Lately, more and more fantasy books I've seen are part of a trilogy. Is this because readers like it, or is it a cynical plot by publishers to draw out the story longer, so they can make more money? :D
I'm worried if I follow the market, I may be forced to unnecessarily drag out the book, in the way many fantasy books are. On the other hand, by not doing so, I may be ignoring an important genre expectation.
My question is: As a writer, should I plot my book so it follows the trilogy structure?
Answer
Hell no! You do not have to do it and there is no need to do it. And I am writing a fantasy trilogy ;)
There are a lot of fantasy series which are longer than just three books. If you have a series in mind, plot it, write your first book and see how it sells. If you don't, don't.
The advantage for the reader is, that he knows how many book will come when choosing to read a trilogy. Some series do not mention how many books shall come. Which sounds like (and often is) milking the reader as long as possible. These series often end someday because of quality problems, not because of a well plotted story.
If you plotted a single book, go for it, don't try to make it bigger as needed to follow an arbitrary structure. People won't think you are the next Tolkien just because you write a trilogy. I often read carefully before buying a book to find out if it is part of a series. Then I refuse to buy it. I do not want to start yet another series. I'm reading too many.
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