I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I want my writing career to look like long-term. I got this book for $0.99 as part of a promo deal, but it is definitely worth more than that.
I’m not a romance writer. I may, someday, venture into YA sweet romance, but as it stands now, the world of romance writing doesn’t really apply to me. Still, I found this book so insightful and helpful. Here are a few reasons why:
Types of Series
Zoe breaks down the different types of series, which helped me think more broadly about what a series truly is. Traditionally, I think it’s common to think of a series as a multiple-book plot line that follows the same characters which exist in the same world. But, in its simplest definition, a series is a collection of stories that are connected somehow, via plot, characters, location, theme, topic, etc., not necessarily all of those things. It could follow different characters with their own stories, but the stories all take place in the same town. It could be the same characters but they travel to different locations and solve mysteries, which would each have their own plot. It could be a collection of two books or two hundred. There are tons of possibilities!
Organizing Tactics
This book was also super helpful in terms of thinking about HOW to create a series. Like, the actually steps to take. How to create characters, the world, and even the tropes you want to explore. How to think about the stories and characters before writing so that everything is already set up and works as a roadmap to multiple published books.
I loved Zoe’s advice about brainstorming for multiple books in a series before starting because it helps to weed out weak ideas and solidify strong ones, saving a lot of time and effort down the road. Basically, it’s like developing a product (because books ARE products) and doing a lot of market research ahead of development to ensure the product will be viable.
Other Standout Moments
One specific section that stood out to me was where Zoe mentions blurbs for a digital age. “Blurb” as Zoe and I both use it means the back cover text on a paperback book or the book description on the digital/audio version. Zoe says that in a digital landscape it’s important to have a super short blurb or to use a tagline and a sentence or two because on e-retailers, that’s all some shoppers may see.
Mind. Blown.
I have experiences this myself many times. I look for books online via Kindle and my library, as well as on Goodreads. I’ve seen the BOLD taglines on Goodreads, and yet I never really considered why they were there. But it makes sense. We have very little time to grab readers’ attention. They might not want to read the three paragraphs that would fit on a paperback.
I will definitely be revising my blurb/tagline and will be thinking about this as I move forward with more stories.
Conclusion
In short, I loved this book and will be returning to it as I map out future series. Zoe mentions not to do the steps retroactively on existing series, but since I only have one book out and one more in edits, I might just break that rule.
Want more craft resources? Check out the Resource Archive.
Have a favorite craft book? Leave the details in the comments or send me an email (author@kierstenlillis.com). I’m always looking for ways to improve!
