Planning a Book Series | Tips, Tricks & Warnings! 

The fact that you spend hours preparing these and fuel our determination to become actual writers... We Stan a Queen

I have been binging your channel while on a writing sabbatical, and I want to say thanks for all the time and care you put into these videos.

I like to think of it as symptoms, as in the murder in the first book is the symptom of a problem, and throughout the following books we dig deeper to find the actual problem, so everything is connected but it gets bigger and bigger

I was literally thinking yesterday about developing my stand-alone into a series, perfect timing lol

Stephen King and his son Joe Hil are the masters of easter eggs. Putting easter eggs in each other's works. Amazing. Gives their stories so much more depth.

It’s fascinating to see the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing. In self-publishing we’re told to always, always write in a series to get that readthrough because it’s easier to market a series. We have the benefit of not having to have a publisher dictating what we can and can’t do, though. In general, I have about a 75% readthrough from book one to book two, but my book three readthrough is insane. It works out to be a 120% readthrough rate from book one and a 160% readthrough rate from book two. So a lot of people re-read that book lol!

To be honest, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to make either Brightly Burning or The Stars We Steal into a series.... Or at least give me more companions! Every time I found a reference or a head nod to Brightly Burning in the Stars We Steal, I just loved it. Fangirl-ed so hard. Still excited for The Ivies though!

This is such a great video. You've got a perfect mix of advice for writing in general, little tips for if you're going down this path, potential areas of trouble and how to avoid them, and pros and cons for actual publication. I love your videos and think this is probably your best one yet. Thoroughly detailed, with time stamps for those of us who might want a very specific subsection, nicely narrated, great production quality... Just all around awesome. Thanks!

Man, this notification brought me here plus.. I did need advice of how to do a book series since that is what my current project kind of ended up as...

I’m so glad you shared this. My first feature film is shooting next month, and I’m writing my first novel in a Collection of stand alone stories with the potential for sequels. They are both in the same realm with different POV and different stories.

Alexa seems happier in this video than always. Idk. She's just exuding good vibes.✨❤️

Alexa! You must be reading my mind. This has been a question that I have been thinking about with my story idea. Thank you for your advice and tips!

perfect timing as always

Oh snap, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!! So excited I’m commenting before the ad roll is even complete 😂😂😂

Wow. I really appreciate how much detail you went into with this video. Definitely really helps having so many different angles to view series writing from.

Thank you so much for making that video🤗🤗 I was hoping hard that you'll do it and especially as you are busy person and you have to take your time... So thank you so much ❤

This is such a great video! Thank you for making it!

You probably know this, but I'm going to state it anyway: deciding to self-publish is not always because someone is scared of "traditional publishing" and so on.

Thanks a lot for these types of videos. You put so much effort into them

There has never been a better time for this video!!

This came at a perfect time! I'm writing my first novel, and I'm seeing a way to do a connected universe kind of series. I am planning to self publish I think , so your point to add Easter eggs in as you go, was incredibly helpful. Thank you!

"Character anchor series" = new term for me! Thanks for the helpful info--Maisie Dobbs is a favorite!

Such a great video, you definitely threw me a rope to pull myself out of a potential rabbit hole of plotting! 😁

Interesting video, as always. I'm working on a series so it was nice to reflect on these ideas.

I don't know if you ever saw this, but I like your contents. I've binged watching your videos for awhile now. My first video was about you telling that our first book will suck but write it LOL. That means a lot to me. I'm thankful for you.

This may have been my favorite topic you've covered. Thank you for the insight. Now I have even more things to think about when deciding trade vs self pub.

Thanks SO MUCH for all of your work! Incredibly useful!!!!

