{"id":8401,"date":"2025-05-02T18:47:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/?p=8401"},"modified":"2025-05-02T19:29:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:29:55","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-project-should-be-standalone-or-a-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-i-know-if-my-project-should-be-standalone-or-a-series\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I know if my project should be standalone or a series?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Do you have any posts on turning a book into a series, and\/or deciding how many books the series should be? I’m plotting my story and not sure how to split it up into how many books if I decide it’s too much for a stand alone. Do I just go with trilogy? Thought there are many authors who have like 5-10 books. How do I know?”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The choice between writing a standalone novel or committing to develop a series isn’t always straightforward. While some stories naturally lend themselves to multiple books, others work best as self-contained narratives. So what do you have to think about to actually make these decisions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs your story might work better as a series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Complex worldbuilding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve built an intricate fictional<\/a> world with multiple cultures, magic systems, or technological innovations that you can’t fully explore in a single book without overwhelming readers, you might have series potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple major story arcs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you have several significant plotlines that feel rushed or cramped into one book, or story threads that naturally extend beyond your story’s major conflict, this could show series potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Character development opportunities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your characters have growth trajectories that would feel unrealistic or rushed within a single book, or if you have multiple interesting characters whose stories deserve more content, a series might be best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scope of conflict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stories with conflicts that escalate naturally or reveal larger implications beyond the initial problem often work well as series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs your story might work better as a standalone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Single central conflict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your story revolves around one main conflict that can be satisfyingly resolved in a single book, it might be better as a standalone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focused character arc<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When your protagonist’s journey has a clear beginning, middle, and end that rarely spawns new questions or conflicts, consider keeping it standalone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contained story world<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your world-building serves the immediate story without requiring extensive exploration of other aspects, it might not need expansion into a series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thematic resolution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When your theme can be fully explored and resolved in one book, forcing it into a series might dilute its impact and spread the story too thin to remain interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to decide the number of books<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve decided your story would work better as a series, consider these factors when deciding length:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Natural breaking points<\/strong>: Look for places where your story has significant shifts in conflict, setting, or character development<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Story complexity<\/strong>: More complex narratives might need more books to do justice to all the elements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Market considerations<\/strong>: While you shouldn’t write for marketing alone, if you plan to publishing, be aware that publishers and audiences often prefer certain series lengths for different genres<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Story structure<\/strong>: Some narratives naturally fall into traditional structures:\n