Why are book series more likely to get a "fanbase..."

WalpurgisQuill · Dec 24, 2011

Than single novels? I honestly cannot think of a single standalone novel that has any type of fanbase at all, with the possible exception of well-established authors' books.

Is it because having at least three books in a row is more marketable? Or other reasons? Because quite honestly, even though its nowhere near the most important thing, I feel like if someone wants a fanbase, they'd have to have some grand idea that can stretch into multiple books.

Thoughts?

Ferret · Dec 24, 2011

I think it's harder to get really, really into a single book. You might like it, but then it's finished, and you move on to something different. There's no eagerly awaiting the second, third, or fourth book. With a series, you're with the same characters for so long that you can really get attached to them, too.

sunandshadow · Dec 24, 2011

The more volume of materials available to consume about a group of ideas, the more time people spend thinking about those ideas, including building their own ideas on top of them.

Cidewalk · Dec 24, 2011

Does a sentence get more interest, or a short story? A short story or a novel? It's the same progression, though that isn't much of a "why" answer. Obviously I'm generalizing a little.

Consider: An author puts out one book and it is good, but they never make another. If the book were incredible, a reader might remember the name, but generally won't. Repetition is as big a factor as the continuing plot line. They keep proving their quality, readers keep seeing their name, and they take up more shelf space, meaning they get seen more. Successful authors do get more advertising, but by that point, they already have the "fanbase," so it probably is not huge in building one.

veinglory · Dec 24, 2011

Is you goal to get a "fan base"? I think most people buy books, read books, buy more books. They don't sign up to be "fans".

WalpurgisQuill · Dec 24, 2011

Ferret said:
I think it's harder to get really, really into a single book. You might like it, but then it's finished, and you move on to something different. There's no eagerly awaiting the second, third, or fourth book. With a series, you're with the same characters for so long that you can really get attached to them, too.

Fine point, I never thought of that.

WalpurgisQuill · Dec 24, 2011

Cidewalk said:
Does a sentence get more interest, or a short story? A short story or a novel? It's the same progression, though that isn't much of a "why" answer. Obviously I'm generalizing a little.

Consider: An author puts out one book and it is good, but they never make another. If the book were incredible, a reader might remember the name, but generally won't. Repetition is as big a factor as the continuing plot line. They keep proving their quality, readers keep seeing their name, and they take up more shelf space, meaning they get seen more. Successful authors do get more advertising, but by that point, they already have the "fanbase," so it probably is not huge in building one.

Yeah, true. And I know my question might be a little "well, DUH" in nature, but still, I cannot think of a single hugely popular book.

Foozle · Dec 24, 2011

As a reader, if someone comes out with a solid book, i am a fan of the characters. If someone comes out with a series, I really start to notice the writing style and the presentation specific to the author.

So, the best way to get ME to be a fan would be to have solid characters and an interesting story arc.. then give me more and more of them till I begin to notice the person "behind the curtains".

WalpurgisQuill · Dec 24, 2011

veinglory said:
Is you goal to get a "fan base"? I think most people buy books, read books, buy more books. They don't sign up to be "fans".

Lol oh, no, nothing like that. It was just a curiosity. I mean sure, every writer wonders what it would be like to write the next big book/series or whatever, but still.

You do make a very, very valid point, however. It makes me wonder something else.... How many popular books are simply hyped up, and whether going into a popular book without knowing how it's received would make a difference or not in a lot of people's take on it.

WalpurgisQuill · Dec 24, 2011

Foozle said:
As a reader, if someone comes out with a solid book, i am a fan of the characters. If someone comes out with a series, I really start to notice the writing style and the presentation specific to the author.

So, the best way to get ME to be a fan would be to have solid characters and an interesting story arc.. then give me more and more of them till I begin to notice the person "behind the curtains".

I think thats pretty universal, except for in the case that something is too hyped up.

Night_Writer · Dec 24, 2011

WalpurgisQuill said:
but still, I cannot think of a single hugely popular book.

I can. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. It has an immense and very devoted fan base.

