This is something I've really been curious about for quite awhile.
Is there such a thing as 'sophomore slump' for books? When a new, never published before, author gets a contract for a trilogy or series, is this a good thing?
I know that personally, in my own reading, the outcome is surely mixed. I've read new authors books that I love the first in the series, but cannot stand the second. The opposite has happened too, when I read the first book, I almost didn't continue the series, but when I read the second book it is so much better than the first. Other times, the books are very consistent - leaving me with the same feelings of like/dislike after each book.
I know what they say in the music industry, about how you have your whole life to write the songs on your first album, but you only have eleven months to write the songs on your second album. I cannot help but wonder, does it work the same for books and authors?
Some people work better under a deadline, so are those the authors whose second book turns out better than the first? What about non-series books? Do you think they still follow the same pattern? Is the reason you always hear more rave-reviews for the next books in a series because the people that didn't like the first quite reading - or do they really get better?
What kind of experience have you had with the second books from new authors? I'd love you hear your thoughts.
