How to Outline a Complete Book Series
Whether you’re planning a duology or a 12-book series, let’s break down the three types of novel series and how to outline each one.
Book series are fun.
Sure, standalone novels are great. But sometimes, they don’t quite hit the spot.
Often, writers like you may feel like your stories are far too big to be contained in just one book. Or maybe your existing readers are begging for adventure after adventure with your unforgettable cast of characters, especially that villain they just love to hate. And, of course, novel series are a wonderful way for writers to keep readers engaged and driving sales.
But as exciting as writing a series sounds, you might be wondering, How do I start? Outlining one book is hard enough. How am I going to outline multiple stories? And what’s supposed to happen on the pages of each individual book?
In this article, you’ll see how simple it is to break down each outlining step. Because once you know the fundamentals of outlining one story, you can apply the same frameworks to outlining multiple mini stories.
Let’s figure out what kind of series best suits your story and how to outline each one.
Types of Book Series
Independent
Interdependent
Dependent
Independent Book Series
An independent series is a multi-book series composed of the same cast of characters or character in self-contained books, not meant to be read in any particular order. These series are also referred to as episodic, static and procedural series.
Independent series examples include Hercule Poirot’s crime solving adventures in Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, the Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene, and Sherlock Holmes Series by Arthur Conan Doyle. The most popular genres for this series are middle grade and crime/mystery.
How to Outline an Independent Book Series
Create a compelling and consistent main character
The most important characterization of independent series is that the recurring protagonist is the main draw. Which means they need to be compelling enough to anchor the entire series. Readers will either love them or hate them (or a mix of both), but regardless, they’ll keep returning to see what new shenanigans your leading character will get into next.
Your protagonist will also need to be relatively static. Same general personality. Same general role. Readers of independent series crave consistency with a reliable character or cast of characters to embark on similar plot explorations with every new series development. That’s why consistency makes this type of book series a great fit for recurring crime and mystery novels. This means if your band of characters are sleuths in the first novel, that’s what they’ll do for the next ten novels to follow. Readers will be disappointed and confused if your characters suddenly decide to form a matchmaking business in the eleventh installment.
But your character doesn’t have to be completely static. In fact, readers enjoy being rewarded for sticking around so long with a gift from the writer: subtle “Easter eggs”. These eggs are narrative ties between one novel and another, like a small character arc or an ongoing relationship with a new character. For example, your protagonist might take two books to figure out they’ve fallen in love with their new detective partner. These eggs won’t affect the order in which your audience can enjoy reading each book because they’re a bonus, not something they need to know to understand each book’s individual plot. They are just enough of a tie to charm readers and, again, reward them for reading so many books within your series.
For a more detailed example of Easter eggs, let’s look at The Haunting of Venice film based on Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party, in which the clever detective Hercule Poirot is our constant main character. However, the movies delve away from the books in terms of Poirot’s character and backstory, adding in more depth. Why? Perhaps because the filmmakers realized how much today’s viewers appreciate character detail and motivation. In the film, Poirot’s duty is to solve the mystery, which he does rather entertainingly. But at the same time, he’s experiencing small character shifts and revealing layers of his backstory. For instance, at the start of the story, Poirot declares himself on vacation and refuses to consult with desperate townspeople in need of his one-of-a-kind sleuthing skills. By the end of the story, the mystery he solved influences him to change his mind and he welcomes a new case, thus cutting his vacation short. In a second example, throughout the movie series of Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and now A Haunting in Venice, viewers discover bits and pieces of Poirot’s backstory: he had a first love and wife named Katherine who died on a train. These small backstory reveals begin to explain why Poirot feels so much guilt over her death, why he shuts himself off to love and immerses himself so deeply in his work; and why he has no faith in either god or the supernatural.
So, while your main character might not have a significant arc of change over the series at large, these static characters can have aspects of their identity gradually stripped back as readers progress from book to book.
Compose a detailed character sheet with the following details:
Who is your protagonist / protagonists?
