In my first post here about series, I blogged about the different kinds of series and their pros and cons. I also asked you to comment and let me know what you like and dislike about series. The responses were really interesting, and were pretty much split down the middle between those of you who won’t read a series until it’s complete, and those of you who are willing to read even if a series isn’t complete. There was also a pretty even split between those who said they prefer sequel (sequential) series and those who prefer spinoff (standalone books in the same universe) series. I’m doing another giveaway after this post, so check it out at the end and find out how you can win a $10 Amazon gift certificate!
In this post, I’ll discuss the sequel series, in particular, and why and how an author decides to break up a much longer story into multiple books.
One of the commenters on my last post wrote, “I feel cheated if there isn’t some resolution to every book I read, particularly if there’s no warning ahead of time that there won’t be. It can seem like a cheap trick to sell more books.” A very valid point, and one I want to address here. Because, although it may seem that writers would want to put out more rather than fewer books in order to make more money, there can be some very compelling reasons why a writer will divide a very long story (sequel series) into multiple books. There is also some truth to the idea that writers divide stories because they want to sell more books, but it’s not exactly what you might think of off the bat.
Speaking as someone who’s written both sequel and spinoff series, I can honestly say that I don’t set out with the idea that I’m going to write a series. With my Blue Notes series, I had only intended to write a single book: Blue Notes. About 3/4 of the way through that story, however, I realized there were several secondary characters I’d included that I was genuinely curious about and wanted to revisit. Both Antonio Bianchi and Sam Ryan flirt with Jason Greene in that story, and those characters, whom I never intended to write into a longer story, became more three-dimensional to me as a wrote. That’s why I wrote The Melody Thief and, later, Aria.
When I write sequel series like Mermen of Ea or Blood, though, I’m also not thinking series. I’ve got a single storyline in mind, with a beginning, middle, and end. And, as is often the case when writing a series that is mostly fantasy, it takes a lot of words and pages to create a new universe for the
reader. So what starts out as a planned single novel now becomes a very, very, very long story!
Here’s where the behind the scenes sort of stuff happens that many non-writers aren’t aware of. In the publishing universe, most publishers will not print a story shorter than 50,000 to 60,000 words (that’s why you see some books in ebook format only, what are called “novellas”). Why? Part of it has to do with sales, but part of it has to do with the cost of physically printing a book. The sales angle? Books around 65,000 words tend to sell better than books considerably longer than that. Of course, there are always exceptions, but we’re talking about the general rule here.
For example, if the 3 Mermen of Ea books were a single novel, it would be approximately 200,000 words long. Depending on how the book is typeset, that can be over 600 pages long! It’s more expensive to publish, and would cost significantly more, whether in ebook or paperback. Why more expensive in ebook? Because editing a book that long (and formatting it, etc) also takes a lot more time. And most readers don’t want to pay a lot of money for a really long ebook. Because of this, publishers tend to limit the length of books. It’s a business decision for them: they sell more books if the books are about 65,000 words long because most readers prefer them, and also because they are less expensive to publish.
So the writer is in a quandary. Does he cut down his story? Or does he divide it so that it fits into traditional publishing business models? And let me add one more business consideration to consider: how does writing a super long book affect the author’s business? Because writing is a business, of course!
I’ll stop here and continue next month with the author’s side of the business, and how that affects a choice to write a series and where to break stories. That’s an entire post in and of itself. In the 3rd post in this series (*coughs*) of blogs, I’ll tackle the issue of endings in sequel series books (the dreaded cliffhanger, the happily-for-now, and the to-be-continued endings).
I’ll leave you all with a question: What do you, as a reader, think about balancing business and the art of writing from the publisher’s perspective? One commenter who answers the question will win a $10 Amazon gift certificate. Contest ends at midnight on March19th! Can’t wait to hear your responses! -Shira
I have never thought about it. I imagine that they need to make money and must balance that.
Thanks, Debby!
Shira, you are so “write.” 🙂 In Lord of the Rings, you HAD to read all three to find out what happens. And worse Book 2 leaves you with a terrible cliffhanger – not just unfinished. I think the line gets blurred sometimes because people see a set of books called a series where the books are related but the story lines is not one continuous plot and then they see a set of books like LOTR called a series and there is one plot arc divided among many books. Different product but the same name. It’s hard to blame readers for being confused. But you did a good job explaining it here. 🙂
-AQG
I’ll get into some of these issues (i.e. the neverending-sequential-but-not-one-story-arc series) in more depth in the next post. In my opinion, that’s the most likely situation where readers (me included), can lose their patience with an author and wonder whether they’re being taken for a ride (Sookie Stackhouse, cough, cough). Thanks Andrew!
