Sequel - story so far?

Triangulos · Jun 29, 2018

I’m about to publish the sequel to my first novel, which came out a couple of years ago. I’m wondering whether to put “The sequel to ...” on the cover, and whether to put a half-page “story so far” at the start.

My first inclination was that I should label it as a sequel, because anyone who buys it on a whim only to realise they then need to buy the first one too will feel duped into paying twice. However a writer friend I spoke to reckoned that would cut my readership, and it might be better to get as many readers as possible then have this book direct them to book 1.

Same question for the “story so far” - best to bring people up to speed without requiring an additional purchase, or better to use this book as a signpost to book 1? (A summary of previous events which lets them read book 2 but still leaves them wanting more might be the best compromise...)

(Of course I want to sell as many as possible, but if a proportion of those sales are people grumbling that they didn’t realise there was a previous instalment - as opposed to people who loved it and want to read more - then that will obviously be a bad thing.)

Thanks,

T.

Elenitsa · Jun 29, 2018

I did "story so far" for every volume which suited.

Emily Winslow · Jul 19, 2018

Maybe too late to respond?

Anyway, I have a detective series, but each volume has a standalone crime to solve. So, though, there are multi-book arcs for the detective characters, and references to past events, the focus in each book is on that book's plot. In that situation, I haven't found any need for a formal "story so far". Also, they can be read in any order; if book 1 is read after book 2, well, it's like a prequel. (Not all series work this way, but many do.)

I assume you have books that are much more linked and dependent, like the volumes of Lord of the Rings or similar. But even then, each book should have something about it that is its own, its own mission for the reader to care about. If the focus is sufficiently on that's book's specific and limited premise, then the amount of info you *need* to share may be less than you think.

Once you've decided what *must* be told (and I suspect it may be less than you at first think) the bigger question to me is whether you're better served by a "story so far" intro or whether you can embed this information into the story itself. I think the latter is the more elegant solution, when done well.

You may find that much of it already is embedded. After all, if two characters are, say, married now, and you show them interacting as married, there's no need to say "In the previous book, these characters fell in love." Etc.

You say that readers might feel duped when they realise they "need" to buy book one. But do they really? I feel like I can enjoy and understand, say, Harry Potter 3 without having read or seen Harry Potter 2. And if they really, truly do, and book 2 cannot be understood or enjoyed without reading the first book first, maybe you would consider bundling them, with book 1 as an included freebie. But another consideration is whether book 2 needs some work to better stand on its own.

Good luck, good luck!

CJMatthewson · Jul 19, 2018

I personally think 'sequel to' sounds a bit clumsy, especially when it's taking up important space on the cover of your book.

How about naming the series, so then it can be 'Part of the/Book Two of the ... Series/Chronicles, etc.'. People can't complain they didn't know when it's in black and white.

Sequel - story so far?

Triangulos

Elenitsa

writing as Marina Costa

Emily Winslow

Do Not Walk on the Grass

CJMatthewson