Where are they from? Where do they live now?
What experiences and beliefs have informed the person they are today?
What makes them unique?
How do they respond to conflict? Fear? Love? Making mistakes?
What kind of conflict do they chase after (or find themselves in) with each book?
Who are their supporting characters, if any?
Plot each book individually
Once you have a character strong enough to build your series around, you’re ready to compose plots that bring out your protagonist’s unique traits and gradually reveal hidden parts of their backstory.
Each plot is self-contained to its own novel. That means the inciting incident will begin in that novel and carry out into a resolution in that same novel. And while each book will have a new plot, the plot formula will repeat. In other words, the protagonist’s motivation and the story’s genre won’t change, just the new conflict. If you have a teenager sleuth seeking justice in Book 1, you’ll repeat the same thing in Book 2. Just with a fresh new plot.
Brainstorm all the wonderful ways your character will face conflict within each story. During the brainstorm phase, you can be as imaginative as you’d like. Don’t self-edit in this phase—you can sort through and select the best ideas after. Consider:
What elements will I keep the same in each book, and what will I change?
Will I always use the same location, or will I use a different location each time?
What will each new conflict help me reveal about my main characters?
Where are good spots to slip in Easter eggs?
What general plot formula is the best for my series?
Determine a timeline of events
That last step is taking your character and various plotlines and assembling them into a loose timeline of events. While you do not need to release each novel in chronological order of your protagonist’s life, you’ll need an understanding of passed time. Because if your series has overarching character development or subtle storylines that progress from one book to another, reading the books in publication order might offer a more comprehensive view of the characters' growth or relationships, even though the main mysteries are self-contained.
When does your series have to end? Whenever you want. You can write as many books as you think your character has to tell. And while your characters can age as Hercule Poirot does from each story to story, they can remain ageless like Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang.
Create a timeline and place each book on that timeline in a general order that works best for your story. Consider:
When does each backstory event occur?
How old is each member in my cast of characters?
Will they age as the series moves forward?
Will the series cover a year of their life? A decade? Longer?
If I am going to reveal certain Easter eggs, what does the correct order of books need to be?
Interdependent Book Series
An interdependent series is a multi-book series composed of a cast of characters in self-contained books (or self-contained dependent series) not necessarily meant to be read in any particular order. Just like episodic series, readers can pick up any book (or self-contained dependent series) in any order. As long as everything is occurring under the same umbrella universe, theme, and genre, then each book can portray a different protagonist, era in time, or antagonist. This series type is also referred to as an interlinking or anthology series.
Interdependent series examples include the various Tortall Series by Tamora Pierce, including The Immortals Series, Song of the Lioness Series, Protector of the Small Series, and The Circle of Magic Series where each series follows one protagonist or set of protagonists in different areas and eras of the Tortall world.
Other examples include The Giver Series by Lois Lowry, the Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn, and The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. Each series explores a new protagonist (though they may feature some of the same characters as other books), while remaining under the same thematic throughlines, unique worldbuilding and settings, or even family lineage.
How to Outline an Interdependent Book Series
Define an immersive overarching world
Just like an independent series, your interdependent series won’t have an overarching storyline. It’s your unique world that will connect each book loosely together. Readers want to immerse themselves in your worldbuilding, using each new installment to explore the world with new characters, new conflicts and new storylines.
Create your series world and pay attention to consistency with each element. Consider:
What overarching themes will every book explore?
What is the overarching world that each of your books will take place in?
If your world has magic or a similar set of unique laws of physics, how do these elements function consistently throughout your world?
If your world is based in historical realism, how does each book connect to the overarching timeline of world events?
Who are the characters you’d like to explore?
Plot each book or mini-series individually
With an interdependent series, you have two options: you can write a standalone book within a series or a standalone series within a larger series.
