A 'trilogy' or...

(24 Jul 2012 09:53 AM)GlynThincs Wrote:  

Quote: I know what you mean when you ask if it needs to be that long, but it does. I could shorten it by chopping out one of the main characters and his story, but it would detract massively from the story I'm trying to get across. I've chiselled about 30k words from it but it's still too long for one single book.

I'm quite lucky I suppose, in that each book (apart from the last, obviously) ends on a cliff-hanger and a fairly natural stopping point.

You really need to make a map of structure and continuity to sustain the three books and thread that through in a way that makes it possible to read 2 and 3 independently whilst satisfying the 'through readers'.
Make all books count from a reader's perspective. Good luck it's a tough issue.

(24 Jul 2012 10:46 AM)alawston Wrote:  Continuing on the devil's advocate theme - why not just release it as a single e-book? If people can release a 3,000 word short story and call it a book, surely the other end of the scale has to apply as well.

300,000 words is a big book, sure, but it's not unprecedented. The length of paperbacks are limited by various practical decisions at the printer's end, this doesn't really apply so much to digital books.

(24 Jul 2012 11:02 AM)Lou Wrote:  Would you be releasing them all at the same time, or staggering them?

One of the things that can put people off is having to wait ages for the next part and sometimes I will wait for a series to be either complete or well on the way before starting it. If you released them all at the same time, I think people would buy it much more readily as they know that if they've enjoyed the first part, they can get straight into the next one.

(24 Jul 2012 11:27 AM)joo Wrote:  I was annoyed when I read a book (I think it was facebook killers) and it just stopped. Not quite in mid sentence, but not far off.
I have not bought books when I know that I will have to get the follow ons to finish the story.

Is it possible to have the first one as more of a stand-alone, so can be classed as a completed story, then the follow on books just enhance the story / world / characters?