Writing books in a series: better use of time and research, better income, better marketing potential!

Most fulltime authors say they only really started seeing financial success in their writing careers once they had written a number of books, not just a one-off. And the books that do best tend to be those in a series. But what if you only have an idea for one book or none of your ideas for multiple books link together? This session looks at how to develop a series as well as how to market it.

Come with one book idea, leave with a plan for a series!

Learning Outcomes

As part of this seminar, you will learn about:

Why writing in a series makes sense
Four types of series and choosing the one/s that work for you
Planning a series from the start OR working with unlinked ideas and standalones to create a series
Taking one book and turning it into a series, step-by-step
What happens when you get bored?!
'Oops, I wrote myself into a corner!’: getting out gracefully
Different protagonist story arcs
Setting a formula in place, if you need it
The one key title in your series that helps you grow your mailing list
Ensuring a series links together visually
Series and related merchandise
Multiplying your keywords and categories: the benefits of marketing a series
Boxsets: making them special.

Format

This is a hybrid workshop with a focus on writing craft and reader engagement; it will be held in-person at Queensland Writers Centre, State Library of Queensland, and live streamed simultaneously to an online audience via Zoom. As a Level 2 workshop, it is suitable for all beginner and emerging writers.

About Melissa

Melissa Addey is a UK-based, full-time self-published author of 15 books, mainly historical fiction. She has PhD in Creative Writing, is the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors and runs workshops at UK writing festivals and for the British Library.

For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info