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The Essential Guide for Writing a Series vs. a

Standalone Novel

A standalone novel and a series of novels are quite different forms to publish and write.

Selling your novel is easier if you understand the unique marketing qualities of each,

and how publishers handle and receive them differently.

Even before that stage, however, how do you decide in what form to write? In both

publishing and writing there are different considerations for standalones and series

novels that are handy for all authors to know. Before you pen your next piece or send

off your finished manuscript, make sure to consider the following...

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Table Of Contents

What’s the difference? 4

Metanarratives 6
The Reign of the Genre 6
Publishing Considerations 8
Which is easier to publish? 8
Why do publishers ask for series? 9
Marketing benefits 11
Publishing standalones 12
Publishing bottom-line 12
Choosing your form and writing it 14
What’s best for your story? 14
Can you and your story hold out? 15
Which is best for your writing style? 17
Some common pitfalls of series 19
Slow pacing makes for a dull read 19
Craft a balanced and pothole-free plot 20

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 Avoid the over-detailed settings 22
Some common pitfalls of standalones 23
Superficial characters 23
“White room” syndrome 25
Loose story, loose writing 26

What’s the difference?

While standalones are always a single book, series can include anything from 2 to 200

instalments. A series follows the same story and characters throughout numerous

books. Trilogies and series with an odd number of books are highly common.

For example, the 5 book series ​Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan, the 7

book series ​Narnia by C. S. Lewis and even the 45 book series ​Discworld by Terry

Pratchett.

Duologies​, otherwise known as a book with a sequel, have been a recent addition to

series, and in the last few years have experienced a resurgence, particularly in YA.

Often these are narrated by a different main character, such as a male and a female, as

seen in ​Juliet Immortal and ​Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay.

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Taking your writing from pen and paper to print is a long process. Consider the following

tips for making the right decision for your manuscript. Image credit: ProFlowers via

Flickr Creative Commons

Metanarratives

A metanarrative is an overarching story encompassing smaller ones. For the purpose of

this article, it refers to a single storyline connecting multiple books. It can be tricky to

balance an overarching plot as well as a novel-specific one. Fortunately, standalones

don’t have this to consider, and neither do some series.

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There are two ​types of series​: serialised and formula. The former is when the first novel

leads to the second novel, which then leads to third novel and so on. For example,

Harry Potter and ​The Lord of the Rings fall into this category.

The latter is more common in children’s series and detective stories where the main

characters or location appear in each novel, but each novel's plot doesn’t rely on

another’s. In fact, it’s much like a collection of standalones. Andy Griffiths’ ​The

Treehouse Books and Agatha Christie’s Hercule ​Poirot are both formula series.

For formula series, metanarrative may only involve a gradual passing of time if at all, but

it’s quite important for serialised series. It’s expected that at least some events in a

serialised series novel are foreshadowed in the previous instalment and affect later

sequels.

The Reign of the Genre

Genre has significant impact on how series or standalones are written and received.

Series are often some form of ​fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, dystopian genre stories​. This

has become an expectation amongst readers, and likely started due to the significant

amount of world-building necessary for these genres. On the other hand, most

contemporary, realistic and literary novels are standalone.

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“One of the appealing aspects of ​genre fiction​, both to readers and I’m sure publishers,

is that most of it is series fiction. Very rarely in so-called ‘literary’ fiction do you find

characters that recur in other novels.” — Jon Page

Perhaps as a writer you’ve unconsciously followed these trends, or maybe you’ve

deliberately done so. Genre is an important consideration both when writing and getting

published. If you haven’t done research into the series or standalone trends of your

genre, it’s time to do some searching and pop into your local bookstore.

But what do you do if you really want to write a standalone fantasy, or a contemporary

series?

It’s simple: love your story, write a good book and be persistent. In other words, do the

same as you would to get any novel published, but be prepared to work even harder.

When looking for a publisher, your best bet is those that have already published a

series or standalone in the same genre as yours. It's good to get into the habit of taking

note of who published a certain novel and checking their website.

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 Kyla examines the publishing considerations crucial for every writer on their road to

print. Image credit: Zhao ! via Flickr Creative Commons

Publishing Considerations

Which is easier to publish?

It may not seem so, but looking at Australian bookstores, there's an approximate 1:1

ratio of standalones and books that are part of a series being published. Many believe

that the market is flooded with series. This is in part because a few years ago it ​was

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flooded with series, and in part because it's often cheaper and easier to market for

series.

