited ) and it's amazing to me how much momentum that's given all my books.

That's good to know! As a writer, I love writing series because once I've established the MC and her minions, it's just so much easier to write the next books bc I don't have to set up my story world all over again!!

So I'm so glad to hear that series do help to set the momentum. That tells me I'm on the right path.

But it's also difficult for me in terms of a lesson in patience as a writer because right or wrong, I'm of the belief that I need to write at least 3 books in the series before I publish the first one. So now my series are all delayed and I'm not a happy camper with all these publication date adjustments.

So.... questions if I may:

- How long is each book in your series? I was shooting for 100K per book in my thrillers but I'm paring that down to 80K. But it's still a long book and a long series. For my historical fiction, I'm shooting for 60-70K because that's how each book wants to be, but I am wondering if anybody here writes a series that is 40K per book?

- How frequently do you publish your books in the series? I have a fast copyeditor/proofreader when he is not busy, but I am thinking of spacing each book in the series every 3 months to give me time to format and do covers. When I put on my reader hat, I'm like -- I don't want to wait 3 months to read the next book LOL. That's why we rent the entire series of TV shows from Netflix and blitz through the entire season so I don't have to wait until "next week" to see the "next episode" LOL.

Thoughts? TIA!!

And Merry Christmas!

 

Happy holidays, everybody! Eat lots of cookies.

NOW THAT is advice I can get behind! I fully endorse it, lets try it at once!

 

Very encouraging! I am shifting my goal for 2014 to strictly write in one series to conclusion. I was trying to write out several different series at once, and its just been a mess. My first goal is to mad dash to the third book, which seems to be a major series milestone(momentum point) based on your post and previous kboards posts. Congrats on your success El.

But it's also difficult for me in terms of a lesson in patience as a writer because right or wrong, I'm of the belief that I need to write at least 3 books in the series before I publish the first one. So now my series are all delayed and I'm not a happy camper with all these publication date adjustments.

Jan, I've been considering doing this as well. I want to get book three out and then I am considering writing books 4-7 to at least first draft stage before I publish book four, to build kind of a "back-list". Then with that series done, I can turn my attention to another series and write it to completion while publishing the first series. Other than the patience issue, have you found that writing all at once a benefit?

 

Consider having a short prequel (10k or so) ready to go for when sales begin to flag. You could put it out at $0.99 and try for perma-free.

Book Deal's got some stuff on that this month: http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/

 

Pass those cookies!   Happy Holidays to you, too, El.

 

As a reader I like series. Most of what I read it seems is a series lately, especially in UF. But like Jan, I like series, not serials. But, I won't touch a series if there is only one book out, especially if the author doesn't have a track record.
I prefer to see at least 3 out before I even start the series, even with well known authors. I feel better when there are 4.

I think many readers feel that way and its why you see a spike in the first when later series editions are out.

I get giddy if I come across a series that is done and finished and I know I have like 8 books there for the taking and an ending.  Given of course the series is good and keeps my attention. I been lucky in that way I guess. Or I listen well to other readers. 

Do not underestimate the power of a back list. 

 

I'm a big fan of series as both a reader and an author.

I'll be starting at least one, possibly two, spin-off series this year. And while I know some readers will want to wait until there are more books in the series to start, I'll be publishing them as I finish.

 

People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. The same is true for readers.  If they've discovered one of your books and like your writing style, your characters, then they'll look forward to reading more of the same vs having to "test drive" a new author and hope they like their novel.

If your MC goes through life progressions (falls in love, gets married, has kids, etc) through your series then that's something additional your readers can connect or relate with.

It's not a coincidence that many of the top-selling authors (Sandford, Stephen King, James Patterson, JK Rowling, Lee Child, etc) write series.  I've read all of Sandford's Prey series (20+ books) because I really connected with his MC Lucas Davenport. I've enjoyed not just the story but seeing how he's matured as a person over time.  Some of his Davenport's thoughts/feelings about marriage are downright funny (to me) and I can relate as a fellow married guy... it's those little touches which helps me connect with the book even more.

 

I get giddy if I come across a series that is done and finished and I know I have like 8 books there for the taking and an ending. Given of course the series is good and keeps my attention. I been lucky in that way I guess. Or I listen well to other readers.

Do not underestimate the power of a back list.

Love long series. I got hooked after reading the first 3 Prey novels and I'll never forget my wife's face when I opened the big Amazon box with the rest of the series in it.

 

I'm a big fan of series as both a reader and an author.

I'll be starting at least one, possibly two, spin-off series this year. And while I know some readers will want to wait until there are more books in the series to start, I'll be publishing them as I finish.

But you have a track record now. Readers can see you put out new novels in a reasonable time, you didn't abandon after like one or two books and so it make it easier for readers to put that trust there. Of course some still like to have a couple of them out just because they hate waiting.

