Thinking of Starting a Series? Check out this advice from Kwame Alexander, Roseanne A. Brown, Chloe Gong, Adalyn Grace, Joan He, and Aiden Thomas

There's a lot of wisdom in this article in Publishers Weekly where Iyana Jones interviewed all six authors with new series openers, "Series Openers: Six Authors on Their New Beginnings."

Standout moments from the interviews (for me) include:

“I always feel like poets who write novels in verse have a much harder job, ’cause you have to write a poem and you gotta write a novel. You have to write a poem on each page, and it has to feel complete, and it has to feel like it’s incomplete enough for you to want to turn the page. That’s work! I feel like it’s the same thing with a trilogy. You want to complete it, but at the same time you want to leave just enough for the reader to crave and grow impatient waiting for that next book in the series. If you can figure that out, that’s great.” —Kwame Alexander

and

“With series, on the other hand, you’re playing the long game. You can plant seeds and hints in book one that don’t need to come to fruition for several more books. It definitely takes a lot of planning and is more taxing on me creatively to weave something so intricate, but it’s an amazing feeling when you get that payoff you can only get from a story that’s had that extended room to blossom.” — Roseanne A. Brown

and

“Before I write, I need a basic elevator pitch so that I’ve articulated to myself what I want to achieve in the book. Foul Lady Fortune’s pitch was: immortal girl wants to atone by saving her city from a conspiracy. Having that as a starting point means I can draw up the complete arc between “this is what the protagonist wants” and “is this achieved at the end of the series?” which I think is critical for keeping a reader interested! After that I can start building elements, such as giving the untrusting protagonist a devilish love interest, or researching true history so that my speculative elements interact with commentary in a meaningful way. But premise, to me, is like the spine that holds a book upright.” —Chloe Gong

and

“The first thing I knew about this story was its prologue, where we meet a baby who somehow manages to defy Death himself in this beautifully eerie backdrop. Throughout all the versions of this story, that scene has never changed. I always knew it was the opening, and from there I started asking myself who this baby would grow up to be. What kind of person is she? What does she want? Everything in the story is built around Signa, to further help tell her story.” — Adalyn Grace

and

“Like many kids of the Chinese diaspora, I was told stories from Romance of the Three Kingdoms growing up. Names such as Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei are basically synonymous with “clever and loyal” and “honorable righteousness,” respectively, within the culture. But it wasn’t until college that I really read and analyzed the text, and as I thought more deeply about the enduring legacy of its characters in contemporary Chinese society, I came up with a “what if” question that ultimately became my midpoint twist, from which my stories tend to spring.” —Joan He

and

“It’s wild to plan all the way to the very end of a book I haven’t even written [yet] before I could start writing the first book. It’s also a huge challenge to plot out two books and keep all that information in my head. It’s way easier to do a standalone because I’m in the moment and don’t have to fact check and make sure I don’t forget to tie up any loose ends. More than once I’ve come up with an idea and thought, “I should change this in Sunbearer!,” only to remember I can’t because it’s already been printed and now exists in the world! But then again, one thing that’s really cool about writing a series is that I get to see folks read The Sunbearer Trials and express their excitement, which characters they like best, and also fan theories. It makes working on the sequel a lot more exciting, and it’s nice having readers cheering me on as I go.” — Aiden Thomas

Even choosing those highlight quotes was hard. Go read the article, and read the books that open their series! Good luck with your series, too.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Advice on Writing Series from Stephanie Greene (via Cynsations)

In this excellent interview at Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations, Survivors: Stephanie Greene on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's Author, Cynthia asks Stephanie (the author of four series) to share some insights into writing series.

Stephanie breaks series down into character-driven, concept-driven, and hook-driven, explaining that,

There are different kinds of series, of course. If you have a character in mind who you believe will appeal to enough kids that they can successfully carry a series, develop that character to the best of your ability in the first book. Three of my series have been character-driven. I first created a character who I liked. In every case, it was my editor who asked for more. (There are countless character-driven series; read as many of them as you can, especially in the genre in which you want to write. Study them. Figure out what makes the character appealing to children.)

She cites The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne as a "prime example" of concept-driven series, suggesting,

If you have a concept, develop it in one book and see what happens.

The third approach, as Stephanie tells us,

...is to develop a “hook.” That’s a feature about the character that can be repeated in subsequent books. Many series employ this device. The trick is to make it an intricate part of the story and not a superficial tag-on. I inadvertently created my Princess Posey (G. Putnam's Sons, 2010-2018) series of early chapter books because I gave the character in the first story - what was meant to be a stand-alone book – a hook: Posey’s pink tutu makes her feel brave. It was my editor’s decision the tutu [hook] could carry a series.

In all instances, the focus is to create the best possible book one, knowing it might be a stand-alone, and aiming to make it as good as it can be.

It's a wide-ranging interview, well-worth reading in its entirety.

Thanks to Stephanie and Cynthia!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Working on a series idea? Janice Hardy has 6 Questions for You to Consider

Will your protagonist grow and change or stay the same?

 and

 Can the series be read out of order?

 are two of the points to consider.

The whole piece is well-worth reading.


Thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for spotting Janice's blog post, and to Janice for pulling the questions together! Good stuff.

Illustrate and Write On, 
Lee

Timing of Releasing Books In A Series Is Changing...