I think the publisher and writer needs to be clear about the stories being an incomplete serial, sequel and/or spin-off type books. As a reader, I don’t like finding a big cliff hanger or that it just stops abruptly (serial) unless I was prepared. Otherwise, I feel cheated and annoyed with the story.
Your post was so informative and interesting to read about the limitations involved in publishing. I don’t mind stories e.g, Mermen of Ea, being divided into several books. I do like sequential books to be a reasonable length and have a good self-contained story. If the story is too short in length or storyline, I feel like the writer/ publisher is chopping up the story to make a serial to make more books/ money.
Thanks Jbst! I think you bring up a good point. Some publishers are better than others at identifying the type of series. If Dreamspinner labels a book “Book 1” on their website, you know that it’s the first book in a sequel series. If the blurb says something like, “A [series name] Novel,” you’ll know it’s a standalone/spinoff type series with standalone novels. That way readers aren’t taken by surprise.
And your point about too short is also a good one. I’ve read some of these sequential novellas that were pretty short and, combined, would have been about novel length. That’s okay if I’m not paying novel prices for each one! I’ve read a few “series” like that where it was basically a glorified chapter each time. That’s okay if I know ahead of time (for example, with some of the serialized installment series we’ve been seeing). But if I get to the end of a book and find a cliff-hanger without it even being designated a series, I’m not going to be a happy camper!
I can usually see it from both sides, although with the relative ease of self publishing these days, I would think the publisher doesn’t hold all the cards any more. But if you’re working with a publisher, they need to make money as well, and should have a good feel for both the market and their audience. It’s kind of like being a football fan – I love my teams and players and tend to forget (or try to forget) that there is a business side that keeps it going. I want my favorite authors to do well and continue writing-selfish, right:)? But without the publishers’ financial needs being met, a lot of those writers wouldn’t be able to give me what I want.
I love a good series, both a series of individual stories with a common theme as well as one with a several book arc that develops over time. My reading roots are in urban fantasy, and one of my favorites is the Kate Daniels series, where each book is self contained but there’s a continuing story arc developing. I don’t usually enjoy standalones as much – I want to see more of the characters or the setting in future books, even if there is another featured couple. Give me characters and setting I love, and I’m your’s for life:)
Self-publishing has more freedom, Sandy, but what’s that saying “with power comes great responsibility?” As in, I’ve read more than a few self-published books that looked self-published in many ways. There are definite advantages to using a publisher, not the least of which are the excellent editing and cover art. I’ve done both, and I prefer going through a publisher.
But yes, I think we (and I’m included here because I was a reader long before I was a writer) often forget that it is a business and that there are constraints. I guess in everything there has to be a balance!
Thanks for commenting!
thats hard to answer as a reader i dont care about the business side . i only care about how the story is for me
Jodi, that really should be the bottom line: a story that YOU, the reader likes!
Thanks for an interesting post. I can see that there has to be a balance and a writer has to take that into account to tell the story she wants to tell. As a reader, I just like to know beforehand what I’m about to start reading so I can set my expectations. Is the book the beginning of a sequel series that’s going to end on a cliffhanger? Is it a spin off series? Is it a series about the same characters that might have an overarching plot but that also has smaller plot arcs that are resolved in each book? If I know what to expect, then I’m a much happier reader.
I’ve been thinking about this, Antonia, since several people have asked. How would you suggest a publisher let a reader know that a book ends on a cliffhanger? In the blurb? In an author note? What is the best way to communicate that to readers?
Hi, Shira. To answer your question, IMO, it doesn’t matter where the *Note* is added as long as it’s there. Be it in the blurb or author’s note. I’m one that, because of finances, am limited to what book(s) to buy therefore I’d go for series like your Blue Notes where, although the characters show up in the other books each book is still Stand Alone.
can’t really say, as a reader, that I’ve given it ANY thought….but I do realise that as an author you would need to balance your time between the two as you still need to meet living expenses
Thanks Lee!
As a reader I also do not like cliffhangers unless I am told upfront. Not that I haven’t and wouldn’t buy the book. II don’t want any unexpected endings that I have to wait until the next book is out. I faithfully followed an author that wrote a series of books that were all connected and kept waiting and waiting and waiting until I just stopped. Finally after about a year and a half the next book came out but I was over it.
I also know that an author has to make a living and it must be very hard to balance the writer and the business person. I can see breaking a story up into several books as long as the next book is published a short time later.
