Everything about Bundled Books, Collections, Anthologies, or Co

Bundling books isn’t a new concept. Back in college, a LONG time ago, I subscribed to an Agatha Christie collection, getting three books in one binding every month. And back then, they were actual, physical books. Today’s bundles can still be found as physical books – like three-book collections from famous authors or an anthology of short stories from romance authors. But much more often, they are e-books. E-books are perfect for bundled books because there’s no worry about the book being too flimsy or the spine splitting in two.

You can find all sorts of book bundles, but they usually fall into three categories.

Multi-Author Anthologies or Collections According to Genre

These are often collections of novellas or short stories that are all in the same genre. There are all sorts of options. In fact, a couple of our Suspense Sisters are part of these.

Mary Alford has a 2-in-1 collection where her book AMISH COUNTRY KIDNAPPING is matched with author Katy Lee’s book, AMISH COUNTRY UNDERCOVER. You can find it at THIS LINK!

She has another 2-in-1 collection with author Alison Stone in the book AMISH COUNTRY HIDEOUT. Find the link to that book HERE.

And Patricia Bradley is part of a collection of twelve heartwarming Christmas stories. Though not suspense, they sound like a perfect set of books to enjoy with a warm cup of cocoa! You can find it HERE!

Single Author

This is where the classics often fall into place. I even have an e-book of the complete works of Jane Austen. Today’s authors are also jumping on board with these. I had such a great time last week indulging in one of these bundles.

I’ve been slowly but surely making my way through Christie Barritt’s Lantern Beach Universe. She has a number of multi-book series in this universe and all of them are so good. Last week, I made it through the four-book bundle of “Lantern Beach Blackout – The New Recruits” series. Each book picked up the story of one of the four team members and the women who entered their lives and changed the forever. And that little romance is only part of the exciting suspense and mystery series! Such a good read. Find it HERE!

Mary Alford also has dipped her toe in this type of collection. She has a six-book series called "Courage Under Fire." They are included in two different collections by the same name. The first is available HERE and includes books 1, 2, and 3. The second of books 4, 5, and 6 is HERE.

There are also book bundles from popular authors like HL Wegley, Alana Terry, and Margaret Daley.

Collaborations

This last type seems to be the most difficult to find. Sometimes, they aren’t exactly bundles but one book written by two or more authors. This type of book is the way I got my start as a published author with THE CHRISTMAS TREE TREASURE HUNT. Though the single story was written by nine different authors, it is described as "seamless." We were all shocked when it stayed at the top of the Amazon rankings for almost a month, catapulting all of the authors into the top 100 authors. For eight days, I was in the 48^th place, in front of Leo Tolstoy! Crazy! HERE is the link for THE CHRISTMAS TREE TREASURE HUNT. 

I’ve also seen very popular collaborations between suspense authors like GHOST HEART from “The Agents of Mercy” series by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry. The authors worked together on each of the four stories. You can find the link for GHOST HEART HERE.

There is also BEYOND THE SILENCE by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse. This team generally write historical romance, but this book seems to have suspense involved as well. Find it HERE.

I got to do another type of collaboration like that. In this one, seven different authors wrote a mystery or light suspense using the same central character. She was sort of like Jessica Fletcher. “The Visitor Mystery Series” follows the CEO of a charitable organization all over the country as she visits branches of her company and members of her family. “She doesn’t invite murder or mayhem to join her; they just sort of show up.” In this collaboration, each author wrote a separate book from the viewpoint of the family member embroiled in the trouble. You can find THE VISITOR MYSTERY SERIES BUNDLE at THIS LINK!

So have you ever read a book bundle? Which type would you like the most:  a collection based on genre by many authors, a single author collection of a series, or a collaboration in one book or series by many authors?

I’m giving one e-copy of THE VISITOR MYSTERY SERIES BUNDLE away to a reader who answers my questions and leaves an email address!

Good luck!