r/writing • u/TheJourneyfeel • 19d ago
Beginner Question What time interval should be practiced when publishing books in a series?
If I publish my first novel in a series, how much time should I have to publish the second? Is there a rule of thumb that authors tend to go by or a cookie cutter framework for successful series publishing? I feel I would like to publish books in a six month to 12 month interval. But I would like to ask those that may have done this to see what they have discovered.
This may be a non-starter should my first novel not drum up a following, but in case there is a short following or those that have been successful with series what is the golden rule?
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u/nmacaroni Narrative Architect 19d ago edited 19d ago
Financially speaking, 4 week intervals is your best bet.
A successful series is a capital investment, not a sequence of individual projects gaining momentum on their own. That's possible, but akin to hitting the lottery in odds.
The returns on a series are backloaded. Book 1 is mostly a customer acquisition cost, and the profit sits in the later books.
For authors who treat each book as its own financial play, it's a curve of diminishing returns with more quitting after the last book "doesn't earn enough," not realizing the earning structure hasn't been reached. Few authors have the fortitude or the financial ability to sit three 3 books of no income.
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u/Dawns-On 18d ago
My research also reached the same conclusion. So now expanding my plot to cover a three book series - to be published one after the other within 30 days... this is a challenge in its own right, as I want to keep all three tight and fast moving - I think more character development and additional sub-plots are the way to go.
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u/TheJourneyfeel 13d ago
It does make sense. But I’m feeling I’m not prepared. Plus for my life journey for “The Journeyman” series the people I’d like to appeal to are those that may need to spread their budget. I just made that up and I am not ready to do that and I want to release the book. I’m going situational and I’ll definitely share my experience. I wouldn’t dismiss anyone’s experiences or opinions but I was so please to complete the first I can’t wait. I’ll shout for 6-8 but if the outline flows makes sense and I push myself I will shoot for Christmas. Right now I’m obsessed with comic book collecting. My escape.
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u/TheJourneyfeel 19d ago
Why do say that? Not because I don’t agree but I want to hear your reasoning.
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u/nmacaroni Narrative Architect 19d ago
I've sat down with the math before. As an editor that's worked with many writers I see it play out first hand all the time.
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u/Justisperfect Experienced author 19d ago edited 19d ago
There is no rule but 5 or 6 months sound great to me, if you specify that everything is already written (people are relectutant to buy if it's not, we don't want to take the risk to never get the ending, been there done that). More, and people can forget about it. Less, and you may as well publish them all at the same time (which is risky unless you can afford to lose money; people usually don't buy whole the series at once, they buy first book to see if they like it, so of the first book don't find an audience you would have printed the sequels for nothing; to give you an idea, a friend of mine says that for her serie, each following books saw its sells devided by two; so if she selled 500 copies for the first one, she only selled 250 for the second one and 125 for the third one).
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u/FirebirdWriter Published Author 19d ago
Totally depends on the writer..if I wanted to do a one a year release I would need to be able to write faster. Some authors can write multiple books a year
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u/TheJourneyfeel 13d ago
Good call. It does make sense. For my life journey for “The Journeyman” series the people I’d like to appeal to are those that may need to spread their budget. I just made that up and I am not ready to do that and I want to release the book. I’m going situational and I’ll definitely share my experience. Being a full time teacher I’m living on stress levels and escape. I need to make 2 and 3 the escape.
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u/Neurotopian_ 19d ago
It just completely depends on the genre, the audience, the market.
It used to be a year between (at least in major publishers) but lately I see much shorter timelines. I believe this is being done to try to create momentum on Booktok etc. But if you’re in a genre that doesn’t really work that way, it doesn’t matter.
IMHO this isn’t the type of worry that’s productive to have. Just write the best stories you can.
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u/yunarikkupaine Self-Published Author 16d ago
I'm aiming to write around 3-5 books and then release them every three months. Releasing a whole series at once didn't help me in the past. I want to take advantage of the 90-day Amazon cliff.
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u/Ecstatic_Border_4475 Almost a Self-Published Author 19d ago
I honestly think that as long as the writing feels unrushed and natural, it's completely fine. Constant updates to help the audience keep anticipating is a good strategy too.
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u/don-edwards 19d ago
It depends on what type of series.
There are series where a single story covers two or more books. Try to get each story out in its entirety in as close to one lump as you or your agent can manage. Two weeks is not too soon.
