Do you need to have an introduction at the beginning of every book in a series?

Question

A series I am working on deals with an underlying storyline that progresses through each book. I'm afraid of confusing a reader if they decide to start reading a book somewhere in the middle of the series and end up being a bit lost as to what is going on. Because of this, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to have an introduction a few paragraphs long at the beginning of every book explaining the basic plot throughout the series. For example:

With the whole world viciously fighting against them, these three teenagers do everything in their power to gradually fix the planet's reopened wounds, while never giving up hope that they may one day see their loved ones again.

Answer 1

If your books are not standalone, a "previously on..." intro is probably a good idea. You want just enough information to orient the reader without spoiling or rehashing the previous book(s).

Also, if your books are that complex, a list of major characters, their relationships, and other pertinent info at the end is often helpful too.

Answer 2

Agree with James and Ipsum. I'll just add that, in addition to a glossary at the end with names and terminology, which can be very helpful for complex worlds, the way to do what you are talking about is via exploration of the characters feelings and associations when you meet them in the story.

So, instead of "while never giving up hope that they may one day see their loved ones again" as told from the perspective of a third-person omniscient, you can instead start the chapter with John, of of the heros, dreaming about his lost love and waking up with a start realizing that she is not there. You get the same info as a reader, but in a more personal and real way, and as part of the flow of the story.

Answer 3

There's no real need to do this. I'm currently writing a fantasy series and I don't have an introduction. Instead, I've begun by introducing an important character connected to magic (this is in the first chapter), describing only his appearance and not connecting him to mysterious doings, so as to keep the reader interested.

Instead of introducing an entire world of magic to begin, I slowly provide information related to it as the series progresses. Again, this has the reader wanting more.

The main problem with an introduction is that your reader may skip it, as this is usually little more than an information dump. If your reader skips any part of your book for this reason, they will become confused (although that will be the reader's fault, the reader will still put down your book).

But if you feel you need an introduction, then go for it. Just make sure to keep it as interesting as the rest of the book.

Also, in addition to Lauren Ipsum's answer, I advise against a 'previously' intro. Again, information dump. What you might want to do instead is, for the first chapter (in every book of your series except the first), you can talk about what's happened in the previous books and connect it to what's happening in the new book. You should only retell the most important parts of the plot, to prevent reader confusion (for those who haven't read the previous books) but at the same time keep the reader interested, which is very important.