Steampunk series question

[JustinlDew]

Okay, I have an idea running around in my head for a steampunk series. A very long steampunk series, roughly six books, give or take a novella. I've already got the whole series outlined and it starts at YA and by the third book is firmly in the adult category . Now my question is, how do I get it sold. Do I try to pitch the outlines, or do I write the first book and then start QLHing it?

[Canotila]

Write the first book. Most publishers aren't interested in proposals from unknown and unproven authors. If the first is a standalone, that helps your odds if you're going the traditional publishing route.

[TheRob1]

1.write the first story
2. edit
3. edit
4. send to betas
5. decipher the tea leaves of their feedback
6. edit
7. get more feed back
8 edit
9. Query
10. sub
11. sell
Depending the deal you get and how well you sell you'll repeat anywhere from the first 8 steps to all the steps.

Also, depending on the quality of your writing more editing may be necessary.

[WillSauger]

Like the others said: Write the damn story.

Write the story as this:
Write the best story you can. Forget about the series. Focus all your great ideas on that one novel you want to put out. All of them.
And I do mean focus on this book. It's your ticket for getting in the industry and making your name known. If you want to push a series, you need to show that you can write and carry the story. Pulling punches here will do you no good.
And write the book with a clear define ending that somehow says, "There might be more to the story."
Then, rewrite it to smooth everything out.
Edit.
Edit.
Edit.
Beta.
Revise.
Edit.
Edit.
Beta.
Revise.
Edit.
Edit.
Edit.
Edit.
(Possibly hire an editor).
Then send the book off with a tag of "has series potential" somewhere in the query. Nothing else.

After all of that, remind yourself there's a second book. And hope to god they ask you about the series.

[Linds]

It's nice to have the outline of the series, in terms of an overall arc, but definitely write the first book and make it strong enough to stand on its own. The question of what to do after you write and revise, revise, revise is another thing altogether. Whether you want to move onto the next in the series when you haven't yet sold the first or start on something different is something to ponder.

[Mark W.]

While your 1st novel is on submission, start writing the 2nd one. If the 1st one sells, you will already be ahead of your publisher's writing schedule.

What I wouldn't want to happen is while you are shopping your novel to agents/publishers, you may start another series. Then that 1st one sells but you are knee deep in a new series. You will then have to mentally shift gears back to the 1st series which may break your train of thought.

[bearilou]

Originally Posted by Mark W.

While your 1st novel is on submission, start writing the 2nd one. If the 1st one sells, you will already be ahead of your publisher's writing schedule.

What I wouldn't want to happen is while you are shopping your novel to agents/publishers, you may start another series. Then that 1st one sells but you are knee deep in a new series. You will then have to mentally shift gears back to the 1st series which may break your train of thought.

Then again, what if the agent says of the first book, 'have to pass on this one but what else do you have?', saying that you have the second book of the first book they're passing on is shooting yourself in the foot.

I've seen advice that says shop the first book, have a proposal packet ready to go on the second related book (synopsis and/or outline) and start writing a different/unrelated book.

Ultimately it's up to the author how they pursue this.

[Smiling Ted]

My agent and I circulated my first book, and the deal we ultimately signed was for three books. Writing the second one now.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

I'm on the side of start the second book. If they don't like your first one, it seems unlikely they're going to ask after anything else, unrelated or otherwise.