Liosse de Velishaf
Banned
The next big thing
- Thread starter Windcutter
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That's the thing, series always boggle my mind. (I'm considering going back to when I use to discovery write a lot more, though I always had a character profile or two.)
I'm not sure what it is, I always have a pre-conditioned mental reject button whenever I find a book that's a trilogy. Trying to get better about that.
I'm not sure what it is, I always have a pre-conditioned mental reject button whenever I find a book that's a trilogy. Trying to get better about that.
That's funny. I'm the opposite when it comes to trilogies (and longer series). I read almost exclusively fantasy and science fiction, so I'm always excited about the potential of getting lost in a world and characters for hundreds, or even thousands, of pages.
I'm afraid my writing reflects this. I don't think I've ever managed to write anything that I consider a complete standalone. My most recent project can function perfectly as a standalone, but I also have at least the next book planned, and I intend for it to be a four-book series.
I'm afraid my writing reflects this. I don't think I've ever managed to write anything that I consider a complete standalone. My most recent project can function perfectly as a standalone, but I also have at least the next book planned, and I intend for it to be a four-book series.
Liosse de Velishaf
Banned
Personally, I get different things out of series vs. standalones. Series give me a lot of time to enjoy the characters and the world and the plot. But stand-alones create more of an emotional punch for me, what with only having a short time with the characters and then being left with the last sentence and nothing more.
Series are great for science fiction and fantasy, because then you actually get to know the world. And it's great for the writer, too--if you're going to spend a whole lot of time designing the playground, you probably want to maximize the time you spend playing in it.
I agree. I read mostly non-spec contemp, so I don't see as many series and trilogies. That may be part of why I really enjoy authors who use the same characters, settings, etc. in multiple books.
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Series and stand-alones statisfy different needs. Some books stay with me longer when they're a standalone (or are two parts) than ones in a series.
I would read some series if I enjoyed the universe enough to want to read more. It really depends on the story and my mood by the time the next installment comes out. Sometimes, I get tired of waiting, or I have forgotten most of the previous plots, or I am just not interested in reading more and move onto other books.
Looking at my bookshelves and ebooks, I noticed that I don't read lots of series books (with some excellent exceptions), or I tend to stop at the first or second one book if they are part of a series. I enjoy some that are in the same universe, but I tend to get "series fatigued" very easily. I'm a slow (and sometimes easily distracted) reader, so series require more of my time and energy (edit: and money!).
I also get cynical about series because I would tend to enjoy the first book (or second book) in a series the most. I had a book trilogy let me down after the first book. Plus, I hate having to hunt down earlier books, or having to catch up on a lot of books, because I am a completionist, lol.
Lots of stuff to digest and remember for the future books--and I have a terrible memory.
I would read some series if I enjoyed the universe enough to want to read more. It really depends on the story and my mood by the time the next installment comes out. Sometimes, I get tired of waiting, or I have forgotten most of the previous plots, or I am just not interested in reading more and move onto other books.
Looking at my bookshelves and ebooks, I noticed that I don't read lots of series books (with some excellent exceptions), or I tend to stop at the first or second one book if they are part of a series. I enjoy some that are in the same universe, but I tend to get "series fatigued" very easily. I'm a slow (and sometimes easily distracted) reader, so series require more of my time and energy (edit: and money!).
I also get cynical about series because I would tend to enjoy the first book (or second book) in a series the most. I had a book trilogy let me down after the first book. Plus, I hate having to hunt down earlier books, or having to catch up on a lot of books, because I am a completionist, lol.
Lots of stuff to digest and remember for the future books--and I have a terrible memory.
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I favor standalones over series, because, by the time the next book comes out, I've usually lost interest in the story and characters. E.g. I enjoyed Marissa Meyer's CINDER and SCARLET books, but have yet to pick up CRESS because I don't feel motivated to revisit the story. Similarly, I read Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and A MILLION SUNS, but haven't read SHADES OF EARTH - even though I've had a signed copy sitting on my bookshelf for months. I also never finished the Divergent trilogy, despite reading the first two books. This isn't the authors' faults; it's just that the passage of time causes my interest to wain. If I want to read a series, I typically wait for all of the books to be finished so I don't run into that problem. I'll probably read SHADES OF EARTH at some point because I have the book in my possession, but I don't feel any compulsion to buy the next installments in other series.