To give an example of a series within a series, we can look to Cassandra Clare. Her entire universe is called the Shadowhunter Chronicles, yet she has several series within that universe. The Mortal Instruments series follows a young shadowhunter through modern-day New York City, while the Infernal Devices trilogy is set in the same universe but follows a new character in Victorian London. Both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices are dependent series, connected to one another through the overarching interdependent series Shadowhunter Chronicles.
Other examples of book series within larger series might include J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit, or Brandon Sanderson's works set in the Cosmere universe.
If you choose to write a series within a series, you need to learn how to outline both an interdependent and a dependent series (see the last series type).
Interdependent series are also a great fit for Easter eggs. Readers must be able to read the entire series out of order, but a few subtle nods from one book to the next could excite readers.
For example, in Lois Lowry’s Giver quartet the overarching tie between the books is thematic: all societies are controlled by oppressive dystopias. And each book features a separate plot with new characters. However, Lowry’s “eggs” are when some of the beloved characters reappear in the new books. For instance, in "Gathering Blue," there is a character named Matty who reappears as a significant character in the subsequent book, "Messenger." This connection creates a sense of continuity within the series by linking characters and events from one book to another.
To plot each book, dive deeper into each aspect of your world you’d like to explore. Make sure each book sticks to the “rules” you’ve created for your series at large. Consider:
Which characters, if any, will continue to feature in upcoming books?
What small elements, if any, do I want to plant as Easter eggs in my series?
How can you explore the overarching themes in new ways throughout each book?
If different from one book to another, what are the unique settings in each book within the overarching world you’ve established?
For each new conflict, which character or cast of characters are the best ones to tell this story?
Determine a timeline of events
If your story spans any signficant length of time, you’ll need to organize the order of events. For example, in The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett, his three books chronologically span a significant period of time, covering key historical events across the 20th century from the start of World War I all the way to the start of the Vietnam War. Each book loosely follows the descendants from the book before, while also introducing new characters for readers to follow.
Although independent series can theoretically go on forever, interdependent series are typically more grounded in time. The story isn’t glued to the same character each time, so you have room to explore either different physical corners of your universe in the same timeframe or the same physical location across various eras, or a combination of the two. In any case, a timeline is crucial for making sure each story you write adheres to your unique worldbuilding with it’s rooted history.
Consider:
When does each backstory event occur?
When do major political events happen that span portions of my world or the entirety of my world?
How old is each member in my cast of characters from one book to the next?
How many days, months, or years will my series span?
If I am going to reveal certain Easter eggs, what does the correct order of books need to be?
Dependent Book Series
A dependent series is a multi-book series (two or more books) following one overarching storyline through all volumes, meant to be read in order. Think of a dependent series as one large book split up into mini books, intentionally divided at just the right moments in order to keep readers hooked. This series is also referred to as serial or dynamic series.
Dependent series examples include the Game of Thrones Series by George R.R. Martin, the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, and Wintersong duology by S. Jae-Jones.
How to Outline a Dependent Book Series
Out of all three series types, dependent series involves the greatest amount of planning because they have the tightest points of connection between each book. Each book simply cannot exist without the context of the other. And readers are sticking around for a grand finale, which also means the series probably will not go on forever.
Define your protagonist and their character arc
Similar to an independent series, your series will follow a set character or cast of characters. However, your main characters, especially your protagonist, should be far more dynamic than the relatively static leading detectives like Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes. Dynamic characters will grow, improve, worsen, and ultimately change in a big way by the final book in your series.
For example, in the Twilight series, our protagonist Bella Swan changes significantly from Book 1 to Book 4 on several different levels. Physically, she transforms from a human to a vampire, and later she goes from being childless to becoming a parent. Emotionally, she falls in love with both Edward and Jacob. And ultimately, Bella becomes more assertive and plays a major role in developing her unique gifts to defeat the enemy. She also experiences smaller shifts, like gaining friends then losing touch with them then rebuilding those friendships once again.
Create a character sheet for your each of your main characters. For your primary protagonist, determine their overall character arc from series start to end. If you have several protagonists, create separate character sheets with their unique character arcs as well. Consider:
Who is your protagonist / protagonists?
