Don't make these series mistakes (learn from Spiderman: Brand New Day)

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(This article and podcast are human-made, because I’m a human and I like to make things).

Everyone loves a series, right?

After all, it means more books for readers to enjoy, which also means more royalties for authors because when readers enjoy books, they buy future books in that series. Those purchases tell the author that this series is connecting with readers, so they write more books. Everyone wins!

However, there are some major pitfalls with writing a series of books that can wreck your sales and your relationship with your readers. I know, I’ve been there—and I’ve even adjusted some series to help them work just a bit better. Because as an indie, I can do that, and sometimes an update is the best thing for a series.

Now a lot of these mistakes are easy to avoid with just a little foresight, so that’s what I’m here to give you today.

For a bit of framework, I’m going to be connecting this article with the movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which recently released at the time of this podcast recording and just cleared one hundred billion dollars in sales worldwide (source). So it made just a bit of money, and it’s on track to make more, all in a movie genre that people have said is “fatigued” and “dead” and “oh no, another superhero movie?” Since it’s the fourth movie in a series in a genre that some critics say is flagging, and it’s had fantastic success, it’s a great point of reference for this discussion.

Also, I like Spiderman, and superheroes in general. So there’s that. You’ve been warned.

And a second warning: This is general advice. Your mileage may vary depending on the specifics of your story’s genre. Review and modify depending on what you know about your genre.

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Here are three tips to help your next series succeed and/or to help you level up your existing series.

1.) Tie off the series as soon as you’re able (depending on your genre).

Hint: “Tie Off” means “end” or at least end the major story or character arc.

There are readers who will not touch a series until the final book is released, and at times they can be very vocal about this choice. There are a number of reasons for this, including authors not finishing their series ( *coughs* working on it *coughs* ) and the reader’s desire to binge-read. Also, with the book market being filled with new books every day, readers have plenty of finished series to choose from.

So whenever possible, make life easier on yourself and tie off that series. I’ve seen more and more authors do this, even in genres that traditionally were known for long series. For example, urban fantasy was known for having 8-10 book series at a minimum. Some of the older series, including Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs (14 books at the time of this article) and Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (18 books at the time of this articles) are still going strong.

However, more recently the urban fantasy genre has shifted. A long series is now considered 6 books, and urban fantasy trilogies (or 3-book series) are more and more common. This comes down to sheer economics: the authors want those “only read when its finished” readers to binge their series, so they’re making the series shorter. As an adaptation, they might write multiple trilogies or quartets in the same universe, or they might release a longer series of short novellas that are quicker for them to write.

But what if you want to continue a story with the same characters? Spider-Man: Brand New Day works with this by following shorter, multi-movie story arcs. The first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies follow his high school journey, and they can be seen as their own in-series trilogy or story arc. By using the title Brand New Day, Spiderman 4 is introducing a new arc in a pretty on-the-nose way; in fact, this movie is literally all about Peter Parker’s physical and psychological transition into full adulthood. Spider-Man actor Tom Holland mentioned that “it really doesn’t feel like we’re making a fourth movie. We’re making the first movie in the chapter [sic]…” (source).

In the same way, you can build in mini multi-book arcs within your larger series. Some authors have done this by tweaking the subtitles of new books in the same series. Others tweak the cover design. In this way, you can benefit from the read-through of a larger series while still giving those skittish “is it finished?” readers the sense of closure they crave, which builds reader trust.

2.) Keep your individual story and/or character arcs in each book as simple as possible.

Sometimes authors can really get in our heads about complexity, thoughtful world building, and unique stories. Scifi and fantasy authors can be extra guilty of this - and for those of you writing epic scifi or fantasy, you’re well aware that your complexity is your genre’s strength. Go you!

At the same time, a story can only contain so many plot threads, character arcs, and world building elements. Really really. Even for epic stories that come in hardback editions that you can use as a doorstop or bludgeoning tool (also, you can read them). So keep your story arcs as simple as possible in each book. This goes double for series, because you have to maintain those threads throughout the entire series. That’s a lot to keep track of, friend. Be kind to yourself and your margins by loving the self-edit and letting go of elements when you can.