On the flipside, because I got into Leigh Bargudo's Grisha trilogy after the last book had been published, I consumed all of them over a few days - I even went to a bookstore to buy the last two, including a hardcover RUIN AND RISING, and I ordinarily never buy hardcover books. Still, I usually prefer standalone novels so I don't have to wait years for a resolution.
On the flipside, because I got into Leigh Bargudo's Grisha trilogy after the last book had been published, I consumed all of them over a few days - I even went to a bookstore to buy the last two, including a hardcover RUIN AND RISING, and I ordinarily never buy hardcover books. Still, I usually prefer standalone novels so I don't have to wait years for a resolution.
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Ooh, there's some I'll be looking at: Outliers (once I heard it's a girl with powers, but I'll wait for more info), Legacy, The Mercy Rule, and maybe the Field Party. I assume the last two are contemporary, not SFF?
Wow, I didn't know how long the Throne of Glass and Shadowhunter series are! O__O
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Not sure. I think The Mercy Rule could be spec because of the Hell thing.
Just FYI, I'm following #dayofYA at #RWA14 on Twitter, and one of the panelists said horror is a rising trend in YA.
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Oh, right! I forgot about that part.
Horror? Well, makes sense, with all of the paranormal and urban fantasies (and dystopians/post-apocalyptic) around. *shivers* Not a genre I enjoy, though.
I remember reading something by M.Hubb a couple years back - she was doing a trends post for 2012. I remember being so sad because she said girls/teens with powers/psi powers was pretty much dead, but I worked on my book anyway. Now it's coming back? LOL this industry is topsy turvy indeed.
I think at the end of the day, even when people say something is completely dead, it's never really completely dead. You never know. A lot of newbies were still selling dystopian type novels (marketed as something else) well after people started saying dystopians were over.
Anyway, since I already wrote the damn book, I'm putting it out there anyway and just seeing what happens. Can't hurt, right? Just gotta finish the edits (plus, I think it's worth trying to put a new spin on things if you are doing something considered ~worn out~).
About horror...I feel like people were saying that a few years ago, with mystery. Honestly, I don't trust any trend talk until a book really strikes gold. That's the only thing that can truly start a new gold rush in this industry.
I think at the end of the day, even when people say something is completely dead, it's never really completely dead. You never know. A lot of newbies were still selling dystopian type novels (marketed as something else) well after people started saying dystopians were over.
Anyway, since I already wrote the damn book, I'm putting it out there anyway and just seeing what happens. Can't hurt, right? Just gotta finish the edits (plus, I think it's worth trying to put a new spin on things if you are doing something considered ~worn out~).
About horror...I feel like people were saying that a few years ago, with mystery. Honestly, I don't trust any trend talk until a book really strikes gold. That's the only thing that can truly start a new gold rush in this industry.
I agree completely. It's fun to speculate about, but in my mind, it's mostly a crapshoot.
I also remember hearing some buzz about mysteries or thrillers, but I don't think that's come to fruition, at least not on a huge scale.
Hopefully not J-Horror, I'd like to still be able to do it. There goes yet another one of my genre plans again.
I've started preferring kitchen sink drama with an occasional knife fight anyway. But I would like to see more J-Horror to be fair.
I've started preferring kitchen sink drama with an occasional knife fight anyway. But I would like to see more J-Horror to be fair.
Anyone know how QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is doing? I know it was released but I haven't seen any big reaction.
Keep in mind the "girl with powers" YA book is written by an established author who had a NYT Bestselling adult novel (RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA) and is being published by Harper, the same publisher of said bestseller. Not quite the same as a newbie or unagented writer trying to rise up through slush.
As for QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, all the Goodreads reviewers I trust tore it apart. Not sure about sales.
As for QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, all the Goodreads reviewers I trust tore it apart. Not sure about sales.
Yeah, the reviews I've read have mostly been negative. Its Amazon sales rank is in the 3,000s and it's nowhere to be found on the NYT bestseller's list, so meh?
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I have a half-written love project about teens with psi powers. A potential trilogy, ahaha. I need to untangle the plot in the second half of the book, though.
