To be clear, if you have an idea for a single book that you are passionate about, then write it. Don’t worry about stretching it out into a series if it doesn’t work. Put your best work out there because that’s the only way you will ever know if you can build up an audience with your work. However, if you have several ideas and you aren’t sure where to go with them, then a series is always the way to go.
As you start to jot down some ideas, remember what makes us all fall in love with longer stories:
- People are more interested in series: If you have a great character or group, people want to learn more about them than you can tell in a single edition. They want to know what their experiences were, what made them the way they are now and what will happen to them in the future.
- Gives you more ways to promote: When you have multiple stories, you have a unique way of promoting them because you can promote the first book as much as the 3rd or 4th. This allows you to increase your audience, even years after the first draft was completed. You also can offer deals like getting the third book free when you purchase the first and second ones.
- They can develop a following: Again, people get attached to series because they can follow a character around from story to story. This gives your books time to build an audience as people hear about them from their friends or social media and have an interest in reading.
- Easier to write: Writing any book has its challenges. However, when you are writing a series you already have one main character, as well as others, already figured out. Your story becomes more of their experiences and reconnecting them with the audience.
You should never write something with the expectations of it becoming a best-seller, a TV show or movie. Just writing it out is an accomplishment of which you can be proud. Don’t be afraid to bounce your ideas off friends, their input can help you develop the story even more and come up with something that people will love to read and follow. It’s not just about the story; it’s about the characters you are developing. Create ones that people can connect with and want to learn more about.