Current Project: Clockwork CatStatus: Planning
When you've written the first book in a series, and your agent is shopping it to publishers, do you start writing the next book? Or do you wait until the first book sells? That's the question I'm dealing with now, and it's exactly where I was a year ago. I've written two books for two completely different series, and I'm ready to start the next project. But which series will it be? Or should it be something totally new? Hmm…
I have notes written for book two of my Knight series, and for book two of my steampunk urban fantasy series. Which one do I pursue? I plan to discuss this with my agent the next time we talk, but I think it's a good topic to mull over on the blog. Many of us are working on series books, some that are sold, and some that are hopefuls. So I thought exploring the topic might be beneficial to us all. How has it worked out for you?
There's a school of thought that a writer should go ahead and write the next book because then it will be ready to go when the first book sells. But what if the first book doesn't sell? If the second book is dependant on the first, you could be in a quandary. Though series books should be able to stand alone, some are more obviously linked than others.
I'm reading C.E. Murphy's HOUSE OF CARDS, the second book in her Negotiator series. I read the first book quite some time ago and have only a vague recollection of the characters and backstory. I'm having a tough time figuring out what the hell's going on in book two. I may have to reread book one to get my bearings, and I'd really rather not. This could be why this series was discontinued after the third book came out.
An excellent example of a series that works perfectly fine with each book standing by itself is Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I've read those out of order and each one is terrific all by itself. The only ongoing theme in the books is who will Steph pick: Ranger or Morelli. You never know from book to book who it might be. Oh, and also what car she'll blow up next. Almost forgot about that one. :)
I think it's harder for books to stand alone if they have the same main character in subsequent books. There's all the backstory to consider, and a writer has to be really good at his or her craft to make it work.
The series books that don't depend on one main character to carry the story usually do well as stand alones. A reader could read them out of order and not get lost. Like Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, and Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Still, you want to read all the books because characters are mentioned from earlier books and you naturally want to know more about them. I think that's a great selling point for this type of series.
In both my series, I have one main character to carry over to each book. In the steampunk series, it's actually two main characters because they're a team. I plan for the story in each book to be independent of each other so they can be read out of order.
I know we've discussed this topic before, but it never gets old to me, especially when I'm stuck between books. I'm thinking of other story idea alternatives and I'm even toying with the idea of writing a middle grade adventure series for boys. I have a half-dozen ideas for all kinds of books. Which one do I work on next? I'm hoping my agent will help me decide.
Do you, or did you, go ahead and write the next book in your series? Why or why not?
7 comments:
Great question Karen.
I have the first book of a series out with several agents hoping to hook one of them. I haven't written the second though I do have a premise written down. My thought is if I can't get any takers, I'll change it to a single title and sell it that way, but if I do have takers then I'll write it as a series. It will have an ongoing hero and heroine like Suzanne Enoch's thief and millionaire series. This series each book could be stand alone though there is an ongoing thread through each book that won't get concluded until the last book. But if done right it won't be a problem.
My spirit trilogy, I have the second book half written and stopped because the first hadn't sold. Even though the two books could definitely stand alone. I just felt with the NA characters seeming to be the problem with anyone snatching it up, I'd hold off.
My Halsey brother series I have to pump out the next book because my editor is breathing down my neck! But I'll be glad when the fifth one is written and done. AS much as I love them, I'm ready to experience new adventures with new characters! LOL Which leads me to, I doubt I'll ever do a series that is longer than five books, unless this one that is shopping around finds a strong audience. I get bored hanging out with the same characters all the time!
Good points, Paty. I wrote a paranormal mystery and immediately started it's sequel, then abandoned it when it became apparent the first book wasn't going anywhere. So I can relate to what you've been through. Sigh.
I think your spirit trilogy is a great idea. I remember hearing you talk about it, and you story magicked the second book, didn't you? I remember something about it. That's the great thing about writing books. If the time isn't right for it now, that doesn't mean it won't be right later. Literature is timeless. :)
Good luck with the current series you're seeking an agent for. You certainly are prolific! :)
I think you answered the question, Karen, when you said, "I think it's harder for books to stand alone if they have the same main character in subsequent books. There's all the backstory to consider, and a writer has to be really good at his or her craft to make it work."My advice would be to talk to your agent about it, but to definitely start something new. If you sell either of these books as a series, you'll have plenty of time to write that second book. If you can't get the characters out of your head, make notes about them, the next plot...maybe put together a proposal if it's really that pressing, but I probably wouldn't write any more than that until I knew which one was a go.
That said...I DID write the second STOLEN book before the first started. But I did it because 1) the two books were only connected by characters - not an overarching plot, 2) it was a whole new hero and heroine, with the main characters from the first book as very minor secondary characters adn 3) it was a complete stand-alone plot, meaning, you didn't have to read the first book to "get" what was happening. I specifically kept the connection to the first book as miniscule as I could. And my thought was, if it sold before the first book, I could rework parts of book 1 to become book 2.
However, I got lucky. STOLEN FURY ended up selling, and I had just finished revisions on STOLEN HEAT per my agent's suggestions, so we sent that over to see if my editor liked it enough for book 2. She did, and I was left with only one book to write in my contract. My agent has ROUTINELY pointed out this will never again happen in my career, and she's right.
However, I never would have bothered to work on book 2 of my paranormal series before it sold because the books are too closely connected by an overarching plot. I think you really do have to read the first book in the series to know what's happening. You could read them out of order - there's enough re-explaining in book 2 (so far, that's one thing I'm struggling to do now...LOL) but it makes the read much richer if you've read book 1.
So....not sure I helped. My advice though would be to start something new. Whatever happened to your stripper dancing idea? I remember thinking that was going to be a hit. LOL
LOL, Eli, you mean my middle-aged pole dancer? Ha ha! I think about her from time to time. I see her talking to her dead husband's photo, hear her son give her crap about her midlife career goal while her younger gay son says "you go, mom!" It's so outside my usual genre interest, so I'm teetering. I also have my mirror psychic plot we talked about at the retreat. I have the My Fair Lady twist on a homeless woman who appears in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have the group of wayward teens whose kidnapping prank gets way out of hand. Stories, stories everywhere, and nary a word of them written. *snort*
I have struggled mightly with this question as well. My YA is the first of three books. I have book 2 and book 3 roughly plotted. I haven't done book 2 yet because a) it's the same heroine continuing her journey as is typical in YA's and b)I'm not sure that it will do well in contests b/c it's the midpoint of her journey, also known as "the break up book" in YA circles, and c) I know that I need to land an agent/editor on the strength of book 1. If I had an agent, I think I'd be powering through book 2, but right now, I feel like I need to focus on having a second marketable MS to shop around. The first MS I completed, a category contemporary, was also supposed to be part of a three book trilogy where each book stands alone. However, I haven't written book 2 in that series b/c I'm not sure if I will ever return to book 1. Oh, and the opening 10,000 words of book 2 got lost in a hard drive crash 2 years ago, and I just can't muster up the strength to reboot myself. My current WIP is also part of a 3 book loosely connected series, and I may write book 2 after book 1 as they can stand alone.
Wavy, I sympathize. Sigh.
Good question, Karen! Glad you have an agent to help you make this decision!
I've not gotten hooked on a series with the same main characters in every book. The connected books that I've written so far (and are planning) are able to stand on their own. Since I don't really care to read a series where they have to be read in a certain order to make sense, I have no plans to write a series like that.
I sympathize with your hurry up and wait situation!
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