Horror... hmm, not sure. It can be a series, but it's not that easy to make it into a blockbuster teen series (love triangle, check, rising into power, check, etc) without making it more like a very dark fantasy or Sci-Fi than actual horror. Like the adult 'Anita Blake' series, it's a very dark urban fantasy that definitely has horror elements and tone, but the overall structure is more traditional for urban fantasy.
re: The Que$n of the Tearl1ng
I'm curious to see what happens. I think--and this is just IMHO and I've been wrong before--is that there are two things that might serve to its disadvantage:
1) Not enough fantasy for a fantasy lover. It's almost alternative history. There is no flashy magic, escapist landscapes, whatever. It's fantasy lite in the spec department, but while a lot of YA epic fantasy is fantasy lite, at least they deliver the decorations. TQotT is sparse, almost spartan, and while it has creative merit, I'm not sure it's going to attract the reader. Most bestselling YA fantasy series--just look at SoB, Stormdan$er, ToG--have lush worlds. Colorful. Magical.
2) It offers a meaty epic premise but delivers a dry story that's more about the message than the bells and whistles. Again, there's nothing wrong with either, but I see how it can be disappointing. The way it opens... you think it's going to be a grand action fantasy, with princesses and chases and fighting and royal intrigue and a forbidden kiss or two, a blockbuster fairy tale. But it's more like a coming of age story framed by social musings in a reconstructed society. It's only epic because its base is political, but the manner in which it is told is downstated and unhurried.
It reminded me of The Girl of F1re and Th0rns. I don't know how well TGoFaT did.
Horror... hmm, not sure. It can be a series, but it's not that easy to make it into a blockbuster teen series (love triangle, check, rising into power, check, etc) without making it more like a very dark fantasy or Sci-Fi than actual horror. Like the adult 'Anita Blake' series, it's a very dark urban fantasy that definitely has horror elements and tone, but the overall structure is more traditional for urban fantasy.
re: The Que$n of the Tearl1ng
I'm curious to see what happens. I think--and this is just IMHO and I've been wrong before--is that there are two things that might serve to its disadvantage:
1) Not enough fantasy for a fantasy lover. It's almost alternative history. There is no flashy magic, escapist landscapes, whatever. It's fantasy lite in the spec department, but while a lot of YA epic fantasy is fantasy lite, at least they deliver the decorations. TQotT is sparse, almost spartan, and while it has creative merit, I'm not sure it's going to attract the reader. Most bestselling YA fantasy series--just look at SoB, Stormdan$er, ToG--have lush worlds. Colorful. Magical.
2) It offers a meaty epic premise but delivers a dry story that's more about the message than the bells and whistles. Again, there's nothing wrong with either, but I see how it can be disappointing. The way it opens... you think it's going to be a grand action fantasy, with princesses and chases and fighting and royal intrigue and a forbidden kiss or two, a blockbuster fairy tale. But it's more like a coming of age story framed by social musings in a reconstructed society. It's only epic because its base is political, but the manner in which it is told is downstated and unhurried.
It reminded me of The Girl of F1re and Th0rns. I don't know how well TGoFaT did.
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I don't think it got as big as some other fantasy/scifi series (Shadow and Bone, Throne of Glass, Cinder), but it did hit the bestseller list at some point in time.
I was pretty hesitant about picking up Fire and Thorns at first, because it sounded like a cliche "girl learns to believe in herself" type plot, but I ended up loving the series. I guess it's possible I'll also love Queen of the Tearling. Maybe.
Yeah I don't know what The Next Big Thing is but debut authors aren't getting a whole lot of love.
Tearling has got some amazing marketing in the UK - I've seen posters in railway stations, which is usually reserved for big crime releases or mainstream book club stuff. Feels like they're pushing for a crossover market because there's no mention of YA or the character's age, and the cover is a little edgy (a bear trap in the shape of a crown). Would it really work as crossover - will adults enjoy it?
We have a good feel about YA as social commentary in the next 12-36 months (at least in the UK market); the right book at the right time in this genre is likely to shift significant numbers of copies and the right time would be getting on for, erm, now... This is an educated forecast rather than a hunch.