Greetings! Today I’m coming at you with another question from an author who wants to know what readers think: what is YOUR ideal series length for Christian contemporary romance books?
I love writing in series. I’m pretty sure it was Narelle Atkins who first encouraged me to write books in series, and now I’m wholly committed to the cause. Series are great for so many reasons. As an author, it’s fun to stay in a story world you’ve created. Once you’ve established your setting and some primary characters / families / situations, it makes it a lot easier to revisit and write another book (or dozen) set there, as you don’t have to reimagine such things (which means you can write faster too!). As a reader, there’s a degree of comfort in revisiting a beloved setting with characters you’re looking forward to hanging out with again. Once you’ve come to ‘trust’ the author and their characters, you can know the next story in the series will likely have a similar tone and feel, so you’re more likely to want to go read the next book. Plus there’s the fun of seeing ‘what happened next’ to characters you care about. There’s a lot to be said for having books in a series.
I’ve now had four series as a historical author, and have made a point of linking my two standalone novellas to previous books, as part of providing some ‘what happened next’ for invested readers. And I’m finding it’s a similar thing as I expand in my contemporary writing, with cross pollination between several series, such as the Independence Islands series, the Trinity Lakes series, and the Northwest Ice series, all of which share some characters and background information. So Dermott Reilly, who has his own story in my second Independence Island book, Regaining Mercy, is the brother of Jackson, Ellie and Cooper, who star in their own books which are part of the Trinity Lakes series: Love Somebody Like You, Tangled Up in Love (out March 26), and Only You Can Love Me (out February 2025 – I’m planning ahead!). Dermott’s other brother (last one, promise) will get his own story in one of my Christian hockey romance books as part of the Northwest Ice series, when I write it one day. It certainly helps to have a large family so you can dip in and out of the fun of sibling dynamics and shared story world!
I found a similar thing when I wrote the Original Six hockey romance series. The main characters who were part of an online Bible study for Christian hockey players (based on a REAL group) each got their own story, so there were snippets along the way giving some clues for what kind of story you might expect, or not – like the quietest guy who ends up with the globally famous girlfriend. I’m finding the same thing with my new hockey romance series, and had a LOT of fun a month or two ago writing an upcoming book in the Northwest Ice series that sees the most hard-core macho guy in the group go on a Dancing with the Stars-type show. It made for some hilarious moments, which readers who have enjoyed the other books will definitely appreciate.
I realized when writing Fire and Ice, the first book in the Northwest Ice series, that there was another series begging to be written, about a ranch outside Calgary with its own movie set, which is also based on a real place. The hero of that first book has three sisters (hello, big family!) who will each get their own books in the Three Creek Ranch series that starts with next year’s release of A Cameo for a Cowgirl. Yee ha!
The last book in the Original Six series, Muskoka Blue, also spawned its own series, which truly was ‘accidental’ in that I didn’t really plan it, except I knew I had this great setting (in the Muskoka Lakes area of Ontario, Canada) and felt one book wasn’t enough to do it justice. So I rewrote a couple of older stories, including a Hallmark-type Christmas book which became Muskoka Christmas, and based it around a group of young women and their trials and tribulations on the way to finding love. The Muskoka Romance series is like a mix of the small town vibes of Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias but with Christian themes, and now has five books in it, including Muskoka Shores, Muskoka Christmas, Muskoka Hearts, Muskoka Spotlight, Muskoka Holiday Morsels and next year’s Muskoka Promise makes for book number six. I have tentative plans for more, and now I have readers who have loved the short stories in Muskoka Holiday Morsels asking for some of those characters to have their own ‘proper’ books too.
Which leads me back to my original question: how many books do you like to have in a series? Three? 5? 7? Don’t care? As tempting as it is to continue the Muskoka books forever, I do need to make time for writing other books (and maybe clean my house occasionally).
So let’s chat: what’s your ideal length for books in a series? What’s the most amount of books you’ve read in a series? What is the ‘glue’ that a series you’ve enjoyed has had that keeps it together? What are some of your favorite series – and why?
Lilly says
I don’t mind long series! Although I haven’t read that many, maximum series of four books. But I wouldn’t mind reading a huge generational saga.
What would be nice is for two solitary characters from two different sagas to end up pairing up in a book that unites both worlds! I don’t know how the character from a series set in a town in the mountains the loser boy from a love triangle (well maybe two…an unlucky boy always a competitor never a winner) and the best friend “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” from a saga set in the big city end up meeting each other when they each go on vacation on their own to a christian conference for singles on a tropical island haha That would be nice actually now that I think about it the story could be called “At the Right Time” because God’s timing is perfect.
Carolyn Miller says
Yes! I have plans for combining various of my series like that, which I think would be so fun, especially for those readers who have bought into various other books along the way.
Thanks so much for commenting!
Trudy says
I’ve read a series that at one point had 46 books (I read 43 and have those 43), and I’ve another set that has 9 books with the 10th coming out in April of 2024. I’m also reading one as the author writes it that will have a total of 26 books when she finishes it. The shortest series I’ve read is three, but that author actually carried parts of those books into other series, so it seemed like there were more in the series since she tied them all together. As long as the books stay interesting, I don’t mind at all how long they are! However, one author has done a series that I refuse to read any more of, as it’s all on one family, and now going to the kids of the ones in the earlier books, and I’m just done with that family.
Kris says
What’s your ideal length for books in a series?
Anywhere from 4-10. I love a series and especially when the characters are intertwined and make cameos. Three always feels like not enough.