I'm writing a fantasy series (how original I know) the series is supposed to be five books long since there are five "lands" so each story falls into a different story different character with a new tone each installment of the series. None of the characters appearing in past books will be in others maybe save for the last one which is entirely war. I'm really on the edge about even calling in a series since the only thing unanimous with all five books is their species and plane of existence they live on. Each land is separated with gigantic walls on every border of each kingdom so most living in each land think they are the only ones around. Each of them have completely different systems of leadership, academics, battle, love, politics, technology, culture, so on and so forth. Each book is widely different from the other and I'm just having a very difficult time. Essentially each book can be read as a standalone but thinking from an author perspective only writing one perspective when there are five lands just seems unfair to the entire world the author has imagined. I haven't taken drafts to writing reddit yet but hopefully I can get some response here. I'm not asking for beta readers I'm just wondering if something like this sounds interesting to anyone. Absolutely fantastic video. Thank you so much for this, extremely helpful and educational. It's going to take me a very long time to finish this series as the characters aren't human so this is an extremely ambitious project for me. I'm also 14 so writing a huge story really shouldn't be my biggest priority. Although I really wish it would be aha...

THANK YOU!!! This popped up as my frustration level was hitting 100%. I was just in the process of writing a synopsis and was really leaning on a series pitch but I think a stand-alone with series potential would be my best opinion.

This literally came at the perfect time. Thank you.

I was with you throughout the whole video, until right at the end - you knew, YOU KNEW I was planning and planning for years! lol

A lot of people have already said how great the timing is for this, and I echo the same sentiment. Coming off of NaNoWriMo, I have been thinking about making the story into a trilogy and this definitely gave me some things to think about - thank you! Also, I want to say that you have a great presence on camera, and the style of your videos is wonderful. You’re fun and enthusiastic, but there’s a professionalism that gives it a nice little confidence boost to those of us following your advice. I love your videos, and like so many others, I appreciate all of the time and love that goes into them. Thank you! 💖

Excellent timing. :)

Thanks this was so helpful as I'm writing the first book in a series for NaNo!

You are just perfect and wonderful giving super good relatable advice. 💕

Loved that you mentioned Thursday Next. What a wonderfully over the top funny fantasy series. Back on topic: I have just finished a series. It started by accident. The first one begged me to continue the story, and the next thing I knew I had four books. Now I am starting a new series, so this particular video of yours is most welcome. The last one I didn't plan, but somehow it all came together (meaning: after a lot of hard work). This one I will plan.

Wow! I feel so inspired now! Thank you! :)

Man, you got me on incubation!!!!! I’m finally getting to writing Book 1 (of 4), but I overplanned and have nothing to show for it. WRITE TODAY!

My main focus is with comics, not novels - but these tips and you discussing a series' pros versus pitfalls really got my gears turning about planning my comic series idea! Thanks for being so informative and helpful as always. ❤

I just found your channel. It's a gold mine. I love your presentation, you seem very cool and knowledgeable!

*Looks at his 3 book series* I so needed this 2+ years ago!

I remember years ago when I was reading a urban fiction street lit book, series at first the book was great but getting to part 5, 6, and 7 the book started getting boring.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!! I learned so much :))) I love these 40 minute videos, keep them coming! You're so eloquent, you must be great at public speaking! Hearing you talk about writing a series makes me realize just how hard writing is and we should be really proud of our work! It's kind of crazy how as a debut author or a new writer you're just alone in your head, creating characters and making worlds, conflicts.. it all feels so real but no one can really help us and there is no fandom to motivate us either haha My work in progress was supposed to be a stand-alone, but I found that I just kept writing because there was so much that important to the plot. I was even googling if 200,000 words was too much for a stand-alone novel, especially for a DEBUT AUTHOR, (which the answer is obviously yes). I guess I will have to divide it into a duology :p I think at some point I was thinking of turning my WIP into a trilogy, but I don't think I will anymore. I was mostly afraid of having a bad bridge book. I've never heard about the tip on turning a book 2 into a similar book 1 but with higher expectations, that's my fav tip in this video :) My only quick question is - are shared universe stories the same things as companion novels? I really love planning/writing shared universes, I think it's fun to poke and prod at a world readers know, but introduce a different perspective (especially if there's a time jump. Kind of like Brightly Burning and the Stars we Steal!) I also like them more than series as a reader too. I feel like with series, I tend to always forget what happens in the previous book because it usually takes a year or so before the next book comes out and by then, I am really not as invested 😅 Again, thanks for sharing!! Can't wait to read The Ivies!! :)

