To sequel or not to sequel. :confounded:

[sarahmassey998]

Just looking for a bit advice when it comes to sequels and how to best present them on Tapas.
My novel Prometheus Reanimated was completed back in August of 2020 and while the sequel Rats Teeth has been up October I've found that some of my readers have had a hard time switching over to the sequel. Rats Teeth was published as a separate novel so it would require them to subscribe to another novel.

My question is this: would it be better to keep the novels separate or should I add the sequel onto the back of my first novel as an arc and just have one series. Or is there an another solution that I am not thinking of.
Let me know how you handle sequels on the Tapas platform and what do you thing works best.

Thank you in advance for any ideas you have and stay weird everyone!

[cherrystark]

This question has popped up a lot in the past. I've even debated it myself. The biggest point is personal preference - whatever works best for you.

There are a lot of points to consider such as length of each book, story arcs, casts, etc. I know people who have posted different books in their series as different links and they've done okay. The biggest point I've noticed for them is marketing. They leave notes indicating that there is more to the story. If a reader truly likes the world you are presenting, they''ll subscribe to the next book.

With posting under one link, my series involves several shorter stories. It was easier for me to post them all under one link for readers to binge. Since a lot of my storylines intertwine, I needed the stories to be read in sequence (like a good TV drama). I tried posting them as separate links but people would read them out of order and get confused.

*As a reader, I tend to pay attention to the number of chapters and how the story arcs work. If your first book is a complete arc, let it be. I tend to stop reading stories if the number of chapters goes on forever and the number of arcs keep going. Find the right balance and trust your gut.

[sarahmassey998]

Good point. The books are stand alone but they do need to be read in order. I might wait until I reach the end of the sequel to see if people who read the original have found the sequel. Or I might experiment with a bit of both to see what works.
Thank you for your wisdom!

[therosesword]

This question has popped up a lot in the past. I've even debated it myself. The biggest point is personal preference - whatever works best for you.

What @cherrystark says. I didn't plan on making my Bright Morn novel a series but it became evident I'd have to and then when I was working on the second book it became evident I'd have to do a 3rd and yup, now that I'm almost done with vol. III... there needs to be a fourth.

Do what's best for you.

[cherrystark]

Some people post "bonus" chapters of the sequel at the end when the story finishes to "tease" the next book and maybe post a note with a breakdown of the story order for the series. That type of thing works for paperback books, I don't see why it wouldn't work for webnovels.

[sarahmassey998]

I have seen preview chapters in some novels...I think that might be the way to go for now or at least a good place to start.
You guys are great at brainstorming, my monsters send their hugs.

[Hazumirein]

I agree with the "it's personal preference" crowd, though I've heard that it's sometimes easier to keep your audience engaged if you just keep posting the sequel chapters in the same webnovel they're already subscribed to. If I ever get around to writing the second book in my trilogy (one day...) I'm probably just going to keep posting it as the same series and change the cover, since it's a direct sequel that picks up where the first one left off and it'll minimize the effort it takes for people to just keep reading.

[DiegoPalacios]

I recommend you to add the sequel to your current novel. People who read the first part would probably want to see the sequel anyway.

[amberberry]

You could try adding a few chapters of the sequel to your old story as an introduction to the sequel, and then plaster the link of it everywhere
"Read rest here"
Could even add to your story descriprition that the books are related if you haven't yet.