Series vs Standalone - what do you prefer? > Likes and Comments

Hi everyone -

Which is best in your opinion? A book that's the first in a series, or a book that's clearly standalone?

I've had some people argue that they want series because they consume a lot of urban fantasy and a single standalone book always leaves them frustrated because they want more and they're invested in the characters.

I've had others argue that designing a story arc as a series means the author stretches the narrative over too many pages, and it slows down the story beats and character arcs, which feels like they're trying to get more novels out of the same amount of story, and that's annoying. Just tell your story and move on.

Where do you stand?

Full disclosure: This is a very self-interested question, I should admit. I've just finished a 100k urban fantasy and while it was never designed to be the first in a series, I have enough open threads to pivot to a second novel with the same characters and in the same universe. While I obviously have another unrelated project on the go, I could return to this character and universe later, and I'm wondering if I should start to build out that story in my head or not.

I prefer a series. I can stand (tolerate really) a couple standalones that all take place in the same world but maybe the main character changes. I do not like a true standalone in any genre really. There just isn't enough space to have to true world building, plot development and character growth to get me invested otherwise. I also truly miss the characters and mourn the end of a good series like a bad hangover.