Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
You’ve heard that writing a book series is one of the smartest ways to build a readership.
But is it really the best choice for your first novel?
A series may look exciting from the outside, but it asks more of a writer than most beginners realize. And one of the biggest risks has nothing to do with plotting, worldbuilding, or keeping all your characters straight.
I learned this the hard way with my own early writing, and I see it happen often with writers I work with. A project that begins with enormous excitement slowly becomes confusing, overwhelming, and difficult to finish.
In this video, we’ll look at four reasons new writers should think carefully before committing to a multi-book series, along with a way forward for anyone who is already deep into Book One.
Feeling stuck on book one? Check out my Story Structure Diagnostic:
payhip.com/b/9Xh2j
💌 Join Writer's Brain Studio for a supportive community and to finish your book!:
writersbrainstudio.com/join
Check out "The Curse of King Midas," the first in my historical fantasy series!
books2read.com/u/md2Wyl
#WritingTips #HowToWriteANovel #bookseries
0:00 Your first writing project is...?
2:10 A book series requires major skills!
6:10 Why so many first novels never get finished
7:12 Starting with a book series is a bad idea
9:49 About very successful book series writers
11:43 Have you thought about book sales?
15:11 The 4th thing writers don't think about with series
18:41 What if you're already writing a series?
22:57 Mission of the week
Sources
https://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/salganik_dodds_watts06_full.pdf
publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/63823-religion-update-2014-in-profile.html
You’ve heard that writing a book series is one of the smartest ways to build a readership.
But is it really the best choice for your first novel?
A series may look exciting from the outside, but it asks more of a writer than most beginners realize. And one of the biggest risks has nothing to do with plotting, worldbuilding, or keeping all your characters straight.
I learned this the hard way with my own early writing, and I see it happen often with writers I work with. A project that begins with enormous excitement slowly becomes confusing, overwhelming, and difficult to finish.
In this video, we’ll look at four reasons new writers should think carefully before committing to a multi-book series, along with a way forward for anyone who is already deep into Book One.
Feeling stuck on book one? Check out my Story Structure Diagnostic:
payhip.com/b/9Xh2j
💌 Join Writer's Brain Studio for a supportive community and to finish your book!:
writersbrainstudio.com/join
Check out "The Curse of King Midas," the first in my historical fantasy series!
books2read.com/u/md2Wyl
#WritingTips #HowToWriteANovel #bookseries
0:00 Your first writing project is...?
2:10 A book series requires major skills!
6:10 Why so many first novels never get finished
7:12 Starting with a book series is a bad idea
9:49 About very successful book series writers
11:43 Have you thought about book sales?
15:11 The 4th thing writers don't think about with series
18:41 What if you're already writing a series?
22:57 Mission of the week
Sources
https://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/salganik_dodds_watts06_full.pdf
publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/63823-religion-update-2014-in-profile.html
