Nowadays,
especially with the digital-first imprints, it would seem writing sequels and
series is a popular path to follow - which is odd, because when I started out
years ago, I remember wanting to write one and the idea being pooh-poohed in
literary circles. Apparently it was the typical thing any aspiring writer
longed to do. Guilty as charged! Although over the years, I lost the urge and
thought of my books just as one-offs. On 10th November 2013
Harlequin’s new digital-first imprint, CarinaUK, published Doubting Abbey, my
debut novel. When I wrote this romantic comedy, I always thought of it as a
standalone story which came to a firm end.
However, as I went through the revisions
it became clear to me that the characters had more to say. Fortunately, my
publisher is wholly behind sequels and series and I can see the commercial appeal
– especially for the digital imprints, where there is more flexibility and less
to lose if the series doesn’t work. Several times recently writers, either
traditionally or self-published, have said that to increase sales, this is the
way to go. When the second book comes out, sales of the first will increase.
The original one could be offered at a slashed price, if bought with the
follow-up. Plus, each book can be advertised at the back of the other and the
first one will, of course, be mentioned every time you promote your new book.
So, now that I’ve
begun that project, what are the challenges? Well, if like mine, the sequel is
not closely related to the first, with an on-going detailed plot, then firstly,
you must make sure that the sequel tells a fresh, new tale – which sounds
obvious but I sent off a synopsis for my agent to take a look, and unwittingly
I’d put the characters into a similar situation as in the book before, just
under different circumstances.
One solution might be
to choose lead characters who were minor in the original tale. If the
protagonists are the same, you must make sure that the new theme or character
development doesn’t simply go over old ground.
Another pitfall to
avoid is including too much backstory about the first book (again, if the two
books are not, plot-wise, intricately connected). I am trying to make my sequel
a standalone as well, so that readers aren’t put off by thinking they have to
read another book first, to understand everything that’s going on. However, a
degree of information, about the plot of Doubting Abbey, will need to be
covered. Someone who pulls this off very cleverly is Sophie Kinsella in her
well-known Shopoholic series, the success of which is no doubt majorly due to a
strong, appealing very lovable main character.
Another frustrating
aspect is that you could suddenly have a brilliant idea of where to take your
characters in book two, but can’t because it wouldn’t fit with what happened in
book one. For example Gemma’s mother died when she was young – I might have
come up with an amazing story for the sequel that, say, needed her to have a
fortune-telling actress for a mother who lives in Hollywood! However, as I’m
finding already, with artistic license a lot of these wrinkles can be smoothed
out.
So, if you already
have a publishing deal, writing a sequel might be worth discussing with your
agent or publisher. If you are still to snag that contract, perhaps keep the
idea at the back of your mind and if you feel your characters might eventually
have more to say, be careful how you end book one. Don’t close all the gates!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/
6 comments:
You've raised some interesting points here, Samantha. Thanks for sharing. No doubt, writing sequels is a great way to get the most out of a particular story, but it probably does have certain limitations.
Thanks Maria - well, the Shopoholic series by Kinsella ran and ran - but agreed, i think you need to forward plan, to a degree, to get that much out of one character.
It's certainly easier starting the second book though, if you already know the MC well!
An interesting post, Sam. I'm working on the third novel in a series (I didn't know it was a series when I finished the first book!) and I have that same dilemma of how much backstory to include, so that the book is a standalone book and a development for the returning characters. Tricky!
An interesting post, Sam. I'm working on the third novel in a series (I didn't know it was a series when I finished the first book!) and I have that same dilemma of how much backstory to include, so that the book is a standalone book and a development for the returning characters. Tricky!
It is tricky, isn't it Derek? And if possible i think you'd need someone who's read the first to tell you what they thought. One thing i've learnt over the years is my idea of what the reader needs to know is usually wrong! Usually, i don't give them enough information.
Ooh, did leave a post here yesterday?
Just to say too right, Derek, i am always learning about how much information to pass on to the reader. Usually i don't think i give them enough...
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