Know the difference between a serial and a series. If your story line & plot continue book to book and culminate in the last one, it’s a serial. This applies even if the stories can stand alone. A series comprises entirely independent stories but with the same characters. Examples include the Nancy Drew series (which were written by multiple authors under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene); Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, or Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series.

It’s too bad that these two terms are so similar, which makes them easier to confuse. Readers are often less than pleased to find out the book they’re reading doesn’t quite end, but carries on in another one, especially if it ends with a cliffhanger.