[andrew.v.spencer]

As I understand it publishers like series. They often like to be sure an author has more than one shot in them. Most authors are just working folk like everyone else, they need the income, if they can do ten books in a series, it means ten years of income. Deviating might mean poverty and losing a book deal. This is the usual war between commerce and art. There are also those authors who love their worlds/characters and want to get it all down.

I agree that on ocassion one would like to see what a favourite author can do elsewhere, but I can see how that is not always possible, desired or is deemed too risky.