Have Series Taken Over Fiction?
Series to the left of me, series to the right. Every book seems to be part of a series today. Readers who prefer standalone novels are faced with what must seem like endless series books, from trilogies to never-ending sagas with 20, 30, or more volumes. I’ve contributed to this trend myself, with the nine books of my Crimson Worlds series and the fifteen (on the way to eighteen) for my Blood on the Stars series.
Why so many series?
Well, there are a couple reasons. We’ll hit the obvious one first. Series make more sense for a writer from a business perspective. From built-in readership for subsequent installments to the ability to promote multiple books at once, authors find it far easier to build true careers writing series.
That’s a little mercenary, perhaps, but it’s far from the only reason. Series wouldn’t be more lucrative without one unavoidable fact: Most readers love them. There are a lot of advantages to longer stories, narratives that unfold gradually over a larger number of books. The ability to more deeply develop characters and storylines is vastly increased over a longer series. It’s hard to imagine if Game of Thrones would have become the cultural phenomenon it did if it had been a single book and one two-hour movie that came and went.
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Readers become attached to characters, and they want to see their stories completed.
They want to learn more about settings and fictional universes. It’s a lot easier to dive right into a new story that also has some familiarity, some understanding in place when the eyes settle on page one.
Series are nothing new, of course. From the early days with things like the Lensman series through the years to Poul Anderson’s Technic series (and its James Bond in space hero, Dominic Flandry) and beyond to David Weber and the lengthy and beloved Honor Harrington epic, series have always been with us. The move in recent years to faster publication and reduced wait times for new books has enhanced the appeal of these longer tales, eliminating in many cases the wait of a year or more between volumes.
Many stories go on because readers still want more, even years after an author believed a series was finished, and in some cases, even after the original creator has passed away.
Classic stories like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Frank Herbert’s Dune have continued decades after the original books were written.
The series juggernaut isn’t going away anytime soon, so dig through the books that cross your path, find a story that grabs your attention, and settle in for a long and wild ride.
Jay Allan is a USA Today bestselling author of roughly 30 science fiction and fantasy books, including the bestselling Blood on the Stars series, Crimson Worlds series and the Far Stars trilogy published by HarperCollins Voyager.
A lifetime northeasterner, Jay currently lives in New York City, where he writes from his apartment…and continues to fill small notebooks with ideas for future books.
He has been a voracious reader of science fiction and fantasy for many years, a writer of the same far more recently. His tastes are varied and eclectic, but most often he will be found reading military and dystopian science fiction, space opera, alternate history, and epic fantasy. He is also an avid historian, and is as likely to be reading non-fiction as a novel.
Jay writes a lot of science fiction with military themes, but also other SF and some fantasy as well. His works tend to feature complex characters and lots of backstory and action, always with an emphasis on world-building and extensive detail.
Join Jay's reader group on Facebook to keep up with the latest in his work.
I’m ambivalent towards series. I’m pretty reluctant to read a new author if the book I am looking it is “Book 1 of the Exploit-the-Reader Saga”. Saga, BTW, is another red flag. I particularly hate it when I read book three of a trilogy only to find that this has yet another cliffhanger (Douglas Adams is a notable exception as you can stop after the third book). I’ve blocked more than one author for that nonsense. On the other hand, if I refused to read series I would have lost out on Amaranthe, Ambassador and Solar Clipper, amongst others.
I must admit that I often find the “book one of…” will put me off purchasing. I also found the email about this post rather ironic, as it covers rhe launch of box sets and “latest installments”!
I now have a tendancy of not reading a series unless I can aquire the complete series. This does allow me the advantage of reading reviews of the series and deciding if I want to commit to it. But it does have the disadvantage of not looking at a new series. However I have found there are still enough older series available that I can wait for new ones to be completed.
I love series, but I prefer strong, tightly written trilogies over series that go 6+ volumes. My opinion is that quality of story and writing usually diminishes the linger a series is, sometimes to the point that I feel the fanbase is being churned (looking at you The Wheel of Time publisher). A substantial trilogy with tight writing is the sweet spot for me.
I enjoy reading a series when the characters are compelling and stories are fresh and interesting. I don’t want to continue reading if the stories are repetitive and stale.
Tom
There are many great authors (Jonathan Kellerman, Michael Connelly, James Patterson, etc.) that have published books that has on-going character development. The difference, and an important one, is that every book is complete. I still get attached to the characters and I want to know how they change and grow but I know that at the end the story is complete and I can come back in a book or two and learn how the characters have changed. With a series if you miss an episode or two you are lost. For me, this is more of a turn off than an inducement to make additional purchases.
Writing a series just to be lucrative is BS. If you are a good writer I am going to keep purchasing your books. It does not matter if they are a series or all stand alone books. If you are an okay writer and you leave me hanging I might not care enough to pick up the rest of the series.
There are some series that by book 3/4 I am reading just too finish the story as I don’t care anymore and it is more a chore than enjoyment. The author may have gotten me to purchase the books but I would never be able to give them a positive review and that may cost them more in the long run.
Katherine
I love book series or tv series you got more time to develop characters and I like to come back to universe I love
I avoid series now. I am finding that some books are ‘disguised.’ I don’t know it is part of a series unless I search the inside first few pages for, “Also by…” I also find that the first book or three are quite good but then get the feeling after this that the author has lost interest and is just ‘paying his mortgage.’ What I like about non-series books is that the story presents narrow themes and finishes them. Also, once finished I can go to an entirely different theme with a new book.
My concern is a little different. I think we – the readers – should demand that new writers demonstrate that they are writers – not just word jockeys – by publishing a stand along novel. If there’s great response, add to it the way Herbert did with Dune. If not, move on and get that one successful book before you head for the lessened work load of only inventing your characters once – and then have to provide nuances over time – and stretching those invented worlds over volumes. Either that or we need to demand an end game and future history so we can judge if we want to stick with it
I enjoy stand alone books and series, but probably read more series. If a storyline is good (interesting and somewhat believable), the author can either write a 300-350 page book, or many multiples of that with a series. As a reader, I can enjoy a single book, but with a series I can become invested in the characters, following along with them as they progress through life. It’s not necessary for a series to always end with a cliffhanger – note Preston & Child’s Pendergast series or Lee Childs’ Reacher series. But we follow the lead character with an eye back to what they have done before. I’ve been reading books for over 68 years now, having started at age 5 and getting my local library card at age 6.