An extension from Chuck Sambuchino's blog

Guide to Literary Agents: "Thursday, June 18, 2009
Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket By Writing Only One Book
Posted by Chuck


At a recent writers' conference in New York, I was asked by someone in the audience to give my best pieces of advice. Thinking fast, I ended up throwing out four tips. One of those tips was 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.'

In my mind, if you have written only one novel or memoir, you are setting yourself up for disappointment."

************************************************************
I have to say, Chuck is so right on the money with this one, but I think I want to extend on this thought a bit.

I see a lot of authors putting all of their eggs into a single series and hoping for the best. This goes for both new and old authors. While this idea does sound appealing and yes, there are indeed successful authors doing this and yes, readers like to follow familes or lines, there is a limit. This line can only go so far.

This weekend I was at a swim meet and there was some 50's music playing. It got me thinking about HAPPY DAYS and then it got me thinking about how the show really died out in the end. Then it got me thinking about all of those other shows that were set in schools or a specific time period. (Where are you going to with this, Scott?) The point is, the show could only go so far before we got tired of it.

Think of it...

90210 - Hey they got out of college. What next?
HAPPY DAYS - Life around the Cunninghams just wasn't fun anymore as we watched Fonzie come home from work teaching at a high school?
The Wonder Years - Once we established the relationship, there was nothing left.
Cosby Show - Ugh, all of the kids are in school and gone. Nothing happening around the house.

The thing is, work with that series but know when you are planning to stop. At the same time, start thinking about new ideas and new directions to take your writing. No, this does not mean another series with the characters doing the same thing. Your reminder on this one? Joannie Loves Chachie horribly failed.

Scott