Will you write another book in this world?
The economics of writing a sequel or companion series
“Will you write another book in this world?”
I love that I get this question. Truly, I feel honored. Because it means a reader has connected so deeply with the characters, world, and themes of the book that they’re hungry for more. They’ve even gone through the trouble of finding me to ask about it!
And the thing is, I often do have more ideas for the worlds they’re asking about — the worlds of THE ORPHAN QUEEN and NIGHTRENDER, particularly. (Interesting that it’s usually my duologies, huh? Something for me to think about when I should be sleeping.) I’ve even identified titles I’d use for companion books in those worlds, and if you know one thing about my feelings about naming things, it’s that I’d rather not. And yet, I have titles. Thanks, brain. Useless thing to have for projects I’m probably not going to write.
But . . . why? Don’t I love my readers and want them to be happy??
Yes, of course! But . . .
There could be a lot of different reasons why an author might not write more in that world, ranging from extremely personal1 to purely business. It’s the business side I’m going to focus on today, so if you haven’t read “When you know you’re writing for a limited readership” already, I want you to go do that now. The first part, anyway.
All right, let’s go.
So for the people who just kept reading this letter and haven’t read the older post (yes, I know about you), the answer comes down to (I’m so sorry) money. Readership. Publisher support. Time.
Is it actually worth it — financially speaking — for the author to sign a whole new contract and write more in that world?
As we saw in the other post that some of you skipped, there’s always series drop off. It’s normal. Some folks will pick up a book (even a Really Big Book!) and decide they don’t like it enough to continue reading. So they won’t finish the series. And that’s okay! We all get to decide how we want to spend our precious reading time.
But the same thing happens with sequel series or companion novels.
Not everyone who read the first series is going to pick up the new one. Some of them are satisfied with the way it ended and don’t need more. Other readers won’t even hear about the next series, so they won’t get it, either.
But Jodi, you may be saying in a funny voice, what about XYZ original series and ABC companion series? The second one was waaaay more popular than the first!
Yeah. There are exceptions. We can all think of at least one or two!
But most of us aren’t exceptions. That’s why the exceptions stand out so much!
Authors have to consider drop-off when we’re deciding whether to write more in a world. Our publishers are considering it, too.
Okay, so what would persuade an author to do it?
I can’t speak for other authors, but for the books I get asked about, I’d have to see a serious appetite for more before I sat down to spend a year of my life (or more) writing a sequel/companion book/series.
I’d have to be fielding hundreds of these requests every month.2 My publisher would have to see a tidal wave of sales — so much that they asked me to write more in the world because it would be profitable for them. They’d also have to pay me at least what they paid me for the initial series. I’ve got bills!3 And they’d have to support the new series with just as much (or more) marketing and publicity as the first one. (Don’t count on my name selling books!)
And obviously, there are sequel and companion series out there. Some authors have continued writing in the same world for most of their careers. Regardless whether they’re “second series sold better than the first” exceptions or just authors whose sales are that steady (signaling to the publisher that it’s worth the continued investment), they’re able to keep giving their readers what they want. I’m thrilled for those authors and their readers!
But to be truly honest — that’s just not going to happen for some of us. It sucks, but it’s reality.
Most of us non-exceptions have to do this kind of math when we’re planning our next books. (I’m also pretty sure most exceptions don’t know they’re going to be exceptions until they are.) It’s not fun to think about, but we’ve monetized our passion. We have to be strategic about what we do next so that we can afford to keep writing.
Signing another contract is a huge commitment!
Okay so what can a reader do?
I mean . . . it’s not on readers to make it happen. But there are a few things readers can do to nudge the math in the right direction if they really, really want more books in a storyworld.
And this is boring, but it’s just the stuff authors are always asking readers to do: spread the word; leave reviews on retail sites; post about the books online; tell your booksellers and librarians that you love the series and think they should recommend it to other readers like you.
Word-of-mouth remains the best way to help a book get noticed. There is no stronger recommendation than an army of passionate readers.
Okay, so what about an author with an idea for a companion series but the math isn’t mathing?
Boy do I feel you. But don’t worry, if you really, truly want to write more in a storyworld but don’t think the calculations are working in your favor — as far as advance size, publisher support, reader attention — there are still a couple of things you can do.
The first thing is always talk to your agent. They may have ideas for you. And they’ll probably want to check your contract for the option clause; sometimes those say things like “the next book in XYZ world” and you don’t want to get in trouble. Cover your bases.
The next thing I’d suggest . . .
Write the book/s and add some distance between the first story and the new one.
Note I’ve been saying sequel or companion books, because I see them as different things!4 A sequel series will probably include many of the same characters and locations as the first series, and will likely reference events that happened in the first books. A companion could be in a different part of the world, in a different time period, with different characters, where they might not even know about what happened in the first book. Or those events might be touched on but not a big deal because this new cast has their own issues. A reader could read the companion without knowing the first books exist.
A companion series could also be closer to your first series, of course, but my point is . . . you could write a companion series with enough distance from the first one that you never have to mention they’re in the same world (as long as your contract allows!). Let smart readers figure it out. I mean, don’t be dishonest! But it could give you and your publisher a fresh start in the world if you need one — another on-ramp into that universe — and still allow you to write in the world you’ve already spent so much time developing.
Again, don’t violate your contract. But look at it as an opportunity to relaunch the world to a new audience. Maybe one day you’ll want to advertise the books being in the same world. Maybe not. Talk to your agent.
And another option is . . . write the book/s how you would normally, as a direct sequel or close companion (however you originally envisioned the story). Try to sell it to your publisher. Let your agent take it wide. You never know!
You can also self-publish the books! Giving your readers what they want might not be worth it to a publisher (they’re a for-profit business!),5 but if you’re able to put in the labor and investment, it might be worth it for you, personally.
Only you know what your situation is like and how important it is to write the new series. It truly just depends on what you’re hoping to achieve and how much you want to tell that story. And if you want to do it, there are options.
I know that wasn’t exactly uplifting. Sorry about that. But I hope this helps readers understand why authors might not always run with that new idea you know they have — and I hope it helps authors feel less alone when trying to figure out how to navigate this part of the career. It’s frustrating, but a lot of authors are weighing the pros and cons! It’s not just you!
Do you have any other suggestions? Advice? Let’s hear it!
Something the author is never obligated to disclose!
From different people, not the same person on repeat. Come on.
And book money gets chopped up like nobody’s business. An advance for one book will usually get paid out over at least two years, sometimes more. Here’s a rundown of how author money works.
Mostly. Kind of. There’s room for overlap, I think.
They’re operating with more dollar signs than most individual authors are, so they’d need to sell a bunch of books to make a profit — they have staff to pay — while an author selling independently might make a profit with fewer sales, depending what kind of investment they make in editing, design, cover, advertising, etc. And profit or no, sometimes it’s worth it just so the book exists. Only you can make that call.
haha Hoo Jodi, this was triggering. I never know how to respond to this question and I get all "sad ben affleck face" because there's so much that goes into the answer! Great read
Thanks, Jodi! I can think of one situation I kinda watched in real time where the readership was so demanding that the author got a deal for a prequel and companion novellas. But it makes sense that it would be the exception, not the rule, especially if the publisher doesn’t put their all behind the first book/series to begin with. Self fulfilling prophecy.