If you’re writing a series, how much do you tell readers about the previous book OR your character’s history?
I am a stickler for reading a series in order – it’s less confusing and I get a better sense of the growth of the characters. But recently, reading the seventh book in a series, I found a section that was a retelling of a character’s history that was far too similar to what I had read in previous books – it was like an echo and I was stumped that the author chose to repeat the history in the same way.
I thought for a minute that the author considered this book a standalone novel within the series – there’s a case, there are the good guys trying to solve it, and trying to save the day – like much of the series. But, like the previous books too, there were enough hints to their history in far too similar a way that made me feel like I was getting a history lesson I didn’t want when I’d rather the story move forward.
I think the author was trying too hard to cater to new readers AND already established followers, but failed. As a reader of the series, I was bored and skipped right past it – the sad thing? The author has created a killer history for her characters. I think I would have been more open to the characters’ history had it been revealed in a more organic, but different way to previous books.
Do you have to choose to write for new readers or established readers when you’re writing a series? Can a series be written for both types of readers?
