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Writing A Series: 7 Continuation Issues To Avoid

July 13, 2018 by Joanna Penn 11 Comments

I'm currently writing the 10th book in my ARKANE thriller series, so I am revisiting the little details that make my characters consistent across the books. I have forgotten so much since End of Days!

Here are some of the things to think about for continuation across series. Watch the video below or here on YouTube.

In the video, I go through:

(1) Continuation of character history, physical and personality traits

(2) How much to repeat in case people don't start with the first book

(3) What I remember vs what I actually wrote

(4) A story in itself but also part of a series

(5) Does the protagonist change within the book or over a series of books?

(6) How to cope with timescale over multiple books

(7) Retrofitting cover design and branding

ARKANE Books x 9

You can find my series fiction here: https://jfpenn.com/fiction/

Get your free 7 Steps to Write your Novel cheatsheet at: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/7steps

Why Writing In a Series Will Make You More Money As A Writer

February 7, 2018 by Joanna Penn 18 Comments

Writing in a series helps you write faster, satisfy more readers and make more money as an author – whether you write fiction or non-fiction. In this video and article, I'll go into detail on why writing a series will make you more money as a writer.  writing in a series

I'll go through:

  • Why our culture of ‘binge-watching‘ and binge reading means that readers welcome a series
  • How you can make more money per customer with a back-list
  • Why boxsets are incredible value for the customer and make you more money
  • Why it's easier to market a series
  • How to brand a series with consistent covers
  • Optimizing a series with linking metadata

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube, or read on for the article in full.

Binge culture

First of all, from the readers' perspective, we are now living in a binge culture. So maybe, like me, you're excited about the next series of “Game of Thrones,” and when it arrives, you just binge watch the whole thing. You say, “I'm going to jump in and read everything, watch everything.”

The same can be true of a favorite author. You discover someone new and you go and read their whole backlist.

Or, for example, sometimes if I am really in need of a Stephen King book I can go and always find more of his backlist. Now, interestingly, he doesn't necessarily work in a series, but he writes in a genre, where I can expect a similar experience.

ARKANE Books x 9From my own example, I write the ARKANE thriller series, which currently has nine books. And I'm writing the 10th at the moment.

They are available individually, but they're also available in the mega-blockbuster box set editions which weigh a ton; the print versions are like a doorstop! You can get them in the e-book box sets as well.

The binge consumption culture means, if a reader discovers you, they are likely to go back and buy more.

And the same is true for non-fiction. In this case it's not a story series, but it can be a topic series. So for me, I have books for writers, and they're aimed at the same target market.

joanna penn non fiction booksI've got eight books now in the series of books for writers, and you can actually link them together with series metadata. Metadata is the fields you fill in when you publish.

Make more money per customer

If we switch around from the reader point of view to the business point of view, you're going to make more money per customer. And that's really important if you want to run a business as an author.

Readers, instead of just buying one book, buy more than one book. That way you can make more money per customer.

You can also turn the books into box sets. When you have a box set with more than one book in, it becomes another product. Here's more on boxsets and bundling if you want to try it.

Readers can get the first three books in the ARKANE Series in e-book, print, and audiobook separately, and they can also get it in e-book, print, and audiobook as a box set. That gives me three more products that I can use when I'm writing a series.

arkane3bookboxset

One of my ARKANE box sets

I have books four to six, and seven to nine in other box sets as well. If you give value to the reader in a box set, you can use your series to create more products and more revenue per customer. And, of course, if you write fiction, you have more time to develop your characters.

Circling back to Game of Thrones, each of George RR Martin's books were as big as my box sets, but those characters are developed over a longer period. And it's more manageable that way.

Instead of writing one 400,000-word book, think about writing more of a series; five or six books that will go into that 400,000-word mega-story.

More Marketing Opportunities

It's also easier to market a series of books, because you can use the first book in the series, for example, as a permanently free or doing free promotions on that first one, over time. You can then get people into the series and then, hopefully, they will carry on.

That first book can become a loss leader or it can also just be a way for people to enter the series. You can keep promoting that book. Freebooksy offer a first in series promotion.

