by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
In my last post, I talked about production time for self-publishing and traditional publishing and how much shorter the lead-time for self-publishing is. Basically, you have the ability to publish a book quickly once you’ve got a finished product.
But how often should we release books in our series? How far apart is too far? Can books be released too close together?
Paul Anthony Shortt commented on a post recently that he thought the studio behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy had done an especially good job pacing releases. Even though they might have had a film ready to go earlier, they released a movie every year at about the same time. Paul remarked that this seemed to increase filmgoers’ anticipation for the next movie.
I think a book a year, per series, can definitely work. That’s what my publisher seems to prefer for releases. My Southern Quilting mystery series is set for a yearly release from 2012 through 2014. But—there’s also the need for longer production time that plays into this decision.
But I will note that for my other traditionally published series, (the Memphis Barbeque series) the strongest seller seems to have been the book that released five months after the previous release. I think all the characters and the setting were fresh in readers’ minds and they saw there was a new release…and they bought it.
So there’s something to be said for a release in a series every 6 months, too. But can too many releases get too overwhelming or lessen the anticipation for the next book? Can readers get fatigued with our series? Can we glut the market with our books?
So these are my pros and cons for a book every 6 months:
Pros:
The previous book is still fresh in readers’ minds.
Your name/the series name is still fresh in readers’ minds.
If you’re writing a continuing series (a real serial, instead of each book in the series acting as a standalone), then readers will be excited to see where the story picked up.
Seems to spike sales for the previous books in the sales.
Cons:
Deadline pressure for writers (unless they already have backlist books or trunk books)
Readers might lose interest if the books seem to come out all the time…decreases the “specialness” of each book.
Possible difficulty sustaining series quality
Might have to juggle your promo and writing at one time.
Yearly releases:
Pros:
Less deadline pressure for writers
Potential for developing additional anticipation from readers/hype
Easier to maintain series quality
Easier to write books for more than one series in a year
Cons:
Could a yearly release make it easier for readers to forget us?
Of course, I’m thinking all these things through in a rational way and realizing how organized this type of regular production schedule for self-publishing can be—and then I do exactly the opposite. :) Right now, I’m having to squeeze in my own projects in between my traditionally published projects (and, obviously, the traditional projects have got to come first…I’ve already been paid in advance for those.) So my self-pub schedule has been very erratic so far. I launched two books in 2011 a few months apart—one was backlist, one was written for a publisher but they didn’t buy it. Then I was finally able to write another book in the series in July/August and released it last month.
In retrospect, I’m thinking it would have been smart to sit on one of those books that I released three months after the previous one. To build it up a little more steadily. So instead of releasing the book in November following the previous book’s August release, maybe I should have waited until February. Then I had a traditionally published June release and would have had my late-October release. That probably would have been perfect.
So far, the biggest spike in my self-pub sales has been after either a traditional novel or a self-pub novel releases. So that makes me think that regular releases, whether traditional or self-pub, can be important to drive sales.
We might also want to consider the time of year we’re planning to release our book. Before Christmas (October, November, early December) is clearly a good shopping time. But what about January? What about all the people who got Kindles in their stockings? Summer can be dead…but people also buy beach books in the summer.
What are your thoughts on spacing book releases and the best time of year to launch a book?
Image: Morguefile: Rezdora70
IMHO, early in a series, release when you can.
You can’t release them too fast, because readers like to read a couple of books in a row.
At the same time, you don’t want to rush things. I like what Lawrence Block has had to say about his popular Bernie Rhodenbarr series: he doesn’t know when he’ll write the next one. He doesn’t know it until it’s finished, because it might stop on him in the middle.
But assuming you have a choice, publish when it’s ready until you have several.
Once you have enough enough books out there for hungry readers to find, then I agree: once a year is a good schedule for anticipation.
Elizabeth – What an interesting and thoughtful post! There really is such a thing I think as glutting one’s own market and I honestly think it’s harder to keep one’s work fresh and interesting if the deadlines come too quickly. I do think that spacing of novels is something that works best if the author tries to plan it in advance.
