Writing A Bestselling Series

Chapter 12: Audience Analysis Pays Off Big

My first fantasy novel took off in a way that I had hoped, and I suddenly found myself with a number of opportunities.

First, I was working hard on my second Runelords novel, and that was my priority, but with the success of Starcraft's Brood War (which is still played today in the final round of the world videogame championships in places like Korea and China), I suddenly had some opportunities to script games.

I'd written a Star Wars novel a couple of years earlier, and by doing so had become a "Star Wars Approved Author." At the time, Lucas Film had a policy that if a publisher wanted someone to write in the Star Wars universe, they needed to go to an author who was eligible. I got several calls from Dark Horse comics from editors who would ask if I would pen a series for them. Each time, I said, "I'd be happy to do it!" and I wouldn't hear from them for a month. Then I'd get a call from the next editor who had been hired, asking the same question. I never did get to write a comic for them.

But Scholastic contacted me and asked me to write a middle grade book for them. I wrote the first book inThe Jedi Academy series for them, but they were very keen to have me write some little gaming books for their "Star Wars Adventure Club," and they wanted someone who had some background in gaming design.

I turned in the first book in that little series, and my editor, David Levithan called and told me that "The managing editor just loved it. She thought it was the best thing we've published in thirty years."

I had no idea what a "managing editor" was, and I assumed that perhaps she was their line editor or some kind of project manager, and I was glad that she was pleased. I had no idea that she was the president of the company.

These books were very small—just short stories, really, with some alternate story lines. A kid would be able to read the opening to the story, then the story lines would split up and give alternate paths toward an ending. The reader could use a dice to roll and take different paths through the story. It was meant to be a game that a kid could play alone, perhaps while sitting through a long car ride. (And even though the game hasn't been around for fifteen years, I still get people who tell me how much they loved it.)

When I wrote the second little book in this series, David called again and said, "You know, our managing editor really loves what you're doing, and she has asked if you would be willing to look at some of our books and help decide which one to push big next year." Apparently, she knew that I was working as the lead judge for the Writers of the Future, and so she was interested to see how I could do at picking out talent. At the same time, Scholastic was coming up on a new fiscal year and was interested to see if they could launch a product big.

So she sent me two boxes of books. These were essentially boxes for holding oranges, and they held about 40 books between them, many of which were picture books.

My wife came into the room while I was opening the boxes and arranging books on the floors. She asked what I was doing, and I told her, and she wondered, "Why are you wasting time doing that?" She was right, I didn't have time to do it that day—I had a deadline for my next book for Scholastic.

However, I had quickly picked the top three books that looked as if they would make for a good franchise, and I wanted her opinion, so I asked her to read my top pick, Harry Potter.

Now, I had already come up with some criteria for what made a hit movie or story. The number one most important question is "How well does the book or movie transport you to another time or place?" A story that does it well will far outsell others of its kind. One that doesn't do it at all may be beautifully written on a dozen levels but will never hit truly epic sales.