The more you can learn about what's available and how well it's doing, the better you' ll be able to figure out what that category needs. Perhaps you'll notice that there's a need for a large reference volume, or maybe a small, inexpensive guidebook. What I need is life's big instructions. The Big Book of Life's Instructions . Bookmark A series is two or more books linked by a brand-name identity, such as The Complete Idiot's Guides, or Goosebumps, or Nancy Drew.
Publishers are fond of series because they build awareness and momentum in the marketplace.
Writers also like them because it can mean steady work. Sometimes a series begins with a single book that sells so well that the audience and the publisher come looking for more. Cookbook author and editor Fran McCullough saw something missing from the diet book shelf. Here's another example of how this kind of observation can pay off. As a cigar smoker, Jennifer was keenly aware of all the cigar books on the market.