I’m writing 3 different series, two of which started out in a more traditional way, and one is pure indie. As a reader, when I find an author who’s written bunches of books (assuming I’ve enjoyed the 1st one I read, of course), I want more, more, more. But as a writer, I’ve got my entire back list up now, so while I’ve been releasing 3 or 4 titles a year, from here on, I don’t know that I could produce more than 2. I’m a one-at-a-time writer, and as a straight indie now (heck, I’ll admit it–I’m making more money on my indie books than I ever did on my publisher-controlled books), I have no deadlines other than the ones I impose on myself. I figure I’ll start with that 2 a year figure and see what happens.
Terry
Terry’s Place
This is a great question. I think the closer together the better. Many readers will not start the first book in a trilogy or series until it is finished because they don’t like waiting. What truly convinced me was Allison Brennan.
Her publisher launched her first trilogy with a release every month, Jan, Feb, Mar. They did the same thing with the second trilogy. It catapulted her to the Bestseller list.
Coming in from a reader’s prospective, the more books the better. I can devour an author’s entire backlist within months and still have time to look around for more. But quality is of the upmost important to keep me coming back.
That said, I think there is something to be said about having scheduled releases that your fans can anticipate. Look at Apple. All us fans know to look for a new gadget or price drop around March and October. While I might not always be shopping, it is on my radar and the same is the case for my favorite authors.
But the ones I tend to forget is the ones with erratic and unpredictable release dates. If and when I run out of things to read, but don’t want to look for a new author, I might look up an old favorite. That’s why Goodreads is a new favorite site for me. Each month I get an email about new releases from authors I have on my read shelf. That is a huge plus because it saves time for me.
However, there is an author that I started reading that is releasing his books every 3-4 months that is starting to disappoint me because of its quality. They started out as novella, which is fine and I don’t mind paying $2 – $3 for them. But now they are shorter and more of a short story and he is still charging the same price for them. Well, I’m not reading them anymore.
I think another thing to consider is how long you expect your series to be. If you’re writing a set trilogy, then you risk blowing the whole thing too early if you release every 6 months. But for an open-ended series, a release sooner than 12 months later can definitely work to build that initial momentum.
Elizabeth: well, I’m not saying you should ever sit on a book. If it’s ready, release it, imho. If you think it would benefit from being held back, then sure, hold it back.
I just think that, early in a series, the series benefits from having more books out there. And I suppose that is a case where sitting on a book (the first book) until the next book or two are ready as well could be good for a series.
But later, just release when you’re ready. It can be later if you don’t have time to deal with the editing, formatting, blurbing kerfuffle. Or it can be as soon as it’s done.
The Daring Novelist–Interesting. So you’re thinking the release spacing could/should change as the series progresses.
I love Block’s series. :) Locked room mysteries always appeal to me.
This is where I am in the process–I have three self-pubbed titles already up. I’m writing a book that’s under contract right now, so can’t release another self-pubbed book for a while. If I start writing a self-pub book in, let’s say, February (when I’m supposed to turn in a book for Penguin), then it should be done in early April. Could be released in May/June, after it’s edited, formatted, covered, etc. Then I could potentially start working on another self-pub title in April to finish in early June and release in August. But…going back to your thoughts on this, I might do better to sit on that title until a little later–maybe October. That might space things out a bit more, since I already have a few titles up.
Paul–You’ve brought up an important point: there are series, and then there are *series*.
With a continuing story series where you have 3 books planned (to use the example you brought up), then it can make sense to space it out more.
The series that I write either have *no* continuing storyline (each book could be read as a standalone/out of order) or else have a very minor subplot continuing storyline. There’s no end in sight to the series because there’s no story arc to the series (this is more like the type of series that Camille/Daring Novelist is referring to in her comment above).
So, as you point out, if you have a series with a story arc/character arc, then maybe longer-spaced releases would work better.
Oh, I just went back and see where the confusion was: when I said “You can’t release them too fast,” I meant it in the same sense as “You can’t get too much chocolate.”
The faster the better as far as readers are concerned, as long as you keep up the quality of work.
This post was just what I’ve been looking for. As a self-published author working on a series, I’ve been trying to figure out when to release the next book.
It almost seems better to work on multiple series or different stand alone novels and release those throughout the year as to not overwhelm readers with so many books in the same series and to remain relevant.
I’m ready to do two books a year. I think I can do it and keep the quality. Anything more than that is a stretch. Although I think I could throw out a few short stories here and there.
Good questions and analysis. I’m hoping to pup next year – or get an agent – or… still haven’t decided obviously. I’m thinking if I self pub, I’ll probably have the 1st one free & the second one in the series ready to go a few months later, then hopefully on a 6 month sched.
