I’ve realized that every single book I have purchased in the last decade has been a sequel.

I recently read Hyperion by Dan Simmons, which was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, the book ends on a cliffhanger that cuts the story off right before the moment that the whole plot has been building up to. So of course, I check the library for the second book, Fall of Hyperion, and there's 40 holds in line before me. I didn't want to wait a month to keep reading, so I just bought a copy of Fall of Hyperion. The clerk at the bookstore mentioned to me that I was buying the second book and should get the first one instead. I told her that I'd already read the first book and usually start new series by checking them out at the library.

After saying that out loud, I found myself curious when the last time I bought a first book was and couldn't recall. I went through all the books I own, and realized my collection doesn't just have a lot of sequels where I don't own the first book, but that's literally all of them!

I've always heard that in publishing the sequels make more money, but I never really made the connection between this and my purchase habits until right now. I've always thought one of the problems with art in the modern day is that publishers favor safe investments in sequels over taking risks on new ideas. Thankfully, novels are not nearly as bad about this as Hollywood is with film. Yet here I am, a guy who purportedly dislikes sequelitis, but I also only ever buy sequels.

I always check the first book out from the library, and if there are a lot of holds I'm willing to just wait a few weeks. A new book may have interesting concepts or friend recommendations to catch my interest, but the reality is I'm not going to get invested in the story until I start reading. Then once I'm invested in the story, my willingness to wait is gone. My book collection is actually full of several series where I own all the books but the first one! It turns out I am the problem after all!

My thought process is exactly the same as the publishers', too – I don't want to risk spending my money on a book that I end up not liking. Once I've enjoyed the first book, I am confident I will enjoy the second. I feel much more motivated to continue a series than to start a new one.

Anyway, in 2025 I want to buy some first books. I want to start on series that aren't finished yet, despite the fact that I usually avoid that. Newer authors who are just getting started need the financial support more than the well-established ones, and I am not supporting them. I always try to be mindful of my purchase habits, and I want the money I spend on books to help the authors who need it.