Today, we’re going to talk about literary universes—how they affect your marketing, how they can help, and how they can hurt. If you are a fiction writer, this episode may be very helpful. If you’re a nonfiction writer, there isn’t a whole lot here for you, but we have many other episodes you can check out. In the olden days, this was the Novel Marketing podcast exclusively for fiction. Now, we only do fiction episodes every once in a while.
Today’s episode comes from a listener question, and this question actually came in for one of our Patrons Only episodes. You may not know this, but we have a Patrons Only episode every month—a fifth episode that only patrons get—in which we answer listener questions exclusively. This month’s Q&A episode included topics like pre-order pricing strategies, how to find the right category for your book, how to get more traffic for your blog, how to get more Amazon reviews, and more.
How do you market a book in the same literary universe?
This particular question, which I did answer briefly in that episode, deserved a whole episode because it’s just that good. The question comes from Garrett Hudson, who asks, “Any special tips for marketing a companion novel to an existing series? It’s not a sequel, it’s not a prequel. It just shares a significant character with the books of an existing series, and the connection is not enough to make the volume part of the existing series on Amazon and the other platforms.”
Great question, Garrett! I want to dive into this because you’re tapping into a really hot trend right now in publishing—not only in indie publishing but in all of publishing, and even in movies and TV shows. When it’s in movies and TV, it’s called a cinematic universe, and when it’s in books, it’s called a literary universe. It’s a way of connecting books without them being sequels or prequels, or even necessarily happening in the same timeline.
Understanding Literary Universes
We can have the same stories happening simultaneously with different characters in different parts of your world. This is what Marvel does, what Star Wars does, and what Star Trek did for a long time. For example, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Voyager all existed in the same universe that Captain Kirk once flew in a generation previous.
This isn’t a new technique with books either—it goes back to the origins of sci-fi. Both Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, the grandfathers of modern sci-fi, had shared literary universes. Asimov’s books mostly took place in the same universe, and many of Heinlein’s books did as well—even if the stories were set tens of thousands of years apart. In the ’50s and ’60s, all Marvel comic books were connected. You never knew when Spider-Man might swing onto the page in the 1970s or 1980s, or when the X-Men would be fighting alongside (or even against) the Avengers.
This technique is powerful because each book becomes a promotion for the others. As readers fall in love with more and more of your characters and discover that those characters have their own series or comic books, they are likely to purchase all of those novels as well. This isn’t limited to sci-fi and fantasy—while those genres have been doing it longer, any genre can be connected in a literary universe. Horror might be a little tricky, depending on how many characters you kill off, but even there you can have survivors and a connected world. The world can be modern-day Chicago, for example, if you’re writing a modern-day romance or suspense story. It just has to have a shared universe where characters appear in different stories. Think of a character who is a main character in one story but makes a brief appearance in another, like how Frasier Crane in Cheers got his own TV show in a shared cinematic universe.
Pros and Cons of a Literary Universe
Pros
A literary universe makes selling subsequent books and series easier. If readers know that some of the characters from the series they just enjoyed will appear in a new series, they’re more likely to keep reading. As you build a library of books in the same universe, you create what I call “binge buyers”—readers who purchase several titles in bulk. For example, my sister got hooked on a series once I recommended it. She purchased several books at once and then eagerly anticipated a companion series.
A shared literary universe allows you to explore side characters. If there’s a quirky character who pops in and out of your main series, you can write an entire book or a short story to delve deeper into their adventures. In science fiction and fantasy, you only have to worldbuild once. After spending the effort to create an interesting and consistent world, there’s no reason to build another—you can tell more stories in the same world at different times or even in different places with some of the same characters.
Cons
That said, there are cons. The biggest con is the pressure on book number one to be amazing. Most authors’ first books often have mistakes because they’re still learning. If that first book, essentially the cornerstone of your literary universe—is weak, the entire universe suffers.
A literary universe can also be creatively restraining. You’re stuck with a certain set of characters and a particular world, which might frustrate some authors and limit the expectations of their readers. For instance, J.K. Rowling experienced this when her non-Harry Potter book, released under a pen name with a different tone, received mediocre reviews because readers craved more of her Wizarding World.
Another challenge is that duds are riskier in a series. If one book doesn’t work out, readers might abandon the rest of the series. And then there’s retroactive continuity—or retcons. Without careful planning, readers might notice inconsistencies. You see this in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, where continuity problems arise between The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Magician’s Nephew.
Writing Tips for a Successful Literary Universe
Use Continuity-Focused Beta Readers
Recruit beta readers who can focus on continuity. For example, if Sarah has red hair in book one and then appears later as blonde, make sure there’s an explanation—unless time has passed or there’s a justifiable plot device in place.
Create a Series Bible or Wiki
Create a “Bible” or a Wiki for your literary universe to track characters’ locations and plot lines. Some authors even make their wiki user-editable so that fans can contribute corrections and additional details.
Vary Plot Genres
Remember that just because all your books share a universe and characters, they don’t need to be of the same plot genre. Marvel is a great example: Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a spy thriller, Guardians of the Galaxy is a space opera, and Avengers Endgame is structured like a heist movie. Know your world and your readers to determine how much variation you can introduce.
Meaningful Connections
Make the connections between your books meaningful. Easter eggs that merely hint at a shared universe aren’t enough from a marketing perspective—you want to have shared characters or significant elements that genuinely draw readers in.
Short Stories as Connective Tissue
Write short stories as connective tissue. These can aid in worldbuilding and cross-promote your different series. Invite other authors to contribute short stories set in your universe to introduce their readers to your world and vice versa.
Marketing Your Literary Universe
Once you have your series and companion works ready, here are some strategies to leverage the shared universe for marketing success.
Name Your Universe
Create a name for your literary universe. This works best when the names of the individual series and novels are connected. For example, the Honor Harrington books are collectively known as the “Honorverse,” with many titles featuring the word “honor,” making the connection visually and contextually obvious.
Create a Dedicated Web Page
Dedicate an ending page on your website for your literary universe. Explain how the books connect, suggest a recommended reading order, and even use tools like My Book Table (which we originally developed) to tag and organize your books. Even if readers don’t follow the recommended order, it’s helpful to have a clear guide available for those who want it.
Consistent Cover Design
Book cover design is vital. Work with a higher-budget designer who can create consistent branding guidelines for the series. Whether it’s through a consistent design hierarchy or a logo (like the Marvel logo), your covers should immediately signal to the reader that these books exist within the same universe. Alternatively, you might use a specific pen name to denote your literary universe, similar to how J.F. Penn is used for fiction while Joanna Penn is used for non-fiction.
Build Anticipation
One common pitfall is releasing all the books at once. Instead, adopt a release strategy that allows anticipation to build—like Disney Plus’s weekly episodic releases rather than binge drops. This approach can keep readers engaged over a longer period without diminishing excitement.
Use Price Pulsing
Use aggressive price pulsing before launching a new book, especially a signature title in your universe. For instance, with a popular series like Ender’s Game (with its various offshoots), temporarily lowering the price of the original can attract new readers who are then more likely to continue exploring the series. Check out our episode on How to Use Price Pulsing to Supercharge Your Backlist Sales
Use a Wiki as a Marketing Tool
Consider a user-editable wiki, not only for managing internal continuity but also as a marketing tool. You can allow readers to edit your wiki, which will help facilitate engagement.
Collaborate with Other Authors
Collaborate with other authors who write in the same universe. Crossovers can introduce your work to new readers and create a situation where collaborating authors mutually benefit from increased exposure.
Optimize the Backmatter
Finally, make the back matter work for you. Include links (for Kindle users, for example) to the Amazon pages of subsequent books, a summary of how the books and series connect in your universe, and recommended reading orders. This applies even to audiobooks, where the narrator can read the back matter content. Making it easy for readers to follow the universe will help convert interest into sales. Check out our episode on How to Use Your Book’s Back Matter to Sell More Books.
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