The short answer? Yes, although I don’t recommend it.
A few days ago, I published an announcement regarding the release of See You Soon, Afton, the second of four parts in The Afton Morrison Series, coming August 7.
Could you purchase and read book two without having read book one? I mean, let’s be honest here. Sure, you could. I’m not about to refuse your money.
In fact, here are some of the places you can buy it:
And the remaining two parts (books) are scheduled for release as follows:
- Nice Try, Afton (Book 3) · September 17, 2018
- Time’s Up, Afton (Book 4) · October 29, 2018
But if I were you, I’d spend the $3.99 to purchase book one, Go Home, Afton. Then, if you like it, move on to book two.
Here’s why.
It’s important to note the distinction between a series and a serial.
A series is…
…a set of books with the same main character or characters, with each book representing a self-contained story.
Whereas a serial is…
…a story told in several installments.
The Afton Morrison Series is, in fact, more of a serial than a series. It is intended to be read as one continuous story, with each part (book) building on the plot of the one previous.
It is for this reason that, later this year, I’ll be releasing The Afton Morrison Series: Books 1 2 3 & 4 as one complete collection.
See? I’ve even got a cover ready for it.
It’ll be available to purchase around the same time as book four, and I’ll be offering it in print, audio, and eBooks formats.
You might be asking yourself,
Why the heck would you release the four parts in serial format, then? Why not simply wait to release the entire thing at once, as one book with four parts?
Great question. The answer is based on simple economics.
The Afton Morrison Series: Books 1 2 3 & 4 will be close to 160,000 words, or roughly 530 pages, and that’s not counting the bonus short story I’ll be including. To purchase the four core eBooks individually, it would cost you…
$3.99 x 4 = $15.96
…close to $16.
But most (potential) readers don’t know me, and they aren’t familiar with my writing. They don’t know if they will like The Afton Morrison Series. And let’s be honest. Most of us already have a to-read list a country mile long.
So, despite positive reviews, a reader might be hesitant to invest $15.96 and several hours into checking out a lengthy title published by a relatively unknown indie author.
However, that same reader might be willing to invest $3.99 and a couple of hours into giving book one a shot. If the reader likes it, he or she can continue reading the series and, in total, collect all four books for less than $16. It’s a win for me, and it’s a win for the reader. After all, I’m releasing each of these four books only six weeks apart.
So, in closing, can the four Afton Morrison books be read out of order? Yes, they can. But there’s really no good reason to skip book one. Start there and then decide if you’d like to continue reading.
