by James Scott Bell
@jamesscottbell

The old pulp writers recognized the value of a series character. Erle Stanley Gardner called it “the pulp writers insurance policy.” He certainly collected with his character Perry Mason.

Carroll John Daley was the first to score big with his detective Race Williams, who appeared in many issues of Black Mask.

We’ve seen many a successful series character over the years—McGee, Spenser, Reacher, Bosch, Millhone, Lucas Davenport, Jonathan Grave, Louis Kincaid. The list goes on.

Perhaps that’s why in the early years of the indie revolution, the mantra was Go for the series. It makes a certain degree of sense. You build a readership, a fan base that wants your next book. When you bring new readers in, some will want to buy all the other books in the series.

On the other hand, the indie landscape is littered with the bleached bones of series books that never caught on. This was especially true for first-time authors.

Which brings me to a blog post from a marketing expert (and friend of mine) who says, “Stop writing book series!” (Thomas also knows how to get clicks.)

He does a lot of math in the post, which is a good exercise for your brain. But I think I can simplify his assertions.

1. If the first book in a series doesn’t sell well, the ones that follow won’t either.
2. Advertising the heck out of a lackluster book just loses money. “Good advertising helps a bad product fail faster.”
3. If you’re just starting out (a “rookie”) beware:

When you start your career by writing book #1 in a series, the nature of the series sends all new readers through your freshman effort for the rest of your career. Before readers can enjoy your better, more polished writing, they must first read your oldest, sloppiest writing. When readers tell their friends, “Author Smith’s series gets really good around book 3,” Author Smith is in trouble.

Marketing a series with a weak first book is like trying to run with weights on your ankles. 

On the other hand:

Writing a series is good advice for authors who have written a hit book. 

But what about the other 999 authors whose books sold hundreds of copies? Should they write a sequel? Not if they want to write for a living. 

They will likely make more money writing another standalone book. They should figure out why the first book was not appealing and work to make the next book more appealing. 

That is just what the pulp writers did in order to keep bread on the table. They constantly studied the market and what was popular. Then the best set out to tap into that market with their own, original creations.

Another challenge for the new, would-be series writer is “battered reader syndrome.” He brings up the examples of George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss, both of whom have left their series unfinished. That left loyal readers, who invested time and emotion in the books, out in the cold. Thus:

When battered readers see that a book is the first in an unfinished series, they’re hesitant. That book #1 designation is a liability instead of an asset. It tells readers this story may not have a satisfying ending, or perhaps no ending at all!

Readers who don’t know you won’t trust you to complete all three books in your trilogy. They may wait to buy book #1 until you’ve published book #3. Battered reader syndrome makes it really hard for new authors to attract readers to new series.

Thomas’s answer for the new writer is:

[W]rite book #1 as a standalone book. Keep any numbering off the title. Don’t include a series name. Just write a good story with a good ending…[I]t’s a lot easier to turn a successful standalone book into a popular series than it is to use a series to make the first book successful. 

Thomas does recognize that established authors, who know how to “stick the landing,” can hit the ground running on a series:

If you already have a tribe of readers and have learned how to write books they love, and you want to commit to a series, go for it! You’ve earned the trust of your readers to write a series. 

But don’t tell brand-new authors with no platform to follow your example. It hurts them by committing them to books that may not find an audience. It also hurts you by contributing to battered reader syndrome, which scares readers away from books altogether. 

New authors haven’t yet gained the trust of their readers. They don’t have the caliber of skills you have. If you encourage a new author to write a series, you may be dooming their careers without realizing it.

So, for a new writer wanting to do series, the best move may be to write that first book and gauge the results. Not just sales but customer reviews. Note not only the star rating (some say the “sweet spot” is 4.2-4.5 stars) but also the content. Would what is said there be positive word of mouth in a Starbucks conversation?

