How To Write A Best-Selling Series, Tip #4: Focused Releases

HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLING SERIES, TIP #4: FOCUSED RELEASES
My final tip for finding success in self-publishing and writing a best-selling series is to have focused releases.
These days, there is so much competition in the marketplace that you don't want to give readers any excuse to forget about your series or move on. Publishing fast is great, but you also need to make sure to maintain quality!!
This is why focusing on a single series and having a release strategy right from the start can help to boost you right from the beginning.
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Heart Breathings - Episode 18
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About Me: My name is Sarra Cannon, and I've been indie publishing since 2010. In that time, I have published 22 books and sold well over half a million copies.
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[@EllePlowPlow]

This was my plan as an author for myself, to have multiple series going at a time. I’m very happy to see you address this so that I can change to a better plan. 🙂

[@HeartBreathings]

I hope you've enjoyed this series on How To Write A Best-Selling Series! I have lots of great marketing tips coming up for you soon, too, but please comment and let me know what else you'd love to see in future videos. You can also feel free to email me at [e-mail]. Has this series helped you strategize your own best-selling series?

[@FabrizioPoli]

I love the advice of releasing first 3-4 books in a short space to create fan base fast. Very useful for me, as I am in planning phase.

[@kirstenjonorarenfroe]

Do you have any tips on outlining your novel? Also how many words is considered a novel? I'm learning a lot from your channel.

[@HeartBreathings]

Kirsten Jonora Renfroe Thank you! Anything over 40,000 words is usually considered a novel! I definitely have some tips on outlining. Would you like to see a full explanation of what steps and how I actually figure out the story? Or more of an overview? Great topic idea, thank you!

[@kirstenjonorarenfroe]

I think a full explanation of the steps and how you figure out the story would be great. I've always been a person who writes by the seat of my pants, but I am learning more about ways to outline a story. I think it will make the process of writing a lot easier for me. You're welcome

[@HeartBreathings]

Okay, I will add this to my list for April!

[@ericareeder1494]

I have a series I am writing called The SAW. The idea is that any books in that series will have the characters interacting but it won't always be the same MC. I'm working to build an anchor series. The first two books are about one character, but I am writing the third book right now about one of the secondary characters from the first two books. Would you consider this a no-no? Is this killing momentum? Or is it fine? Taking the idea of focused releases into account, should I stay with writing about the first MC for at least five books before I start doing this? Or stay with writing the about the first MC until the series is done?

[@HeartBreathings]

Erica Reeder Hmm. I would say most series you find out there will have either 1) every book is a different MC or couple, 2) every book sticks to one MC the entire series or story arc or 3) every book has multiple povs. Starting with two books in one MC's point of view will set an expectation, I would say, that this is the person the series is about. Switching it up on book 3 i think you risk having some readers fall off because it isn't the person they wanted to read about. What genre is the series? I think the key to switching pov's on book three would be having enough of a story hook to keep them reading through the series. Overall, though, I think it's more expected to either switch it every book, like in PNR, or to stick with one MC throughout. If you really want to do it differently, I would day spend some time really thinking about how to market and brand the series and how to have enough story hook for the readers to keep going.

[@ericareeder1494]

Ok, so it definitely seems like I need to stay with the same MC. So at what point is it most appropriate to do these other stories? After 5 books? Or after the series is wrapped up?

[@HeartBreathings]

If you're going to stick with UF and one MC primarily, then it depends on whether the other stories are just side standalones or if they are also going to be a series. If it's just side stories, you can pepper them in (not as a numbered series part, but just as a side story) wherever they fit chronologically or just whenever you want to do it. The only thing there is to try not to put more than 3-4 months between the main series books if you can help it. If it's a series, I would wait until at least 5 books are done before spinning it off to a new series. Just my two cents there!

[@mattmallecoccio8378]

Do sequels have to get bigger throughout the series?

[@JDRobinson_author]

Now, would size of the books matter? I've the first three finished novellas of a series ready to publish, with a much longer book 4 plotted and ready to be written. Would the same strategy work for something like that?

[@HeartBreathings]

The problem with novellas is that it's really hard to get advertising on them. Bookbub, for example, which is by far the biggest advertising platform, won't feature novellas. It presents a challenge, honestly. How many words are your novellas? If there's any way to get them each to 40k, you're golden! If not, it would still be worth it to publish them! You'll get the same algorithm juice from fast releases, but in my opinion, novellas won't make for a great anchor series. A lot of readers won't pick them up because they are looking for full-length novels, and like I said, the advertising is trickier. It's not ideal, but I think if you follow the other elements of a best-selling series outlined here and come up with a strategy from the start, you would still see good growth from it. After that series is done, though, I'd start brainstorming a series of full-length novels similar in tone and genre to that novella series.

[@JDRobinson_author]

Urgh, I hadn't even thought through to trying to getting advertising for them! The words counts for the first three are 21k, 15k, and 20k. I've thought about combining the three into one, but it would require major restructuring of the enitre story and then my 7 book series goes to 4. :/ It's a great story, but I don't think it'll ever be that 'anchor series' for me. I think I've a better idea of what to do now. Thanks so much for these videos! They are super helpful!!

[@HeartBreathings]

It's such a tough balance, because I always feel like you should follow your heart first. Do what you want to do, what lights you up, and then figure out how to make money doing it. HOWEVER, a lot of the times, we have a LOT of things that fire us up and we just need to step back and figure out the best path out of many.

[@KJKP]

I have a question for you: You have multiple series in progress. Do you think that some readers reach the end of a series they like, and then start on another series you wrote?