Trilogies. We see them, everywhere. They haunt me in my dreams, and cackle behind my computer when I write the complete ending for my novel. Series are a popular thing these days, and as a writer more inclined to books that stand on their own...I wonder what I should do.
Why are trilogies/sagas/series so popular anyway? I'm not really sure, but I think I have a few ideas...
For starters, a series, granted that the first book is worth reading, grants a fan base that can only flourish. Basically, the more books, the more money. If you can write a book well enough to entice a large audience, they will remain faithful when you continue the story with the next two, three or even six books.
Also, people, readers particularly, love a good cliffhanger. Oh sure they might shake their fist ts the author when they're waiting for the next book to come out, but that doesn't matter because they are now hooked. When you leave them hungry, they'll have to come back to satisfy their appetite. When writing books that stand on their own, however, you better hope that book is good enough to ensure that they will read other novels written by you in the future.
I like series, but I read singular novels more. (I don't know if "singular novels" is the proper term for what I'm talking about but it's my blog so I can say what I want. Boom.) When I was a wee whippersnapper I was quite fond the Junie B. Jones books, and now I find The Hunger Games trilogy thoroughly engrossing. I just finished Catching Fire so, no spoilers please :)
What do you think about series? Are you fond of them? Do you like writing them? Join the discussion in the comments!
Written by: Karoline Kingley
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Series Vs. Singular Books
Trilogies. We see them, everywhere. They haunt me in my dreams, and cackle behind my computer when I write the complete ending for my novel. Series are a popular thing these days, and as a writer more inclined to books that stand on their own...I wonder what I should do.
Why are trilogies/sagas/series so popular anyway? I'm not really sure, but I think I have a few ideas...
For starters, a series, granted that the first book is worth reading, grants a fan base that can only flourish. Basically, the more books, the more money. If you can write a book well enough to entice a large audience, they will remain faithful when you continue the story with the next two, three or even six books.
Also, people, readers particularly, love a good cliffhanger. Oh sure they might shake their fist ts the author when they're waiting for the next book to come out, but that doesn't matter because they are now hooked. When you leave them hungry, they'll have to come back to satisfy their appetite. When writing books that stand on their own, however, you better hope that book is good enough to ensure that they will read other novels written by you in the future.
I like series, but I read singular novels more. (I don't know if "singular novels" is the proper term for what I'm talking about but it's my blog so I can say what I want. Boom.) When I was a wee whippersnapper I was quite fond the Junie B. Jones books, and now I find The Hunger Games trilogy thoroughly engrossing. I just finished Catching Fire so, no spoilers please :)
What do you think about series? Are you fond of them? Do you like writing them? Join the discussion in the comments!
Written by: Karoline Kingley
Why are trilogies/sagas/series so popular anyway? I'm not really sure, but I think I have a few ideas...
For starters, a series, granted that the first book is worth reading, grants a fan base that can only flourish. Basically, the more books, the more money. If you can write a book well enough to entice a large audience, they will remain faithful when you continue the story with the next two, three or even six books.
Also, people, readers particularly, love a good cliffhanger. Oh sure they might shake their fist ts the author when they're waiting for the next book to come out, but that doesn't matter because they are now hooked. When you leave them hungry, they'll have to come back to satisfy their appetite. When writing books that stand on their own, however, you better hope that book is good enough to ensure that they will read other novels written by you in the future.
I like series, but I read singular novels more. (I don't know if "singular novels" is the proper term for what I'm talking about but it's my blog so I can say what I want. Boom.) When I was a wee whippersnapper I was quite fond the Junie B. Jones books, and now I find The Hunger Games trilogy thoroughly engrossing. I just finished Catching Fire so, no spoilers please :)
What do you think about series? Are you fond of them? Do you like writing them? Join the discussion in the comments!
Written by: Karoline Kingley
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I don't usually read them, but if a really good series comes allong, I really enjoy it - especally if the author is able to keep up the quality through all the books.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about writing them - I've never gotten far enough that it really matters!