Support for Indie Authors discussion

I'm sure there are a lot of opinions out there. Personally, I'm not likely to read a book if it says "book 1" and there's no "book 2" or "book 3." I'm far too used to people (like myself) not finishing series. Furthermore, when I write a series, I try to make it somewhat standalone even if it's part of a greater narrative, so somebody can enjoy it even if they pick one up in the middle.

What I've done so far is make the first books of any series I write look like standalones, that way I can write the others later or even abandon the series if I lose interest or can't finish it.

I agree with the people who say to release them at the same time. I've heard it's most lucrative to offer the first one for free to get readers hooked, then charge a bit more for the subsequent ones. That makes sense to me, but as I'm a slow writer, that would take a lot of patience that I don't really have.

This is a good question and I can confirm through readers I've talked to that waiting too long can be detrimental to them wanting to read more. The issue is: How far apart is too far? And how close is too close?

My recommendation is not to release them all at once. What readers might see is "look, they're just trying to squeeze as much out of me as possible by making it a series instead of 1 book". It may not matter to them that all of the books combined might be extremely large.

On the flip side of that, I wouldn't space it out to more than a year per release. I don't have any numbers to correlate, but I have had a lot of chances to speak with readers of all types and as an average it seems like over a year and it's likely going to see less interest.

Whatever you choose, I'm interested to hear the results.

This is one of those things where again, your mileage may vary. It is certainly true that with the influx of new books coming out every day, yours is likely to fall out of a reader's thoughts. If you've got a book ready, and you're confident about the rest of the series, by all means, release it.

I did that with my first two and the time between books was anywhere from three to nine months with no ill effect. My next series I plan to write entirely before releasing, mostly to avoid painting myself into a corner if I release a book with a potential plotholes. But even so, I plan to release them 90 days apart. The reason for this is that it will keep me in the new release pool for the entire time, and also this will allow me to schedule series promos easier because all will have the same Select enrollment period.

Hi Adrian, this is a good question. I have released six books so far for my series and I've experimented with it in a few different ways. There is some strategy to staggering releases, but I would not wait long (maybe three months max) to release the next book if it is ready to go. I would also have it set up to be available for pre-order.

From my sales report, I can tell that readers mostly buy my books one at a time within a day or two of each other. Some readers buy all six books at once. If you want to appeal to readers who will binge read through your series, the closer together the books are released, the better.

Releasing all at once could help initially but it means that all your books will drop off the "New Release" lists within 30 days. I've found these lists to be valuable for the visibility of my whole series, even if it is just for one book at a time. If you set a sequel up for pre-order, it can stay on the New Release list for longer. So the longer you can keep your books on these lists, the more visibility potential there is for your series, if that makes sense.

Hey! I'm personally working on a series and have several others out there. I write fast and release my books about a month apart. My sales are abysmal. If my experience tells you anything...don't do what I've done. ☺

Christina wrote: "This is one of those things where again, your mileage may vary. It is certainly true that with the influx of new books coming out every day, yours is likely to fall out of a reader's thoughts. If y..."

Wow... great info. Thanks for sharing about the timing and why!

Q about this for everyone.

If I like a series, I will eagerly await the next book and check in every so often for the next book. If I find the series so so, then I probably won't, maybe pick up the book if I stumble on it, but I won't seek it out.

Bottom line: If I liked the book, I will look for and wait for the next one. That being said, it won't matter to me so much about the spacing. (of course I'd want it faster... but)

Now, do you think this is a different perspective people have about indie versus trad? Are readers willing to wait for trad, but expect it all from the indie... with the expectation that indie books are going to be as good as trad.

This is a good thread and I have enjoyed the discussion so far. I am in the processing of launching a couple of series myself and my general question is Do you think people, if they do like the series, would want the next installments in shorter chunks more often or a longer story with a longer wait?
Just wondering as I am thinking of doing both approaches. I have a bit of a background in television and will release updates of the fantasy and horror series I'm working on in 'episodes' aiming for a 9 to 13 episode run for each season so to speak.
My Western series I will have longer volumes, each one more or less self-contained.

I agree that it seems readers pick up series if there are at least three already released. My first two books just sat there until recently now that book 3 is out. I wish I could get book 4 out faster, but it's just not possible. Hope readers will wait for it!

Michael wrote: "This is a good thread and I have enjoyed the discussion so far. I am in the processing of launching a couple of series myself and my general question is Do you think people, if they do like the ser..."

I agree, I think when readers see 3 books in a series they are more likely to give one of the books a try. Plus offering the first in a series for free can help too.

I agree with Christina's comment above. While it's true that some readers may be reluctant to buy the first book in a series without know there are more out, there are also plenty of readers who will. So there is no reason, in my view, to release a series all at once, and I think doing so can be detrimental by shortening the time the series has maximum visibility.

The most powerful boost a book will ever get is the Amazon new release list. Keeping a book on that list will ensure maximum exposure for series over time. The list lasts for 90 days, but personally I'd suggest releasing a book every 4 months, and putting the books on pre-order after 90-days, 30 days before release.

I also caution against making the first book free (or any book free) before at least 3, and preferable 4, books are out (or available on preorder). Offering a book free early on often amounts to giving away the store. Offering it later can create a significant sales of the other books.

But these days, Amazon's new release list has much more impact that offering a book for free.

Michael wrote: "Do you think people, if they do like the series, would want the next installments in shorter chunks more often or a longer story with a longer wait?..."

That all depends on how short the chunks and how long the wait. I have seen backlash against authors who release series in shorter works, especially if readers feel the books are incomplete, but I've seen authors selling quite well despite such criticisms.

Also different genres seem to have different expectations. Overall, for the series I follow, releasing 2 to 3 books a year appears to work best. The main thing, of course, is gaining traction. If readers are interested, they will be tolerant about a release schedule, although I believe anything much over a year will see a considerable drop-off in most cases. (There certainly was with us.)

I also feel they are less tolerant of what they perceive to be "incomplete" works. Personally, I suspect the "episode" method is a harder sell, but that is just my vague opinion. I suggest researching series in your genres to see if you can detect a pattern there.

What I am encouraged and intrigued by is the fact that indie writers have so many options for their work. An author can just start a series and see what happens.

After decades of dealing with gate keepers: coverage readers, editors, producers, development executives and so on, the chance to make your work available directly to the audience is liberating. At worst now they can tell you it stinks with no middleman.

I've got a 5-book series, all written but in various stages of editing. The first book is in its final run through then goes off to proof & prepress layout, so maybe 4-months? I planned on putting book two out within the same year, but not the next quarter! Should I wait to release the first until I know a release date on the second?

BTW, I'm over-the-moon about finding this thread! All my research and I've yet to find anything close to this type of discussion. THANK YOU!

Some fab advice and ideas on here.

I'm halfway through book 2 of a trilogy and am so glad I delayed publishing book 1. I've come up with numerous new ideas and plot holes that then needed to be tweaked in book 1 to keep the plot tight.

I also realised my back story wasn't tight enough - since writing that out in detail, I'm now re-editing book 1 to make it all fit.