Welcome to the Series Series. A project dedicated to the perpetrators of trilogies in three parts or more. That means the writers, the commissioning editors, the book sellers, and you the hungry masses.
As a lowly writer learning my craft I was taught about queries, especially about promising publishers that I was not sending them a mere one-off, but the first of a burgeoning franchise that would make us all rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Of course, publishing being what it is, with small mark-ups and smaller royalties, our wildest dreams involve eating in restaurants where you don't have to carry your own trays (and we don't mean drive-throughs).
Although a reader of science fiction (and trilogies), my love of series started young with The Swallow and Amazons books, and a fascination with anything that had the sequel scent; later I would discover prequels! I loved movies that picked up were previous ones left off, television series with story arcs where characters developed. Even my mum's Georgette Heyers had sequels, and joy! an trilogy where the third book was the sequel to another book again!
Large bodies of work also caught my eye, and ate of my time like some voracious thing. When author Lawrence Bloch introduced me to P. G. Wodehouse I began a life-long love affair with artistically-twisted English. P.G. probably prepared me for another serial-writer, the great Terry Pratchett.
So, in the months to come, we will be stealing an idea from Australian science fiction fan Jack Herman, and producing a series series. These will be essays and reading guides covering authors with a series, or body of work.
Readers of such authors are welcome to contact the editors about submitting series series entries for their favourite writers.
At the same time we have two other projects in progress. The Usual Questions began in 1994 when I decided that comparing apples to apples was the fairest way. Thus I began to ask writers, actors, puppeteers, and so on who I interviewed or encountered unprotected in public places the same eight questions. Where possible we have a photograph and an autograph on these pages.
Book pages are selected bibliographies for some of the writers we encounter. In particular we are trying to give you a recommended reading order, and may be introduce you to other works and new writers.
A lovely lady from Bell told me she went through our reviews and made a note of books to buy as gifts, and then set off to find an online store. Well, since the basis of the web is interlinking, we are bringing the stores to you, sort of. We are putting links on reviews, and on the book pages we create.
We're looking for participants as well as readers. Do you have a favourite author to whom you wish to introduce readers? A series that you think is worth of comment? Do you have information we are lacking?
Festivale Online Magazine Celebrate everything! www.festivale.info
ISSN 1328-8008
Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia disclaimers |
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Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 
Last updated: 31-Mar-2010