Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Single or Series?

There's a reason I have two full bookshelves and am working on a third: I read a lot of series.  Looking at my main bookshelf, I'd say 75-80% of the books on it are parts of a trilogy or more, including the ones where I only have part one because the rest of the series hasn't been published yet.

Some of these books are so thick that one volume is longer than entire trilogies.  I like big books and I cannot lie.*

So naturally, this leads me to think of how this affects my writing.  I've talked before about how I don't like writing short stories - I have real trouble coming up with ideas that I can fully express and do justice to in a few thousand words.  Granted, I did have one short story published, but that was ~7500 words, which is pretty long for what's considered a short story.  The only stories shorter than that I've written and thought were good enough to share were all fanfic.

Oh, like you've never written fanfic.  Don't look at me like that.

Thanks to this, when it comes time to plot, I often have to force myself to focus on just one book.  THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK was going to be the first of a trilogy.  There was even a time when I had grandiose plans to not only write three different series spanning three different worlds within a multiverse, but to bring all three of those series together in this amazing trilogy where everyone got to meet and take down some threat that had significance behind the scenes in all three series.  I dubbed the plotting document for this "THE EVERYTHING PLAN" - yes, I used all caps - and it's been gathering dust on my hard drive for over two years.

So it's safe to say that big plans don't always pan out.  Yet I very rarely have a story idea that will be just one book. Even when I'm working on something and I honestly don't know what the second book would involve, I'm still thinking ahead, considering what it could be.  I generally think this is a good thing, but it does have me wondering if I'll ever write a novel and have no intent of visiting that world or those characters again.

Granted, I could blow up the world at the end to make sure that happens, but that seems a bit drastic.

I know that I'm not supposed to think about the publishing attempt stage for books I haven't written yet, but it's hard not to, when I find myself thinking ahead.  Will it be easier to sell a book when I can say it's going to be part of a series?  I know no one can count on getting a multi-book contract right from the start, so that's something to keep in mind.  Is it better to just say that I have sequels planned, and be ready with them if the best happens?  That was my intent with TAW, but the less said about that right now, the better.

This is all just speculation, of course, but with three series I really enjoy having new books coming out in January (all on the same day, how awesome is that?), it got me thinking.  So, what about the rest of you?  Do you prefer your books one-shot, or do you like series?  How long can a series go before you lose interest?  Do you plan to write one-shot books, series, both, or something else?  And am I the only one who loves hearing that a series by a favorite author will be really, really long?  Dresden Files and Stormlight Archive, I'm looking at you . . . and eagerly awaiting the next volumes.  Bwa ha ha.


*Yes, this entire entry was an excuse to use that line.

16 comments:

  1. I prefer standalones. I don't totally shun series, but I prefer to either start them once all the books have been published or find one that is being rapidly published. I don't like to wait a long time for sequels. It depends on the series, too - on whether or not it's a continuation of the same story or simply a set of companion novels that feature supporting character(s) but can stand alone. I'm more patient with the later.

    And definitely don't leave me with a cliffhanger and then wait a year to publish the next book. : /

    FWIW, THE EVERYTHING PLAN sound really cool. I hope you can find a way to pull that off.

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    1. Understood. I've read some really good standalone books, but it really comes down to my love for long, ongoing stories. I'm constantly wondering what happens next.

      And yeah, I'd love to actually do a multi-series crossover. But I think I'd be better off waiting until I actually have some series published. Or, y'know, a single book. :P

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  2. So far, I've published 2 standalones and 1 book that's the beginning of a series. For me, it depends on the genre and subject. A mystery thriller, for instance, is a great standalone. Whereas, once I've invested the time and energy in world-building for a fantasy or sci-fi, it would be a real shame not to write more books about it! ;)

    And I think the current popular way to pitch your book is to say that it has "series potential."

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    1. "Series potential". I like that and will steal, I mean use, it. ^_^

      And yes, I've read some books that just weren't meant to be more than that single volume. I think they all took place in the real world, though, so no worry about wasting world-building there. Heh.

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  3. I had a standalone. Had. Then my publisher forced me to turn it into a series. I can't say I object, but it's been an interesting evolution.

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    1. Hrm. I don't envy you that. I'm glad it's worked out well for you, but I don't like the idea of being forced to write any story.

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  4. Hmmm, I read and enjoy both, but I've never had an idea big enough for a series. It feels hard enough to plot just one book!! I also tend to write regular old fiction, which doesn't lend itself to a series. But I like the idea. Some day...

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    1. Oddly enough, I find plotting big multi-book stories easier than single ones, because creating those over-reaching arcs is all kinds of fun. ^_^ Then I get into the minor details of the single books and things don't always go well from there. Eh heh heh.

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  5. I enjoy both, but looking at my own collection, most are part of a series. I think they are easier to sell, because once readers become hooked, they want more, and with a series, you can deliver. And it's easier to plan a series ahead than to start from scratch after the first book is selling. (Trust me on that one!)
    My first three were part of a trilogy, although not planned that way. If accepted, my next one will be a standalone. I'll let you know how it does on its own.

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    1. That's a lot of it, yeah - it's good to read one book and enjoy it, it's great to get hooked on a series and just keep reading. Really hoping I can get people hooked in the future.

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  6. I'm definitely into both the standalones and the series. If a writer gets me interested in a series, I'm on board. If they bore me, Meh.

    There are standalones that I wish were series, and there are series that would have been better if we didn't see how the story petered out because that wasn't how they intended the story.

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    1. Yeah, it's possible for things to go both ways on that, and it's easy for both sides to go wrong. And I've heard about authors continuing series that would have better been left alone. Here's hoping neither of us end up doing that someday. O_0

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  7. I like big books and I cannot lie.* Ha! You know, one of my favorite books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is part of a series. Loved the first book, was lukewarm about the second one, and completely indifferent about the third one. I don't think the characters really "die" unless we blow up the world at the end of the story, as you suggest. I actually have a sequel in mind for my upcoming release. The characters just don't die unless you kill them! But I think it's great that you're thinking ahead! Why not, right?

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    1. Exactly, why not? ^_^ And if we provide reasonable and convenient resurrection methods, we can kill them off as many times as we like. Not saying it's a good idea, but we can do it...

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  8. I grinned about thirteen lines down... ;)

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    1. We've all written fanfic, or at least most of us. Don't try to deny it. :P

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