There was a time when it was actually easier to sell a trilogy than a stand-alone but

today it’s probably even odds. Publishers are being more cautious, wanting to see how

the first book performs before committing.” — ​Josh Adams, Literary Agent

A series behind an author’s back is a great way to get their name out. However, series

are a high-risk, high-gain product. From a publisher’s perspective, if the first book in a

series isn’t successful, they’re stuck with a contract for sequels that won’t sell.

One of the rising methods around this is for writers to ​submit a manuscript​ that can

standalone or be extended into a series.

Why do publishers ask for series?

Sometimes writers submit a manuscript and a ​publisher accepts but wants a sequel​ or

two. Wasn’t a contract series high-risk? Publishers have been around the industry long

enough to know what is likely to sell and what isn’t.

If a manuscript is strong enough and aimed at the right audience to secure the sales of

following novels, the publisher may choose to request this of the author.

Publishers are very select when it comes to asking for a series. Sales often diminish as

a few readers lose interest in the story or get distracted after each new release. Series

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also don’t find new readers part-way through. They need to be hooked on the first book

and carried through. ​Shona Martyn from HarperCollins​ shared that:

Book One always sells the most… If you keep 75% of your audience for Book 2 and

another 75% of that audience for book 3 youʹve gone from 15,000 sales to 11,500 sales

to 8437 sales. What the bookseller will see, is an author who can’t crack the magic

10,000 barrier and they may well lose interest in stocking future books.”

Series do however have the advantage of ​boosting backlist sales​. When a sequel

comes out, it can fuel extra sales to the previous books, bringing them “back to life”.

This can also happen with standalones if you build a big name for yourself as an author.

However, series can do this with a combination of your name as well as the characters’

names and the story itself.

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 The first book of a series almost always sells the most copies. Image credit: Pezibear

via Pixabay

Marketing benefits

Series help build an audience by making readers more familiar with the author's name.

This is important for marketing, as the ​author's name is their brand​.

Have you ever bought a book because you recalled reading another by the same

author? Exactly. Publishing is a business, and while we like to think that it’s all about

promoting literature and the arts, it’s also about making money.

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If readers are hooked on the first novel of a series, they’re much more likely to pick up

the next novel than another, unrelated one. This also helps the marketing team ride on

the wave of the previous ​novel’s marketing​. People are already looking out for the

sequel and it doesn’t take as much marketing to trigger the memory of the previous

novel than it would to draw attention to a completely new story.

Publishing standalones

Series have some marketing benefits, however, standalone novels can also be

successful. Authors, such as John Green, have written enough successful standalones

that their name is as well-known as some series writers. Building an audience to an

author of standalones only requires a handful of great novels. Several great

standalones can carry an author through their career better than an author who's had

one successful series.

To build up your author brand with standalones you need to consecutively write great

novels – just as any series writer would need to. Readers can lose interest in a story

that goes on for too long or has too big a gap between releases. However, this is only a

concern for series.

Publishing bottom-line

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More than anything, what's important is the quality of the writing and the story. From the

business perspective, a bad series won't sell better than a few good standalones. If the

first or second novel in a series is unpopular, the sales of the next are lost. But a

standalone that doesn’t sell well is much less likely to affect the author’s next, unrelated

novel sales.

Series do, however, have the advantage that a successful first novel supports the

author’s next releases better than a good standalone.

Focus on making Book One the best it can possibly be. By all means ‘pitch’ the idea of

subsequent books but expect a publisher to be wary. The more professionally you

present Book One, the more likely a publisher will buy into the idea of Books Two,

Three etc.”— ​Jeni Mawter

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 Focus on crafting quality writing, pitching to publishers in the right way and marketing

your book well. Image credit: condesign via Pixabay

Choosing your form and writing it

What’s best for your story?

One of the most important considerations for every writer: does your story need a

sequel?

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Whilst you may enjoy writing a certain set of characters, you need to make sure you

focus the story’s purpose. Writer Aly Hughes shares an interesting point on her blog:

One factor that can weigh in on this, is whether or not a ​book is character or plot

driven​… I tend to feel that character driven novels should be singular… However, with

plot driven novels I’m more invested in the actual story and what happens.”

While characters may not drive the story in a series, they are important for drawing the

reader in and pulling them into the sequel. It’s important to consider the subtle

differences, between series and standalones, when choosing which is best for you and

your story.

