Does a Sequel Affect the Original?

When asked if there would be a sequel for E.T., Steven Spielberg said that he would never make it. He felt that a sequel would just degrade the original work. Spielberg has, of course, gone on to make many sequels of many of his movies, but still left E.T. as a standalone.

So what goes into the decision to create a sequel? I suppose the answer is both emotional and logical. I believe the decision comes from 1)the author’s intentions for the story, and 2) the potential business success.

Many insist that indie authors must write a series to be successful. The reasoning behind this is that a series of multiple books better establishes the author and makes him/her more visible to the public. However, I think that a blend of series and standalone books can best achieve this objective.

I’m curious to see what you think. Would you rather read a series or a standalone? Which Midnight Guardian series book is your favorite?

And speaking of sequels…Book 4 of the Midnight Guardian series, Shadows Rising, arrives this Fall. In the meantime, you can catch up on the series at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Smashwords, and other e-book and paperback retailers. (Excerpts)

Leave your comments below and check out these Young Adult Indie Carnival Authors to see Part II, Part III, Part IV, etc. of our sequel discussion…

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series 2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self 4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey 12. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 
13. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler 14. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
15. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy 16. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
17. Courtney Cole Writes 18. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
19. Ella James 20. Maureen Murrish