Series Writing 101: Resources for planning and writing a series

The very first decision a series author has to make is what type of series to create. Are you telling a single story across many books, or are you writing many books based on common elements?

The big-daddy benchmark of series writing is the trilogy. Trilogies have come to be expected in genres like speculative fiction. These series tell a single story over three or even more volumes: The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games series, the Harry Potter series, and many others. Some of these (The Lord of the Rings) were written as one massive story and split by the publisher into smaller, more digestible books; others were designed from day one as single stories within a larger tale.

Another type of series is unified by a common setting, character, or group of characters. Consider Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey & Maturin nautical history series (you’ve probably heard of Master and Commander), the Jack Reacher series, and the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

No matter what type of series you’ve designed, every book must stand on its own to at least some degree. A book that’s nothing but a stepping stone feels like a side dish presented as a dinner course. And while you might not want readers to enter a series on Book Two, some inevitably will—so write something compelling enough to capture those readers too.

Planning is the key. These are the series writing resources I share most with my own clients, drawn from some of the savviest, most respected authors of writing advice. You should aim to work through all of these issues before you begin writing your series.

Structuring a Series

6 Things to Consider Before Writing a Series

How to Write a Book Trilogy: 5 Crucial Steps

How to Outline a Series of Bestselling Books

Writing a Series: How Much Do We Need to Plan Ahead?

8 Tips on Writing a Series

How Not to Mess Up Your Book Series

Writing a Trilogy: Essential Tips for Crafting a Three-Part Series

Common Issues With Series Writing

5 Tips on Writing a Cliffhanger

How to Write a Series: 8 Notice Mistakes to Avoid

Spin-Offs, Sequels, and Prequels

Writing Secondary Characters That Pop—and Sell More Books

How To Pitch a Series

Publishing a Sequel: 8 Book Marketing Tips You Need to Know

Best Practices for Aspiring Series Authors

A series represents a significant investment of time and money for you and your readers alike. Make sure you’re ready to shoulder the responsibility.

1. Know what type of series you’d like to write and how they work. Read well-written series in the style you’d like to emulate. In speculative fiction, try N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth series. If you’re writing YA, get to know J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. For thrillers, read Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.

2. Don’t waste time writing multiple books of a concept readers aren’t likely to buy. You need an understanding of both the current market and your genre’s literary roots. What’s already been done? What are readers still hungry for? Nobody’s going to coach you through all the things you’ve missed if you haven’t picked up a book in years, and few readers will have patience for an author whose story sensibilities are obviously outdated. The solution: voracious reading.

The desired price of the hardback began to determine the length of the manuscript, which is a weird way to do art. Personally, I’d read more fantasy novels if they came in smaller size but more often. Waiting 7 years for a 1,500 page tome is no bueno.

— Hugh Howey (@hughhowey) March 21, 2018

3. Get a stand-alone novel under your belt. If you don’t know how to get a single novel into the air, what makes you think it will be worth your time and budget to launch an entire squadron of first efforts? Writing a stand-alone novel forces you to create a story that works. You have no excuses: “Oh, that’ll wrap up at the end of the series,” or “I’ll develop that character’s motivation in another book.” It’s now or never. Learn to walk before you run.