Can you and your story hold out?

To write a series, you need to be dedicated to the whole story, including all of the

characters, the worlds, the plot, the voice, the mood and even tone.

Starting a series, getting bored a few books in and rushing the ending – or worse,

leaving it hanging – isn’t going to leave a good impression on your readers or publisher.

Make sure you know how to write and stay positive, and have the determination to

maintain healthy writing habits​.

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Writing fatigue affects all writers and is caused by long periods of time with little rest.

Many may spend most of their time, free from work and other commitments, writing.

This results in writer's block, poor quality prose and difficulty noticing mistakes.

To write a long piece of work such as a series requires good stamina, recognising when

you need rest and acting on that.

Writing a series​ is like when a dinner guest becomes a roommate. Writing the first book

is like having a dinner party with exciting and stimulating guests, carefully planned

menu, atmosphere – but the guests get to go home. And you get to put your feet up and

relax. Writing a series, the guests stay permanently. You have to think of exciting things

for them to do, vary the menu, invite different guests for them to play with.” — Rebecca

Forster

As well as your own commitment to the story, make sure it is able to keep moving and

stay interesting across the significant number of extra pages a series can hold. Part of

this includes knowing the characters and elements of your current story well enough to

see the future story potential.

Flesh out a basic outline for a sequel or whole series, run your ideas past some other

writing friends. If they agree that it sounds good, it’s time to get writing!

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 Explore your own story to discover its depths. Image credit: Bonnybbx via Pixabay

Which is best for your writing style?

Some writers produce series more naturally than standalones, or vice versa. There are

some, of course, who are successful at writing both. However, finding which suits you

more will help your natural talent flourish.

For example, if writing metanarrative’s isn’t your thing, or you're often distracted by new

ideas, aim for a standalone or formula series.

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To discover which is best for your style, you must first explore and identify your own

style. Look at the authors, genres and novels you love and examine their style. This

includes everything from sentence length, word and syntax to the tone and mood. Is it

poetic, analytical, humorous? Now look at your writing. Do you notice any similarity? It’s

also useful to ask a few writing friends to try identify your style.

When it comes to fiction, writing style is often personal. Your own mind - and your own

sense of balance - will dictate how you put a piece of writing together.” — Rob Parnell

Once you know your style, find stories written in a similar style and see how many are

standalones and how many are series. From there, you should have a good indication

of which is best for your writing. If the results differ from what you want to write, that's

okay too.

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 Writers face unique challenges depending on the form they choose. Image credit:

Kaboom Pics via Pixabay

Some common pitfalls of series

Slow pacing makes for a dull read

Readers often complain that a series could’ve been written in a single volume. Slow

pacing is often the issue.

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The first way to fix this is to address whether or not the story would work better as a

standalone, or as a shorter series. After that, brainstorm more ideas. If you find that you

tend to stretch your plots out, consider writing plot outlines for several books and then

trying to condense from there.

Slow pacing can be caused by poor writing​, at a sentence level and at a higher level.

Short sentences and action scenes should balance the long sentences and slower

description or introspection scenes. On the higher-level, subplots pushing aside the

main plot can also cause the impression of slow-pacing. Readers become frustrated

when the main plot they’ve eagerly followed is forgotten for too long.

More than any other book, the second instalment in a trilogy suffers from slow pacing.

This happens by focusing too much on the metanarrative and forgetting that individual

books need full plots. To help learn how to write good "middle" books, ​enjoy the great

books​ that have avoided this second-book slump.

Craft a balanced and pothole-free plot

Many series suffer a number of common issues. Let's look at one well-known series that

avoids them: J. K. Rowling's ​Harry Potter. The thing to keep an eye on is balancing

metanarrative and the individual book narrative. It’s not an easy task and often one is

over-looked in favour of the other.

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Harry Potter has a clear metanarrative (Harry defeating Voldemort), and also separate

plots for each individual book (such as finding the philosopher's stone). Mistakes in this

often leads to the second issue, which is plot holes or inconsistencies.

Focusing more on the larger or smaller narrative can cause the smaller plots to have

illogical, improbable or unexplained happenings that interfere with a smooth reading

experience. That being said, it's almost impossible to have no errors. ​Fans of ​Harry

Potterhave identified several within the series, but typically these are copy or word

errors rather than structural or plot errors.