What’s the most amount of books you’ve read in a series? 10 is my max. Unless they are novellas or relatively short books I am hesitant to make a comment to read any more than 10.
What is the ‘glue’ that a series you’ve enjoyed has had that keeps it together?
My favorite glue what you do already.
Connect them over something common. For Roseanne M White’s glue that was my fav was the characters worked in the same Code Breaker building. In Toni Shiloh books it was intertwining characters from The Maple Pit, and In Search of a Prince it was the princess and her BFF. I LOVED the original 6 for the connection over the 6 original hockey teams.
What are some of your favorite series – and why?
Doors to the Past series – Barbour publishing
The Codebreakers by Roseanna M White
The Wedding Collection by Rachel Hauck
The Original 6 series
Each series is different on why I like them. Some of the are my favorite by theme, sometimes it by character, another novella series I liked was based on a matchmaking Island.
Alicia Haney says
Hi, to me it doesn’t matter how many books are in a series as long as I find out what happened to the characters that were in the first book, I love generations of families, growing up, I love it all. The longest series I have read was 7 books and they were pretty thick books and I loved it, now I will tell you I wish it would have gone on and on. Your book series sound like Great reads. Thank you for sharing about them. I love seeing the characters grow up and make their own lives. I really enjoyed reading your post. Have a great day and a great week.
RuthieH says
If I’m enjoying a series I don’t mind how many books, the more the better! I love it when you see what happens to characters from earlier books, it’s so hard to say goodbye to characters when you’ve really invested in their stories. I’m not sure what the longest series I’ve read is, maybe 8-10 books.
I suppose though there is a limit to how many books work – there’s a reasonable number of a family of siblings or group of friends or coworkers. I think thats where interlinking series like you describe works really well to vary things a bit but still allow revisiting favourite characters.
Carolyn Miller says
Ha! I can understand there reaches a point where you just don’t need more of the same family.
Thanks for sharing this. 46 books is a lot! Can I ask how long those books were? I feel like it’s a lot easier to write 46 books when they’re shorter than if everything’s 90k words +!
Carolyn Miller says
Nice! (Yay you for the Original Six! I hope you’ll check out the Northwest Ice series too)
I agree – I LOVE cameos from characters. It’s always fun to see what our ‘friends’ have been getting up to!
Thanks so much for commenting today – it’s really interesting going forward to know what readers think!
Carolyn Miller says
Thanks Alicia! Yes, it is fun reading about the next generation. I remember some Janette Oke and Lori Wick books that did that. So good to find out how they’re all doing – and that they did indeed live happily ever after’ – or near enough, anyway!
Carolyn Miller says
Yes, I agree Ruthie, that’s the challenge, isn’t it? Balancing new characters with getting enough good stuff on the ones you’ve already come to know and love.
Thanks for sharing!
Trudy says
Well, they’re all about the same, and the hardcovers have about 231 pages. One of the softcovers has 287. They’re the Tales of the Grace Chapel Inn series, and there are multiple authors that wrote the series. You can check them out on the Guideposts website. That’s where I got my list of 46, because I couldn’t find it anywhere else!
Carolyn Miller says
Nice! It definitely helps to have an intriguing premise. Thanks for sharing that!
Debra Pruss says
I do not think that question can have a cut and dried answer. I feel that as long as an author has a good story to tell in the series, the story should come first, not the number that book is in the series. I have read a cozy mystery that is 36-38 books in the series. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Carolyn Miller says
Good point, Debra. You’re right – a story (or series) should take as long as it needs to. I guess from my perspective it’s helpful to know how much readers are willing to stay invested in one series, especially when there are so many other books calling their name. Thanks for answering!
Ausjenny says
Longest would be Gilbert Morris’s House of Winslow 40 in the series I still have a few to go but do have the whole series.
He had a 9 book series i loved.
But mostly I would be 4 books. A few multi author ones have been longer but by book 5 or 6 I start to lose interest especially if too many have the same premise or one author pulls me out off the series I sometimes struggle to go to the next book. Some of the multi author ones tend to end up in sets just by the author and I have read a few off them after they were out of the series.
I then to find when there is a bigger break between books like 4 – 6 months and I like the series I am more likely to read them (Like Susan Page Davis’s mysteries 6 months apart) monthly I will probably drop out as I am not a fast reader some months I will read a book a week others I may not even read a book.
Denise Turner says
three!
Marina Costa says
I would say 4-6, but I have read more. Poldark series have 12 volumes, Karl May had written a lot more for his Western and for his Oriental series, Jalna is also 12+
Carolyn Miller says
There are so many factors to consider for authors. Thanks for sharing!
Carolyn Miller says
Thanks for commenting!
Carolyn Miller says
Thank you for your comment!
Kris says
Don’t worry, I’ve pre-ordered everyone that you have available.
Yes, exactly. Seeing what our friend are up to is the perfect way.
Carolyn Miller says
Haha! Well, Kris, I’m sending you a big hug right now – thank you! And happy reading! Xx
Dianne K says
I love standalone books and the series I enjoy are those that don’t depend on others in the series (they seem like each book is a chapter instead) but are related like yours. As a teen I read the Janet Evanovich (definitely not Christian based) and there are about 40 books in the series to date. Each one uses humour and conflict to keep the reader engaged. The number of books is irrelevant to me, but yours sound interesting and are now on the tbr. Thanks :)
Jennifer Arrington says
Three!
I find after that there’s too much back story in the narrative, and I read too much to keep track of all that ;)
I know I’m in the minority, though…