More than one

[Darlene]

I posted this question elsewhere, so I am assuming it was lost.
I am ready to pitch my books and in my quary, am wondering how I should name them.
There are three, one main character, and her P.O.V. running through all.
So...my question?...Is this a "Trilogy", "Saga", "Family Saga" or" Series".
Darlene

[Dan Coleman]

They probably won't be published but one at a time, if at all, so they'd be a series. If you're going the agent route, don't overwhelm one with three books at a time. Pitch your best or first ms., mentioning it's one of three. The last sentence in your above description would be fine; "There are three, one main character, and her point of view running through all." Somehow this should be in either the first sentence or two, or the last sentence.

I guess.

[I. J. Parker]

It really depends on the books. Were they written as a trilogy, that is, three consecutive novels about the same person/people and concluded in the third? Then it's a trilogy. You do need to market as a trilogy, though in a query synopsis, I'd give attention to the first and merely summarize in a general manner the rest. A saga tends to span generations of the same family. Everything else is most likely a series.

[Jon Loomis]

It's a trilogy if, at the end of three, you've finished a single extended plot. If each book has its own more-or-less unique plot not dependent on the others to make sense or feel complete, it's a series. It's a saga if it's a long, continuous story, and a family saga if it's a long, continuous story about a family.

[Dan Coleman]

Listen to I.J. and Jon on this, not me. They gave active experience with agency representation. I don't. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Unless, of course, you're allergic to salt, then take a substitute.

[Keith thomson]

With a query, what your target audience wants is a good novel. Even better is a such a novel that "has legs" or is "pool-able," i.e. can lead to a series. Sounds like that's what you're offering.

[Darlene]

Dan,
Thank you for your response.
Maybe a bit more information would be helpful.
My "series" is set in the mid-1800's centering around the war of 1812.
The main theme is the Paranormal.
Your comment raised some concern that maybe you feel a "series" in general is difficult to sell, or pitch.
The first of the series is finished and ready to pitch, the second is done except for final edit, and the third is 2/3 finished as soon as I tidy up the ending.
I understand they would not be published at the same time, but I also feel that a publisher be aware of what it is I am proposing.
I was simply asking what termonology should be used.
But now, you have me curious as to your opnion as to the entire intent.
Each book could, and would stand alone, but I wonder if one approach and description would be better than the other.
Respectively
Darlene

[Dan Coleman]

There you go. The second two aren't really ready for submission quite yet. Just pitch your first, completed novel, mentioning it is a stand-alone one, but with two others almost done to make a series. Don't go into detail about the second two. If an agent wants more, she'll ask. Shows you're planning ahead.

There is no problem here. You're doing the right thing. Just put yourself in the shoes of the agent. What would you want to know about someone you've never heard of, whose work you've never seen? You just want to know if she can write. Period. The synopsis and samples will show that. Don't overload an agent with your life's work on your initial approach.

[I. J. Parker]

Sounds like you have a series. I had four novels finished before I placed any book in my series. The publisher bought two of them. The downside is that they end up picking and choosing and destroy the continuity.

[Karen Dionne]

I've always heard agents say to pitch just one book at a time, but last week at an agents panel at my Backspace conference, I finally learned why. One agent said it was a definite turn-off for them when an author said in a query that they'd already written xxx number of books in the series because that left no room for editorial input. She said it's even possible that once the first book is sold, an editor might suggest the next books go in a different direction and those subsequent already-written books might have to be scrapped. It's fine after you get agent interest to tell them you see your novels as having series potential, but at the point of first contact, it's better to focus on just that first book.