Again, epic scifi and fantasy authors: I know, you need all those extras. I’m not here to make you part from them. But even there, trim where you can, even if it’s just, I dunno, a thousand words? A thousand words still counts.

The Tom Holland Spider-Man movies have really excelled at using individual story arcs. Each of the original three movies tackles one area of Peter Parker’s high school life and how it intertwines with his superhero life. They even “give it away” in the titles.

Spider-Man: Homecoming addresses his school’s homecoming celebration and weaves connections between the Big Bad, Peter’s quest to be on the Avengers, and his smaller interpersonal life and pursuit of his crush, Liz.

Spider-Man: Far From Home tackles Peter trying to maintain superhero’ing while on a school trip, and while mourning the loss of his mentor Tony Stark. It also continues his romance with MJ.

Spider-Man: No Way Home deals with Peter’s senior year travails when his superhero identity is unmasked in front of the world. He’s coping with a pivotal time in a teenager’s life, while dealing with the repercussions of trying to re-hide his identity and maintain his core relationships.

And, as I mentioned earlier, Brand New Day shows Peter’s transition into life as an adult with more power and responsibility, both in terms of his literal superpowers and in terms of how he relates to others.

Now these character arcs exist within a complicated world building universe. The audience is here for this universe.

This is why, in general, I adhere to the following adage for scifi and fantasy authors:

-Complicated Plot
-Complicated Characterization
-Complicated World Building

You get to pick two.

Now, are there genres where most of those elements are simple? Yup. Welcome to cozy. Although even cozy will choose one of those three areas to make a bit more complex than the rest.

Are there genres where all three elements are complicated? Yup. Welcome to epic scifi and fantasy. Although some epic books can be a bit lighter on characterization, especially if the books feature a large cast.

3.) Give new readers an easy jumping-on point.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day literally starts at a later point in Peter Parker’s life. Years have passed. You don’t need to know the lore or relationships from the first three movies to appreciate this one. That being said, knowing that lore does deepen your appreciation for this movie, and I’m sure whichever streaming service owns the first trilogy is seeing an uptick in views. Yet Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still accessible as a summer popcorn movie for those who don’t want to watch all the previous installments.

Creating a jumping-on point can be tricky for a book series, so as with all the rules here, it’s more of a guideline. Some authors write a series of connected standalones so that they can capture the attention of casual readers. This works particularly well in fairy tale retellings and romance series where the book is often outlined around a specific fairy tale or features an expected romance trope. It’s a reason why you often see multi-author series in the romance and fairy tale genres.

There are also are ways you can capitalize on an easy jumping-on point in a longer, more connected series. One main way is to have jumping-on short stories and novellas for readers to enjoy. Not only do these work as a great free sample (and a great reader magnet), but they can also introduce readers to your larger world and get them hooked on the series as a whole.

Consider this your public service announcement to get that prequel novella, reader magnet, or short story written, friend! They have multiple uses, and they are incredible at getting readers connected with your larger series.

Bonus: Keep up consistent quality in your series - and keep offering the things that readers love.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers the same incredible visual sequences, interpersonal moments, snarky/awkward scenes, and angst that people expect from Spider-Man as a whole. While I’m not sure if this was my favorite Spider-Man movie, I came away satisfied and feeling that I had seen a good story about the webslinger. It understood the assignment and delivered on the promise.

Consistency in delivering on story promises to readers is gold. Showing up and telling a great story that you (and your readers) love is how you win. There are ways to break tropes and expectations a bit, and we’ll likely tackle that in a future episode. After all, Brand New Day introduced some brand new elements that deviated from other Spider-Man movies. However, I would argue that it gets away with those story and genre shifts precisely because it delivers so well in many other areas.

But again, that’s for a future episode. If you want it sooner rather than later, let me know in a comment!

For now, go forth and be awesome.