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[/column][column width=”2/3″ position=”last” ][heading]Writing a Series
(Writers’ Guide Series)[/heading]
How to write a series or a sequel that readers will love
by Sandra Gerth
Readers love series. From The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter to James Bond, The Lord of the Rings, and A Song of Ice and Fire, series are popular across all genres.
There are good reasons for authors to write series. Not only is it fun, it’s also an effective marketing strategy. If you look at the bestselling books of the past few years, it’s clear that series sell better than one-off novels. Readers become invested in the characters and want to spend more time with them. So writing a series is a wonderful way to turn a reader who discovered one of your books into a lifelong fan who’ll buy everything you write.
But writing a series poses many challenges and difficulties that you don’t face when writing a standalone novel. In Writing a Series, you’ll find all the techniques, tips, and tools that will help you master those challenges and write a series readers will love.
It will help you to
- Choose what type of series you’re going to write;
- Write a sequel to a novel that wasn’t intended to become a series;
- Make sure the second book in your series lives up to expectations;
- Create compelling characters that readers will invest in emotionally;
- Develop story arcs and series arcs;
- Establish the setting of your series world;
- Create a series bible and a timeline that will help you avoid continuity issues;
- Deal with backstory and integrate information from previous books into the story;
- Keep your series fresh and entertaining;
- End each book in a satisfying way that still leaves readers anticipating the next one;
- Decide when and how to end the series;
- Pitch your series to a publisher;
- Brand and market your series;
- Avoid common pitfalls of writing a series;
- Discover tools that will help you stay organized.
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If you have ever considered writing a series—or writing a sequel to an existing book—and want to get it right, this book is for you.
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