Writer Wednesday: Series vs. Standalone

I think it's probably obvious that I'm a fan of series. Touch of Death is a series. Into the Fire, which will release in January, is the first in a series. Even my MG coming out next year is a series. But is only writing series the way to go?

I'd say no. Not all my books are series, and I have mixed feelings about that. It's tough to say goodbye to characters. I like getting to spend more time with them after the first book. But not all stories need more than one book to be told. Writing a series for the sake of writing a series is never a good idea. Tell the story that needs to be told in the amount of books necessary.

In the future, I'll have a standalone published, and I'll be interested to see if it sells better because it's a standalone. What do I mean? Well, unless book one is a major success, sequels don't seem to sell as well. There's not as much hype surrounding them. I get that, but it's also sad from a writer's perspective.

What are your thoughts? Do you prefer to read or write books in series or standalone novels?