Why more authors should create a collection with their book series
It wasn’t until I had three books in a series that I considered creating a collection
In my book series, The Backup Superhero, I often had people working to catch up in order to read my latest release in the series.
I had already made several updates and changes to help readers along the way as they read each book.
Here is what I tried:
Numbering my books on the cover
Hierarchy charts at the end of each book
Descriptions of the superhero league levels and bad guys
A sneak peek at the next book
Despite all of this, each time I had a sale on later books in the series, they didn’t do as well as the first book because they had to play catch up.
This was when I decided to create a collection for the series.
I didn’t know where to start or how to put it all together.
After doing some research, it seemed easy enough. For ebooks, you place all the books into one file, separating the books by parts. The ebook version was simple and easy to create.
The paperback version, I’m admittedly still working on, but I did find this helpful website: How to Create & Publish a Box Set.
What are the benefits of creating a box set or book collection option?
Convenience: Readers who love the first book may decide to buy the collection and binge-read it. Or, a reader may see your reviews and decide to buy the box set right away.
Potential: This is a great item for potential giveaways and book signings. Having it available upfront saves the customers time and money, as you can often drop the price lower for the collection rather than each individual book.
Additional bonuses: Sometimes authors will use the box set to place bonuses or special content for readers who choose to purchase.
Creating a box set or collection presents great opportunities to authors and readers alike.
Having everything in one place can lend itself to present and future readers.
My suggestion for box sets or book collections would be to wait until you have at least 3 books in the series. Unless it is only a series containing two books. This eliminates too many choices for readers to obtain collections of your work.
Take the time and do the research and you will be surprised what you can come up with.