I have always been a big fan of reading a series if I’ve made a connection with the main character. Like the time I picked up the latest edition, at the time, of a Michael Connelly book featuring his rough but admirable character Harry Bosch. I loved the character so much, I had to track down the very first book in the series and read all the books in the series after that in order.
Now I know my need to read all of Mr. Connelly’s books in the Bosch series is probably just a drop in a very large bucket for him, but put that theory into the perspective of an author just starting out with a couple of books under their belt and a whole future of great stories in front of them.
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The point is if you can create a likeable character and write them into stories that make your readers want to see them again and follow their lives, then you have a gold mine. The series is a very popular and proven marketing technique for literature and entertainment in general. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “series” is your favorite television shows.
James Patterson is another author that has made good use of the form, with his character Alex Cross, another one of my favorites. I followed Cross through several stages in his life and found myself believing that if I ever met Mr. Cross I could call him a friend.
The thing to keep in mind is that your readers need to feel a connection to your characters and write them into a great series of events.
