making the 2nd or later book in a series free

hobnail · 04-21-2025, 05:02 PM

(Note that this "series problem" I'm describing is probably only relevant with litrpg and fantasy; see my post further below.)

I check ereaderiq.com almost every day for free books and have many books from that. I'm a person who can usually tell if a book is a dud after a few chapters so then I stop reading it and mark it as finished and move to the next one in the queue.

One of the things that has always puzzled me is when authors make the 2nd or later book in a series free and the 1st one hasn't been made free. If I were a writer I'd make the 1st book free. When authors make the 1st book free and I like that book then I'll buy the 2nd book, and if it still holds up, the 3rd book. (Invariably the genre I mostly read, litrpg, has well over 10 books in a series, with no end in sight, and it's rare that I've finished a series when it does have a final book.)

Why do you think authors do that? Do they think it'll make you buy the first book? I never read a series out of order so I'm certainly not going to start with the 2nd book.

Sirtel · 04-21-2025, 06:01 PM

I think it's weird. I also never read any series out of order.

That said, I don't track freebies (I did for a couple of years when I started ereading, but most of them weren't particularly good and so I stopped doing it) so if the book was free for only a short time, I wouldn't notice.

issybird · 04-21-2025, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobnail

Why do you think authors do that? Do they think it'll make you buy the first book? I never read a series out of order so I'm certainly not going to start with the 2nd book.

I think the easiest and likeliest explanation is that the second book is significantly better than the first, serving as a much stronger hook to the series. If -- as you've admitted you do -- readers are too prone to abandon a first book in a series and move on, or even finish it but give up, that's the end of that. A lot of people jump on anything free and I assume many give it a try even if it isn't the first in series.

I've posted about this elsewhere here, but the popular series I haven't pursued because IMO the first book was lousy are legion. I assume the series got better, but one and done is my MO.

I think freebies are fully priced at that.

hobnail · 04-21-2025, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I think the easiest and likeliest explanation is that the second book is significantly better than the first, serving as a much stronger hook to the series. ...

I've never experienced that. For me with many the first book is the best and if I'm lucky the second maintains my interest. And I've come to not regret having ditched the rest of the series since I enjoyed at least one of its books.

DNSB · 04-21-2025, 10:30 PM

I've read some series where the quality of the books has remained high through the series but for the most part, the first and second books are generally the best and the quality heads downwards on subsequent books.

theducks · 04-22-2025, 08:29 AM

I've read some series (also, the Authors beginning works) where the first book had (with later books) continuity/plot issues

Later books, they found their writing/story stride.
But on the whole, I agree with @hobnail, Some drag series releases on way too long past the first few. (And there are some that are the Eveready Bunny of Series. )

DiapDealer · 04-22-2025, 09:01 AM

I think authors should have to apply for a license to begin a for-publication series. Said license to be approved by a random (and anonymous) panel. One automatic disqualification would be a complete lack of published proof that the applicant has ever written a satisfying ending to anything. There also needs to be hard limit of 4 installments to a series.

I'm only half joking by the way. A lack of quality standalone books is why I've given up on reading most genre fiction these days.

JSWolf · 04-22-2025, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobnail

I check ereaderiq.com almost every day for free books and have many books from that. I'm a person who can usually tell if a book is a dud after a few chapters so then I stop reading it and mark it as finished and move to the next one in the queue.

One of the things that has always puzzled me is when authors make the 2nd or later book in a series free and the 1st one hasn't been made free. If I were a writer I'd make the 1st book free. When authors make the 1st book free and I like that book then I'll buy the 2nd book, and if it still holds up, the 3rd book. (Invariably the genre I mostly read, litrpg, has well over 10 books in a series, with no end in sight, and it's rare that I've finished a series when it does have a final book.)

Why do you think authors do that? Do they think it'll make you buy the first book? I never read a series out of order so I'm certainly not going to start with the 2nd book.

I've read some series where the first book was good enough to read the second book and then the 2nd book was a dud. You can't always tell if a series is going to be a dud just on the first book.

ownedbycats · 04-22-2025, 02:13 PM

Possibility i thought of, not sure if case, is book #2 was written first, then book #1 was written later and became first in series.

Apache · 04-22-2025, 04:53 PM

I have read series where the second was better than the first book.
Apache

cfrizz · 04-22-2025, 08:09 PM

My entire book collection is pretty much series books. I've have gotten freebie 2nd books and then gone back and gotten the first book, or sometimes I drop them all together. Most stories are stand alones within the series. I NEVER buy TBC books!

Sirtel · 04-22-2025, 09:10 PM

I love TBC books. One book is just too short to tell a proper story, IMO.

hobnail · 04-22-2025, 11:46 PM

With fantasy and litrpg what makes a first book good for me is the character and world building. In litrpg the main character is typically thrown into a world that they need to figure out in order to survive, a world with "the System," similar to an RPG computer game. The idea of litrpg sounded completely wonky to me but then I accidentally read one (first of the series) and thoroughly enjoyed it (Dragon Mage Saga) (I also enjoyed his Gods Game series which I read all of).

After the first book the main character is done figuring things out and then it becomes a grind where they have problems to solve, monsters to fight, etc. In some series the exploration and discovery continues into the second and subsequent books but invariably that stuff peters out after a few books.

I also seem to be an outlier in that I don't enjoy reading the battles and fights, which is typically a big part of litrpg. On the litrpg sub on reddit everyone there seems to enjoy the battles, which bore me to tears. I'll always remember how bored I was reading the big battles in the Lord of the Rings, probably 50 years ago.