Your advice is always so solid. I know I shouldn’t be doing it. I know it’s crazy and almost idiotic. You even said all the cons of it. But, the ideas I’ve had for years for a series have finally become my sole passion. So much has honestly changed with my ideas since long ago (started this in middle school 😳 now 27). I’ve longed for this world. To build it better than before. And I finally have my chance. Unfortunately, it will probably be a 4-7 book series, depending where all my core beats and plot points end up going. My goal is to have a full zero draft of book 1 and possibly book 2 by the end of 2021. It’s insane and crazy but I can’t think of anything else. Nothing else wants to be written as badly in my head. And your advice has really helped me these past couple years to be as ready as I can be. 💜

This was very helpfull video! :D You only confirmed what I was doing and what I was dealing with, when planning annd plotting my series. :) Thank you!

I stumbled upon your channel yesterday as I was looking for inspiration to begin seriously plotting and planning a novel I’ve had brewing in my mind. A big thank you to providing so much useful tips that will help my fingers freely dance at my keyboard. You have my appreciation and true thanks 😊

I appreciate this video so much. I've had a series planned for a number of years. It was originally JUST going to be a video game plot--action, action, action. But I've taken a step back and thought about what it would be like in book form. It would HAVE to be a series. A number of characters would need to be cut or changed. There would need to be breaks in the action. But I've built up the world and characters so much that there's no way I could tell their story in a way that makes sense in one, single book. I think what scares me the most is the "satisfaction" element, especially with the first book since the events in that one would naturally snowball the rest. It's that unsure feeling of the villain getting what they want and readers being upset with it, despite there being a resolution with that villain later on in the series. I've planned this story out from front to back and haven't lost passion for these characters since they were conceived years ago. I still get emotional thinking about some of their endings because they're characters I love that I know I'll have to let go of, so I really want everything to work out. It's just those small doubts that cause me to want to tweak and twist the story into oblivion.

This is very helpful. My current WIP is pretty much a stand-alone ("pretty much" because I developed the fantasy world by writing short stories, but they're not published and you certainly don't need to read them for it to make sense!). As I work on it, I'm realizing that the setting has more potential and I might want to explore it further, through other perspectives besides my two current protagonists. What you described as a series of standalone novels in a shared world sounds very appealing. But I should probably finish book 1 before I get too far ahead of myself!

I'm in the planning/outlining phase of my series, which won't be a trilogy (so far it seems), and book 1 & book 2 have a lot going on, but after watching this video, book 3 seems like it might be a bridge book. Book 4 will be VERY important for my climax and (this is only just the planning phase) but as I brainstormed this part, at first, it was just like book 1 & 2, so only the 2nd half might feel like a bridge, but in the middle of it, I started actually having a really good idea of where the whole story will go and then started getting crazy ideas for the next one so it basically seems overshadowed by 4. The 2nd half will be used to develop my character a bit more & build the necessary relationships for book 4. *Wait.* Now i just had an idea. Since readers don't like bridge books and a lot more will be going on in the 1st half, I could reduce the second part & make it smaller (or split it in half with the part of it in book 4) since it's basically what happens after my MC got out of a situation & how he recovers & reacts & then serves to lead towards book 4. But thank you so so much for the video.

Your advice is appreciated. 🖤

I have been working on my project for about 10 years (my companion made me realize it when she saw all that I had written in a single weekend) and it has been incredibly frustrating... I had all these stories that went together, stand alones who really weren't standing on their own, sequels and prequels that were standing alone... Characters were a nightmare while some would change on their own, their changes making sens but the why's and how's they'd change (sometimes drastically) remaining major unknowns, others would pop out of nowhere without context (these were the worst as they'd fit the stories but remained mysterious even to me)... It was nerve wracking. But then I remembered an advice I've heard, time and time again: write on subjects that you know... And while I have a substantial knowledge on fantasy and mythology, while I had stories that wanted to be told, I didn't know the universe I was writing about. That's when I cooled down and realized that that universe was revealing itself to me... Now I'm getting to understand its rules and workings, its nature and dualities... And man (lady, sorry... 🤗), that world is dense. Now it makes sense that I couldn't write anything yet. Since then, I've been on talls such as this video and am do happy to realize that all (most...) of the things that were set on back burners actually follow all these many rules and guidelines you guals and guys share with us. So basically, long story short, I want to say thank you. Your videos help a lot... On my end, they help me not letting go and reassuring myslef that, despite my previous belief on the matter, I seem to know what I'm doing and where I'm going... Thank you very much.

