If you’re considering writing books in a series, then doing so certainly has its own advantages. What are the benefits? Read on to find out.
1. Develop your niche
As a debut author, you may have one book to your credit. But when you start writing multiple books in your niche, you get to establish yourself in your niche. You will no longer be considered a newbie but as someone who is professional. Readers will be happy to see your book in stores. Twilight and Harry Potter are popular series. By authoring a book series, you establish more credibility for yourself.
2. Improved book sales
When you have written a book series, readers will love to buy in bulk at one time. This leads to increased book sales. If you have written one standalone book, then readers may just buy one and go.
3. Reading pleasure
When you write a book series, it provides familiar pleasure to your readers. Reading the second or third book in a series is like making your readers reread a familiar book. Readers need not figure out something new as they already are aware of the characters, the setting or the plot. Revisiting a book in series makes reading more exciting. Readers also get to engage themselves more with the characters.
4. Develop a fan base
Writing in series is a good way to expand your fan following. When you write in series, you are more likely to have readers who will follow you and keep abreast of your books. Once your book becomes popular, standalone or series, readers will be more eager to see what you have written next.
5. Book bundles
You can bundle your books into one large edition after you have written a series. This lets your readers collect your books and also helps them to save money. Some authors even combine books originally available only in Kindle format into one big book and launch it as a bundle edition.
6. Develop sub-characters
One of the benefits of writing in series is you can develop your sub-characters. You can make a passing mention of a character at some point in your writing and later provide more details about your character. The initial vague reference to the character will remain in the reader’s minds, and your readers will be able to connect the dots when you refer to it again. When you introduce a sentence like Amidst all the chatter, Crazy Harriet sat there aloof and perturbed, you give your readers’ minds something to imagine.
7. Build your online presence
Writing in series helps you to build your online presence. The more titles you have in a series, the larger your digital footprint in the online world, and the more your name and work will be seen by people. When you build your online presence, it also helps to create meaningful rapport with your readers and enhance your online offerings and presence.
Writing in series may or may not make you popular. A book series may become a phenomena because of something called the “bandwagon effect.” Harry Potter or Twilight series may have become popular because of this!
Image credit: Owen Robertson on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.