I released the first book in my post-apocalyptic series, After the End, on May 19. Over the course of the next two years, I plan on releasing five more books in the mainline series along with a few sidequels and short stories set in the world of the series.
One of the pieces of advice I heard over and over again when I was preparing for my indie author career was the importance and value of writing a series. It was advice I resisted at first.
As a reader, I'm not a huge fan of series. It takes a lot to get me involved in a storyline that expands beyond a single book. I'm a book slut. I'm always looking for my next relationship.
Maybe that's because I've been let down by a lot of series. The stories are often manipulated to drag out the narrative from book to book, you know none of the main characters are going to get killed (unless it's Game of Thrones), and nothing ever gets fully resolved because the author plans to drag the story out as long as possible.
Then there are the series that start off strong and get progressively worse with each new book until you just don't care anymore:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Oryx and Crake books
Ender's Game Saga
Hunger Games
Maze Runner
The Dark Tower series
The Giver Quartet
The Sword of Truth series
Game of Thrones (even without the last two books)
So many good stories that collapse under the weight of the demands of the series.
But when a series is done right, there's nothing better in literature. There is no worse tragedy than reaching the end of a great book and knowing your time with those characters is coming to an end. A series extends your time with your favorite characters and allows you the opportunity to spend more time in the worlds you love. It's why I spent many hours back in high school hiding in the back room of the Dollar General reading about Sam and Frodo struggling to reach Mount Doom when I was supposed to be stocking shelves.
That's the experience I want to provide for my readers. I want them to read the first book and meet Ash and Dru and Draven and need to read that next book. I want them to never want to leave the post-apocalyptic wasteland After the End. But I also want readers to know that the story won't last forever. Six books. That's what readers get. I won't drag it out forever. There's an endgame. And I've learned a thing or two from my friend G.R.R. Martin (including the importance of FINISHING the series!).
So I invite you to take that first step into the apocalypse. I hope you enjoy your stay.
Dive into the apocalypse! Check out the first book in my After the End series here.