If your follow-up books aren’t serialized, then it may help to understand how they might otherwise be grouped.
Sure, you may have more understanding than I did in 2008. My first three books tell the same extended story and ought to have been read in their release order (back when they were available for sale). That created a problem, where I wanted to hype and release these sequels but could never find any traction for the first book. I did not have the privilege of a debut doing so well that I could expect a dedicated readership to anticipate sequels.
It’s just as well that I took them off the market pending rewrites.
From the fourth book onward, I paid more attention to how well my releases held up on their own. Some people only wish to start reading a complete series; at book fairs I more commonly encounter cautious buyers who will buy the first book to try before committing to a series. Perhaps they are only prepared to buy one book, yet should they default to release order? If Prince Ewald the Brave is not their cup of tea, I wouldn’t require them to start there.
If I just want people to try out my work without feeling drawn into a broader commitment, I believe it helps to have a variety of offerings: books which may have different moods, themes, aesthetics. If the reader suspects that they face a chore to slog through one book to enjoy the better ones after, then I am in trouble; the same that I found myself in after my debut. I think that people approach my work to enjoy themselves, or have an otherwise rewarding experience that doesn’t feel much like homework. Having already discussed why I’m rewriting my debut, I will put this tangent to rest.
That introduces different questions
I currently have five books for sale, down from eight. I felt more enthusiastic about promoting the five currently available than the strictly serialized three. You don’t need to know who Ewald is to read The Fate of Lenn. The narrative catches you up quickly at the start of The Redemption of Jarek. You are over a century removed from either of these characters in Their Village, Their Fortress. None of these titular characters have met Alathea, nor does any part of their story occur where she is.
Freedom of choice!
But with that freedom comes different questions. Readers may ask:
- Where do you suggest I begin?
- What reading order makes the most sense?
- I would rather not commit to five books. Which one do you recommend for me?
The third question lends itself to this freedom if you can discern what that reader believes they are looking for. If you want a darker themed work about the genesis of a villain, then Alathea. If you want something brighter and more hopeful, Ewald. If you prefer a half-sized sample of what I do before committing to a longer book, then Their Village. If you like redemption arcs for characters, then you might guess which book I would choose, though part of that book is to question how his redemption ought to be defined, whether he achieves it, whether it is a singular or ongoing effort, or even possible, etc.
The first two questions are common and more challenging. This is where we consider shared themes. Fortunately, my “non-serial sequels” are not entirely unrelated. Using what the books have in common, I can suggest pairs or bundles.
Examples from my works
Pair: Jarek and the Village. Part of The Redemption of Jarek is a villager making a journey to Jarek and taking him to task for what has happened to people under his neglectful leadership. Her village is the primary setting for Their Village, Their Fortress. The people who live there are the legacy of decisions made over a century earlier, and these will be much more familiar to you if you have read this pairing in its release order. (Bonus: also the only two books sharing the photographic cover style from the same artist, Justin Minister).
Make it a trilogy: Insert Alathea between them, since it occurs not very long before Their Village, deals with the descendant of Elcimer from Jarek, and bridges a sliver of the gap between them. However, you would also get an abrupt change in scenery to and from the middle book.
Pair: Ewald and Lenn. These characters will never meet and their casts hardly interact, yet timeline-wise their stories overlap in a shared geopolitical drama. You get two sides of the story, well in advance of current work-in-progress rewrite The Gift-Knight’s Quest which even in its original form was the long-term consequence of this drama. (Bonus: also the two covers made by Jenn St-Onge, and in beautiful wraparound form if you get the paperback editions).
Make it a trilogy: Simply follow through in release order to The Redemption of Jarek, since Jarek is introduced as Lenn’s cousin and the inciting incident of his story (which is reintroduced in his book’s prologue) occurred in the later chapters of Lenn’s story. As far as either of their lifetimes go, this is a logical end to the trilogy.
Thematic trilogy: Fate, Redemption, and a Village. These are in release and chronological order, and each is the consequence of the one(s) prior. What happens to Galyna’s village long after she is gone? What happens to Jarek’s land over a century later, a land which got that way in part because of events in The Fate of Lenn? You might then add Alathea as a third book of what would then be a tetralogy, but we’re getting close to “just buy and read all five” which seems like a bold ask.
What happens if the first three books all get re-released?
This is very much counting one’s chickens before the eggs have hatched; however, The Gift-Knight’s Quest is well along in its process and we can cautiously say it will be released. Its two sequels are separate issues.
Alathea and TGKQ have a similar timeline relationship as Ewald and Lenn. Readers will meet the principal descendants of these historical protagonists. Each contends with people who give unreliable advice or aren’t really looking out for their best interests; most critically, they contend with each other.
In its original form, you then got The Crown Princess’ Voyage which first introduced Alathea, who is also the titular character of The Masked Queen’s Lament.
You would then get a reading order choice:
- Read TGKQ, then Alathea, then TCPV
- Read TGKQ, then TCPV, skip Alathea if you don’t care for her story
- Read Alathea because it’s already available, then TGKQ when it’s out, and then anything to follow
I do not see any of these rewrites being intended as standalones, but I would feel all right if people skipped straight to them. If you do not read Ewald or Lenn, then you must rely on how people recount their stories. I believe it would be more rewarding to learn about Ewald from his book, but you will anyway gain information outside the scope of his adventure.
If you rely on Derek from TGKQ to tell you who Lenn is and what he did, though, you ought to find him a most unreliable narrator. You might miss the deliberate gap between who Lenn was and who some people wish him to be. Then again, that might be strongly implied.
Wrapping this up
When the relationship between books gets complicated, consider what other ways they could go together. Texts can still greatly inform each other even when they aren’t serialized, and these can mean much to the reading experience.
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