If you read my novel THE WALK, I have a question for you…
But first, a little background for those of you who haven’t read it. The book has sold over 10,000 copies since I made it available for the Kindle back in June 2009. In the book, Los Angeles is flattened by an earthquake and a guy stuck downtown when it happens sets off to walk across a landscape of devastation to get back to his wife, who is at their home in the San Fernando Valley.
Okay, so here’s the question…
My wife thinks I should write a sequel, exclusively for the Kindle, to THE WALK, set over the same two days, except told from the wife’s point-of-view and revealing what she was going through while her husband made his journey.
What do you think? Would you be interested in reading that?
I haven’t read THE WALK (yet) so can’t common on whether a sequel is a good idea, but having those that want a sequel fund an ‘advance’ through something like Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/) seems like the sort of experiment that might be up your alley.
Since I enjoyed THE WALK, it’s hard to imagine that I wouldn’t like this one. It sounds like a fascinating idea.
I am in the middle of it and enjoying it. About the sequel: remember that all such novels should have a standalone quality; the second novel should make sense to a reader who has not read the first one. When I was editing fiction I had to remind authors of new series to make sure each title stands on its own.
I haven’t read the book. I was going to say the idea was a good one, but then I read RSW’s comment. I have to say he makes a good point.
Richard,
Don’t worry — I have a “standalone” idea for the book that wouldn’t require any prior knowledge of THE WALK at all. It’s about what happens in an upscale, gated community in the aftermath of a massive earthquake. A gated community is already something like a small town within a city…with it’s own government (the HOA), rules, social classes, politics, etc. Readers will “meet” Marty Slack in the sequel the same way they met his wife in the original: through flashbacks.
Lee
Yes.
I loved The Walk and think your wife’s idea is outstanding. Why aren’t you writing already? 🙂
Sounds like a fun idea. But also perhaps a bit risky.
Series books are common. Sequels, not so common. And I’d think buying a sequel would depend on reading the first.
On one hand, those who liked the first are a built in audience. On the other hand, you might lose potential readers who haven’t read the first.
But there is potentially a wider audience in a brand new novel, not related to anything else. Those who bought The Walk will buy it, and others will discover it.
That said, I’m going to do a sequel to The List, which has sold 21k copies on Kindle.
My advice would be to try it. Also try sequels to Dead Space and Iron On. Also try original thrillers and mysteries. Keep releasing ebooks until you have so damn many you’ll be rich.
That’s what I’m doing. 🙂
If this will pave the way to a sequel to IRON-ON BADGE, then I say Absolutely YEAH!
But, it won’t be a sequel. It will be an original novel from a different character. The reader never meets the wife in Walk. Except for a couple flashbacks where the wife has dialogue everything is from WhatsHisFace’s point of view. You could market it as either a sequel or an original.
Winston Graham’s second book in the Poldark series was entitled, “Demelza,” and she was the wife of the main character in the first book entitled, “Ross Poldark.” It worked great, so, in theory, your wife’s suggestion could work.
Winston Graham’s second book worked because the wife, Demelza, had the same goals as her husband, Ross Poldark. There was a ‘super-theme’ that all the characters connected to, with was, ‘how can we survive given the resources in land that we have?’
So an overarching theme might need to be worked out. Alternatively, it might be worth the effort to ask your wife, who must be very good-looking and very intelligent to get you thinking this way, to work out an outline of what the wife would be going through. Why is her story worth telling? Why should readers give her their attention? What are she and her husband working together toward?
Sounds like a great idea to me. I just finished THE WALK, and loved the book. I think the small, enclosed conclave would be an interesting contrast to the wide open spaces the husband had to travel.
~ Ron C.
Lee,
I’m new to your work, having been pointed to it by reading Mr. Konrath’s blog. I loved ‘The Walk’, and would definitely buy a sequel/other point of view version. In fact I’m in LA on business this week, and all I could think of while stuck in traffic on the freeways was ‘man I hope the big one doesn’t hit while I’m UNDER the I10 🙂
So I say go for it !
Don from Chicago