Love, Second Time AroundFor my Sweet Romance books, for example, the first in the series is Love, Second Time Around, and this is the book that we do the most promotion on. Over time, that would mean you get more and more reviews on that first book, and the people who like it will go on through the rest of them.

It's also easier to get merchandising opportunities on sites like Kobo, iBooks, and even Nook, if you have a free first-in-series or a first-in-series that's on promotion, because these sites understand that if people go into a popular series, they are likely to buy more books.

So, if you have a series, you're going to have far more opportunities to do marketing.

Optimizing a Series

It's really important to consider a branded cover so that the books are very clearly a series. That is something I've taken very seriously for my own books.

I've done this for the ARKANE Books, and for the Penny Appleton series. They have exactly the same fonts. And with romance, I'm also using a bigger author name because people will forget the names of novels, but they will remember the name of the author over time. So that's a good reason to keep the author name so prominent.

New ARKANE coversIt's the same with my thrillers. Again, same font, similar-looking design and my “J.F. Penn” that will always be the same, and the same color.

Having branded covers are a really good way to link books together, and if you're using the same name. So those are actually three different author names for me. But if you're using the same name, you could actually use the covers, the different cover design, so it looks different.

My London Psychic books look different than my ARKANE books within each series, and each series has branded covers.

Metadata

Whether you're using KDP, Kobo, iBooks, Draf2Digital, Smashwords, IngramSpark, Audible, or ACX all of these sites have a field for series name.

And little tip there, make sure you always spell it the same way!

For example, originally I had ARKANE Thriller Books or ARKANE Thriller Novels in the series field, and then I took off the word “Novels” later on, and then the series didn't link together properly. Make sure the spacing and the spelling of the series is always the same, and then they will link together on the store.

Writing Faster

penny appleton sweet romanceFrom the writer's perspective, it's easier and faster to write it a series because, if you're writing fiction, you have the world, you have the characters, you have an archetypal idea of what the book will be, and then you just need to come up with the new plot.

And, with non-fiction, you know your target market, you know what they want. You have a blueprint of what the book should be, and then you just deliver to the same promise.

Writing in a series will make it easier for you to write books. It will make the customers and readers happier, because they get great value, and they get lots of material, and they get to binge. You make more money. The merchandisers are happy. The bookstores are happy.

Everyone wins with writing a series. So what are you waiting for?

Are you planning to write in a series? Maybe you're currently writing a series. Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

From One Novel To A Universe Of Books. Writing A Series That Sells With David Wood

October 3, 2016 by Joanna Penn 1 Comment

https://media.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/p/content.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/Podcast_DavidWood16.mp3

Podcast: Download (Duration: 57:35 — 46.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | Spotify | RSS | More

I first met David when he had just written his first novel, and now he runs a small press and has a whole universe of fiction. Here's some of his lessons learned along the way.

writing seriesIn the intro, I mention Kobo's expansion into Taiwan, NookPress allows free pricing and Amazon changes terms and conditions on reviews to combat scammers by introducing $50 minimum spend.

Check out the Alliance of Independent Author's new Watchdog listing of publishers with warnings for the dodgy ones. I also talk about Vellum for ebook formatting, and my new thriller audiobook, Destroyer of Worlds, ARKANE #8.

This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets kobo writing lifethrough the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.

david woodDavid Wood is the bestselling author of the Dane Maddock action adventure thriller series, and also writes fantasy novels under David Debord. He also runs Gryphonwood Press, a small (indie-minded) publisher and runs the AuthorCast podcast with Alan Baxter, who was recently on the show.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

  • The changes in David's life since he went full-time as an author in 2011.
  • How David decided which series to focus on when he started writing more, and letting the market dictate his writing direction.
  • blood codexWhy it's okay for more than one writer to write about the same location or artifact.
  • On David's co-writing model, and working in KindleWorlds.
  • Whether David plans his writing career.
  • On being a publisher of other authors' work and where David sees the smaller, indie-minded publishers going.
  • Changes in the audiobook world and the income from audio for indies, and what the future of audio might hold.
  • On whether podcasting is a good marketing strategy.
  • Why David goes to different conventions and what he gets from them.

