The novel I am currently working on is part of a universe I created that I've come to set all my writings in. Although I am focusing on just the one series for now, it is not the original story I started with. It's actually a spin-off of a spin-off. If I wanted to add on or return to the stories I had before, they'd all be apart of the same universe, and characters would collide (not problematic at all). I have an idea for the universe's name, and a kind of logo I doodle on anything I write. The logo would be apart of my stories no matter what, but should I use the universe name as well? To signify that these stories may have a connection? Is interconnecting stories in the same universe a good thing or a bad thing?
It's not either. Really the only thing that makes a bad story is bad execution on the writers part. For me it actually makes the stories themselves more interesting because if the characters are in close proximity to each other they can effect each others lives without ever being in the same book. Not only that but you get to explore other sides of things that happen and the after effects of things that happen with the people it effects, not just the hero of your story who, by the end of everything, isn't often significantly effected by the result of whatever they accomplished.
So Raymond E. Feist wrote a collection of books names the Riftwar Saga. In these books his world is invaded by another group of magic users through the rift. The nice thing about it is Feist co wrote one of the books with Janny Wurts who then went on to write her own trilogy about the other side of the rift. These were the Riftwar: The world on the other side series. All tied together by the rift. Many books have now been written that exist in that universe.
To be honest, I’d be wary of getting too ahead of yourself. Write your first novel, get it published, see how it does. There’s nothing wrong with having other related stories swirling around your head or ideas of a vast interconnected universe of stories, but so often people put the cart before the horse and too strongly stress the much larger world of other stories instead of effectively telling the one they are presently presenting. Universal Studios and their “Dark Universe” as a very obvious example. They were so obsessed with introducing future characters and connected stories, and hinting at all these other things they assume would pique the audience’s interest but in so doing utterly failed to create a compelling story for the immediate film itself. They spent all that time and money making that neato logo for their “Dark Universe” which itself never got off the ground to begin with. So be wary, and accomplish the task at hand. There will be time for your additions and future connected stories. In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
I agree with what NoGoodNobu said (above) regarding getting this stuff actually written (if it isn't already.) However, many authors who produce 'series' books don't include the name of the series in the actual book titles. What they do is indicate on the book cover that it's part of a chronological 'series' or 'saga' or set in a particular 'world' ...and they name that series or saga or world. Joe Abercrombie has his First Law Trilogy, but the books are entitled The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings. Terry Pratchett wrote many novels, and most of them are set in his Discworld. A few aren't. Iain M Banks wrote many novels that are considered part of his Culture series (not chronological)—and advertised as such on the covers of the books. Neither author uses the name of the series in the book titles themselves. I believe some of these series don't start out as a named series anyway. They begin as a one-off book. If you've written and published a stand-alone novel that doesn't finish with 'to be continued', you can keep the name of the series to yourself, till after the book becomes known. Then write another, and start calling it a series. It is perfectly okay to include the name of the series in the book titles. It's just not necessary. Your idea of establishing a logo is a good one, though. Any related books should have a related cover design, so they are recognisable as part of a related series by a particular author. This can change over time, but when the design changes are made, they need to be made throughout the series. It's an important marketing tool, whether you're self-pubbed or traditionally published. Of course if you're traditionally published the publisher will set the design. But if you're deciding on the cover design yourself, you should keep this idea in mind.
