Most authors are quite content to write one novel at a time. They're the well-adjusted types who love their work but don't get hung up on it. They finish writing a book and cheerfully move on to the next, and never look back.

Then there are writers like me, who aren't so easily satisfied. For me, the story doesn't end with one book. It takes three or eight or twenty. I'm not happy to move on. Ever. When I'm forced to, it's usually with white-knuckled fists, bared teeth, and plenty of words I can't say in front of the children.

If I didn't write, I'd probably be a stalker, or a nymphomaniac, or the Unibomber. Luckily, I found an outlet for my peculiar passions -- writing the novel series.

It's hard enough to think and plot and write a single novel. For every writer who finishes a book, there are thousands who try and give up at some point during the process. So why would anyone voluntarily consider writing a novel series? Is it ego? Procrastination? Obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Maybe it's a little of all three. It takes considerable ego to write a series of novels. You can't be in a hurry to reach the big finale, so you enjoy putting it off. A story line that stretches into multiple novels requires extreme passion, commitment, and yes, even obsession.

Let's face it, a story that has to be told in a series of novels has to have some major scope. A novel series isn't about two guys who walk into a bar and argue over a blonde. It isn't about two guys who walk into a couple of different bars and argue over a variety of blondes.

No, a novel series starts with two guys who walk into a bar, hit on a blonde who's really a strong-arm recruiter for the navy, are drugged, shanghaied and forced to join the nefarious crew of an infamous battle cruiser scheduled to sail a thousand oceans, upon which they have to scrub decks, get flogged, slay myriad monsters and run into all kinds of blondes, brunettes, redheads before they offend some important potentate, are split up and sold to slavers, who assure they endure considerable pain and suffering before they're reunited, gain their freedom, revisit the bar only to be confronted by the blonde daughter of the ex-strong-arm navy recruiter whom one of them got pregnant while on shore leave . . . .

Well, you get the picture.

There's also a distinct difference between a novel series and novels set in the same universe. A series has a defined story line which follows the same set of characters (or subsequent generations of characters) through a chronology of events. Settings, peripheral characters, and events can change from book to book, but there is a central plot that drives each novel. You should be able to sum up this central plot in one sentence -- i.e. for my StarDoc novels: "A fugitive genetic construct practices intergalactic medicine and fights for freedom."

Novels set in the same universe share some of these elements, especially setting and characters, but have no continuity linking the books. Chronological order doesn't replace continuity, either. There's nothing wrong with writing novels set in the same universe, but you don't want to label these as a series, because they won't make sense as a series to your prospective publisher.

Okay, let's say you've got a series planned. You've outlined your debut novel with a plot that will generate ample material for ten, maybe fifteen more books. You've got language glossaries. Blueprints. Character trees sprouting a thousand branches. You're ready to put together a novel series proposal, zap it off to a publisher, and negotiate a six-figure contract.

Before you open fifteen money market accounts to accommodate the influx of your new wealth, think about one cold, hard fact:

Publishers don't want to buy a novel series. The market gets smaller and more demanding every day. Financial necessity demands publishers be much more conservative when buying books — especially those written by unpublished writers.

It's simple mathematics: one novel < a novel series.

Authors often grumble that publishers don't want to develop new writers, which is why it's so hard to sell a series. In reality, up to 85% of published books never earn back the money a publisher invests in author advance money, novel production, marketing and distribution. Publishers simply don't have the time, desire, or financial justification to "develop" new writers until it's worth their time.

On the up side, publishers do want to buy one book that dazzles them and see how it sells. If it does well, they'll want to buy more.. So consider pitching the first book in your series as a standalone novel. If the publisher is interested, then you can elaborate on your plans for future books.

Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions I've run into about writing a novel series:

How many books should I write in the series? If you're unpublished, I believe you should write the first two books in your series before you pitch it to a publisher. Established authors can usually get away with a synopsis and three sample chapters of the first book, along with a detailed series outline. Personally, I never pitch any series unless I've completed the first novel, but that's my way of making sure it's going to work for me.

And before you unpublished writers start complaining, consider this: my very first contract was for not one, but two StarDoc novels. I pitched the first as a standalone, and the editor called me and asked if I'd written a second book. When I said I had, she asked me to overnight it to New York, and liked it so much she bought both.

I don't have to write every book as a standalone, do I? Rule#1 of writing a novel series -- each book must be able to stand on its own. No exceptions. Publishers aren't interested in buying an unfinished product, or one that requires a reader to purchase other books in order to understand the story. If any of your series novels can't stand on their own, revise them until they do -- otherwise, it's practically guaranteed not to sell.

Do I have to write tons of back story in each novel to support the series? Tons of back story aren't going to do anything but bog down the novel, so no, I don't think so. You do have to provide the most important plot points of previous books, but in as short and non-intrusive a method as you can devise.

Every series author has a different way to handle back story. Holly Lisle wrote a short synopsis in the beginning of books two and three of her Secret Texts trilogy to establish what happened in previous novels for her readers. In my latest StarDoc novel, I was able to squeeze back story from the three previous book onto one page by having my protagonist read file headers from her computer journal.

If it's a series, why does each book have to be different? This is a matter of opinion -- mine. Too many writers are already out there, writing the same story over and over, with just a few minor changes to differentiate between each novel. Find the core of each book and develop it to be unique -- but don't repeat it. It's a challenge, especially when you're continuing a story with the same central plot and character set. Think of it like a meal -- you want to eat dinner every day, but would you want steak and potatoes seven nights a week?

Before I got my first contract, I had four different genre series I was trying to sell: a SF series, a romance trilogy, a horror series, and a paranormal romance series. I sold the SF and the romance, but the paranormal and horror are still making the rounds.

Series writers face a harder road than other authors, and not just in selling the books. There is the dreaded "second-book syndrome" where it seems most authors fail to carry through the promise and momentum of the first novel in a series.

Also, we series-addicts seem to be judged more harshly by reviewers and readers than those happy souls who write standalones. One-book authors can always start fresh, no matter what they write. A series author not only has to present solid novels, they must measure up to past books, generate future installments, and give the reader a great reason to keep following the series.

Even after you've proven yourself, there are no guarantees. Some people think a successful series writer can sell anything they write to a publisher.

Wrong! I've had excellent sales with my StarDoc series, the first two books of which both hit the LOCUS bestseller list (StarDoc at #11, Beyond Varallan at #2.) My sell-through on the first StarDoc novel last stood at a very gratifying 93%.

Despite this, when I pitched my eight-book SF series Blade Dancer to the same publisher for whom I was making all this money, they were only willing to buy the first book. They're interested in seeing more, of course -- but only after they see how well Blade Dancer book one does.

Writing a novel series is wonderful, demanding work. It gives a writer a sense of creating history and paying tribute to their own. I can look back at each of the books I've written, and each one reminds me of something that happened in my life when I was working on it.

As for my series characters, they've become part of the family. Mom frequently calls for updates, and her favorite demand is "Are you giving Cherijo more grief in this one? That girl deserves some happiness! And kill off that maniac Reever, will you?"

Oh, well. Can't make everyone happy. And I suppose the world already has enough stalkers, nymphomaniacs, and Unibombers . . . .

Copyright © 2002 by S.L. Viehl