Why a series ends...

The Heartbreak of a Series That Ends Too Soon

originally published on Substack

Why a series ends is something writers don’t always talk about. Contracts are confidential, and there is only so much we can say. But I hate to disappoint readers, especially when my goal is to create satisfying stories for people to enjoy.

It’s wonderful when readers want more. It tells me they connected to the story and characters.  Every week I get messages from people asking if there will be more books in their favorite series. Most of the requests are for Elise Sandburg and Jude Fontaine. (The Jude Fontaine series was never supposed to be a series, but Hollywood came knocking and wanted more books.)  Some readers want more in the Inland Empire Series.  More recently I’ve gotten a lot of requests to turn The Night I Died into a series. This is especially gratifying because I love the characters too. Once the book was done, I was not ready to let them go!

What follows might be something everybody already knows.

There are many reasons a series might end, but it’s rarely the writer’s decision. I pushed hard for more Elise Sandburg Play Dead books, but couldn’t make it happen.

If the publisher doesn’t want another book in a series (my publisher has gone from publishing a few books in a series to typically no more than two for most of their authors), the publisher still retains the rights to the world and characters. The author cannot continue the series. This is typical across most traditional publishing. It’s called a non-compete clause, and writers cannot self-publish or sell another book in the series for a contractually specified amount of time. It’s usually twelve to eighteen months after publication of the previous book, but it could be longer.  During that time, writers move on to new projects and new contracts. Once the non-compete clause expires, a writer is under new obligations and there is no time for a slow writer like me to continue the old series on the side. As time continues to march on, reader interest wanes and it becomes very hard and often impossible to revitalize an old series, especially if the writer doesn’t have the rights to the existing books.

There are of course more reasons a series might end. Or, in the case of The Night I Died, maybe never even begin. Thanksgiving into the new year has been an editorial and deadline grind for me for many years, and I have no control over that schedule. The only way to break the cycle was to not sign a new contract.

So I’m writing a follow-up book to The Night I Died without a contract.  This might make some readers happy, but here’s the downside.  My publisher still gets first look at the book once it’s done, which will probably be late summer 2024 (the first draft is already done). With no existing contract, there’s no reserved publishing slot. This means the book, if my publisher wants it, wouldn’t be out until late 2025.  I can reject their offer and self-publish it, which would get it out in November of 2024 after the non-compete clause expires, but they would do a better job of getting it into the hands of readers, and they do a great job with audiobooks. So it’s a lot to think about, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do. In the meantime, I’m just writing the book. And wishing I could clone myself so I could write all the books readers want!