TURNING A STANDALONE INTO A SERIES | HOW TO BUILD A BOOK EP 5

this is what i get for making a joke. honestly not even surprised at this point, this is like the seventeenth billion time this has happened. BUT HEYYY LET'S CHAT ABOUT HOW I'M TURNING THIS STANDALONE INTO A SERIES!! IT'S A FUN TIME!! (even if i feel like slamming my head into my desk just a little)
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[@CaughtBetweenPages]

Ok but Penny being eternally a ghost because she just keeps having more things to do is both perfectly in character and excellent series fodder, so you have fully sold me on this concept!

[@gwenconrod4403]

Until Charlie dies at the ripe old age of like 105 and drags her kicking and screaming into the afterlife with her

[@Strollerlove]

The ending where Penny stays could be a moment of character growth where she realizes that her unfinished business isn’t some project or even solving her own murder, it’s Charley. Charley has gained character development by taking charge in the murder mystery but is still lacking direction in her life after Penny is expected to find piece. This mirrors the opening where Penny chooses herself and her goals over her sister but now at the choice between eternal piece and helping her sister, she chooses her sister. This makes a sequel more natural. It could also feed drama into the sequel where Penny overcorrects and becomes overbearing in her ambition to help her sister. Ex setting her up with dates Charley doesn’t want to be on or even possessing her body to go to a job interview. The possibilities are endless. Eventually forcing Charley to take charge. Good luck with your book(s)! ☺️

[@LaHormiguitaLectora]

That ending with Charlie looking at the camera while Penny is rambling on about all of her unfinished business is too funny 😂

[@kristianisreal8689]

In the end, they wrote 85 books in the span of six months. John Green got sick after writing five... James Patterson wrote 29... Kat wrote...THE OTHER 51

[@cindyzhu8935]

Why does she plot like she is running out of time?

[@Theatre_Girl63095]

I like the idea of Charlie and Penny solving mysteries together and Penny going on and on about all of her unfinished business sounds pretty funny. I can't wait to see how this ends up

[@ghostcrayon]

I super duper appreciate you for this series. You've helped me bridge the gap between my "oh hey I read that in a book" knowledge and ACTUALLY APPLYING IT.

[@ricardoramirez8392]

Crying, because the way jokes become prophecies it’s quite alarming.😂😂😂 Thank you so much for another great video, Kat❤

[@cher1s395]

ngl I came into this video thinking this book really would be better off as a standalone but within 5 minutes I was sold, your series ideas sound really fun!

[@fallabeaufaebelle]

I think if you're considering it being a series, maybe consider an overarching plot/villain as well? Like both the girls are into science stuff but this focuses on the paranormal, so maybe there's some sort of secret ghostly experiment that a professor/dean/mentor at the school is conducting and that's why all these other mysteries keep popping up. Instead of it being "monster of the week" which I think would fit more for a kids series such as The Magic Treehouse series, there'd be a thread that connects all these other mysteries in each book that the girls solve, and each one brings them closer to that "final boss showdown" moment.

[@TheRunningJoker]

Penny’s murderer gets killed in prison, and the prisoner who did it gets released, with a haunted tattoo.

[@drobertucci6072]

DOCTOR WHO?! HOW DID I MISS THAT YOURE A DOCTOR WHO FAN?! BEST TIME TRAVEL TV SHOW EVER!!!! Currently only watched up to Jodi’s doctor.

[@FeeBeeCreating]

I am loving this series and hope that we one day we get to read this/these book(s). It's so cool that you're creating videos again!

[@mel_9346]

As soon as I got the notification I was "oh, no, no, no, no, she fell into the trap... we all do" But seriously, this is so so cool, I would love this series

[@briesullivan883]

If you turn this into a series, I would recommend Penny staying behind be involuntary. Like have it be so that something out of pennies control comes up and keeps her there. The idea of living as a ghost is a rather miserable existence.

[@minouk-writes]

Ok, so far i was on board. Now I’m obsessed!! Please, please, please… i need to read this 🥰

[@GilmarGirl]

I think an episodic series is definitely the way to go. You have the option of still making it a standalone (maybe), but if you decide to you can keep going. And keep going pretty much however long you wanted to. With a light-hearted concept like this, I don't tink it would be so bad if you ended up making it a series despite your original intentions because I'm sure this would be a fun world to return to and write in.