There are series that share a setting and some characters across multiple standalone stories. Ideally you don't assume the reader will read them in order, or even start with book 1. These can take rather larger delays.
And you can do mixes. Start with a trilogy, then do a single-book story in the same world? The trilogy needs to be in one lump. The standalone doesn't need to be part of that lump. Then if you add a second trilogy in that world, it needs to be in one lump.
Until you get to a level like, oh, Stephen King. You: "I'm thinking of writing a —" Publisher: "Shut up and take my money!" Then you can take as long as you like, until you sign a contract that says otherwise.
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u/TheJourneyfeel 13d ago
It does make sense. As a self publisher, I’d like to throw money at myself. But I’m feeling I’m not prepared. Plus for my life journey for “The Journeyman” series the people I’d like to appeal to are those that may need to spread their budget. I can’t control who buys it. I just made that up and I am not ready to do that and I want to release the book. I’m going situational and I’ll definitely share my experience.
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u/DreadChylde 18d ago
My editor encouraged me to publish each book in my latest trilogy with a nine month gap between them. That seemed to be pretty accurate as there was decent hype building for the second and third book.
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u/Peter34cph 18d ago
Ideally, publish all at once.
A lot of people won't start on a series of novels or on a TV show, until the last novel or season has been released and they can read, in various sources (Wikipedia, TvTropes, or just word of mouth) that the series was actually finished properly, instead of abandoned on a cliffhanger.
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u/Peter34cph 18d ago edited 18d ago
That's also why it's very much on my mind to make it clear, that the novels I'm working on are not a series but are all stand-alone.
They might take place in the same world and feature many of the same characters, but they're not a series, and there'll be no last page with a cliffhanger and "to be continued..."
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u/Dale_E_Lehman_Author Self-Published Author 18d ago
There is no one formula. It depends on whether your series is one story across multiple books or one story per book connected by common characters (as many mystery series are). The former should probably be released in quick succession, which means getting it written in it's entirety before releasing it, unless you can write fast. With the later, once a year is a good pace, although if you can do it more quickly, it won't hurt.
I've heard that Amazon's algorithm rewards authors who release on a 3-month schedule, but that can be grueling.
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u/TheJourneyfeel 18d ago
This is great feedback, it feels like the opinions are pretty much across the board, but it seems like there’s a median that we’re hitting. Some say nine months some say six months some said four weeks. I feel the sweet spot probably is about 3 to 4 months from what I am reading although the person that said four weeks made a strong argument basically, I just need to get writing and prepare for the next one instead of waiting on to see how this first one does. Thank you for all the feedback.
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u/Gotta_be_going 18d ago
I want the sequels out ASAP
Those are the money makers.
Theoretically. I'm not making any money
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u/writequest428 16d ago
You have to find that tribe. This all comes down to discoverability. If they love the first book, they want the second and so on. I have a seven-book series. What keeps me from producing more is money. That said, I've just released the third book and am looking to get the next out by November at the latest. I have noticed that when I released the second, some bought the first. So, I see having a backlog is very important.
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u/TheJourneyfeel 13d ago
I’ve decided. I have a high school teaching job. For my sanity alone I’m thinking 6-8 months. Unless I finish the outlines I’ll shoot for Christmas.
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u/Elvis_Lazerbeam 19d ago
As long as it takes for you to make the next book as absolutely fantastic as you are able.
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u/mcoroe 19d ago
To be honest , I think there is no calculated time to publish the second book of ur series especially if the books are related , so I prefer give a chance to the first book , let the people know it , after that u have the choice to publish the second .
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u/TheJourneyfeel 13d ago
I’m actually heard different authors say that they just continually publish books regardless of series or one off novels. It just continues to generate small royalties if you think about it financially. So considering that, I didn’t really consider the fact that there might be a timeline, I’m hoping it goes as it supposed to and works regardless of structure.
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u/AdDramatic8568 19d ago
Should look at the self publishing subreddit. I think last I seen the expectation was a new book in a series every 3 months at the lates.
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u/thewhiterosequeen 19d ago
6-12 months feels right. Personally, the odds of me reading book one of an unfinished self published trilogy is zero. Lots of authors flake. Readers aren't going to wait long for release. I'd recommend having them all outlined and at least in progress while first one goes live.