I’m going to talk about the author side of the business in the next post. I think there’s a balance to strike there, too, which can affect the timing of releases.
I asked this above, but as a reader, what’s the best way for an author or publisher to let readers know there’s a cliffie at the end of a series book? Any thoughts?
I am not morally opposed to cliffhanger but there should be at least a little resolution of one issue to give me a sense of purpose to the story. but just ending with no resolution of anything and having the next book cost an exorbinent amount is just wrong. if the price is reasonable, I can tolerate a cliffhanger especially if I, as the reader, knows that there is going to be a cliffhanger
I’m with you rojoroars! I don’t want to spend a fortune on short installments. I’ll ask you this, too… What would be the best way of letting readers know about a cliffhanger? Thoughts?
I haven’t thought much about it, I guess they go hand in hand. If the author doesn’t win, nor does the publisher. Of course I want my favourite authors (and those not so much) to have a good income.
I learned to enjoy both sequel and spin-off series. As a reader, I prefer not to read cliffhangers. However, I think it’s a ‘necesary evil’ 😉 , some stories cannot be told in one book only and expect to have an ”ending”. If the book comes out when it’s supposed to (not two years later after the last one), I dont mind the wait.
Interesting post!
I’ll talk more about endings in another post, but I agree. Stories need an ending, even if they’re in a series. The question is what type of ending to give them. And I think there’s also a question of what a “cliffhanger” really is. It is an interesting topic!
I’d imagine it’s a delicate balance, staying true to one’s muse and yet keeping things financially feasible. I can live with a cliffhanger if there’s some sort of resolution to other aspects of the story, and if it’s not a brazen attempt to just keep readers on the hook…
For me (as a reader now), if a cliffhanger is well done, I love it because it makes me want more (and that gets me all excited!). Readers know the difference between a true cliffhanger and an attempt to rake in the dough. Definitely!
I honestly never actually thought of it. I mean for a writer I would guess that there’s a part of you that want to be able to keep your story as is. I mean it would be like your baby. But at the same time I can kind of see how publishers would want an author to write by their guidelines/business models.
I don’t really mind cliffhangers as long as the next installment in a series isn’t too long in coming (that is a year to three, which has happened before).
Yeah, 3 years is a LONG time for a sequel. I won’t write a series if I can’t put the books out less than a year apart (and here, too, an author needs to work with a publisher’s schedule – something I didn’t talk about in this post).
Thank you for the chance to win!
You’re welcome Deb!
Great post…definitely thought provoking. I never really thought about it, but I imagine that it’s really a delicate balance. I’ve seen authors worry about books being too long for readers. I’m baffled by that, but then I don’t mind a really long book. Cliffhangers aren’t a problem for me as long as I know it’s a possibility or if it’s actually stated somewhere. I may wait to read them until I can read them all at once, but it depends on the story involved. I don’t mind having an overarching plot through a series with smaller plots for each book. Spin-offs and sequels are all good in my opinion. There are many series that I read and love. My biggest complaint about series is when an important interpersonal conflict is introduced and ignored for a ridiculous number of books (like 6+ books). Then, I get annoyed.
I wish it was easier, but I can see that between what sells and what publishers are comfortable with, writing what your muse (or the characters) are telling you can be a headache.
I have issues with really long series just for that reason, Jen. I gave up reading the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series (inspiration for “True Blood”) because it just seemed to go on forever and I never felt as though I was getting anywhere with the interpersonal stuff. But I can’t imagine writing a sequel type series that long, either….
I love long books. The fantasy books I used to read were super long and usually were trilogies.
I detest tiny little installments that cost too much, and by the time you buy them all it can be $20 or more for something that, per length, should’ve been one book.
I agree Barbra, the fantasy books I read when I was a kid were a lot longer than what we see today. I’m not sure if tastes have changed or if it’s a publishing industry change. It’s an interesting question, though!
I’m one of those who voted to waiting to read a series until all the books are out. As I posted above, I’m financially restricted and limited to what/which books I want to purchase. I look at the length of the book and the price. Like you, I’ve seen ‘series’ where the word amount is quite short and the price too high and the author is selling what I consider a chapter at a time. I’ll turn my back on that type of book.
I understand that the publisher has to do whatever in their power to make a profit and the idea of selling books with 65K (or more), to me, is ideal. I’ve seen 10K and below books selling for 3.99. I will NOT touch those.
Also, when I know there is a series I like, I try to enter as many contests as I can in the hopes of winning of the books.
Thanks for your wonderful, thought provoking post.
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