Margot–Planning is a wonderful thing! I’m going to try to plan my series releases more than I have been.
Terry–So you’ve already got a large body of work up there for readers and now you have the time to leisurely write more. Sounds wonderful! Two a year sounds really doable for you. You wouldn’t feel pinched for time and could still travel and go to conferences, which I know you love to do.
Isis–My son is that way. If he’s browsing books online and sees “first in a series,” he looks for book 2 and book 3. If they’re not out yet, he usually will wait to read them.
Ohhh…very interesting! This is the kind of thing I find fascinating. So they actually sat on a whole series until they were all ready to go, then released them quickly. Love that idea.
Stephen–You’ve got a lot of research in your books, too, right? I know you work in a lot of the scientific details that you love. So that does add into your writing time (as it should, of course!)
A. R. Tan–Thanks so much for your reader input! I know I *love* discovering series as a reader. I discovered Ruth Rendall very late and was thrilled to see how many books she’d written.
So you’re thinking that major releases from a writer could even be part of the branding. Now *that’s* a very cool idea. I love your example of Apple. It’s the same way with the movies that Paul mentioned–Lord of the Rings trilogy (and I think Harry Potter did this, too)…if it’s Christmas, it must mean a new Lord of the Rings movie. What a great way to market, simply by being predictable!
Oh goodness. My profiles (more than 1 b/c of the pen name) are gathering dust and spiderwebs over at GoodReads. I’ve *got* to figure out how to use that site…thanks for the reminder.
I’ve seen comments on other authors’ books for the same thing, A.R. I think if a writer is putting out a short story when they’ve been launching novellas or novels, they *really need* to make sure there is no reader confusion about what product the reader is purchasing. If it’s a short story, I think it might be a good idea to put “A Myrtle Clover Short Story” as the subtitle. And your comment shows this is more than product confusion–it sounds like this author made you feel as if he’s cutting corners to make a little money and that’s not the kind of thoughts we want our readers to be thinking!
The Daring Novelist–I’m going back and forth on it as I’m reading comments. I think I see benefits to both–but I absolutely agree with you about putting books in a new series out faster (or putting out backlist fast.)
I think, in terms of discoverability, more is *always* better.
And…ha! Well, we *definitely* can’t eat too much chocolate, that’s for sure. (My kids’ Halloween chocs have mysteriously disappeared while they’ve been at school. Yes, the quality control part of it is key, as far as fast releasing goes. Or, I guess, *any* releasing.
Elaina–Thanks for stopping by!
I write three series and it does seem to work out well. I don’t always have crossover readers from one series to another, but many of them do try one of the other series.
But I can’t write any faster!!!
Jemi–I’ve been very happy with my decision to self-pub so far. :) Of course, I’m also happy about the trad. pub, but honestly…I have no regrets about self-pub. It’s very satisfying on a variety of levels.
Alex–I don’t know how you do what you do with your day job. :) You’re doing great!
Hi Elizabeth – I’m sure it’s been said above – it does depend on the type of book you’re writing .. and of course we’re all individuals reading for different reasons – casually, reading to appreciate, etc etc ..
Very interesting and I’ve loved the comments – cheers Hilary
Great topic! I published my debut thriller, BABY GRAND, in summer 2012, and IMMEDIATELY people were asking me when the sequel would be available. When I told them that it wouldn’t be available until the summer of 2014, they were, like, WHAT??!! I wondered if I would lose sales because it would be two years when the sequel to BABY GRAND would be ready, but quite honestly I’m in the middle of another book that I hope to self-publish next year, so I just can’t write any faster. LOL! In the meantime, BABY GRAND continues to build steam, so I’m hopeful that by the time summer 2014 rolls around, I’ll have lots more people asking for the sequel. A girl can dream, can’t she? :)
A wonderful topic, and the comments are helpful as well. As always, thanks so much, Elizabeth.
As far as books in a series, I hear the same from my readers—many of them ask when the next book will be out—and I totally agree that the readiness is all.
I published the first book in my series in January and followed it with a healthy-sized novella, the second in the series.
Reading a novella is not the same experience as reading a full-length book, at least not for me as a reader, but the novella seemed to be a good introduction to the main characters in the series and to attract a new group of readers—the beach or commuter crowd.
When my next book comes out, it will be the first in almost three years. I guess I’ll find out if that was way too long in between releases.