You can find David at www.DavidWoodWeb.com and also at www.GryphonwoodPress.com and on twitter @davidwoodweb

Continue Reading

Writing Authentic Settings And Keeping A Series Fresh With Toby Neal

September 26, 2016 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

https://media.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/p/content.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/Podcast_TobyNeal.mp3

Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:10 — 47.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | Spotify | RSS | More

The best way to earn money as an indie fiction author is with a series, but how do you keep that series fresh over the long term? I discuss this topic and the importance of setting with Hawaii-based author, Toby Neal in today's show.

settings toby nealIn the introduction, I mention that Sainsburys in the UK has shut down their ebook business and handed their customers to Kobo (which is what Nook should have done in the first place!).

Also, there are two books you should get this week: Productivity for Creative People by Mark McGuinness which is free on all ebook stores, and The 9 Worst Provisions in your Publishing Contract by David P Vandagriff, who also runs The Passive Voice. I also mention Dealbreakers by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (recently updated on her blog series on contracts) and How Authors Sell Publishing Rights by Orna Ross and Helen Sedwick.

writenovelcourseimageToday's show is sponsored by my own course, How to Write a Novel: From idea to finished manuscript.

Toby NealToby Neal is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of mysteries, contemporary romance, YA and non-fiction. She is also a mental health therapist, a career that has informed the depth and complexity of the characters in her stories.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

  • On Toby's dual careers as a social worker and a writer, and whether she uses a pen name.
  • blood orchidsHow she integrates her shadow side into her writing.
  • Writing about a place you're passionate about and using local experts to glean information about that location.
  • Tips for authors who want to maintain their interest in a long-running series.
  • Toby's thoughts on how long it takes to make a living as an author.
  • Using a $0.99 marketing strategy when launching a new book in a series.
  • Kindle Worlds: What it is, how it works, how Toby got involved and how she works with the authors who write in her world.
  • Suggestions for sticking with writing for a long-term career and for dealing with writer's block.

You can find Toby at www.tobyneal.net or on twitter @tobywneal

Continue Reading

Writing A Series, Finding Your Voice And Being A Hybrid Author With Zoe Sharp

October 5, 2013 by Joanna Penn 7 Comments

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn

One of the best things about being an author is being able to connect with other creative people, and discover new voices that you love to read.

Zoe SharpI met Zoe Sharp at a crime festival early this year, and swiftly devoured a number of her kick-ass thrillers featuring heroine Charlie Fox, compared by many to Lee Child's Jack Reacher. Her latest book, The Blood Whisperer, features a new character, Kelly Jacks, who wakes up next to a body, holding a knife, with no memory of the crime. You can read my full 5 star review here on Goodreads.

In the video interview below, I ask Zoe about writing a series, finding your voice as an author and her experiences with publishing. You can also watch it here on YouTube.

Zoe Sharp is the author of the bestselling and award nominated thriller series featuring Charlie Fox, ex Special Forces turned bodyguard, and the new thriller, The Blood Whisperer. In the interview, we discuss:

  • On finding the voice for the character of Charlie Fox. Read, read, read, write, write, write. Reading it aloud or getting someone else to read it aloud really helps. On writing first person vs third person and how Charlie’s character came clearly in 1st POV
  • Writing a series and keeping a summary while writing, which helps to look back on at a later point in the series. Zoe does outline but ends up changing them as she writes, whereas the summary is what actually happens in the book. There are 10 books in the series right now and Zoe talks about how she started with a couple of ideas but how it has just continued to grow.
  • Zoe’s research process and how talking to the right person can be critical in finding the most interesting information.
  • Marketing decisions around the progression of the setting from the UK to US in order to appeal to different blood whisperermarkets. How non-US authors can make an impact Stateside by attending conventions and developing relationships
  • On being a hybrid author and the pros and cons of traditional and self-publishing. Using short stories and novellas to bring in new readers.
  • Why writing is still hard for Zoe and that’s a good thing! On being a craftsman, not an artist.

You can find Zoe’s books on Amazon and other online bookstores, as well as on her website ZoeSharp.com and on twitter @authorzoesharp

Please do leave any questions or comments below.

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Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. Read the Cookie policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

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