OpenTube

Stop Writing Book Series!

Novel Marketing

15,141 views

If you’re thinking about writing a book series, you might want to reconsider, especially if you’re a new author. That’s not to say you should never write a series, but it can be a risky endeavor, and I can prove it with math.

In this episode, I break down why writing a series may limit your potential readership. You’ll learn:
The four steps every reader must take for your sequel to sell well
The math behind why sequels struggle to sell
The hidden dangers of "battered reader syndrome" and how it affects new authors
A pre-series strategy for new authors

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should commit to a series or focus on standalones, watch this episode for a fresh perspective and a smarter strategy.

Blog Version: https://www.authormedia.com/448

Links:
https://www.authormedia.com/social-pr...

Patreon: Patreon: novelmarketing

Outline:
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Math for a Series
02:16 Math for a Standalone
06:54 Beware the Rookie Year
12:02 Beware Survivorship Biased Advice
14:41 Beware of Battered Reader Syndrome
16:43 My Advice

20 Comments

@authorcls7164 1 year ago

I've written standalones and now I'm writing a series. The frustration with a standalone is unless you continue in the same genre, you basically have to start your marketing efforts all over again with a new audience. If I write book 1 of a series and give it away for free and capture emails, I have a built-in audience for book 2. But it's true, nothing is a guaranteed money maker.

@ryannixon4138 1 year ago

Another strength of writing standalone first is its way easier to finish, and finishing stories helps you learn so much

@cwhawes 1 year ago

But I like to read series and don't especially like standalone books. And I can't be the only person who has this preference.

@skp3835 1 year ago

It's easier to turn a successful standalone into a series than it is to turn the first book in series successful. Thanks for advice!

@dirk-tf2xw 1 year ago (edited)

My first book I published sold 1352 copies the first year, then went down after, total of 3,088 copies sold. Most if not all profits went into marketing. My second book did about the same, but marketing took most if not all profits. I tried to start a series off my second book - and well that only sold 30 copies. :-) I stopped writing any additional books in this new series. Now I'm back to the first step - writing a new book and starting over.

@k.b.peterson8022 1 year ago

I've tried lol. Every time I try writing a stand alone novel, it grows into something much bigger 😅

@AlecSorensen 1 year ago (edited)

I disagree with the math (I mention some oversights in comment below), but the suggestion that new authors start with one-offs to learn the craft is solid. Also, love the advice that you can write a solid stand-alone with sequel potential and write the sequel only if the books succeeds. That seems like an obvious best-of-both-worlds situation.

@billy.bandit 1 year ago (edited)

Patterson hired ghostwriters tho. Only his debut was written by him.

@StevenWilliams2560 1 year ago

I have read my mystery novels out of order. Each book worked as a standalone mystery, but consistent characters and subplots carried throughout the series.

@distortedartwork 1 year ago

I write my book for myself, just to get my story written down. All books maybe don't have to be the next bestseller. The process of writing in it self is very rewarding. I often wonder where the ideas come from, but I'm making sure they get caught on paper before they vanish.

@authorjgamber 1 year ago

The dark secret behind the frustrating words "we're looking for a stand-alone novel with SERIES POTENTIAL" . . . (That said, I rejected this advice long ago because I just can't write stand-alones. My creative brain does not work like that.)

@JohnRidley12 1 year ago (edited)

This makes so much sense. I'm so happy to hear this. I've kept saying to people who are blasting out sequel's 'but what happens if the first doesn't sell'.

Having said that I'm currently writing a sequel to my first, which I'm not sure deserved it. Good reviews but the market may not be there. So I'm having to drastically cut production costs. Largely because I want to tie up the story and can't leave something not 100% complete . Literally no-one else cares! (the plot resolved in the first book, but i left a small sequal hook and some unresolved arcs).

What I am interested in is a 'shared world' model. Creating self contained stories with references to other books and some shared characters. Just cos that's l like to read

@b.t.3406 1 year ago

The numbers without sources & context among other factors mean little.

@andre_santos2181 1 year ago

You must do like Balzac. Each book is its own story, but you know there is a "Balzac-verse" and the characters sometime meeting themselves between books

@Kloud_envy 1 year ago

I like how Octavia butler did it. Each book could be read as a stand alone. Her alien series can’t remember the name but it was three books. I read 3 then 2 then 1. By mistake actually, but they were great standalone books

@BruceWayne15325 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing. This is my first year of publishing, and I've started following the common advice to write series. I've got 2 series planned out, but not yet written. You just saved me quite a bit of suffering.

@KarlWitsman 1 year ago

Thank you! I have tried telling a few of my author friends this, but they love reading series so they think they should write series. But these are their first books. I wrote several books and didn't write a sequel until it was demanded by my friends and some readers.

@stillbuyvhs 1 year ago

18:14 If I remember right, Lewis said "The Lion & The Witch & The Wardrobe" was the best place to start.

@DarleneB-TR 1 year ago

The heart of the write-a-series advice is the trad market. WhenI was first starting out, I heard that a series is easier to sell to a trad publisher than a stand-alone is. So if you want a chance “at the big leagues” it needs to be book one of a series.

I appreciate this video, Thomas. Thanks for the math.

@MentalSurvival 1 year ago

I'm glad to hear this! I've wanted to start writing horror stories, but that genre isn't very series-friendly. It's difficult to build tension if you know that at least one of the character forever has plot armor because they have to live on to be in future books.