This seems like a low-risk way for a new writer to test the waters for a series. It’s sort of like what we say about prologues (write it, just don’t call it a prologue!)

I offer this as breakfast for thought today. Comments welcome.

by James Scott Bell
@jamesscottbell

Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet

Many pulp writers of old made good bank with a hit series character.

Edgar Rice Burroughs created Tarzan.

Erle Stanley Gardner gave us Perry Mason.

Dashiell Hammett penned the Continental Op.

The ladies were represented as well. An obvious pen name “Lars Anderson” wrote a series featuring college-educated Ellen Patrick, who fought corruption in 1930s Los Angeles as “the Domino Lady.” The pulp magazine she appeared in was Saucy Romantic Adventures, and wouldn’t you like to have a few original copies of that?

Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most famous example of the hit series character. So popular was Holmes that his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, couldn’t get out from under him. At one point Doyle killed off his detective, but the public demanded he be brought back. His resurrection was by way of the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. When it was first published in The Strand magazine, the circulation of that periodical went up by about thirty thousand.

In other words, Doyle, though feeling a bit trapped, took that feeling all the way to the bank.

What Makes a Great Series Character?

I see five qualities in the best series characters. If you can pack these in from the start, your task is half done. Here they are:

1. A point of uniqueness, a quirk or style that sets them apart from everybody else

What is unique about Sherlock Holmes? He’s moody and excitable. Among the very staid English, that was different.

Jack Reacher? Come on. The guy doesn’t own a phone or clothes. He travels around with only a toothbrush. Funny how every place he goes he runs into massive trouble and very bad people.

2. A skill at which they are really, really good

Katniss Everdeen is killer with the bow and arrow.

Harry Potter is one of the great wizards (though he has a lot to learn).

3. A bit of the rebel

The series hero should rub up against authority, even if it’s in a quiet way, like Miss Marple muttering “Oh, dear” at the local constabulary. Hercule Poirot is a needle in the side of Inspector Japp.

4. A vulnerable spot or character flaw

Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian has a vicious temper that sometimes gets the better of him.

Sherlock Holmes has a drug habit.

Stephanie Plum keeps bouncing between two lovers, who complicate her life.

5. A likable quality

Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe has some of the greatest quips in the history of crime fiction. We like them because Marlowe is also vulnerable—to getting beat up, drugged, or otherwise manhandled by forces larger than himself (like Moose Malloy).

Wit is one of the great likability factors.

Another is caring for others besides oneself. Stephanie Plum has a crazy family to care for, not to mention her sometime partner Lula.

Will the Character Grow?

One decision you should make early on is how much character growth there will be. While you’ll hear a lot about the necessity for character arcs, they aren’t always necessary.

For example, Jack Reacher doesn’t change. I once heard Lee Child talking about this on a panel, and he said, “Arcs? We don’t need no stinkin’ arcs.”

Ahem.

Michael Connelly, on the other hand, has brought tremendous change to his series character, Harry Bosch. He decided, too, that he would age Bosch right along with the books, a decision he has come to ruefully regret. Bosch is getting up there!

At the very least, your character ought to grow stronger with each adventure. Why? Because without that there is no tension or conflict in the story. Each new tale must challenge the character in some way that threatens him with death (physical, professional, or psychological).

Test Marketing

Self-publishing today provides the writer with a way to “test drive” a potential series character. You can do that in a number of ways.

You can write a story and send it to several beta readers. These are people you know and trust to give you honest feedback.

You can publish in a free venue, like Wattpad, and collect the feedback that way.

There’s always the option of going to Kindle Direct Publishing, and using Kindle Select exclusivity so you can promote the story for free. Promote the heck out of it. Read the reviews.

The pulp writers of old weren’t shy about testing a character and then moving on if that character didn’t create enough buzz. Their big problem was the lag time between sending in a story and waiting months for it to appear.

Today, you don’t have to wait.

Who are some of your favorite series characters? What do you think is the key to their popularity?