
I've talked about this in the past and
mentioned how it's hard for authors to keep going, whether indie or
traditionally published, if readers do not buy their books when they are
released. I don't remember if I did a dedicated post about it or just
mentioned it in passing on a related topic. Anyway, I wanted to talk
about it here because I
saw an author discussing it on social media.
Here's the thing. A lot of books come out
in series these days. Some of them are standalone or loosely connected
stories within a series where previous characters might make a cameo
appearance, and some of them might have an overall story arc that ties
the series together; some crime they need to solve, some enemy they need
to defeat, and that story arc builds from book to book. Then there are
series which follow the same characters throughout the entire series
while they overcome obstacles and challenges to find their happy ever
after in whatever form that might take.
Personally, I prefer to read standalone books. Whether entirely
standalone or standalone in a series, but I know a lot of people prefer
to read a series and I see many asking for series in book groups. More
specifically COMPLETED series because they don't want to wait for
another book in the series to come out or they want to binge read it to
the end without waiting.

I think not wanting to wait is being pushed on our culture with the
likes of Netflix and other streaming services that drop an entire series
at a time allowing the consumer to binge watch it in a day or two
without having to wait. Being able to do that, filming a series in its
entirety before releasing all the episodes requires a tremendous amount
of resources in order to pay all the costs that arise from such a
production before realsing its returns. Take the show Bridgerton, for
example. It's a runaway success when it released, but do you know that
it cost about $150 million to produce? This means the company needed to
finance all of that to pay everyone before they see a lick of return on
their investment. They've gotta have some deep pockets there.
How does this relate to the book world? Well, in traditional
publishing, publishers often look at past sales to determine if the
series or author is worth continuing with. Whether they should finance
another book being written since they would have to pay the author an
advance to have it written (this depends on the author's contract) and
they'd also need to pay for all the services associated with producing a
book such as editing, proofreading, and cover design although a lot of
these might already be sunk costs since they are likely to be an
in-house team.
If a reader or many readers like an author's books or series but
decides that they will not buy the books until they are all out, it
means that sales for that previous book (the one used to measure future
publishing) would tank. If the numbers are no good and the books do not
sell well, a publisher is unlikely to want to invest in future books
because it means no or low returns. Publishers do not publish books out
of the goodness of their hearts. They are all in it to make money.
Everyone along the entire production chain of a book.

I'm going to say this again so it's clear. Low sales means low
returns on the investment on the author and the book. This means (to the
publisher) it's a bad investment and not one worth pursuing. Ever seen a
lot of series that come to an abrupt end and there are no new books
forthcoming? Aside from some cases where the author can no longer write
due to various reasons, a poor selling book can be the reason. Or if
suddenly an author is no longer publishing? It might not be the author's
decision. Their publisher might have decided to ditch them since they
are not selling.
Waiting till the last book in a series is out before buying the book
might work for a reader who wants to binge read the books, but it would
also mean that reader could potentially be shooting themselves in the
foot because they publisher might decide to ax the series or the author.
What about in the indie world? The equation is pretty much the same.
This time though, the publisher is also the author and their income and
therefore their livelihood is dependent on the sales of the books in
their series. It's even easier for an indie author to turn on a dime and
make a quick decision to pull a series and stop continuing to write and
release the books since they are the sole decision maker in the entire
process.
I have seen many, many indie series languish without an ending
because they haven't sold. Off the top of my head, several authors and
series come to mind. I've seen authors apologise to readers telling them
that they will not be finishing a series because the books have not sold
well and yet I also see readers clamoring for more books in that series
while refusing to buy them to read when they release. You see what's
happening here? Authors will move on to books or series that are selling
and providing an income or heaven forbid, they quit writing and go back
to some other day job. Or how about they don't quit writing, but they
have to take on a day job to supplement their income which means the
books come out even slower so readers have to wait even longer?

Readers these days have become incredibly spoiled. I admit I'm one of
them too. I've gotten used to some of my favorite authors releasing a
book a month. The wait is minimal between books so even in a series I'm
diving in the moment the book comes out. Books have become shorter for
that reason too. Authors can crank out a 100 page book faster than if
they crank out of 350 page book. There are some authors who can rapid
release and do a book a month, but equally, there are authors who can't.
But readers with their impatience (and Amazon algorithms which is a
whole other topic) are creating a culture of wanting books fast. Good
things take time, as do good books.
All I'm saying is if your favorite author stops writing your favorite
series because you've decided to not read or buy the books until the
series is finished, they you may be the reason you never get to see the
end of the series. I'm not saying read the books when they come out
immediately (I do it but then I'm used to waiting years between books
too) but consider buying the books when they come out to contribute to a
positive return on investment for the book/author/publisher. You can
save the books to read until the series is complete and binge them then,
but know that you are contributing to the continuation of the series
that you love.
At the moment I'm waiting for the next book in a series where I loved
the first book. No indication from the author if the next book in the
series is going to come out anytime soon. She's already published three
different books and started a new series with two books out already but
nothing on the series I'm waiting on. Did the book not do well? Did it
not sell? Did readers not love it? I do not know. I've seen some people
ask about the next book in the series. Just today someone mentioned
waiting for the book but so far nothing. I do not know the reason for
this next book not being published. Maybe it was lack of sales or lack
of interest though I find that unlikely because I remember lots of buzz
around the book when it released. I read it because I saw it being
recommended frequently in a book group. Maybe the author lost interest?
Maybe the new books and new series were louder in her head and she
needed to write them first? Who knows? We never really know why there's
no next book in a series unless the author or publisher tell us which
they often don't.

Bottom line, if you love an author or a series of books, buy them
even if you don't read them right away. That will ensure you are
contributing to the likelihood of the next book being written and
published. To quote something I saw posted on social media: if someone
says "I'll wait until the series is finished to buy the books" it likely
the author hears "it's okay with me if this series is never finished."
Remember, there are very few authors who can write to satisfy the
binge culture. And the ones who do, their books will be shorter. If
that's what you want, more power to you. But if not, support your
favorite authors by buying the books when they come out.
So do you like to binge your series or are you like me and willing to
read them as they are released and wait for the next book patiently?
There are so many other books to read in between waiting. 🙂
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