Publishing companies take a page from Hollywood, and roll out sequels much faster

Hollywood actors know that sequels are generally awful. But they also know that they are some of the most profitable films to make. When the original is a hit, it's likely that the sequel will be too, making that genre too lucrative to pass up for actors and producers alike. The publishing industry works on the same model that film studios do: create a lot of product, see what the market likes, and get behind it with all the marketing muscle you have. One hit movie can pay for a handful of failures. So it goes with books: publish a lot of them and get behind the ones that sell. And when one book is a hit, create sequels that will sell too. Traditionally, however, it sometimes takes years for a writer to write a sequel to a book. And by that time the reading public may have moved on. But this model is changing and publishers are rushing out next novels as soon as five or six months later. Many publishers are starting to turn out books on this fast schedule in hopes of creating the next Harry Potter or Hunger Games franchise. Get ready for the age of rapid-fire book series.