Crafting a Captivating Book Series: Essential Tips for Fantasy Authors
When it comes to writing fantasy, the allure of creating a standalone story can quickly spiral into something grander. Ideas expand, new story arcs emerge, and before you know it, you’re working on a series! Many authors find this out the hard way, starting with a single book only to realize their characters’ journeys are far from over. While this can be a daunting prospect, there’s a reason series are encouraged—readers who enjoy one book are more likely to return for sequels, drawn to the world and characters they’ve grown to love.
My own journey into series writing was a blend of trial, inspiration, and a bit of television wisdom: The TV Showrunner's Roadmap by Neil Landou, which explores how TV shows connect with audiences through serialized storytelling. This roadmap inspired me to dive into series writing with an eye on reader needs, pacing, and developing the big picture across multiple books.
With that in mind, let’s explore some key elements of crafting a compelling book series, using examples from four successful series: Seasons Cycle by Cassia Hall, Academic Affairs by Ryan Reed, Inconvenient Scandals by Nina Jarrett, and Jasper Springs by Eve Riley.
1. Know Your Genre and Audience Expectations
First and foremost, it’s essential to know your genre’s expectations. Genres are like storytelling frameworks: while they provide creative freedom, they also come with certain elements readers want and anticipate. High fantasy, for example, demands detailed world-building, complex character dynamics, and epic conflicts. Readers expect vast, immersive worlds where every detail serves the larger narrative.
In Seasons Cycle by Cassia Hall, this expectation is met with an elaborate fantasy world where each book revolves around a seasonal festival celebrated by the characters. This repetition anchors the series in a familiar yet evolving backdrop, giving readers a sense of continuity and cultural richness. While each book spotlights a different season, the world itself becomes a central character, enticing fantasy readers who love to explore unique worlds in intricate detail. Additionally, the subplot of slow-burn romances that span across the series gives fans of romance a recurring element to look forward to, blending the genre’s themes with satisfying story arcs.
For authors, it’s vital to understand what readers expect to see in each installment and to deliver those elements consistently. Whether it’s a character-driven romance or a plot-heavy fantasy, setting reader expectations helps establish trust and keeps them engaged over time.
2. Building Long-Term Character Arcs
One challenge of series writing is crafting meaningful character arcs that sustain across multiple books. In standalone books, characters usually reach their peak development by the story’s end. In a series, however, it’s a different task to make sure they continue to evolve—or shift focus toward new characters in each book to keep things dynamic.
An effective way to handle this, especially in longer series, is to use a mentor-like role shift for the main protagonist, allowing them to pass the spotlight to other characters in later books. This is a common approach in extended TV series and even in anime, where main characters evolve or mentor new ones, giving room for fresh perspectives.
Academic Affairs by Ryan Reed exemplifies this approach: each book in the series introduces a new couple at Blue Ridge College, a conservative environment where each protagonist’s story tackles a unique social issue. From pioneering the first openly gay couple on campus to advocating for marriage equality, every book raises the stakes within the setting while focusing on the individual growth of new characters. By allowing different protagonists to lead each story, Reed ensures that readers can follow a broad narrative without characters stagnating in their growth.
3. Creating Strong Subplots and Themes
Another effective way to create unity across a series is by weaving in a subplot that spans the entirety of the series. This gives the books a sense of continuity and depth, engaging readers with both the primary and secondary plots. Subplots act as threads that connect each book, drawing readers back as they seek resolutions to ongoing mysteries, romantic tensions, or conflicts.
Inconvenient Scandals by Nina Jarrett utilizes this brilliantly with a central subplot involving the mystery surrounding the death of a baron, which lingers through the series. While each book introduces a new romance and a unique, scandalous setup for a marriage, the underlying suspense plot keeps readers invested in finding the baron’s killer. This technique of suspense woven into a romantic series pulls in readers who enjoy both romance and mystery, blending genres to appeal to broader audiences.
Similarly, in Jasper Springs by Eve Riley, a continuing theme of wedding preparations unites later books in the series. While each book introduces a new romantic couple, this ongoing storyline connects the books, giving readers a reason to anticipate new relationships against a familiar backdrop. Recurring themes or storylines create cohesion, letting readers feel at home in the series world while also anticipating fresh developments.
4. Maintaining Reader Engagement with Cameos and Recurring Characters
One of the great joys of a series is the chance to see beloved characters return in cameo appearances. Cameos give readers the satisfaction of seeing familiar faces, adding a touch of continuity and nostalgia to each new story. They help readers feel that each book is a continuation of a beloved world rather than a separate, isolated tale.
In Jasper Springs, for example, readers see couples from previous books make appearances, contributing to the charm and connectedness of the series. This technique is especially effective in series with distinct romantic pairings, as each new couple offers a fresh love story while allowing past favorites to add layers of familiarity and connection to the unfolding events.
In Isla Rider’s Twin Springs series, the recurring location—a ranch—creates this sense of continuity, even as different characters come and go. Seeing familiar places and characters feels like returning to a favorite neighborhood, letting readers sink deeper into the world.
5. Raising Stakes and Expanding Scope
When working on a series, raising the stakes with each installment keeps the narrative momentum strong. This technique can be particularly powerful in series with interconnected storylines, where each book builds on the last to introduce new conflicts and challenges.
Academic Affairs illustrates this concept by increasing the stakes for LGBTQ+ rights in a conservative college. As the series progresses, the focus shifts from simple acceptance to institutional change and activism, culminating in themes of equality and social progress. This escalation helps readers become more invested as they see the community evolve alongside the protagonists. The same technique can apply to fantasy and mystery series as well, where each installment introduces larger, more formidable adversaries or more intricate mysteries.
6. Creating a Binding Theme or Goal for Your Series
A defining theme or goal can unify a series, keeping readers hooked from book to book. This might be an overarching mystery, a shared quest, or a recurring event that serves as the heart of the series.
In Inconvenient Scandals, Jarrett uses the investigation into the baron’s death as a throughline, binding each book together despite the different romances featured in each story. Meanwhile, in Jasper Springs, the shared storyline of wedding preparations acts as the ongoing “event” that brings the town’s couples together, offering a cozy and cohesive experience for the reader. These series-wide themes offer a “home base” for the story, making it easier to introduce new plot points, characters, or themes while keeping the series grounded.
Conclusion: Series Writing as a Journey for Author and Reader
Creating a series is an immersive experience for both the writer and the reader. For authors, it offers the chance to dive deep into world-building, character evolution, and intricate plots. For readers, each book is a doorway to return to a beloved setting, revisit old friends, and discover new aspects of a world they love.
Writing a series allows for more complex storytelling, where conflicts and resolutions have room to breathe. It offers a way to build anticipation and keep readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter. And with recurring characters, intertwined plots, and expanding storylines, a well-crafted series becomes a world of its own—a place readers and authors alike can return to again and again. So, embrace the journey of series writing, and create a world that readers won’t want to leave!
