Last week we looked into episodic book series that focus on character, and now I want to turn to a lesser known series: anthology book series. I think these ones are largely overlooked, but they can be a lot of fun to write and read. Let’s dig into what they are, examples, and the key elements of anthology series. Then we’ll talk about how to plan one for success.
Anthology Book Series
An anthology book series is a collection of standalone books in one genre that occur in the same story world. They can be read in any order, but some benefit from being read in order if characters cross over books. These series are also sometimes called shared universe series or interconnected series.
Examples
Anthology book series are harder to find, but there are still some great examples. Stephen King writes some of his stories as an anthology series with them happening in the same world. If you look carefully, some books reference the same towns or people. The Bridgerton novels also are an anthology series. It follows one family, but each book is about one of the eight siblings as they look for love and happiness. Tracie Peterson’s Brides of Gallatin County series follows a family in historic Montana. Each book in the trilogy centers on one of the three sisters as they learn to live in the wild country. Any collection of books that happens in the same world but focuses on different characters is an anthology book series.
Key Elements
Now that we have an idea of what an anthology series is, let’s explore three key elements that appear in each one.
1. Versatile World
The biggest element in any anthology book series is a versatile world. Since several stories are set in the same place, the world needs to be big enough to hold all those stories. It also needs to be a well-developed and detailed world so readers feel like it’s a real place they want to spend time in book after book.
On top of that, the world is a fun and unique enough setting to draw readers’ attention. It has a “wow” factor. That can be a fantasy world, space, an iconic historical time period, or a setting most readers won’t have experience with like a ranch or city gang turfs. The more intriguing the setting, the more books the readers will want so they can explore the world.
2. Series Theme
Beyond just being in the same genre, anthology books also usually carry a similar theme that readers really enjoy. Stephen King’s books discuss fear, human condition, and good vs evil. The Bridgerton novels are all about pressures of family, the fear of ending up alone, and how love is a decision. These themes hold the series together and speaks to the hearts of readers who crave these topics.
While the themes of the series are the same, that doesn’t mean the lesson in each of the book is the same. It’s not preaching the same point over and over. If the overarching theme is forgiveness, book one can be on the importance of asking for forgiveness, book two is about forgiving yourself, and the third book is on how forgiving and forgetting isn’t the same thing. They cover the same theme, yet a different lesson is learned. Themes are broad topics that can be sectioned out into lessons and explored further in each book.
3. Easter Eggs
Most readers’ favorite part of anthology series are the Easter eggs. Easter eggs are little details (sometimes hidden for readers to discover) that show a connection with another story. Some characters may be in more than one book, one story can reference an event in another novel, or locations can be part of multiple plots. They are basically small details that make the reader think back to another story and reminisce.
Also, as humans we love everything to have meaning. We don’t want to have things happen for no reason so we love it when everything seems interconnected. If the climax of a book is the inciting incident of another event in a different book, the reader feels a little high of enjoyment that it’s connected. Plus, Easter eggs make readers want to re-read books for more hidden gems, helping solidify the story in their minds.
How To Plan The Series
As I said last week, there are three main parts to planning any series: plot, character, and setting. Let’s examine each one and how they apply to anthology book series.
Setting
As you probably guessed, setting is the most important part to planning an anthology series. Readers come to explore the world through different characters’ eyes so it needs to be well developed. I did a whole series on worldbuilding that you can check out for specific details. I suggest you set some time aside to plan out your world before you write your series. At least have a basic setting figured out and ideas on how you want to carry and interconnect parts of it throughout the series.
I’d also suggest really diving into how the society in the world works. Your plots and characters will be pushing against it in every book so complexity is key. You don’t want a society that your first book can break, and then have to reinvent the social rules for the next several books. Give it layers for your characters to explore and even battle against. You can also make it diverse so one book digs into the religious side of the world while another tackles the political side. Remember to broaden and deepen the world so it’s fun to explore for books to come.
Plot
Next, we have the plot. Because each novel is a standalone book, you need to make sure you have a tight plot to carry the story. It shares the same genre and theme as the other books, but it has to feel unique. What makes this book stand out from the others? How can you make this plot have echoes in other books or vice versa? What changes in the world will happen as a result of this novel’s plot? These are all small details that will make your series hold together as a whole and keep readers coming back.
If you are a discovery writer, you can always just write and go back later to draw links and ripples to the other books. Plot can be flexible since they are standalone stories. However, in the editing stage, make sure to add Easter eggs and ties to the other books in the series, or you’ll miss out on a great selling aspect of anthology series.
Character
The last part to plan for an anthology series is characters. One strategy is to create new characters every book, like Stephen King does. You don’t have to make the characters so complex that way, and you won’t have to keep track of everything you said to keep things consistent. However, that doesn’t mean the characters aren’t important. As I always say, readers come for the plot or setting, but they stay for the characters. Make sure everyone in the book is well-developed.
Another strategy is to carry characters over from one book to another to make your planning easier. Each book should be from a different point of view character, but you can keep the protagonist from book one in book two as a side character. Likewise, you can take a side character from book one and make her the protagonist in book two. This means you’ll already have a base for character development for book two. More depth may be needed to fully flesh her out as a protagonist, but you won’t have to start from scratch. Reusing characters saves you time, especially if you want to release books quicker. It also is a selling point to get readers to buy the next book, if they liked a character in book one and want to see that POV in book two. It’s all up to you and what you think works best for your writing process.
Final Thoughts
Anthology book series are fun if you like worldbuilding or researching specific settings or time periods. These series also give you a chance to be formulaic or completely creative with each book. You can write a romance story with the same ensemble cast (just rotating POV characters), or you can write horror stories with a new cast each time. It’s all up to you! Plus, it’s really fun for authors to hide Easter eggs from one story in another novel for readers to discover. If, however, you don’t feel like this is a series type you’re compelled to write, hold on for one more week. Next time, I’ll be discussing the final type of book series writers can use to enthrall their readers.
Thanks for reading!
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