Are series over rated?

[shelly blomker]

Lots of authors out there write series. When is it to much to continue them on? I've noticed that some authors have written some series where there are over 20 books in it. Makes me wonder if their having problems coming up with something new or is it because the people that read them keep wanting to know what's going to happen with the main charaters.

Not saying that series aren't good, but I could compare them to, to many sequils you see in movie series. Is the books in a series becoming popular because of the author or is it the reader that's buying them that does it?

 

[Courtney Rene]

Some of those HUGE series books branch off to differant characters, which is how they keep the series fresh and new.  I dont know how they continue to chuck out books on the same story that many times, but hey if there is a request and desire by someone, why not?

 

ctny

[Christine Amsden]

It depends entirely on the series.

 

I love series that move, in which characters grow and change, and which create a world or a story that is bigger than one volume

[Wynter Adelle]

The ones that come to my mind are Star Wars or the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. 

 

Star wars is self-explanatory, Gigantic numbers of fans, tons of characters to write about, over 5,000 years of history to use...there is no way to run out...

 

I don't know off-hand how many books are in the Pern series, but I'm sure it's over 20. McCaffrey writes about different characters, never writing about the same character for more than 3 books (correct me if I'm wrong) and she also wrote many books that pre-dated her original story. 

 

I agree that some series can end up getting long or tedious, never seeming to go anywhere, but I think there are many that are very good. 

[Bri Meets Books]

I hate when I read a really good book, then its sequels are disappointing. Sometimes I want a book just a single book. But with all these paranormal books, it's usually the start of a series, which I find out after I finish reading it.

[Anne Robinson]

I just read 'The Wise Man's Fear' and was severely disappointed. I have become wary of series, especially in fiction, because they strike me as a money gimmick. This is a sad, sad thing :(

[Kelli Wheelwright]

I like a good series (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, etc)

 

BUT what I dont like is series that either go on too long and play themself out, but keep trying

 

and Books that were intended as a stand alone book, but the PUBLISHER says- can you make this a series thats whats selling right now? (The City of Ember)

 

KW

http://www.ekfamilybooks.blogspot.com

 

[Kris]

It's funny, series are my thing.  The good, bad, great and terrible alike.  I think series are good things, most of the time.  My pet peeve though is when an author starts a series, clearly has a story arc, and then just to stretch the series out add more books and ruins the series.  Most of t he time, I can tell that a series was supposed to end but didn't.  Like Alyson Noel's immortal series.  I have the first, which notes in it, that it's a trilogy.  And clearly, the author along the way changed her mind and decided to add books.  And the series itself suffered as a result.  I would prefer the series itself to end and have another series with the same characters.  Because changing the overall story arc mid-way through is usually a BIG mistake.  Then again, lots of authors set a story arc, write those books, and end the series.  And they are great.  But it's often a combination of the author and the sales that drive the existence of and # of books within a series.

 

:)

Kris

 

http://seriestracker.wordpress.com (and coming soon: www.seriestracker.info)- all about book series!  

[Lisa Richards]

As a lover of series and both a follower of perhaps the longest JR Robb's In Death at 30+ and the longest running Jean Auel's "Earth Children" at 31 years, I feel that a lot of readers fall in love with the characters and the world and as long as the author can keep it fresh and exciting, we will holler for more.

 

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