When to query

Wait, you self-published the first novel and want a trade publisher to pick up the rest of the series? They're not going to publish the rest when the first of the series--the most important one--is out of their control.

If you're thinking of taking the first one down to then have a trade publisher publish it, take it down now. Because you've taken away your first publishing rights away and now agents and publishers will have less interest in the whole series (unless you're making tens of thousands of sales).

If you're asking more specifically, "Should I query a book that's not written?" You don't. Not for fiction.

Typically with debut authors, which I believe you are and not really, a publisher will take on your first of the series if it's written as a stand-alone and test that before picking up the rest. There's a very slim chance nowadays that a publisher will take on an entire series or contract more books from the start.

Osulagh said:

There's a very slim chance nowadays that a publisher will take on an entire series or contract more books from the start.

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This may be genre specific, and I realize it's also anecdotal, but everyone I know personally who sold a first fantasy novel to a medium to large publisher got a contract for at least two books initially, and trilogies, even longer series aren't unknown (though the latter can have kill clauses if sales aren't where they "should" be by a certain point--this happened to one friend's contracted multi-book series). Completely alone (stand alone with no sequel) fantasy novels from unknowns aren't terribly marketable, and I've heard that it usually takes 2-3 books to ramp up sales into something that's profitable for the publisher.

But that doesn't mean the first book shouldn't come to a satisfactory, self-contained conclusion, even if it's very open for a sequel or series to follow.

And it's possibly a good idea to have drafts of the second novel or two on hand, at least, when you query the first. I know someone who sold her first novel (a paranormal romance) recently and got a three-book deal, but they won't bring out the first one until the second and third ones are in the publication pipeline at least, and she's on a brutal deadline. The explanation given her is that the publishers don't want more than a 3 month delay between book one and book two in a series for new authors. Subsequent books boost sales of the first one, and readers tend to lose interest in and forget about new authors if the first book comes out followed by a long wait for book 2.

Small publishers (or publishers outside SFF) may have a different marketing strategy, of course, and if you're already established and selling well as an author, longer delays between installments are more likely to be tolerated.

But I'd agree that sequels to a novel that is already self published would be a hard sell. The word needs to get out there that agents and editors are not generally looking to pick up books that are already self published unless sales are exceptionally strong and persistent. I'd definitely make "Book 2" in your series read like it's "Book 1" to a new series, not a sequel to your self-published book, even if it's about the same characters.

Osulagh said:

Typically with debut authors, which I believe you are and not really, a publisher will take on your first of the series if it's written as a stand-alone and test that before picking up the rest. There's a very slim chance nowadays that a publisher will take on an entire series or contract more books from the start.

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Like Roxxsmom said, it depends on the genre and how popular series are. My debut novel, a contemporary romance, received four offers and sold as part of a three book series to a Big 5. As a matter of fact, one offer said they would take only the first novel if that's all I wanted to sign for, but they really wanted books two and three as well (which at the time weren't anything more than a title and a blurb).



But to self-publish the first book in a series and have a publisher pick up the remaining books in a series... usually that only happens if the book sells huge numbers and the publisher comes looking for you.