Really good advice ty

You helped me figure out one huge block for a trilogy I've been working on! I knew it was a structure problem but I couldn't figure out how to fix it.

I’m not even writing a series but I’m watching this

Thank you very helpful ❤

Very insightful videos. This one is timely; I'm halfway through writing a book that I hope can bridge two worlds: dark fantasy and Christian fiction. I don't know if my take will be commercial. I think it's pulling together well, but I'm a little daunted about how to pitch it. You've been helpful. (Damn, I wish you were my agent:) I love that "stand-alone with series potential" line.

I miss the "Alexa Donne here!", I keep saying that in my mind when you begin your videos haha! Loves, great video as always ♡

I think the Golden Compass is a good example. That book is an amazing standalone imo. If the subtle knife and Amber spyglass didn't exist I wouldn't be all that hurt because I had such a great time with the 1st one.

Watching this, I realize that I am so much more excited about the third planned book in my series than the first two. So I think I'll start with that one, and have one or two prequels. It's a time travel series, so that's perfect. I also have this habit of thinking, "And then after the climax, this happens..." And I love it! My characters keep growing and having new adventures. It's so difficult for them--and so rewarding. I try to write down all my ideas in my journal. Could you maybe do a video about a writing journal, if you haven't already?

Watching this as a work on my book :)

Thank you!!

I’m a little confused on what to do 😅 I hope to be traditionally published. I wrote a YA dark fantasy book that was originally meant to be just one stand alone. However the story I wanted to tell was much too big to fit into one book and so I ended up splitting that book into three. Then I did a round of edits on the first and am in my second developmental edit (the first edit was mostly focused on splitting the draft, this round is focused on book one’s story specifically). Originally my plan was to perfect all three drafts since they’re all already essentially written and then try to agent myself. This series will need at least a fourth book to finish, which I had started already before splitting book one. I haven’t worked on it further as I am focused on this manuscript which is now 3. Do you consider my plan a waste of time? Should I just perfect the first book and try to agent it and leave the rest unpolished? Secondly, I’m also unclear on how to make what is now the first book a “stand alone with series potential”. I think if I were a reader picking it up I would be expecting a sequel reaching the end as it ends with clearly anticipating more. So I don’t know how to accomplish this, especially since it has been since its very conception one of three. I hope my questions make sense and thank you for taking the time to read them!

Really good advice! I am torn between writing this epic dark sci-fi universe in either English (as it would reach a wider audience) or French, which is my native language. Though, I find it hard to take french writing seriously as I find the words and flow are... less impactful? Which is what I love about English prose. But I feel like my english grammar and storytelling skills are too weak for such an ambitious project 😅 That aside, I really enjoy your content, Alexa! Feels like legitimate online courses!

Your advice on planning too much hit hard 😅 I've been trying to get this story right for so long that I'm taking the next year to just pants it and then figure it out from there.

Have finished my YA Fantasy trilogy (1st drafts and edits, though book 1 has been through several edits and a half dozen beta readers). Honestly, the 2nd book is actually my favorite, lol. Intro to the gritty stuff, the best twists and turns, the action really picks up (My favorite romantic duo meets)... But...I'm struggling on word count for that one, being boxed in. Book 1 works well as a stand alone, but 2 & 3 break at an important turn of events. Either way...even though I've written them all, I still hope to query book 1 soon, but I'm not afraid of self-pub. I'm really grateful that I got through the full trilogy before publishing the first, because I realized I needed to add those easter eggs to the first (I don't even remember anymore, but it probably all started in my brain as a stand-alone). Also, I needed to go back through books 1 & 2 to refine my world building/magic system as it became so significant by the third, and would have caused huge problems if I hadn't refined them together.

thank you for thisssss

I have a 5 part series and 3 stand alones that I want to finish before I even start to seek traditional publishing. I feel that I spent to long in fanfiction land and feel I need to write a few original stories before I start seeking publishing. After I finish all those stories will work out which one had the best potential to seek publishing with. I like having a goal with my writing that I am following and can be flexible with as my writing changes. This is inspiring me to work on my series again. Been going through a bit of a dry spell with my writing due to much other stuff going on my life.

