THE BUSINESS OF WRITING
HOWTOSUCCEEDwith a series
Why write one novel when publishers love a series? Simon Whaley chats to two successful series authors.
Thirty-six years ago, Arthur Fowler, Ali Osman andDen Watts broke into Reg Cox’s flat, and the TV soap Eastenders was born. Viewers love soap operas because they become absorbed in the ongoing regular characters’ storylines.
This is why novel series are popular with publishers and readers. They meet the publishers’ demands for more of the same, but different. Create a central character readers love and then take them on a succession of adventures. Think Hercule Poirot, Harry Potter, Tracy Beaker, Jack Reacher or Katniss Everdeen.
From a business perspective, writing a series can be financially profitable, too. If a reader buys a book in your series and enjoys it, chances are they’ll buy the rest of the series too. While standalone novels are busy trying to sell their unknown content to potential readers, your series readers will see your next book as catching up with a great friend.
Compelling characters
Faith Martin is the author of several series, including DI Hillary Greene, Ryder and Loveday, Jenny Starling, and Monica Noble. For her, writing these series reminds her of how she first felt when she discovered books were part of a series as a reader.
‘Long before I ever thought of writing a book,’ she explains, ‘I was an avid reader, especially crime novels. I started reading Agatha Christie when I was about thirteen. And it was always a joy when I read the first – say – Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason novel, loved it, and then realised that there were so many more available in the series.