Another common plot issue with series is repeated plots. Each book in a series needs

its own unique plot to avoid being repetitive and losing your reader. Again, J. K. Rowling

has written her series without falling into this pitfall. Each book, while similar, deal with

slightly different themes and very different plot structures and plot points. The final book

isn't even set in Hogwarts.

Writing a series​ means that every instalment must be as good as or better than the last.

No rehashing of a theme. No cookie cutter plots. No formulas.” — Joe Moore

These plot issues can often be solved by planning everything in advance, with notes in

separate columns (or some other form of distinction) for the metanarrative and

individual novel narratives. Editor Beth Hill has written up a useful and comprehensive

article about what to consider when planning both narratives.

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Editor Beth Hill's comprehensive article provides an detailed tips on the preparation and

best practices for writing a series​.

Thorough planning may be the best strategy to keep your plot on-point. Image credit:

Unsplash via Pixabay

Avoid the over-detailed settings

Though a rich setting is desirable, there remains a limit. Just because you've got extra

pages and volumes to fill, it doesn’t mean you need to go into excessive detail about

your fictional world. This can actually be a common mistake, regardless of whether

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you're writing a series or not. However, it can be more likely to slip through if you feel

that you've plenty of room.

Many series are of a genre that require significant world-building, such as fantasy. The

need for world-building​ is one of the things that leads to this pitfall.

While it’s important, as the writer, to know as much as you can about your world,

readers don’t need to be as familiar with it. Description is important. However, keep it to

the necessary and leave the rest of your pages for the story.

Some common pitfalls of standalones

Superficial characters

Character introduction, character development and the character arc can fall to the

wayside when focusing on the plot. This doesn’t mean you should sacrifice a

well-developed plot. Both plot and character development are important. But many

popular standalones such as ​The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky,

Looking for Alaska by John Green, and ​(I am) The Messenger by Markus Zusak are

driven by characters, so be sure to put a bit of extra effort into ​knowing your characters​.

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While a series permits a writer to develop a set of characters over a period of time, a

standalone novel​ represents the only opportunity these people have to live and breathe

and tell their stories.” — Lise McClendon

A big trap that can lead to superficial characters are stereotypes. How do you avoid

stereotypes?

The first way is to know what they are, which is sometimes universal and sometimes

specific to genre. Avoiding stereotypes will bring depth to your characters. Once you

understand what the most common stereotypes are, you can deliberately play on them

by introducing a character in a stereotypical way but revealing their depth throughout

the story.

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 The perfect setting makes all the difference. Watch out for the "white room" syndrome.

Image credit: Frank Winkler via Pixabay

“White room” syndrome

The same way many series often flood their fictional worlds with too much description,

standalones can forget to add adequate description. This is known as “white room”

syndrome. For all your readers know, your characters are doing and saying things while

standing in a plain, white room. ​The right setting​ adds nuances to your character and

plot that you don’t want to miss out on.

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Some writers find it easier to focus on their natural strengths, such as characters and

plot, in their first draft, and on the second draft work on description. While it’s good to

know what your setting is before you write, don’t let your weaknesses take your

attention away from your strengths. When adding description, be sure to ​remember all

five senses​.

Loose story, loose writing

If your imagination is active and regularly goes on tangents that lead to more subplots

and twists and turns, you’ll need to rein it in if you want to stick to a standalone. Keep it

short and sweet. While some standalones have successfully led the way to a series, it’s

better if ​series potential is written into a novel ​from the start.

Standalones have fewer pages to work a story than a series. This means your writing

needs to get to the point, but still be full of rich description, heart-racing plot and

loveable characters. Writing in this way may come naturally to you, or may require

practice and a few ​useful writing tips​ to get you heading in the right direction.

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 Great stories are the greatest goal. Image credit: StockSnap via Pixabay

The market exists for great stories, whether in standalone or series form. As long as you

recognise the unique traits of the form you chose and write with them in mind, you can

make your story successful.

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About The Author

Kyla Bagnall

Kyla Bagnall is an enthusiastic third-year Creative & Professional Writing student in

Brisbane. At the astute age of 11 she announced her ambition to become an author,

and hasn't looked back since. Between 2010 and 2011, four of her short stories were

published by write4fun, and since then she has been working on a few novels and

pursuing her fascination of characters and culture by dabbling in Psychology subjects.

Aside from that, her favourite things are books, art, cats, tea and winter.

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