For series writers, from book one on
Series Bible Template and Example
A series bible for novelists: what book one sets up, what book two pays off, and the facts every book must keep.
How it works
What is a book series bible?
A book series bible is the planning and continuity document for a series of novels. It records what book one sets up, where each setup pays off, and the details no later book can contradict. Mystery author Elizabeth Spann Craig says it's the trivia that trips her up1: one character's rimless glasses turned wire-rimmed somewhere in her series. She thinks readers who binge-read catch these slips most. Each entry in her series bible names the book it comes from.
Give book one its own question, answered by its last page, and a bigger one the series keeps open. Every setup it plants needs a destination: a later book, or a parking lot for ideas. Record each rule as readers saw it on the page, not as you planned it. Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's first law ties an author's ability to solve conflict with magic2 to how well the reader understands it. His Mistborn books leave a few exceptions unexplained until later books, and an exception planted on purpose is a promise too.
The template goes deep on books one and two only, since drafting book one often changes what comes after. Later books get only what you already know. Click Edit with AI to open it in River beside a filled example. Describe your series in the box above before you click, and River writes a first-pass plan for books one and two, keeping your names and plans. Keep one book's places in a story bible and full cast entries in a character bible.
How it works
From book one to a series that holds
Download it or open it in River
Get the blank series bible and the filled example as Word files, or click Edit with AI to open them in River.
Describe your series
Optional. Before you click, describe the series or paste your notes, then pick how many books: Two books, Trilogy, Open-ended or Connected standalones.
Check the first pass
River plans books one and two, records later books you describe and parks loose ideas. Change anything, then ask River to outline book one.
Update it after each book
When a book is final, add its new facts to the continuity log and move each running thread forward.
Book one sets up
- The sealed letterFound in Ruth's desk. Planted ch. 4.
- Kit's mother's trialThe date is set. Planted ch. 14.
Later books pay off
- The letterBook two: it's from her sister Grace, postmarked 2003.
- The verdictBook two: it splits Kit and Ruth.
What you'll get
What book one sets up and what book two pays off
- What book one must set up, and what it resolves
- What book two pays off, plus any later book you know
- The rules and facts every later book has to keep
Before and after
Your series in. Two books planned.
A detective who leaves the force solves one death per book in a Cornish harbor town, while the truth about her sister surfaces.
Book one's own story: who drowned the harbor master's son. Solved by the last page. The series question: what happened to Ruth's sister, Grace, in 1998? Promises planted: The sealed letter Ruth finds in her desk, paid off in book two. The date set for Kit's mother's trial, paid off in book two. Mrs. Penhale "saw the boat that night", parking lot. Book two: a body at the summer regatta. Pays off the letter. Changes for good: Kit moves out. What every book keeps: one death, solved by the end; Ruth's point of view; nothing graphic on the page.
Later books get only what you already know. Loose ideas wait in the parking lot.
What lands in your doc
What's in the series bible template
- The series in one line
What every book delivers, plus genre and readers, the series shape, and whether each book reads alone. - What book one must set up
Book one's own story, the series question it leaves open, its rules and the people later books need. - Promises planted
Each setup book one plants, the moment it's planted, and the book that pays it off. - What later books pay off
Book two's story, payoffs and lasting changes. Later books hold only what you know; ideas wait in a parking lot. - Running threads
Where each thread stands at the end of book one, then in books two and three. - What every book keeps
The series promise, tone, heat level, point of view, length and any shape that repeats, like one case per book. - Recurring cast and continuity log
Where recurring characters stand after book one, facts later books must respect by book and chapter, and open questions. - Example Series Bible: The Ruth Abara Mysteries
A filled example for an invented mystery series, from book one's setups to its continuity log.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What should a series bible include?
Anything a later book could contradict, plus what the series promises readers. Mystery author Elizabeth Spann Craig tracks setting details1 down to her town's population, plus characters' habits, looks and beliefs, and continuing subplots. Add each setup book one plants and where it pays off, the world's rules, and what every book keeps: tone, point of view, heat level and length.
When should I start a series bible?
Start it while you plan book one. Series author Sarra Cannon didn't start with one and regrets it3. She adds each book's facts once it is complete and ready to publish, since notes taken mid-draft can go stale. Elizabeth Spann Craig adds notes as she writes and updates her master document1 whenever edits change a detail. Either way, it should match the published book.
How much of a series should I plan before writing book one?
Enough to know what book one sets up and what book two pays off. Book one will change as you draft it, and detailed plans further out tend to change with it. Keep only what you already know about later books. Former agent Mary Kole warns unpublished writers4 against finishing a whole series before querying the first book or landing a contract for it.
Should book one of a series stand on its own?
Yes, especially if you'll query agents. Former agent Mary Kole says the first book should be a complete, stand-alone story4, with a satisfying ending even if more books are planned. Her warning: "Don't hold on to the good stuff for Book Six. You might never get there." Pitch it as a complete book with series potential; the query letter generator can help.
How is a book series bible different from a TV show bible?
A TV show bible starts as a pitch to sell a show; a book series bible keeps an author's own books consistent. StudioBinder, which sells film and TV production software, says writers pitch show bibles to network executives and production companies5. Once a show is picked up, its bible keeps growing. The novelist's version is usually private and tracks setups, payoffs and facts.
Is this series bible template free?
Yes. Both Word documents download with no account: the blank series bible and a filled example for an invented mystery series. Edit with AI opens the same files in River, which is free to start. There you can fill in the bible, share it or have River change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens the bible in River, beside the filled example. Describe your series before you click, and River writes a first pass: book one's story, the series question, planted promises, book two's plan and what every book keeps. Your names and plans stay, and River adds no plans past book two. Without a description, it offers to fill the bible in with you.
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