Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Stand Alone Books or A Series?


Do your favorite authors write stand alone books or series books? Perhaps you have a preference in writing one over the other? But which is more marketable, especially if you choose to self-publish?

At my writer’s conference last week, one of the hot topics revolved around writing stand alone books versus a series, and some of the answers I heard from authors and publishers surprised me. In book sales, especially for self-published authors or eBook sellers, a series definitely garners more attention. However, agents were quick to remind authors that they should only write a series if the first book engaged a good sized audience, otherwise they will have written a sequel for a book no one wants to read. As if that wasn’t enough, they went on to explain that it varies greatly by genre, and romance or sci fi genres did much better with series books than literary stories which fared better as stand alones.

Of course, these statements are marketing focused and shouldn’t be the primary motivator when writing a new book, but it’s food for thought that all authors should consider. So where are you in your own writing, debating whether to make a sequel to one of your projects or start on a new topic? What works best for you in your current situation and in your own previous experience?

14 comments:

  1. I agree with the stand alone book approach. And it better be a real grabber, too!

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  2. I write fantasy and so it is second nature to write my books as a series. But it all depends on genre. Romance and literary are obvious choices for stand alones.

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  3. As a reader I tend to prefer stand alone books. I want to spend a week-ish reading a story and being done with it. On rare occasions I prefer a series, like The Dresden Files, but that is all.

    But I started noticing series starting to pop up in the Sci fi section of my local bookstore more than a decade ago, I tend to avoid them when I can. When I read the first book and decided I don't want to read any more then I'm not going to continue.

    As a writer, I like writing in a known universe, of playing with the same characters. If people can tolerate it, I'd probably write a series.

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  4. I'm writing a trilogy right now. I started with the second book and now I'm writing the first one. I don't think I'm following anyone's preferred advice. :P

    But I do like a well written series. There are a few that are favorites of mine, like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Harry Potter, GRRM's Game of Thrones, etc. If the characters are engaging, you kind of want to keep going with them on their journey. :)

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  5. I prefer reading series. Even if you have to wait for the sequel, the world, the characters and the action are better devloped.

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  6. I'll read either, but when I wrote my first book, it was a stand alone. Somehow I was coerced into writing two sequels...

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  7. When critiquing your own writing, are your sequels as good as your first? I think it varies, but it's worth taking that chance.

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  8. Terry Pratchett comes to mind as someone who has written extensively about Discworld with each book being a stand alone title. Marion Zimmer Bradley did the same thing with the Darkover novels. That's the kind of stuff I like to read and would like to write. There's also L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Of course there are wonderful series out there, but I seem to have a preference for stand alones.

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  9. My books are all stand-alones, but my publisher is definitely marketing them all under the common theme of forgotten women in history.

    And I do really love a good series. It's fun to get cozy with some of your favorite characters over a span of several books.

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  10. I find more value in stand alone books, but I also like mysteries and police procedurals and there I prefer a series of books, such as the Henning Mankell's books from Sweden and Peter Robinson's from the UK. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  11. I'm split. I like it when a book is a standalone since it means the author hasn't strung out the story beyond it's lifetime and tend to gravitate toward standalones in my own writing--but a series can be fun as the story changes over the course of it.

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  12. I too am split, at least on an artistic level. I like both to be honest. In terms of marketing, I see the advantage of a series, but ti has to be really well written. That's my two bits:)

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  13. When you discover a good series it's like striking gold. I'm not opposed to stand alone novels, but I'm more loyal to series.

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