Series or Stand-alone?
I’ve been getting a lot of reader mail lately about Pride. (Which is out, now, btw. Forgot to mention that earlier.) More than I got with either of my previous two releases, which is awesome (and good for the faltering ego). And I’ve noticed a pattern with these messages: everyone wants the next one. Now.
This may have something to do with the cliffhanger ending. ;-) I didn’t mean to write a cliffhanger. In fact, I’m not sure I even consider it as such, but I bow to the prevailing opinion of my readers. Anyway, my point is that most people who have written to me so far say they were eager for Pride because after Rogue, they had to know what happened next. And now they must know what happens in Prey.
I love that. In fact, that’s my goal. As writers, we obviously want readers to want more from us. But part of me can't get over the fact that it seems to be working!
We’re all urban fantasy/paranormal authors here, right? I’m assuming most of us write books in a series, but I know that some also write stand-alone novels, or paranormal romance with a new main character in each volume. So here’s my question(s):
If you write a series, do you find that readers are increasingly eager for each successive book because the plots build, and questions are left unanswered? I mean, does the excitement build noticably?
And if you write stand-alones, or loosely connected series books, do you find that same growing enthusiasm, though the plots don’t build from one volume to the next?
Do you think it’s any easier to build an audience with novels in a series, or vice versa?
I personally love reading series. I become invested in characters and am loathe to let them go. And I like carryover plot threads. But I’ve also read reviews from readers who dislike series, and get frustrated when they accidentally buy the books out of order. Or who don’t like plot threads woven from one book to the next, because that leaves questions temporarily unanswered.
So, readers? Opinions? Which do you prefer, and why?