Series vs standalone, is it a decision that should be made early on when writing a book? Or can it be made later? In my experience, you can do either when you’re in the draft stage, but when it comes to actually publishing, you need to know what you’re doing with the book before you share it with the wider world. I’ll tell you why.

Adding on sequels to a films is something that happens a lot and they always say the sequels are never as good as the originals. Sometimes, they can be, but there’s a reason for that, and it again comes down to the planning. If you can plan a full arc of a series, film or book, then you’re more likely to be able to make the sequel to it successful. It has to be worth it for someone to see the need for a sequel, and if your originally standalone book/film lends itself to a sequel, then it definitely didn’t tie up all the plot points the first time round.

I’ve mentioned before that Atlantic Split was initially going to be a standalone book, but it soon was joined by At Liberty To Live, An Undercover Dream and now A Long Lost Time. That’s because even though I had tied up the first arc, it led it’s way nicely into a sequel and the story far far from over. I’m hoping to now do the same with The Snowflake Trap – another one of my works in progress. I’m still working out what the full series should entail, but it’s a much bigger plot than can be contained in one book, so it makes sense for it to span a few books.

However, with The Signs Are Coming, I’ve got everything I need contained in one book and that’s all I need to tell the story. The timeframe is small, the characters’ arcs can be explored in a short space of time and the ending is the ending…well, that is unless I dream up a way of expanding it! And I think it’s much harder to write a good standalone than a series – just because you need to be able to fit a full arc into one book and know you’ve tied up all the plot points and made it feel like a journey, instead of it being a literal journey. With a series, you can play the long game, so you can fit much more in – with a standalone, your plot has to be succinct enough and worthwhile enough that it can be remembered without needing to be revisited later.

Either way, planning is the one thing that comes into it. And make sure before you publish, you know exactly what that plan is. Take some time to figure out whether there’s any other place this book could go, or whether you’re satisfied with it being one book. What’s your long arc for your series? Can you balance that across a number of books, and if so, how many? As a writer, planning is your best friend, and though it may not be the most fun of jobs, it’ll certainly help you out a lot later. So get familiar with it!

Atlantic Split, At Liberty To Live and An Undercover Dream, the first three books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! The final book of the series A Long Lost Time will be released in 2020!

Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K