But I think the reason this is so is because there have been a number of movies based on this book, along with a successful Broadway musical that's been running since 1986. So, maybe there's only one book, but there's all the other interpretations of the story for the fans to get into. Like the silent 1925 movie with Lon Chaney, the movie from the 40's with Claud Rains, and the one from 2004 with Gerard Butler. And many many more.

The books weren't there, but it looks like stage and screen made up for it.

Katarinea · Dec 24, 2011

I think series are more likely to generate a following because of several reasons.

First, they captivate the mind of the audience with the first book, and there is a promise of more of these characters/setting/plot that the audience so loves.

Second, more ideas and characters can be handled in a long series. You couldn't handle everything in Harry Potter in one book, could you? How about the Chronicles of Narnia?

Third, everything can be fleshed out more. A lot of one-novel-only books don't get to do a lot of world-building or character development, because they're just one book. (besides LOTR) In series, you can develop both the world and the character slowly, and the setting and characters are more realistic and engaging due to this.

Fourth, they satisfy the need for another book(s) without having to be introduced to an entire new cast, similar to how a long-running TV show often has many more fans than a movie.

Finally, it offers more opportunity for the mind to work. They are constantly wondering about the next book and what will happen.

At least, that's what it seems like to me. Maybe I've gone off my nut, but it's what I see.

Night_Writer · Dec 24, 2011

I think one of the reasons that book series get more fans than stand-alone books is because with a series there is the element of escapism. Granted, any work of fiction will work as an escape (unless it's something ponderous and heavy), but with a stand-alone book the escape is only temporary. With a whole series of books that goes on and on, a person has a constant place of refuge. It makes it easy for someone to escape the drudgery and misery of the real world. It's like having an alternate universe that somebody can go to to get away from it all.

Silver-Midnight · Dec 24, 2011

Katarinea said:
I think series are more likely to generate a following because of several reasons.

First, they captivate the mind of the audience with the first book, and there is a promise of more of these characters/setting/plot that the audience so loves.

Second, more ideas and characters can be handled in a long series. You couldn't handle everything in Harry Potter in one book, could you? How about the Chronicles of Narnia?

Third, everything can be fleshed out more. A lot of one-novel-only books don't get to do a lot of world-building or character development, because they're just one book. (besides LOTR) In series, you can develop both the world and the character slowly, and the setting and characters are more realistic and engaging due to this.

Fourth, they satisfy the need for another book(s) without having to be introduced to an entire new cast, similar to how a long-running TV show often has many more fans than a movie.

Finally, it offers more opportunity for the mind to work. They are constantly wondering about the next book and what will happen.

At least, that's what it seems like to me. Maybe I've gone off my nut, but it's what I see.

I actually think I agree with a lot of that.

dangerousbill · Dec 24, 2011

Ferret said:
I think it's harder to get really, really into a single book. You might like it, but then it's finished, and you move on to something different. There's no eagerly awaiting the second, third, or fourth book. With a series, you're with the same characters for so long that you can really get attached to them, too.

Agreed. A fanbase has to have something to discuss, and especially to gossip and speculate about. At best, this expands to encompass discussion about the author, too.

With a single book, there's nothing unknown. It's all there in the book.

Cidewalk · Dec 25, 2011

WalpurgisQuill said:
Yeah, true. And I know my question might be a little "well, DUH" in nature, but still, I cannot think of a single hugely popular book.

I meant to say series were more popular. I cannot think of any single books, but if they were new authors, I might not have heard of them anyway. The only person who comes to mind is Neil Gaimon, but he did comic and other writing before tackling novels.

samsevern · Dec 25, 2011

Cliffhangers. You can't stop reading, and the waiting in between books makes the whole exprience even more intense.

gothicangel · Dec 25, 2011

WalpurgisQuill said:
I cannot think of a single hugely popular book.

The Eagle of the Ninth. Sold 1 million + copies, and has never been out of print since it was published in 1956. Technically it's the first of three books following different generations of the Aquila family [although Sutcliff didn't intend it to be at first.]

I love Marcus, he's probably my favourite character in literature. I wish he had been in more than just one book.

gothicangel · Dec 25, 2011

samsevern said:
Cliffhangers. You can't stop reading, and the waiting in between books makes the whole exprience even more intense.

