A Question Regarding Sequels When Writing the First Book.

[RodimusGT]

So I've heard both sides of the story. I'm planning a series, that could span a few books to a few hundred(not really). I'm not finished with the first draft yet, but in thoughts of randomness last night I came up with the final chapter of the book following the events of the final confrontation. Looking on message boards I've seen people say that some publishers will be more interested in you if you have a planned series, because then you're showing them you don't plan on being a one hit wonder or something...

on the other hand...

I recently read that publishers may reject you if they know you wrote the first book as part of the series, because of the chance that they sign you on, spend money on releasing your book to the public, then it tanks and doesn't sell at all.

Soooooo with that in mind I wanted to get some insight from you. Which would you say holds more true?

If it's true publishers don't prefer series from the start, then I pose this question. At the end of my book, I wrap things up, the bad guy is beaten, and hero saves the day, but I also leave a lot of questions open, a couple of them not even appearing until the last couple chapters. Would that be acceptible? Or would I be safest closing all doors on the first book?

[OZ]

I would say, write the best story that you can write. I think in the end that will make more difference than whether you tie up every loose end. If its good enough, they should be happy that there are more stories coming. If it is a good enough story, your editor or agent can always tell you that they want you to tie off a few of the loose ends in a rewrite before it's published.

[jeno]

Make the first book as self contained as possible, with a definite beginning, middle and end. Then put in the sequel hooks. This way you can say to your agent/editor, "This is a stand alone novel with series potential."