Traci Ashbe Dark Epic Fantasy Author

Have you ever set out to write a long series? I haven’t. I’ve had two trilogies manifest organically out of what was intended to be stand alone novels, but I’ve never committed to anything longer.

With my reader hat on, I see a lot of long series coming out since self-publishing became a thing. A large portion of modern writer’s advice is based on this model, pricing first in a series books at cheap or free to get people hooked so they’ll pay a bit more to continue.

The trouble is, not everyone can sustain a series. I can’t count the number of times I’ve got a free first in series book, enjoyed it, then was disappointed by subsequent books in the series. This isn’t always the case. There are some writers who can rise to the challenge, but I think any writer thinking of producing a long series needs…