Why You Should Write a Novel Series!

Okay, fiction-philes! If we’re going to be honest with ourselves, one of the main keys to becoming a fiction writer who can live on a stable income is by writing a series. As much as many of us want to have that one awesome hit that will knock the midi-chlorians out of your readers, it’s far more feasible to grow a readership by writing multiplebooks, rather than just one (ESPECIALLY if you write fiction, but we’ll get into that). And let’s face it, we’re writers, we LOVE our vocation, and writing is what we live for. What better way than to express that than to become a series-writer? If you’re not convinced yet, let’s look at the main benefits of writing a novel series:

• Series will make you more money in the long run. If you have seven or eight books out on the shelf, your income will grow faster than if you have only one book. Simply, there are just more books for people to buy from you!

• Series will build up your reader base faster than anything else… especially if your audience loved your first book! A classic example of this is JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Choose to love it or hate it, but we can’t deny that people simply couldn’t wait to be whisked back into that world where the characters were interesting, the plot was compelling, and the world was utterly fascinating. The same goes for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Janet Evanovich’s “Stephanie Plum” series, and GRR Martin’s “Game of Thrones” series. If you’ve got a good story that can be moved along through future installations, go with it! If you enrapture your audience with a story, and they want more, give it to them! They are your loyal readers after all, so keep them interested by giving them more, more, more! Not to mention, your readers will then keep on the look out for your future work, even if that means latching onto a different series of yours altogether.

• Series give you more room to develop your plot, characters, and environment which is very important in fiction, especially for epic fantasies and sci-fi that have large spanning worlds and casts. You get way more space to flesh out your characters’ small quirks and issues; more room to show rather than tell. You also get to create some very interesting and complex plots that will keep your readers on edge!

• Series are just plain ole fun to write! Especially if you’ve got a plot that you’re wild about or a plucky, hapless hero in whom you’re really invested. I love to write, and knowing that I get to fill multiple books in a series and follow the stories of each of my characters is thrilling, to say the least! If you don’t feel that way, no worries! Just check out my post “Falling In Love Again” to rejuvenate that flame between you and your writing. And actually, on that note:

• Series will force you to write more, which will force you to practice, grow in your skill set, and get better at your craft. Let’s face it, some days we just don’t feel like scribbling or banging those keys, but the more you write, the better of a writer you will become, and the more you will enjoy it.

For the video / audio version of this post, click on the video below!

Why You Should Write a Novel Series

So those are the core reasons for writing a series. But maybe you’re asking yourself, HOW in blue blazes do I even begin to write a series?! Or perhaps you’re not even sure what a series is! Never fear, just hold out for the next installment to this blog series, “Understanding Series Types and Picking One to Write”! The post is forthcoming! In the meantime…

Keep it indie,

Colby <3