I hate novels with cliffhanger endings to the point that I refuse to read the next. Manda Scott, I'm looking at you.

Cliffhangers are for chapter endings. The end of a novel's final chapter should make the book self-containing.

gothicangel · Dec 25, 2011

When I've read serial novels [Rebus, Wallander etc] it because they offer serious character studies, placing the MC under different stresses and strains, presenting him with new challenges.

What I dislike in a lot of historical series at the moment [Simon Scarrow, Anthony Riches] is that they write the same book, one after another.

Kweei · Dec 25, 2011

With a series, I can spend more time in the world the author created. Though, I have to like the series first and be invested in it. So it's a combination of high interest in plot and characters, as well as having time to be immersed in the world. Plus, like others have said, there is the anticipation of a new story, of joining the characters on yet another quest. journey, problem, etc. It's comforting since you already know the world and characters.

And when you gather with a bunch of other people feeling the same way, then you build fandoms. That's harder to do with only a stand-alone, imo.

jaksen · Dec 25, 2011

For the same reason 'Lost' had a fan base or 'Survivor' and other reality shows which lead down a road to a prize. Same can be said for some of Dickens' novels, those which were originally serialized in print. I heard people waited on docks in ports for the magazines to be unloaded so they could read the latest installment of Mr. Dickens' novel.

People are interested in the characters and their situations/storyline/dilemma and need to know what is going to happen next. They go to work and hang around the water cooler (during their break) and talk it up with other fans.

And I saw this happen in school (retired teacher now) when Harry Potter and Twilight were in the middle of their runs, when the books were coming out every so many months or year. Kids couldn't wait to see what happened next.

But you also get this with writers who don't write sequels, yet write what are emotionally-compelling stories (for some readers) like Mary Higgins Clark or Jodi Picoult. I knew adults who waited with bated breath for their books. (Omg! I got the new Jodi Picoult!)

Compelling stories, interesting characters and at least decent writing skills. Make the readers want to know what's gonna happen next.

lbender · Dec 25, 2011

For a single book to generate that kind of fandom, it usually has to be around a long time. That's why it's usually older novels, like 'Atlas Shrugged', 'Gone With the Wind', and 'Frankenstein'.

That's three stand-alones off the top of my head that were so popular and generated such fandom that they've been copied often and had movies made and, in the case of 'Atlas Shrugged', generated an entire philosophical movement.

thothguard51 · Dec 25, 2011

An author builds a fan base by the stories he tells, stand alone or series.

Look at Stephen King and a book like Carrie, Cujo, or It. None were a series, but King developed a fan base based that have followed him, no matter what he writes.

As to series, while they are harder to sell to agents and editors, most of the time, I would say they are also easier to sell once the author has proven he can develop a fan base. Why? Because publishing is a business and once an author proves him or herself, the publishers want to milk the cow for everything they have. Otherwise, how do we explain authors like GRR Martin or Robert Jordan?

There are also fans of genre and not individual authors alone. Romance has a big following, as does SF&F, and Horror. So a reader can be a fan of multiple books, both the genre and an author, or two.

I might also add that the education and experience of the reader might also affect if a reader is a casual fan or die hard fan. If that makes sense...

Buffysquirrel · Dec 25, 2011

Depends what you think a fan base is, I guess. Is a fan base people who, on hearing there's an anniversary edition of one of their favourite books out, instantly wants it, even at an extortionate price? If there's no fan base for that book, why is it even getting an anniversary edition?

Why are book series more likely to get a "fanbase..."

WalpurgisQuill

Ferret

Dook!

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Cidewalk

veinglory

volitare nequeo

WalpurgisQuill

WalpurgisQuill

Foozle

WalpurgisQuill

WalpurgisQuill

Night_Writer

It's all symbolic.

Katarinea

Night_Writer

It's all symbolic.

Silver-Midnight

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus

Cidewalk

samsevern

Chasm Dweller

gothicangel

Toughen up.

gothicangel

Toughen up.

gothicangel

Toughen up.

Kweei

Expert Procrastinator

jaksen

Caped Codder

lbender

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Buffysquirrel