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Standalone book, followed by series?

Asked by: Bridget Arnold

What are standalone books in a series?

Standalone and Series. A standalone, is a book that can be read on it’s own, and you don’t need to have read another book to read. A series, is a book or books, that are in continuation in some shape or form. Usually, you start with book one, and you finish with the last book in the series.

Can a book in a series be a stand alone?

Stand-Alones Have No Barrier to Entry



Despite some writers’ claims that entries within series can be read as stand-alone works, no one’s buying book four if they haven’t already read one, two, and three. That’s the double-edged sword of a series. It’s easier to sell subsequent books to those who liked the first.

Should my book be a standalone or a series?

When deciding whether your idea should be a series or a standalone novel, focus on how complex or simple your book idea is. For example, fantasy and sci-fi books typically work best as a series because those ideas are really complicated and take longer than the length of a single book to tell the full story.

What is one book series called?

TL;DR: Use diptych for one novel published in two halves, dilogy or duology for two completely different but still ordered novels, but just series when ordering doesn’t matter.

What does a standalone mean?

a : intended, designed, or able to be used or to function alone or separately : not connected to or requiring connection to something else in order to be used or to function Run on kerosene or diesel, stand-alone cabin heaters operate without electricity …—

How many books should be in a series?

A book series can be two books or 50 books and counting. It all depends on what type of story you’re telling and how long it takes you to tell that story.

How long is a standalone novel?

Novels: Novels need to be over 40,000 words and different genres have different expectations in terms of word count. A romance reader will be happy with 50,000 to 60,000 words. For thrillers it’s 60,000 to 90,000, for example, a James Patterson novel is usually around 70,000.

What is the difference between a novel and a series?

A series are several books but each book has a story arc and a satisfying resolution. Harry Potter is a series. Almost all traditionally published books are series. One novel is around 80K (on average), and there’s an inciting incident, rising action, climax and (partial) resolution.

How do you tell if a book is part of a series?

According to Wikipedia, a series will typically share a common setting, story arc and characters, for example in crime fiction, adventure or science fiction (i.e. James Bond novels). Although the books have these things in common, they do not link to each other in a chronological way.

How do you write a standalone?

That process is clearly happening with “stand-alone,” but it’s safer to use the hyphen unless you know for sure that the audience you are writing for prefers the unhyphenated form: write “stand-alone device,” etc. Rendering this adjectival form as two unhyphenated words (“a stand alone device”) is just a mistake.

How long should a book be in a series?

If you had to come up with a number, only 3% of the readers thought a series should last between 10 to 15 books. 6% thought 3 to 5 was the perfect series length. A much larger 12% decided 5 to 10 books was just right.



How do you publish a series?


Books first we need to determine. If it's an episodic. Series or a continuational. Series an episodic. Series is a series where each book may contain the same characters.

How do you make a novel series?

Here’s a quick guide on how to write a book series.

  1. Choose the right story concept. The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether your story can be stretched into multiple books. …
  2. Decide on the plot structure. …
  3. Plan the end ahead. …
  4. Your characters are your elixir. …
  5. Create loose ends.


What are 4 books in a series called?

A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- tetra-, “four” and -λογία -logia, “discourse”), also known as a quadrilogy, is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works.

How do you end a first book in a series?

Here are six ways to end a book in a series.



  1. Make it a forgone conclusion: …
  2. Leave the boss villain in play: …
  3. Cliffhanger it: …
  4. Shut the door, but open a window: …
  5. Include the first chapter of the next book: …
  6. Don’t transition, create a standalone with close ties:


What is the longest book series?

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, is another often considered among the longest-running series, with 45 novels. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is another, with 14 books (including Brandon Sanderson’s contributions following Jordan’s death, as a cowriter on the final three titles).

What is the shortest book in the world?

The Dinosaur by Augusto Monterroso



Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí. Google The Dinosaur and you’ll be informed that no less an authority than novelist and literary critic Umberto Eco crowned it the world’s shortest novel.

Which is the largest book in the world?

The World’s Biggest Book



Kuthodaw Pagoda contains the “world’s biggest book”, 729 marble slabs, each one inscribed with text from the Tripitaka, the Buddhist scriptures.

Which book series has the most pages?

#1: DISCWORLD



During Terry Pratchett’s prolific writing career, he wrote 45 Discworld novels spreading across 15,497 pages. And while this fantasy master has passed away, Discworld will always remain to pay homage to his greatness.



What is the thickest book in the world?

The thickest book published is 496 mm (19.5 in) and was achieved by Gyanjivandasji Swami (India) in Gujarat, India, on . The book is entitled ‘Shree Haricharitramrut Sagar‘ and is a biography of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan.

What book took the longest to write?

5 Books That Took The Longest To Write

  • Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (10 Years) …
  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (10 Years) …
  • No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (13 Years) …
  • The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (12-17 Years) …
  • Sphere by Michael Crichton (20 Years)