Where are they from? Where do they live now?
What experiences and beliefs have informed the person they are today?
What do they want most in the world?
What is their biggest flaw or false belief?
Over the course of 2 or more books, how will the protagonist physically, mentally and emotionally develop to reach the end?
Establish your overarching plot
Unlike the other two series types, the main draw of a dependent series is the overarching plot. While each book within the series will have a mini-plot, they each build up to the final showdown of the overarching storyline. And that high-level plot won’t be resolved until the climax of the final book.
The good news about building mini stories within a larger story is that they’re all crafted with the exact same story building elements. Establish the foundational plot points first to get a clear idea of how the story starts and ends.
For example, in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, readers follow protagonist Katniss Evergreen through her first Hunger Games competition in Book 1, her second Hunger Games competition in Book 2, and her participation in the rebellion in Book 3. Here’s how the plot works on the highest level throughout all three books:
How does the series begin?
The series begins with a dystopian society known as Panem, where protagonist Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place in a deadly televised competition called the Hunger Games.
How does the series end?
The series ends with the overthrow of the oppressive Capitol, and Katniss Everdeen playing a pivotal role in the rebellion's success.
What will the final series climax be?
The final series climax involves a high-stakes battle in the Capitol, leading to the downfall of President Snow and the victory of the rebel forces.
Over the course of 2 or more books, how will the protagonist(s) develop to reach the end?
Over the course of the series, Katniss Everdeen evolves from a reluctant tribute into a symbol of rebellion and hope, facing personal challenges and sacrifices that shape her into a leader and catalyst for change.
Work with your character sheet, to plot the main events of your overarching story by establishing how it starts and ends. You can be as specific as you’d like, but at this point you only need a general direction. Consider:
How does your series begin?
How does your series end?
What will your final series climax be?
Over the course of 2 or more books, how will the protagonist(s) develop to reach the end?
Select the number of books you need to plot on a timeline
Remember that your dependent series cannot go on forever. Everything is building to a final climax, so you need to deliver a set number of books to expectant readers. While that number isn’t always set in stone, you’ll have a smoother planning process if you can pin down a general estimate. To determine how many books your series needs, consider how big the overarching plot is, how much time you can allot to writing the series, any deadlines your agent or editor may have for you, and how much life you can squeeze out of your story and its characters.
Once you have an idea of the book count, you might wonder how you could possibly decide what content should go into which books within the series. Yes, you’ve got the overall plot nailed down, but which parts go where?
Don’t worry. There are a few standard guidelines you can use for your series:
The inciting incident for the entire series will typically fall at the end of the first book during the climactic moment.
The midpoint of the series will often be the middle book of the series (or the middle books if there’s an odd number).
And, always, the third act for the entire series will fall in the climactic, super high stakes finale of the final book of the series.
Look for natural mini stories within your overarching story. For example, if your protagonists must complete a training in order to prepare for a final battle, separate each book into a year at the training academy. Just like Rebecca Yarros does in the first two books of the Empyrean series where protagonist Cadet Violet Sorrengail tries to survive both year one and year two of dragon riding school.
You can also use a repetitive plot structure, like J.K Rowling does with her first six books in the Harry Potter Series: Harry goes to school for the year, faces conflict from Voldemort and defeats him for now, repeat. Similarly, Suzanne Collins repeats the Hunger Games set-up in her first two books: Katniss prepares for the Hunger Games, she survives, repeat. In the end of both of these series, the protagonist and their team face the major antagonist in one final determinative battle at the height of the series’ intensity.