I often also find the same thing true with regular fantasy series.

Note that this is all very different from thriller and mystery series where each book is designed to be standalone, so that you can pick any one of them up in the airport bookstore to read on your flight. I also belatedly realized that that is what JK Rowling was doing with the Harry Potter series.

Sirtel · 04-23-2025, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobnail

I also seem to be an outlier in that I don't enjoy reading the battles and fights, which is typically a big part of litrpg. On the litrpg sub on reddit everyone there seems to enjoy the battles, which bore me to tears. I'll always remember how bored I was reading the big battles in the Lord of the Rings, probably 50 years ago.

I often also find the same thing true with regular fantasy series.

Same for me.

I have quite a few litrpg books in my calibre library, but I have yet to read any of them.

hobnail · 04-23-2025, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Same for me.

I have quite a few litrpg books in my calibre library, but I have yet to read any of them.

Like any genre, it's hit or miss. If you want to list them I could point out which ones I read and liked.

04-22-2025, 09:01 AM	#7
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,892 Karma: 207182180 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I think authors should have to apply for a license to begin a for-publication series. Said license to be approved by a random (and anonymous) panel. One automatic disqualification would be a complete lack of published proof that the applicant has ever written a satisfying ending to anything. There also needs to be hard limit of 4 installments to a series. I'm only half joking by the way. A lack of quality standalone books is why I've given up on reading most genre fiction these days. Last edited by DiapDealer; 04-22-2025 at 09:04 AM.

04-22-2025, 11:46 PM	#13
hobnail Running with scissors Posts: 1,592 Karma: 14328510 Join Date: Nov 2019 Device: none	With fantasy and litrpg what makes a first book good for me is the character and world building. In litrpg the main character is typically thrown into a world that they need to figure out in order to survive, a world with "the System," similar to an RPG computer game. The idea of litrpg sounded completely wonky to me but then I accidentally read one (first of the series) and thoroughly enjoyed it (Dragon Mage Saga) (I also enjoyed his Gods Game series which I read all of). After the first book the main character is done figuring things out and then it becomes a grind where they have problems to solve, monsters to fight, etc. In some series the exploration and discovery continues into the second and subsequent books but invariably that stuff peters out after a few books. I also seem to be an outlier in that I don't enjoy reading the battles and fights, which is typically a big part of litrpg. On the litrpg sub on reddit everyone there seems to enjoy the battles, which bore me to tears. I'll always remember how bored I was reading the big battles in the Lord of the Rings, probably 50 years ago. I often also find the same thing true with regular fantasy series. Note that this is all very different from thriller and mystery series where each book is designed to be standalone, so that you can pick any one of them up in the airport bookstore to read on your flight. I also belatedly realized that that is what JK Rowling was doing with the Harry Potter series. Last edited by hobnail; 04-23-2025 at 12:04 AM.

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04-21-2025, 05:02 PM	#1
hobnail Running with scissors Posts: 1,592 Karma: 14328510 Join Date: Nov 2019 Device: none	making the 2nd or later book in a series free (Note that this "series problem" I'm describing is probably only relevant with litrpg and fantasy; see my post further below.) I check ereaderiq.com almost every day for free books and have many books from that. I'm a person who can usually tell if a book is a dud after a few chapters so then I stop reading it and mark it as finished and move to the next one in the queue. One of the things that has always puzzled me is when authors make the 2nd or later book in a series free and the 1st one hasn't been made free. If I were a writer I'd make the 1st book free. When authors make the 1st book free and I like that book then I'll buy the 2nd book, and if it still holds up, the 3rd book. (Invariably the genre I mostly read, litrpg, has well over 10 books in a series, with no end in sight, and it's rare that I've finished a series when it does have a final book.) Why do you think authors do that? Do they think it'll make you buy the first book? I never read a series out of order so I'm certainly not going to start with the 2nd book. Last edited by hobnail; 04-23-2025 at 12:30 AM.

04-21-2025, 06:01 PM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,999 Karma: 243829945 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	I think it's weird. I also never read any series out of order. That said, I don't track freebies (I did for a couple of years when I started ereading, but most of them weren't particularly good and so I stopped doing it) so if the book was free for only a short time, I wouldn't notice.

04-21-2025, 10:30 PM	#5
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 48,175 Karma: 174315444 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	I've read some series where the quality of the books has remained high through the series but for the most part, the first and second books are generally the best and the quality heads downwards on subsequent books.

04-22-2025, 08:29 AM	#6
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,268 Karma: 61916422 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I've read some series (also, the Authors beginning works) where the first book had (with later books) continuity/plot issues Later books, they found their writing/story stride. But on the whole, I agree with @hobnail, Some drag series releases on way too long past the first few. (And there are some that are the Eveready Bunny of Series. )

04-22-2025, 02:13 PM	#9
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,360 Karma: 79528341 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Possibility i thought of, not sure if case, is book #2 was written first, then book #1 was written later and became first in series.

04-22-2025, 04:53 PM	#10
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,306 Karma: 90981752 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	I have read series where the second was better than the first book. Apache

04-22-2025, 08:09 PM	#11
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,579 Karma: 36389706 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	My entire book collection is pretty much series books. I've have gotten freebie 2nd books and then gone back and gotten the first book, or sometimes I drop them all together. Most stories are stand alones within the series. I NEVER buy TBC books!

04-22-2025, 09:10 PM	#12
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,999 Karma: 243829945 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	I love TBC books. One book is just too short to tell a proper story, IMO.

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