Strategy session I. breaking inany contract terms, as tempting as that may be. You want an agent
to take a look at the offer and respond to it appropriately.
SINGLE TITLES VS. SERIES
What should you write and sell, a stand-alone book or a series? The
advantage of a series is obvious. If successful, readers will come
back for more. Yet with a stand-alone novel you have flexibility. If
your first novel is unsuccessful, you may be able to cut your losses
and move on. Which is the right choice for you?
If you are a mystery writer or a fantasy author, the best plan will
suggest itself by the very nature of the stories you write. Historical
novelists and romance writers can prosper with sagas, too. As for
others, in most cases novels will stand alone. If desired, there is
usually a way to devise a sequel.
What about the situation in which one has completed the first
book in a series, but it has not yet sold? Should you be working on
the second in the series, or should you work on something else?
That can be a tough question to answer. To do so, you may find
it helpful to put on your business hat again. Once the first of your
trilogy, series, cycle, or saga is under contract, you are in business.
Investing more time and effort in that enterprise is obviously a good
idea. New contracts are likely. Until that first sale, though, are you
really in business for yourself?
In reality I find that most authors do not have much trouble
deciding what to work on next. For those prolific types who find
themselves with an embarrassment of choices, I would like to sug-
gest returning to a principle I discussed in the previous chapter.
Among your options, one novel is going to be a more logical next
step to achieving your career goals than the others.
So, what is your most logical next step? The answer, I hope, will
be obvious to you.
ONE-BOOK DEALS VS. MULTIPLE-BOOK CONTRACTS
Most first-time authors would love to be presented with this choice.
Amazingly, it happens more often than you might think.
Multiple-book contracts make sense for publishers. The initial
outlay can be low; also, if the first novel is a success the advance