Single Books or Book Series

[TheUltimateChosenOne]

Which do you prefer and why? Single story books that just have a complete beginning and end or a book series that keeps the story going on and on and on...

I prefer book series and here is why. When I read a single story book I'm never satisfied with it not continuing. I want to always know what happens after it and through the characters lives. In a book series, you get to take the journey the main characters that re-appear in each of the books contained in the series. I find it more interesting to continue with a character I really like.
With one book I always wonder, what if this happened or what is that happened.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Moved from Workshop to Aspiring Writers.

 

[chrispenycate]

I'm going to come out in favour of the single volume, for some purely practical reasons.
The first of these is the uncertainty of supply; you are not certain to find all the books. At least I'm not. Sometimes the author doesn't finish a series at all, or the publisher/distributor dumps him before it's finished, but quite often it's just a question of it going out of print before a copy gets to my neck of the woods.
Still, if an idea is big enough, it needs a multi-volume work; but a lot of those multi-volume works are that way because it's fashionable, and could have been compressed down without any loss.

But what really upsets me isn't planned multi-volume works, but sequels to already finished stories. Oh, the fans demand them, publishers consider them guaranteed sales, all the development for the world and characters is already in your notebooks, but how many are as good as the originals?

 

[Malloriel]

I do love single books for those days when I want to read something light and fantastic, but don't want the dedication required for reading or investing in a series. I will also avoid even looking at stories that span multiple books if I can't find them all in sequence when I'm looking, BUT! I'm a much bigger fan of book series. I plan on writing them, and I enjoy reading them. I love following characters on their journeys, watching them change and grow, possibly shifting your perceptions of pre-established conventions in the process. It does give me a greater sense of closure and accomplishment, because really, I feel that there is so much more to a character or person than one conflict, one encounter. There is so much that makes them who they are, and issues, personal issues left unresolved in just one story. I don't think everything can or should be crammed into a finite amount of space when it could better flourish in two or more books quite comfortably.

On the reverse, I don't feel that a story that could comfortably fill only one book should be stretched into more either. Write what is mean to be written and don't try to make it be anything more than it naturally is.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

I prefer single stories - which are not too long. I'd rather enjoy the experience of multiple different worlds than returning to the same one time after time. It's a bit like preferences in holidays: some people go back to the same resort year after year, but I prefer to go to new places.

Having said that, if I really enjoy a book I'll probably buy sequels - at least, until the author runs out of steam (which seems to be inevitable). Don't forget that publishers these days much prefer series, as that usually means more sales. So there are pressures on authors to milk a success for all it's worth, even if they'd rather go on to something else.

 

[Sapheron]

A series is good as long as it is a long story that was originally planned to be a series (and is well written, etc, of course).

A series is a terrible thing if the latter books were only ever written because the former ones were a success.

 

[ctg]

I like both, but I prefer series. The one reason for it is that often when I get to end of singular book, I want to read more. Then I find that the author hasn't even thought about making more on it.

The only books that doesn't have such a effect on me are technical manuals. Although I can read one in single sitting. It doesn't appeal me to wanting more. I guess I could say same thing from many non-fiction books.

 

[Writers Blocked]

Well there's no reason you can't have both is there?

 

[ctg]

Don't know, lol. I'm complicated.