When writing a sequel...

Well, mine somewhat brings into play what happened in the previous novel because I pick up right where the first left off. Any other information is going to be blended in moderation with the story. I don't want to force it. I also am writing it where I expect the reader to have knowledge of what happened in the first, but I feel enough is explained to keep the reader's interest. I guess it just depends. Do you want the reader to read them both in order? Me, I want both to be read. Perhaps it's dependant on what works best for your novel.

Stick to the same rules as a stand-alone novel, with a little leeway. You want the scenes to be clear and understandable by anyone who picks the book up, but you don't need to go deep into backstory or description if it's something you've established. Just use whatever details and history are needed to understand what's going on. If there was a war, let them know, but they don't need a mini-synoppisis of book one. Treat the first book like character backstory.

Tamora Piece does this well in her books actually. I picked up "First Test" a few weeks back, and she kept talking about the "Immortal Wars" like I should know about it. It didn't make the story less clear for me, but it did make me think there was another series I'd missed. Sure enough, there was a whole quartet, plus another quarter that took place before that, all in the same world. She referenced all eight of them in "First Test," and now I'm going back to catch up before I move on the new series. I don't need to read them to understand the story, but I think it'll be more fun to know the history.

Or, you can do what Holly Lisele did in her sacred Text series. She added a synopsis of previous books in the opening pages. I found this quite helpful to refresh my memory before reading the next book. (This would be a publishing choice though, not a writing one)

I've had to do this a few times now, and every time, I find myself providing less backstory. Though it was fun trying to summarize the first goblin book in the form of a song for book two (A filk friend actually did a recording of that song, which was much fun.)

A friend pointed out that even in the very first novel, these characters have histories and backgrounds. When that background is important to the story, the author works it in. When you're writing a sequel, I think you're basically doing the same thing. If something from the first book becomes relevant, work that info into the book.

When I work on my two YA series (for which I hope to find a publisher someday; meanwhile, they're darn fun to write), I've given myself the challenge of summing up any backstory in two paragraphs or less. Otherwise I end up with horrible, brain-sucking info dumps. I'll also occasionally work backstory into a conversation between characters, like "How can Kaylie treat us like crap after we saved her from being possessed by that demon a couple weeks ago?"

Did you leave your book at a cliffie?

I think the author of Pendragon does it very well (DJ MacHale). He "gives enough information so new readers can jump in at any time, but doesn't have so much that it would bore old readers."

I agree with Danthia. Include what’s necessary to understand Book 2, but make sure the sequel can stand alone. Personally, I had a hard time writing the second book in my series purely because of this issue. I felt I was boring myself by mentioning any backstory. But I did my best to thread the info throughout the book where it made sense. Also, I asked my agent’s assistant read Book Two and offer comments. She had not read book one and she thought the story worked on its own. That's your biggest test. Find someone to read the sequel cold.

Best,
Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Two words: beta readers.

Have at least two, one who HAS read the first book and one who HASN'T. The first one can tell you if the worked-in background is boring for those who read book I, and the second one can tell you if there's not enough background for those who didn't.

I think that as authors, we can get too close to the work to see clearly one way or the other. It's as easy for us to put in too much as too little. For me, this is one place (amongst many!) where beta readers really are worth their weight in gold.

When one of the people to whom book II of my series was dedicated read it without having read book I told me that she had no trouble following it, I was so pleased.