To Series or Not to Series

So I just finished the LAST (I pray to the book GODS) book in a series. It was the SIXTH one. No it's not HP and I won't mention the name because I may be a little snarky in this post.

I know your asking "then why did you hang on for six books". CUZ I'm a hopeless romantic and optimist. I wanted to give the author one more chance to give me closure. I want the hero to ride through on his white stallion and save the day. I want the heroine to realize she is with the one she wants. I want the villain to die a painful death. What I got was an urge to stick a fork in my eye. At the end there was no real resolution. I didn't find out what happened to most of the main characters and the ending was the definition of anti-climatic.

I like a good 3 novel series. It might be that they feel like a whole story with a beginning, middle and end. It just feels right. Now don't get me wrong I love stand alones too. I love the ability to sit down with one book and know before I start I won't have to wait 6 months to a year to see what happens next. Sometimes I wonder if you lose readers in that time frame. Do they move on to other books and forget you have a sequel coming out? Do some readers not buy a series because of the wait for the sequels?

Do you prefer to read a series or stand alones? Do you plan on writing a series or are you a stand alone kind of writer?

8 comments:

  1. I like both! But usually I like series a few years after the last one is out. ;) I would probably be one of those readers who wanders off and never wanders back again. Now, the more loosely-connected series, like Discworld, are perfect for me b/c it's the best of both, I think.

    I have a school story series that's been a wip for most of my life, but that's intended for my children, not for publication. (Although I wouldn't be upset if it were published!)

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  2. I'd say I enjoy both as long as the series and the stand alone have a satisfactory resolution. I hate it when I invest all that reading time into a novel only to have the story fall apart at the end or just have the story wander off the page. It makes no sense to me. With a series, I can understand why that might happen, but I think the reading public needs to know before jumping in, especially if they will only to be disappointed in the end when there is no follow up book.

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  3. Su,
    Oh I haven't read Discworld. I'll have to check those out. What are they?

    Mary Mary,
    You're right. I can't stand it when I get to the last chapter and I'm like "What just happened or where's the rest of the book".

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  4. They're fantasy/social satire. You have to have a certain kind of humour to like them... fortunately, I do. :) Terry Pratchett is the author.

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  5. I love them both, but I'm with Mary Mary, each book needs to stand on it's own two feet. That means a beginning, middle and end.

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  6. Su,

    Thanks I will put them on my TBR list. I have a very odd sense of humor. Very dark twisted with a nice dash of dryness.

    Kari,
    You said it.

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  7. I love both-- as long as they're done well. :) Sometimes a series just drags on, and I lose interest. I try to write novels that work as stand-alones, but have the potential for more. The novel I'm finishing up now is like that. I have plans for a sequel for it, so we'll see if it happens!

    And thanks for joining the What's Your Process blogfest. I'm looking forward to seeing your post! :)

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  8. Shallee,

    Thanks for stopping by hope you hang around. I'm excited about the What's Your Process blogfest. I always love a chance to see different styles.

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