 

But it's also difficult for me in terms of a lesson in patience as a writer because right or wrong, I'm of the belief that I need to write at least 3 books in the series before I publish the first one. So now my series are all delayed and I'm not a happy camper with all these publication date adjustments.

I actually don't think that's a bad idea. In fact, I've considered doing that myself with my next series. (I probably won't, because I've done this series by writing and releasing one book at a time, and the world didn't implode on me...) But being able to put a good chunk of a series up all at once, or boom-boom-boom, one right after the other, sounds like a pretty smart business plan to me.

- How long is each book in your series? I was shooting for 100K per book in my thrillers but I'm paring that down to 80K. But it's still a long book and a long series. For my historical fiction, I'm shooting for 60-70K because that's how each book wants to be, but I am wondering if anybody here writes a series that is 40K per book?

The first three books in the series are each around 90K (a little more, a little less.) The final one will end up being about 70K. It's the big wrap-up, so all it needs to accomplish is tying up the loose ends. Not a super meaty book, but I hope a satisfying conclusion to the other three.

I don't know anything about thrillers, but 60 - 70K is on the short side for historical fiction. 90K - 120K is a more typical wordcount. However, there's no reason why a good book that's a little shorter than average wouldn't be accepted in HF. Readers love a long story in this genre, but more than anything else, they love well-depicted history and a good plot. As long as you deliver on those two points, you should be fine with shorter books, especially in a series.

- How frequently do you publish your books in the series?

This year, I published them as quickly as I could get them written, edited, and ready to go. Book Two came out in March and Book Three in late October. Book Four will be out in February. That's a much longer gap than I'd like, but with my work schedule it's what I could manage.

When I'm writing full-time, the plan is to do a new historical novel (whether part of a series or a stand-alone) every eight weeks. I'll have some other stuff coming out, too, but probably under a different pen name, and then I'll be able to work in another book or two under the primary pen name in addition to the six historicals I plan to do. I've been scrutinizing my typing speed and how many hours I put into each book from research to publishing, and I think this is a viable schedule for me, once I'm full-timing it. YMMV, of course. Much of my projected speed has to do with my insanely fast typing speed.

 

I joke that series are like cheat mode for publishing, but...it's not really a joke.

Your observations are interesting. Thank you for sharing.

 

But you have a track record now. Readers can see you put out new novels in a reasonable time, you didn't abandon after like one or two books and so it make it easier for readers to put that trust there. Of course some still like to have a couple of them out just because they hate waiting.

LOL, I'm hoping enough will jump on board with the early books. I've started abandoned series and I know that pain. I would never do it to my readers. *pinky swear*

 

LOL, I'm hoping enough will jump on board with the early books. I've started abandoned series and I know that pain. I would never do it to my readers. *pinky swear*

Word.

 

I'd add a note about why readers like a series: Any reader who can "suspend disbelief" and enter into the "fictive dream" of a novel, gets to know and understand the main characters at least, becomes sympathetic to the conflict those characters deal with. The reader roots for a given character, or in some cases more than one character.

So, given a wonderful short story, the time spent with the characters is fleeting, by comparison.

Even in a novel there can be a rather empty residue (even for HEA tales) after the read.

But for the series, the reader looks forward to meeting old friends (and sometimes enemies) to continue on with new or extended conflicts to resolve. This is the appeal of the series. So, at bottom, it's characters over time that pull in a reader. And perhaps the appeal of well-rounded characters is our inherent curiosity about how others deal with life. 

 

Good thoughts, all, about why so many readers respond well to series.

Now I'm off to dinner at my sister's place.    Have/hope you had a good holiday, whatever you may celebrate!

 

The difference between the indie model and the traditional publishing model is exemplified by series.

In the traditional model, unless the first book in the series is a blowout success, each subsequent book in the series will probably get a smaller print run simply because by the time the third book comes out, the first is already out of print (sometimes after only 2 months). By definition, more people bought the first book than the second, which means fewer buy the third and there is NO WAY to get more book ones in the hands of readers.

Now, however, series are like a pyramid scheme in a good way. With ebooks, the base, which is book one, is unlimited. You can simply keep advertising book one and continually bring new people into your world. With each subsequent release, the base gets broader and you sell more subsequent books in the series.

 

i read this thread while nodding my head and agreeing, but then, as i was preparing a pumpkin pie to stuff in the toaster oven, i started thinking about my own recent experience and it has me wondering.

three months ago i released a New Adult contemporary romance with very little fanfare and very little promotion. I've sold around 5,000 copies and the ranking has remained around 2K for most of those 3 months. THIS BOOK IS NOT PART OF A SERIES.