I think when starting out, go as fast as you can to hook and capture your fan base.
You can release novellas between novels to keep interest… ie, I came up with a novella series that parallels one of my series.
Ebook readers seem to be pretty voracious. So, that’s a good thing.
Hilary–So very true…depends on the genre, especially. I think genre fiction is much more likely to speed up in terms of releasing, mostly because of its use of sequels and series. Literary fiction, on the other hand, which frequently doesn’t have sequels, would be less-likely to release so speedily.
Dina–Interesting! Sounds like you really got readers hooked. I guess, if we were smart, we’d ask these emailing readers if they wanted to be added to our newsletter so they’d know when our next release was coming out. :) I never seem to think of that, though!
This fast-releasing phenomenon seems to be driven by a few different factors–*primarily* the readers (I believe…and stories like yours back this up), then the speed of the ebook production process, then–maybe–the understandable desire of writers to be able to make something of a living from their writing. I think the faster the releasing from authors goes, the more the readers are going to come to expect…and possibly demand…it.
Susan–Thanks so much for coming by!
I think you’ve got a smart strategy for your novella releases. For one thing, your novella is a “healthy-size” and not one of those novellas that readers call short stories and complain about. You used it as a way to help launch a new series and not only tide readers over until the next book released, but to also introduce the series to readers who are short on time.
Diane–I think you’ll be able to pick right up again because you’re so plugged into your platform. I’m hoping the same is true for me with my summer release that’s so much later than the others.
M. Pax–It does make a lot of sense!
I think you’re right about ebook readers being voracious. I guess it’s the fact that books are so easily available and are, in many cases, fairly inexpensive. Before, we’d have to hop in the car to go to the library or the store…
Head. Is. Spinning. I’m such a painfully slow writer, and I marvel at your output. You know? I’ll bet I’d write faster if I had deadlines!
I have written a series with four books, all as of yet unpublished. Not surprisingly, I feel like the first two manuscripts are in much better shape than the last two, but there is time to edit/rewrite.
I’ve read some cautionary tales about new indies that have burst onto the scene, gotten a lot of attention (at least on social media) and quickly released a bunch of books. The problem was that they couldn’t take advantage of the momentum they’d built, and they ended up languishing. That could be fixed by writing something else, of course.
At this moment, I’m toying with the idea of using sales numbers- as in number of downloads, not dollars- to determine the next release. Unfortunately I’m not sure what the right number would be (1000? 5000? Much more?) and it’s my understanding that your promotion for your subsequent releases is easier than your first, if only because you have bundling opportunities.
One idea this thread inspired is to release a bridge short story in between novel-length releases to add more detail/context to the other stories. Maybe sell it for .99 and see it more as advertising than a revenue generator.
Just my completely untested thoughts right now :-)
Julie–Deadlines are scarily good at keeping me on target for my trad. series. :) And for the self-pub, I realized I needed self-imposed deadlines just as much as I need them for traditional.
Deb–Definitely time to spruce up your last two, especially since you won’t be releasing them at the same time as the first two.
Oh, interesting. So, once you get that attention and momentum going, it’s a good idea to sustain it with regular releases. It sounds like those releases you mentioned were trunk novels or backlist that built up over a number of years and then were launched quickly. May not have been a result of fast writing.
If it helps, I’m usually almost always ranked between 5,000 and 18,000 on the Amazon charts and that’s with an average of 250-350 (sometimes a good deal more, sometimes slightly fewer) downloads per book, per month.
I think in-between releases of novellas/short stories/extras can be a great way to remind readers of our series. A couple of people have mentioned above that it’s a good idea to make sure they’re labeled so that readers understand they’re not full-length releases.
I’m doing a series of small (8,000 words) ebooks/books. My plan is one every other month for a year or more (not sure if there will be 6 or 8 in the series). I’m delayed right now because I’m waiting on permissions for quotes. That means the second book will be ready to go and the third will be in process when the first comes out. It’s a lot of work, I’m not going to lie. But I like your comment about January; everyone focuses on the holidays, but there will be a lot of people with new ereaders looking for books. I’m good with that.
Victoria–Ugh…I feel for you on the quote thing! I’ve heard that it can be tough to get permissions by deadline.
Yes, think of all those folks with new Kindles and Nooks in their stockings! We need to provide something for them to read. :)