When it comes to breaking down the overarching series into each book, writer Jessica Brody uses the three-act structure to suggest possible series splits based on book count:
Plotting a duology:
Book 1 is Series Act 1 and Act 2A (up until the midpoint)
Book 2 is Series Act 2B and Act 3
Plotting a trilogy:
Book 1 is Series Act 1
Book 2 is Series Act 2
Book 3 is Series Act 3
Possible series beat sheet for a quartet:
Book 1 is Series Act 1
Book 2 is Series Act 2A (up until the midpoint
Book 3 is Series Act 2B
Book 4 is Series Act 3
Possible series beat for pentalogy:
Book 1 is Series Act 1
Book 2-3 is Series Act 2A (up until the midpoint
Book 4 is Series Act 2B
Book 5 is Series Act 3
For a series that’s greater than five books, you can model even-numbered series off the clear divisions of a quartet and duology. Similarly, you can model odd-numbered series off the more front-heavy Act 2A divisions like in a pentology.
Choose how many books in your series you’ll need and plot the foundational plot points on a timeline that works best for your story. Consider:
Which book will contain the series inciting incident?
Which book/s will span the second act of my series?
Which book will contain the series climax and resolution?
Define each book’s mini plot
Each book needs to build towards the final book in a big way, and each book needs to put the protagonist through a mini character arc until they complete their overarching character arc by the final book.
Don’t forget that each book should increase the intensity, as well. Be sure to keep the overall tone consistent by working under the same umbrella theme, planting foreshadowing and hints for the final installment of the series; and establishing the same mood.
Once again, let’s examine the foundational plot points of Suzanne Collins first novel in The Hunger Games series:
How does Book 1 begin?
The series begins in a dystopian world where protagonist Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the brutal Hunger Games to protect her sister, Prim, facing deadly challenges and forming unexpected alliances to survive.
How does Book 1 end?
The first book culminates with Katniss defying the Capitol's rules by threatening a double suicide with Peeta, her fellow tribute, forcing the Capitol to declare them joint victors of the Hunger Games.
What is the climax in Book 1?
The climax occurs during the final moments of the Hunger Games when Katniss and Peeta threaten a double suicide, challenging the Capitol's authority and forcing them to declare two winners instead of one.
Over the course Book 1, how does the protagonist develop to reach the end?
Throughout the book, Katniss evolves from a self-sufficient and protective individual focused on survival to someone who defies the Capitol's rules for the greater good, showing her willingness to challenge authority and inspire rebellion, setting the stage for the series' larger themes of resistance and revolution.
Something else to consider is how each book’s plot will bleed into the next book’s plot. Writers often accomplish this with cliffhangers. These are a great way to entice readers to gear up for the next installment, though it’s important that any cliffhangers occur after the individual book’s resolution comes to an end.
Repeat the process you used to outline the overarching plot for each book’s mini plot. If you have multiple POV protagonists within each book, you’ll need an additional outline for each character.
How does your book begin?
What conflict will your protagonist face throughout the book?
What will your climax be?
How does your book end?
How will the main conflict in this book lead to the main conflict in the next book, and therefore propel readers into the next book in the series?
Pick a good title for your series and each book
Choosing a strong, resonant title for each book in a book series is important, because you want the series to feel cohesive with one naming structure. You can use your character’s name or plug-and-play different words related to the content of each book in a recurring naming formula. Check out some naming styles:
The Divergent Series by Veronica Ross: Divergent, Allegient, Insurgent
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, etc.
The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene: The Bungalow Mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Mystery at Lilac Inn, etc.
Your series title will most likely reference the core conflict, theme, or characters throughout your story. For example, the regency-era romance saga The Bridgerton Series is aptly named after the recurring stars’ shared family name.
Bonus tip for dependent writers
With each new book in your series, make sure you find the most interesting and timely ways to recap the previous book events. While we’ve established that these books are not standalones, readers should be able to navigate each new book in the series with enough context to make up for any details they’ve forgotten.
Closing Thoughts
And voila! No matter what kind of series you’re writing—independent, interdependent, or dependent—you now have a clear roadmap to outlining your dream novel series.
Need more help plotting your dependent series? Download my free resource to step-by-step outline your series whether you’ve got a duology, trilogy or twelve-book saga.