I wish I didn’t have two classes but I will watch later! :)

'Layering conflict' section - So true on the advice Few tv series of 'action genre' has done this. Plots to '24' and maybe 'Alias.'

I hate when I love the first book in a trilogy and book 2 is a total flop. Thanks for the video!

Hey Alexa! What are your thoughts of Historical Fantasy? Is it even a genre? I love your Channel

That last tip really hit home…I need to write the book already! I’m just really scared of failure, even though I may not ever publish it.

Great ideas of planning. I usually plot by putting a word or sentence of each important moment or essential plot point, and then let myself fill in the blanks at the time im writing. For example a few of my chapters are 3.Going to new school 4. Passing out/secrets 5. The hospital That way I'm not too cemented in and can be flexible with the details but know the core points of the storyline

Haha I kept waiting for you to mention Caraval

I was considering making my first novel as a series because some random internet article stated "write a series instead of just one!", and since my focus is on getting published in traditional publishing it certainly makes more sense for my first fantasy YA novel to at least be just a stand alone at the moment. ^.^'

I have a series in mind, lots of characters (over 1000) and a plan: each book starts where the previous ended. Lets say the first book have 52 chapters so the second book starts from chapter 53 and so on and new characters (2 character per chapter).

OMG THANK YOU!!!! I see a LOT of series books, and I read a few... one on WATTPAD... and BOIIII it had 3 books! And the first book had 80 chapters with around 4 thousand words per chapter! and the second book had 79 chapters... and the third book had 60 chapters and the time I read the WHOLE book... the ending was awful... I read 3 books with a combination of 229-ish (cuz I can’t count...) to find out that the whole series was just so this one girl can decide which boy she loves... I was really disappointed, and the whole series wasn’t great... it was really weird to see that it had 20 million reads... and it seemed like everyone loved it? And I still don’t get why?

Hey Alexa! What do you think about putting this sentence (or something similar) in a query? “It is the first part of a planned trilogy, but I am open to re-working the number of books if needed.” I want to be honest about the fact that it really is supposed to be a series, but I don’t want that to scare away agents from reading my pages. Thanks!

Never thought I'd hear Alexa say "blow your wad"😂🤣 Another helpful video, thanks. I'm rewriting book one of a potential series and tying it up but leaving enough to make a sequel is proving...difficult.

I really loved Laurell K. Hamiltons Anita Blake series, but then it went from a detective story to an erotica with way too many people that one really can't remember them all. She lost most of her readers that way. I stayed, crying rivers for my favourite ship, until the characters started solving their flaws through therapy that was not shown.

The second Court of Thorns and Roses book was amazing

I read some historical romance and I love a series set in the same family/society but with different couples.

catch me out here planning maybe a four book series but starting with books two (and a little of three) because i wanted to write the surgery and war scenes first.

Great vid. Im writing a book series of my own. Im writing the final draft of the first installment. Its gonna end on a cliffhanger. I literally have the whole thing planned out. Plus I have lots of ideas for sequels. With makes even more important for me to get them, published because if the first book doesn't get published then the be no point in doing the others.

*spies the bottom left corner* i have that exact word cloud copy of jane eyre!! it's beautiful oh my goooosh

Thanks so much for all the tips and advice! I’m in the very beginning stages of writing a trilogy, or what I think will be a trilogy if it goes as planned. I’ve watched a few of your videos and am so appreciative of all the pro tips. QUESTION: In my trilogy, book one will be set in present day, with a conflict that has spanned over centuries but present day MC is now tasked with dealing with it. There’s a lot of history that plays into the story, the whys, the hows, even the characters themselves. I’m thinking of a satisfying ending to Book One BUT leaving it with a cliffhanger than introduces a new character who will return in Book Three beCAUSE.... Book Two - I’m considering going back into the past and writing it from the POV of one of the historical figures from Book One. And then Book Three would be back in the present and would get to the big (series) conflict, we get to know the mysterious new character from end of Book One, plus we now have all the background information that was set out in Book Two - which will also up the stakes for the importance of the Big Thing in the present. Does that make any sense whatsoever? LOL Do you think a trilogy like this could work? Multi-POV and Multi-timeline, but in separate books. As in, Book Two is going to have all it’s own conflicts and excitement, but the cliffhanger from Book One won’t be answered until Book Three. I don’t want Book Two to be a bad bridge book. Thanks for any input here! :)