A few days ago I released another New Adult contemporary, one readers have been waiting for, or so I thought. Right out of the gate it had an A- Recommended Read from Dear Author along with some Twitter buzz. No advertising or marketing on my part. So far I've had around 100 downloads and yesterday sales ground to a halt while my other NA keeps selling. THE NEW BOOK IS THE SECOND IN A SERIES. Now I know Christmas is playing into this, and the new book doesn't have a half naked guy on the cover, but this thread has me wondering if people aren't as likely to buy series books unless several in the series have been written. It might explain the poor sales of the new book. I'll have a better handle on this after the new book has been out a couple of months for a comparison, but could there a big downside to series books?

 

I've been pretty amazed at the weird patterns that spin of out of series publishing too. It doesn't work anything like I expected, and I've been monitoring how my own sales evolved over the course of RB's releases.

Sharing the data in case anyone's interested.

Book One
You pick up early adopters and really rely on 'walk-up' purchases off also-boughts. If the book is obviously Book One of a series, you'll almost never get to 'standing on its own' at this point like some standalones can do. Especially if this is your first series, you just don't have a lot of trust going into it because there's a good chance Book Two is never going to get here.

Book Two
Book One feeds Book Two, but from what I can tell, it doesn't go the other way. Promoting Book Two never seemed to do much for me, but Promoting Book 1 made both sell, usually at the same time.

This seemed to be the WORST period of sales based on my experience. From what I can tell it comes from the people who were going to early-adopt having already done so and even those falling into a holding pattern, trying to see if you'll finish this thing.

Book Three+
The new books start feeding the whole series. There seems to be a thing where people assume any series is a trilogy despite any evidence to the contrary, but also, Book Three and up proves you're in this for the long haul.

People start seeing a new release and going back to get Book One to get in on the action. It also helps that this is where blurbs get more exciting because you don't have to introduce the characters in them, which helps.

Some people seem to stay in the holding pattern, especially if they see that you put out new books quickly, waiting to get the whole thing. The series backlash starts here too: some people will always wish that they could have gone one and done, especially if Book One wasn't billed as a series and/or doesn't 'need' continuation.

This is also where the weird patterns started. I would see people buy One, Two, Three most often, but also mad inflation in Two (it's hard to tell what happened with One at this point because it went permafree). There wasn't a lot of increase in Three to indicate that previous buyers of Two were now buying the newest release, but Three enjoyed steady sales instead of the ad-bump based increases during the Two era.

Final Book
The last book seems to do really weird things to a series. I saw sudden spikes in Two and Three as if there were some people who have waited for two years after Book One to buy anything else in case I didn't finish it.

Book One also spiked, for the same reason as it did for Three, as the New Release got new eyes on the series, including some that wouldn't have bothered if the magic word 'finale' hadn't been there.

The Final Book also benefits from every previous book, as pretty much everyone wants to know how it ends. RB4 has posted my best one-month sales ever this month as readers who have been there the whole time report in.

The weird thing is, because of what feeds what, my four book series makes it look like Book Three is the worst seller because existing readers already have it and new ones are reading One and Two. I suspect that new month's numbers will also look weird with More Book Three buys and fewer of Two.

The downside is that series backlash doesn't conclude with the series. The simple fact that you didn't off a quarter-million word book in the first place is a problem for some people, even if they didn't even know it was there until it was done (I kind of wonder if I'll get complaints when I release 'The Complete Saga'). Also, no matter how quickly you got it out, some people will resent having had to wait.

 

What about an ongoing, unending series? Anyone do one of those? For me, "series" implies an unknown number of volumes' e.g. Tarzan, Conan, Mack Bolan

 

I have two currently unending series.

I have yet to find a downside to that. If people are waiting until I 'finish' the series, they might be waiting a long time. My alternate universe world is more like Pern by Anne McCaffrey--lots of stuff going on and characters to follow.

My mystery series is very traditional in that I keep telling stories. Sue Grafton is doing 26, so I have a long way to go until then (currently on #4). Mystery readers seem to accept ongoing series better than some fantasy readers.

 

I have two currently unending series.

I have yet to find a downside to that. If people are waiting until I 'finish' the series, they might be waiting a long time. My alternate universe world is more like Pern by Anne McCaffrey--lots of stuff going on and characters to follow.

My mystery series is very traditional in that I keep telling stories. Sue Grafton is doing 26, so I have a long way to go until then (currently on #4). Mystery readers seem to accept ongoing series better than some fantasy readers.

I'm curious about the long-tail with long winded series. My current series is 3 books and I'm planning on at least 9. Do you keep the same protagonist in the lead or switch out like romance novels?

 

But it's also difficult for me in terms of a lesson in patience as a writer because right or wrong, I'm of the belief that I need to write at least 3 books in the series before I publish the first one.

This is what I plan to do. I haven't written a full length novel yet because I've read all the series advice here, it sounds like the way to go, yet I know my new job schedule is going to eat into my writing time come the new year. So I don't want to write and publish book one if book two won't come out for another year (God, I hope it doesn't take me that long). I'll just continue writing shorts/novellas in 2014 and pray that I can write 3-4 books in a series in 2015.