As reported by Julie Bosman in this week's New York Times, "Impatience Has Its Reward: Books Are Rolled Out Faster"

"While the television industry has begun catering to impatient audiences by releasing entire series at once, the book business is upending its traditional timetable by encouraging a kind of binge reading, releasing new works by a single author at an accelerated pace."

There's arguments on both sides - releasing the books quicker keeps an audience hooked. Leaving more time between novel releases lets you build that audience.

What's not mentioned is that the author still needs time to WRITE the books (unless the first book release is delayed until future books in the series have been written...)

For those of us writing/illustrating, or contemplating, series work, it's a fascinating development to consider.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference interview: Francesco Sedita

As both Publisher of Grosset & Dunlap and Price Stern Sloan (two imprints of the Penguin Young Readers Group) and the author of a popular series, Francesco Sedita knows a thing or two about series fiction and publishing books you can buy almost anywhere. (I'm avoiding the term "mass market." Francesco dislikes it as much as he loves lip balm. More on that below.) At the upcoming SCBWI Annual Summer Conference he'll offer workshops on those very topics--SERIES FICTION and WRITING MASS MARKET FICTION--and also participate in a panel called A VIEW FROM THE TOP: 4 PUBLISHERS DISCUSS OUR INDUSTRY.

Francesco recently completed the third book in the MISS POPULARITY series. Read on to learn more about the them, his incredible handsomeness, his advice on writing series, his thoughts on mass market, and the scoop on his upcoming collaboration with the one and only Jon Scieszka.

First of all, why do you participate in SCBWI events? What do you get out of them?

SCBWI is like the best high school reunion ever. You see old friends, make new ones, reconnect with people and get the chance to learn, teach, and share ideas and just celebrate what we all love to do: write and publish the best children’s books!

(In addition to Most Handsome and Best Dressed) you were voted Most Popular in your grade school class. Did that somehow foreshadow the writing of your series MISS POPULARITY? Tell us about the series.
 

Totally. I was so damn popular it was embarrassing. And handsome. I was so incredibly handsome. And no one wore Bugle Boy pleated pants better than me. Or my school’s polyester yellow and navy and plaid uniform.

Um, did I mention that there were only 12 kids in my class?

Actually, the main character Cassie, is really based on my older sister, Danielle. She was super styley and so amazingly cool in her Jordache jeans and her color-coordinated LeSportsacs and perms. People loved to be with her and around her. She drove a black FireBird! But she was always kind and sweet and had friends from every group in high school. I wanted to be her. Still do.

So the series is about Cassie Knight, 6th grade supahstar in Houston. But when her dad gets relocated to Maine, her sprayed up hair, shimmery shadows and beaded ballet flats don’t quite cut it.

Over the years I’ve gotten many question from writers about how to get a series published. Can you offer some advice from both sides of the desk (and maybe a teaser for your conference session on SERIES FICTION)?

My advice is (and only in this order, otherwise results may be spotty): Write it. Write the hell out of it. Love it. Rework it. Write more. Rework again. Hate it. Sweat. Curse. Love it again and then when it’s ready, really think about who should see it and how. Do your research and make sure you are sending to the right agents, sending exactly what they're asking for. Then cross your fingers, have a glass of wine, and start on your next project.

I think series should be like delicious pieces of candy. Make sure there is a wonderful throughline from book to book. Make sure your characters are evolving (or not, if that’s their case) and make sure you love each and every word.

You’re also doing a session on WRITING MASS MARKET FICTION. Explain to my readers what mass market fiction is. Describe the right kind of writer for this market. 

I HATE--hear that? HATE the words mass market. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. I think people confuse it with "not literary" or "low-quality." Which is so not the case. (And if it is, then something is going terribly wrong.) Who doesn't want their books sold everywhere, including places like Walmart and Target?

Okay, now that my rant is over, I can answer. I think if you want to write a series--and one that will be on a relatively quick publishing schedule (which means the books are selling and your readers want more more more)--you have to think about how quickly you can get the books done. You have to really know your process and be able to deliver because when a series like this really takes off, accounts want more and your editor will come a-knockin'. Not such a bad predicament to be in but something to be prepared for.

You also have to think about topic if you want to write a “mass” series. What’s current, relevant, what’s going to pop off the shelves to readers and make them want to buy your series?

Tell us about your new series with Jon Scieszka, SPACEHEADZ. 

SPACEHEADZ a great project aimed to secretly teach readers about media literacy. With a lot of fun and wackiness along the way. You get to read the book but also experience the world online. It's a silly story but at the end of the day might really help readers to understand how to cut through all of the advertising that's being pushed on them.

You kind of have a double life, working as both publisher of Penguin imprints Grosset & Dunlap and Price Stern Sloan and as a writer. Can you offer some advice on successfully wearing more than one hat?

It’s a nutty little life but I love every second of it. It’s super fun and exciting and I am inspired by my job to write and by my writing to do my very best at my J-O-B. There is no advice really on juggling both because I think I'm a mess at it most times. I sort of let everything meld together. There are days when I sit in my office at Penguin and feel like more of a writer and there are days when I sit at my desk at home and feel like more of a publisher and I just let that happen and deal with it as it swings back and forth. I'm happy in both places, so why not?