[@BassSpiikkeri]

Laughing wholeheartedly at the mere sight of the title made the night of my shitty day a little better. This is so you and I love it. :D Also, I feel you. Every project seems to just keep growing. And do I ever get even the first one done? No, because there's always an idea for a possible prequel or sequel extending some part of the story that seems interesting at that exact moment. It's an endless rabbit hole.

[@mangaluver2010]

My biggest issue with writing is that I CANNOT write a stand-alone if I tried. I have one stand-alone I'm working on right now, and I'm terrified because it's quickly blooming and I see the potential for continuation. 😫 Love this series though! I love watching the process of other writers!

[@mackenziebrynnrap]

I mean, stories and series that I wish I had as tv shows when I was growing up is literally the story of my life and authors goals so like…welcome lol. Also shoutout to all the tv shows that you used as comps cuz like…same for all of mine, too, basically 😂 although, I would maybe have an episode or two actually be about completing Penny’s unfinished business, cuz if you leave that as your cliffhanger and then never go back to it that would be a little weird. Or idk maybe have that kind of be a recurring background thing that maybe eventually helps them solve one of the mysteries or something. Still loving all these, btw, and sending all the love and hugs and good vibes (if you want them) for more and all other excellent things!

[@queenkanu5933]

Make more jokes like this...haha...I love the idea of Penny eternally being a ghost...

[@missbookly]

I think I would read anything you write (standalones AND series!); these videos are so interesting to watch!

[@yuna_bean]

the intro hahahahha ❤ love your personality

[@yuna_bean]

Castle mention!! I love Castle!

[@evien190]

Oh my god when I saw the title ahahaha

[@cindywutzke7862]

You could have that Charles "thinks" Penny has moved on and have a sad ending but then hint at the next book where Charlie's tatoo burns

[@fallabeaufaebelle]

"let's fafo" is gonna be my new catchphrase XD

[@brucedavis191]

interestingly if we establish how far penny can travel from Charlie. the other stories no always need to be murder is can be other mysteries. side character's grandmother was scammed out of her pension and is in danger of losing the house.

[@charlesc.r.9324]

I'd LOVE this as a cozy mystery series, like "A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer" or Ghost Whisperer

[@TheRunningJoker]

I think you should nail down the role and mechanics of how the tattoo allows a ghost to interact with the living, before considering other paranormal elements, because you would likely want a different hook for each creature, or an understanding of how tattoos relate to them. I’m having a hard time visualizing what a conversation between the sisters looks like. Is the tattoo animated? Does it summon Penny, like a genie? Does the tattoo disappear off of Charlie and appear on objects in the room?

[@julialkk]

currently struggling with this!!! thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@shebreathesingold8043]

I really like your series idea! And I'm all here for any kind of Buffy vibes.

[@cindyzhu8935]

What about a potential detective appearance in book 1 who will become more important in the rest of the series? Or like the person who helps the family to plan Penny's funeral becomes more important? Maybe there is a lab rival who turns out to be supernatural too! So much potential, now I want to read at least twenty Penny and Charlie volumes!

[@aaaabhebehqcku]

when the joke becomes a curse 😆

[@SummerDream3r]

yeah, guess it can become a series, like if Penny goes to heaven after the crime is solved. And she's given a little tour of it by some angel, and she feels really hyped cause it's so cool, only to be told, "Nope, you gotta go back. You still have this and this and this to take care of (which could be the basis for the episodic series). And only when she takes care of everything does she get to go back to heaven (series ends).

[@kyu2o337]

I imagine Penny's ghost being representative of Charlie's memory of her is at least somewhat intentional, but a lot of your story reads as very ambiguous to me, or at least that it would work well that way. Like, at face value, Penny haunts the tattoo because she has unfinished business...but does she? Or is Charlie just growing as a person using who her sister was to her to motivate said growth? In that interpretation, expanding to a series makes perfect sense.

[@eliasgarcia8247]

i am writing a series, and this video helps out a lot. Thank you.

[@TheDiztanz]

There's got to be some hidden reason that penny screwed her over for, and it comes to light near the end so they both get a lil peace.🤔

[@Katytastic]

hmm i might come up with a cool reason eventually, but for now it's just because penny's kind of a selfish asshole (but she grows as a person over the course of the book! lol)

[@TheDiztanz]

@Katytastic the episode idea is great. When you're ready for more character possibilities for the expanded supernatural world, I got you covered

[@sbscarlett]

Is it even a Kat project if it doesn’t start as a standalone and quickly become a series 🤷‍♀️

[@Katytastic]

reliable sources say no lol

[@musicalnerds101]

I was hoping that she would be secretly alive somehow 😢