Interesting insight. Kingkiller and Song of Ice and Fire are good examples of what can happen if the author plans the series, loses interest, and disappoints readers. I remember when I was young and loved Animorphs the series began to feel stale to me. I have a lot of ideas for series and nothing will stop me from writing😂 them but will remember to learn from teh mistakes of others.

Hmmm let's see what of my planning I find here... Probably not much... I'll edit once I saw the vid! I already had a few of these, but this video did definitely remind me that I need to plan. Maybe it is not the best of ideas to make a 10 book series with potential for more as the debut......

Another problem with writing a series can be character avalanche. If each book introduces a few new characters, but you can't get rid of any beloved old characters either, it just snowballs until you have an unsustainable amount of characters. I would say Rick Riordan just about walks the line on this by the end of his Percy Jackson series. It worked, but you can see that if he tried to add another book or another character, the whole thing would collapse under its own weight.

I'm a self-publishing fantasy author but this advice is useful!

My plan is if I ever make a sequel, to have it follow one of the other characters, as two key characters both have an interesting story either before or during the story that could be worked into a full book

Thanks for making me realize I haven't developed my series enough. Whoops. I thought I had it all planned, but then I realize I know just book one and two and parts of the third. Not including the main climax / payoff

Question about anchor series, how is it many anchor series are still published long after the author is dead? I am thinking of authors like Robert Ludlum's Bourne books. Would he have left his estate outlines before his passing (although I am assuming by now those outlines are obsolete ). Or is it his agent/publisher converted his work into a package book series?

Do you feel its easier to get a trilogy/series deal for a adult fantasy opposed to YA....as i can't think of many new adult fantasy books that arent series

15:43 DUN DUN DUN😱😱😱 .......Donne Donne Donne. I wonder how long she's been waiting to use that lol

Thank you so much for this video! I am in the middle of writing the first book of a trilogy and I’m huge on structure, but there is so much to consider and this simultaneously helps with the pitfalls and assures me that I’m on the right path. I’ll definitely come back to view it again. You talked a lot about YA, could you maybe do a video about New Adult trends? I feel like the topic intersects a lot and is also affected by the changes you talked about. Love from Germany

Hi! I know you might not see this, but I have a few questions. I'm currently fourteen and starting a series that I've wanted to write since I was six. As far as writing skill goes, I'm obviously no Steven King or an experienced writer, but I've written quite a bit in the past. I'm about 60,000 words into the first book in the series, and I have all three books planned out and a stand-alone from the same world. The only thing I'd have to ask is if I'm too young. I really want this series to do well as it had kinda consumed my life for eight years and means everything to me. I wanted to start writing it, but now as I'm about two-thirds of the way done with the first draft, I feel like I'm underqualified to write these books at this age. And like I said, I don't want to write this series poorly when I'm fourteen and then have to deal with my crappiness in four years. I honestly think I'm a pretty decent writer, but not professional level, at least with my first draft, and I'm feeling pretty discouraged.

Thanks for this. I'm writing a fantasy/romance novel, and considering turning into a series so I can have more time to explore the world I've created, but my main character reaches her goal by the end of book one. I could make it episodic and give her a new goal, but she also gets pregnant (because I decided not to make magical birth control), so I'm considering making the second book about her children.

Thank you. I’ve been hoping to make a series and I’m really hoping it’ll take off once I’ve finished my first book. My book is about the spirits who can control the good and the life in nature while the curses have to keep the balance by killing off creatures with diseases and new evils. My main character (well one of my main characters) she is one of the spirits and the end has her walking off a ship as a rose bud blooms on its side. Sound good?

My most favourite standalone novel is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This novel is a really amazing novel. I highly recommend it.