Box set before a series is finished?

[Cate M]

I have a series with four books at the moment, and eventually it will be five (and possibly six). I've never done a box set, but I've always wanted to do one, and I'm wondering if anyone here has done a box set for a series before the series was complete. (I was thinking of redoing the box set once the fifth book was finished and then bumping up the price a little.) What are your thoughts? Is it an acceptable practice to do a box set with what I have now? Or should I wait till it's all done? I can certainly wait, but it'll be a year or more before book 5 is done, and I'd like to do a set now.

[cecilia_writer]

I did one with the first 3 of a series of 6 - I am not 100% sure as it was a while ago but I think it was after I published the 4th. However that particular series divided neatly into two parts, with one set of characters starring in the first 3 and another set (related to the first lot) taking over in the next 3. So I almost felt as if it was two trilogies.

[OfficialEthanJ]

To the OP, it didn't stop George RR Martin... 

[Bill Hiatt]

It's hard to get Amazon to notify purchasers of a change like that, so the people who buy early probably won't get the revised box set when book 5 is added. Just something to think about.

(I don't have personal experience, but I've known people who added content rather than correcting an error, and in the cases I'm aware of, Amazon always went thumbs-down on that.)

[David VanDyke]

You need to define your purpose for even having a box set before you start creating things without any strategy.

If it's a first trilogy, is it to give the people a small discount? Medium discount? An irresistible discount and BookBub eligibility? Is it in KU and trying to get page reads over retail sales? Does it form a story arc that goes best into one volume?

One thing releasing a box set always does is to get a "new release" into the public eye, so that also needs to be taken into account for your strategy.

My main box set is the first trilogy in a 12-book series. It provides an irresistible discount, and I hope if people read 3 books they will be hooked and willing to pay for the rest of the series.

However, I've seen others get results with a "small discount" box set, for example 9.99 price that saves the reader a couple of dollars, especially if they are using a retail-PPC-ad strategy such as FB or AA ads.

In most cases, though, it's best to make the box set when the series is either finished, or is well under way, with new releases coming. It's ammo in your magazine that you don't want to fire off until it will be most effective.

[OfficialEthanJ]

You need to define your purpose for even having a box set before you start creating things without any strategy.

Timely. I am gearing up to release book 3 in an open-ended series, and my default assumption was, "Time to make box set numero uno," if only because apparently that's what everyone else does. I'm very glad you posted this, as I now have a better grasp of the *why* of it, not simply "that's just how it's done." I'm learning slowly not to do things "just" because other authors do it. Joy of diving in, then learning to swim!

[Cate M]

To the OP, it didn't stop George RR Martin... 

Hee. 

Thank you, cecilia_writer, OfficialEthanJ, Bill Hiatt, and David VanDyke. And I have to echo OEJ here--I was just going to do a box set because it seemed like everyone was doing one. I had put zero thought into strategy. Thank you for all the great comments! Thank you, Bill, for the note about Amazon notifications about updates (great point),  and thank you, David, for your excellent analysis. I'm going to consider what I really want to accomplish now instead of just jumping in.

[OfficialEthanJ]

FWIW, I wasn't totally sheeple-ing... I'd like to release some sort of special edition set (like they do with DVDs) but specifically involving paperbacks. Maybe for a giveaway? I'm still mulling. (No rush.)

[Bill Hiatt]

FWIW, I wasn't totally sheeple-ing... I'd like to release some sort of special edition set (like they do with DVDs) but specifically involving paperbacks. Maybe for a giveaway? I'm still mulling. (No rush.)

It's a pity there's no way to make a physical box set. That might be an interesting way to sell paperbacks or use them as promotional items.

The other thing worth mentioning with ebook box sets is that I've heard they can sometimes cannibalize the sale of your earlier volumes, though anecdotal evidence suggests that may not always be the case. I've always wanted a way for authors to offer a series at a discount. That way you'd get the promotional benefits of a box set without having it be a competing product. I doubt Amazon will ever do that, but it's nice to dream sometimes.

[OfficialEthanJ]

It's a pity there's no way to make a physical box set. That might be an interesting way to sell paperbacks or use them as promotional items.

Isn't there? One possibility is to create a case (crate?) using wood, brass, etc. Of course, then we're getting into "gift for my dear, dear friends" or mega-premium product. Again, have to mull.

[Bill Hiatt]

It's a pity there's no way to make a physical box set. That might be an interesting way to sell paperbacks or use them as promotional items.

Isn't there? One possibility is to create a case (crate?) using wood, brass, etc. Of course, then we're getting into "gift for my dear, dear friends" or mega-premium product. Again, have to mull.

Well, yes, you could do the whole thing manually. In an ideal world, there'd be an automation for it. The trads obviously mass-produce boxes when they do a box set. I guess Amazon doesn't figure enough would sell to let us do that, probably the same reason KDP Print doesn't do hardcover.

[David VanDyke]

You need to define your purpose for even having a box set before you start creating things without any strategy.

Timely. I am gearing up to release book 3 in an open-ended series, and my default assumption was, "Time to make box set numero uno," if only because apparently that's what everyone else does. I'm very glad you posted this, as I now have a better grasp of the *why* of it, not simply "that's just how it's done." I'm learning slowly not to do things "just" because other authors do it. Joy of diving in, then learning to swim!

I also see authors making box sets out of their books as soon as they can, mostly KU authors who seem to be chasing the low-hanging page reads by pricing a box set at 99c. If they can get into bonus territory by doing that, I can see the reasoning, but if not, I think that's burning capital. I think a lot of them do it because they get desperate and panicky to keep their momentum going.

The purpose of a cheap box set should be primarily to gain new fans, IMO, which means there needs to be something at retail price for the new fans to read, KU aside, otherwise some of the effect is wasted. Unlike with, say, beer, you can usually only sell a book once, so you don't want to undersell it. Plus, all the "perceived value" reasons for the long term.

Releasing a box set during a lull in your publishing, say when you've finished a series and are writing the first three of the next (intending to do a rapid launch), is good strategy IMO. It keeps a release in the public eye, and can give a shot in the arm to the last series before the next series brings you renewed discoverability.