Stand alones?

Kindness · Mar 4, 2011

How well does urban fantasy lend itself to stand-alones? I personally look for UF books in series, but I guess that's because I've gotten used to doing this.

I'm asking about this stand-alone thing because I've got an awesome idea I've already begun on which I don't want to drag out longer than one volume. I'm just writing it because I like the premise, and I know I can do it justice.

Your thoughts?

ChaosTitan · Mar 4, 2011

Urban fantasy lends itself so well to multi-volumes series because of the amount of world-building that goes into it. You spend so much time creating these interesting worlds/rules that they can sustain more than one story.

That said, I'd like to see some standalones in UF. There are some series where each book pretty much stands on its own (with a few intertwining threads), but I can't really think of any specific standalone UF's.

At least, not in the current UF trend. Some of Neil Gaiman's titles are standalone, I believe.

Stormhawk · Mar 4, 2011

With my series, I plan on doing a bunch of standalone novels (have six planned at the moment, I have no doubt that will increase). They're set in my 'verse, so you get a lot more out of them if you've read the others stuff, but the stories are self-contained, and you're given any necessary information, so you don't suffer for not having read the other stuff.

Satchan · Mar 4, 2011

Stormhawk said:
With my series, I plan on doing a bunch of standalone novels (have six planned at the moment, I have no doubt that will increase). They're set in my 'verse, so you get a lot more out of them if you've read the others stuff, but the stories are self-contained, and you're given any necessary information, so you don't suffer for not having read the other stuff.

I love that sort of thing.

I've got something similar with my UF universe.

I think all of Gaiman's stuff is stand alone...although you do get more information reading both American Gods and Anansi Boys.

Heidicvlach · Mar 4, 2011

Stormhawk said:
With my series, I plan on doing a bunch of standalone novels (have six planned at the moment, I have no doubt that will increase). They're set in my 'verse, so you get a lot more out of them if you've read the others stuff, but the stories are self-contained, and you're given any necessary information, so you don't suffer for not having read the other stuff.

I'm doing that, too (but with fewer planned novels, and in high fantasy)! Personally, I wish there were more standalone fantasy series. Committing to multiple books in a set order is something I don't readily do.

Stormhawk · Mar 5, 2011

Satchan said:
I love that sort of thing. I've got something similar with my UF universe.

I think all of Gaiman's stuff is stand alone...although you do get more information reading both American Gods and Anansi Boys.

Yeah, all of his stuff is standalone...though I wish he'd write a sequel or twelve to Neverwhere...

Stormhawk · Mar 5, 2011

Heidicvlach said:
I'm doing that, too (but with fewer planned novels, and in high fantasy)! Personally, I wish there were more standalone fantasy series. Committing to multiple books in a set order is something I don't readily do.

For the main bulk of my series, I had intended to have more "jumping-on" points, places where you could pick up and get enough information without having to read the first six/eight/twelve whatever. Unfortunately, as I'm writing and they're becoming more complex and intertwined, the possibility of jumping on points is become less and less likely.

I do look forward to the standalone stories though. It gives me a chance to focus on creatures/sections of the world that don't get enough of a look-in otherwise.

GenevieveGoth · Mar 5, 2011

I'm working on a few stand-alones. They all exist in same world but everything is summed up in the one volume and there won't be much character overlap.

It does go into all the work that goes into creating a world the way we do, though. I have a series that I plan on doing eventually once I get a few other books published.

rugcat · Mar 5, 2011

ChaosTitan said:
That said, I'd like to see some standalones in UF. There are some series where each book pretty much stands on its own (with a few intertwining threads), but I can't really think of any specific standalone UF's.

I've tried very hard to do that in my series, and I've had several reviewers who have commented that each book can be read almost as a standalone. I have the same cast of characters, but no overall story arc.

However, filling in the backstory about who these people are and how the world works without an infodump takes some doing, believe me, and it never gets any easier.

Kindness · Mar 10, 2011

Thanks everyone! Your answers were pretty encouraging. All that remains is to finish this thing.

Stand alones?

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile

ChaosTitan

Around

Stormhawk

Angry Bunny Girl

Satchan

Cake or death?

Heidicvlach

Literally and figuratively

Stormhawk

Angry Bunny Girl

Stormhawk

Angry Bunny Girl

GenevieveGoth

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile