Discussion: Series or Standalone?

Series are popular for authors and publishers, every genre book that’s released lately seems to be part of a series.  But what do readers prefer?

For me, it depends on the type of book.  When it comes to adult fantasy, the longer the series the better.  I’m currently working my way through Wheel of Time – and have been for the past 6 years, 14 books and a prequel! – and am loving every step in the world.  You get such great detail on character’s clothing, food, cultures, and the diverse world’s cities when the author doesn’t need to reign it in for a standalone book.  A Song of Ice and Fire, the series that the TV show Game of Thrones is based on, is also a great long series.  You may notice something that these two series have in common – they take an absolute age to write.  The wait between books for authors like Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin is legendary.  Even writers like Brandon Sanderson, who puts out books at an alarming rate, can only produce a book in his Stormlight Archives series every 2-3 years.  I like my fantasy books chunky and lengthy, and for me it’s worth the wait.  But that’s not the case for every reader.

When it comes to YA, science fiction, or almost any other genre, I really do prefer the standalone.  I like a self-contained, well-written book.  If it must be a series, I much prefer a duology or a trilogy at most.  Why?  I’m not really sure.  I’m reading The Expanse, which currently sits at six books with at least three more coming.  It’s a great sci-fi series, but for some reason I’m not loving that it’s so long.  The mind of a reader is a strange thing.

So, dear reader.  What do you prefer?  Do you like immersing yourself in a long series, or do you prefer a standalone novel?  Do you like trilogies or sprawling, 10+ book epics? Are you one of the faithful who is willing to wait years between books in order to get your hands on the next part of the story?  Let me know!