Does Everyone Write Series?

Much of the marketing advice I read tells me how to strategically price the first book in a series. "Make the first book free, in order to hook readers on the second and third...and fiftieth."

Hello? My books are all standalones. 

There was time when book series were virtually unheard of. Readers appreciated a book for what it was, instead of constantly anticipating how the story would continue in Book 2.

I understand that certain genres lend themselves to continuing stories, particularly fantasy and sci fi, but I can't for the life of me imagine how I could take a main character from one of my women's fiction novels and continue her story. My books all have what one might call "an ending". Am I supposed to finish with "to be continued"? Plus, I'm a big fan of resolution. I spend many months writing a novel and dammit, the story needs to conclude!

Sure, there are detective novels that feature the same MC, but that place him/her in new circumstances. Or cozy mysteries akin to Murder, She Wrote. Again, not what I write.  

When it comes to marketing, not only are standalones at a disadvantage, but we standalone authors are basically told don't even try. 

Maybe the advice itself is the problem. Book marketing is tough impossible, but if one holds themself out as an expert, they can't simply tailor their advice to series authors. I've read everything I could find on marketing and none of it has been helpful or original. The best any of them can come up with is, "Offer your book for free". 

AI tells me that standalones succeed or fail by SEO; that is, tropes and keyword matches. (Tropes are basically keyword matches, whether they're listed in the blurb or the title or in those seven KDP fields we all get to fill out.) And that's it. Passive marketing.

Well, what if that doesn't work? 

Sure, it mentions things like ARCs, which can work at launch time, maybe, if you have 100 ARC readers. Or offer a free bonus scene or deleted chapter as a newsletter magnet. The problem with those magnets is, if no one finds my book, how are they going to find my "bonus scene"? My author site gets no visitors besides bots.

Side note: Deleted chapters/scenes were deleted for a reason.

One of my fans (okay, my only fan) suggested that I write a sequel. While I appreciate her enthusiasm, again, the story is done. I can't imagine putting Leah through more angst, just when she finally fights her way through it. For a second I toyed with the idea of writing a book featuring one of the supporting characters. Paula Barnes would be the only logical choice, but that would be akin to writing historical fiction, since it would need to start with her origin story, and I'm not up for all that research. Plus, where would the surprises be? My hypothetical readers of Running From Herself already know how her story turns out.  

I once tried running an Amazon ad, but I must have done it wrong. I keep reading about choosing keywords for it, but the interface I used didn't even offer that option. I was only presented with the opportunity to select "negative keywords", from which I picked romance (since the book isn't romance and I didn't want to deceive anyone). The good part (?) was that my ad cost me nothing, because I got zero clicks.

I'm not claiming that book series are an easy sell, but for marketing purposes, they definitely have an advantage. One can take a loss on book one by either giving it away or slapping a 99-cent sticker on it, in order to drive sales of the subsequent books. My road, unfortunately, stops at a dead end. 

But all is not lost. I sold one copy on July 21, and on the same day 643 Kindle Unlimited pages were read. I'll get a royalty check this month! $5.07!

If this posts reads as a complaint, it's not. I do wish someone knew how to market standalone books, but it all comes down to what an author is offering. Obviously, traditionally published standalones do fine, even in women's fiction. With just the right SEO and a boatload of luck, indie standalone novels could potentially sell, too.