Are You Guilty of This No-No That Alienates Readers?

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Do Readers Deserve This?

Hold On to Your Readers and Optimize Your Promotion Budget

Research shows that it costs between 5 and 25 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain one. That means your investment to find new readers could be wasted if you lose those readers because of the no-no I’m about to reveal.

An Excerpt

Please read the final paragraphs from the last chapter of a fictional novel (the first of a trilogy) and decide what you would do next.

I gawked at the holo-message and laid my head against the back of my chair. Thoughts and memories sparked through my brain.

A two-decade space journey — or a warm home on Earth with a loving family around me …

Two choices. I had always known it would come to this.

But what about the third choice?

Just when readers wonder which of two options the protagonist will choose, they are presented with an unspecified third option.

This is one example of a cliffhanger.

Find thousands of writing tips and word lists in
The Writer’s Lexicon series
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How Do Dictionaries Define Cliffhanger?

cliffhanger: an unresolved ending, created in order to add suspense

Cliffhangers often appear at the end of chapters. They trigger curiosity and generate an incentive for readers to continue to the next page.

Writers resort to cliffhangers in order to keep readers guessing, to urge them to read the next chapter or to buy the next book in the series.

But End-of-Book Cliffhangers Pose a Huge Problem

Readers feel cheated and may balk at ruses that force them to buy another book. If it hasn’t been written yet, they might become so disenchanted that they leave disparaging reviews — especially if the writer takes years to complete the next volume of a series.

Here’s an Example

The following appeared in a Facebook promotion group. Details have been edited to protect the identity of the author.

The [Interesting Title] Trilogy

This contains an entire series. First two books end on a cliffhanger, therefore must be read in order!

[Book Title] ~ Book One — Now Available — [blurb]

[Book Title] ~ Book Two — Soon Available for Preorder — [blurb]

[Book Title] ~ Book Three – Soon Available for Preorder — [blurb]

[Series Title] Trilogy

Books 1, 2, and 3

By: [Author Name]

Genre: [Genre]

Will things be resolved????

Would You Buy These Books?

First problem: Only the first book is available.

Second problem: Even though the subsequent books will soon be “Available for Preorder,” would you trust the author enough to believe that the novels will be released as planned? If they take several months, will you remember what happened in the first book when it’s time to purchase the second and third?

It’s rotten enough to end on a cliffhanger — but to advertise it?

Another Problem

Personal recommendations are important for book promotions. If you aggravate one reader who maintains a well-known book blog or who has thousands of social media followers, and if you disenchant that reader enough to write a bad review, you’ll lose sales.

I always deduct one star when a book ends on a cliffhanger.

Let’s Consider a Rewrite of the Excerpt

With a few more words, we can satisfy readers while stimulating their interest in the next novel.

I gawked at the holo-message and laid my head against the back of my chair. Thoughts and memories sparked through my brain.

A two-decade space journey — or a warm home on Earth with a loving family around me …

Two choices. I had always known it would come to this.

But what about the third choice?

I responded to the holo-message with my answer:

“I’ll go if I can take my family with me.”

Now readers have a satisfying conclusion, but they’ll still be attracted to the next book.

Possibilities would present themselves:

  • What difficulties might the protagonist experience on a space journey?
  • Would it be dangerous?
  • What about children born en route?
Find thousands of writing tips and word lists in
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
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14 thoughts on “Are You Guilty of This No-No That Alienates Readers?”

  2. Hi Miss Kathy,

    Cliff hangers? BOO! I don’t like anything that leaves me hanging. Not a comfortable position. I feel like a bat hanging upside down in the dark waiting for its next meal.

    I don’t want to reread a book to jog my memory so I can read the next book. And, for sure, I don’t want to wait forever for the next book.

    The end of a book I read a year ago said, “The end of the beginning” which led me to believe a sequel was coming. I liked the book and the characters and would read the next one. The author said she planned another book. It’s been over a year and the author hasn’t started on the sequel. If the next book ever comes out, I’m not buying it. Well, I probably will because the author is a friend. Not fair!

    I wish the blurb on the back of book jackets would say it ends in a cliff hanger. It would have to be a best seller with a given date for release of the sequel before I’d think about buying it.

    Thanks for another cool post.

    Stay safe.

    Fist bumps.

    Have a super fun weekend. 🙂

    • I love the bat visual, Lenny.

      Like you, I don’t want to wait forever for the next book. Right now I’m waiting for one that probably won’t be released for another three years. I will buy it, because I’ve already read several novels in the series, but I’m not happy with the wait. 🙁

      Good idea about the blurb.

      You have a super fun weekend, too!

      Smiles from across the miles …

  3. Hi Kathy, I wish I’d had this advice before my book was published. I ended it with a “for now” resolution, thinking it would work in a similar way that Margaret Mitchell ended Gone With the Wind. And I foolishly listened to my editor who suggested I add “to be continued.”
    I received some good reviews, but also several who felt cheated, etc. And that pretty well ended sales.
    Lesson learned.
    Thanks for your ongoing writing information. I’ve learned so much from you!

    • Thanks, Cat. Editors don’t always provide the best advice. I haven’t read Gone With the Wind, but it’s on my wish list.

      Good luck with your WIP!

  4. I personally think ALL books, whether in a series or not, should be able to be read as a stand-alone. If I knew a book was going to end with a cliff-hanger I wouldn’t read it.
    If the story is good, readers will want more of the same without being manipulated into buying.

  5. Thanks, Kathy. Well said. I’m not into serial novels, but there’s good advice there for any book’s conclusion. Don’t leave your reader in the dark or wondering “Is that all there is?”

  7. Good points. I have a series, which will, when it’s finished, be 5 books. I’ve tried to make each book able to be read as a stand-alone, but with enough unresolved questions to tempt the reader to wonder what will happen next. Currently this series is 3 books. I’m currently doing the inevitable re-writes of book 4.

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