Stop writing sequels!!! || Authors are out of control (Rant) (But yes I will still read them all) 

I feel like I cannot start a series because we are always waiting for the next book in the series to come out. Just give me a bunch of stand alone or be up front about it being so many books and then close that door. It’s frustrating as a reader.

As a reader, I totally get this rant. There are some series I’ve read that are so complete, I’d hate to see any continuations. I don’t feel it’s necessary a lot of the time. But I have to admit, I’m a writer too, and I kind of get why some authors might try this. Personally, I love the world and characters I’m working on, and my sister and I created generations of families and characters, so I have a lot of stories I’d love to tell with them. Assuming I ever finish, I think it would be an actual series, so I feel bad judging other authors. Lol. But I also think for some authors, the draw of challenging yourself to flesh out the world and make your own sort of multiverse is really tempting. And from a marketing perspective, even just briefly connecting your current work to a finished series that was super popular seems like an easy way to drum up interest. I hate it as a fan, though. Feels very, very much like a money grab. Honestly, I think the problem could be avoided by authors either choosing to make it clear that they are going to stick to this world they created for multiple series (like Mercedes Lackey did with Valdemar, for instance), or just not ever letting their books cross over. Just don’t spring it on people when they think a series is already finished. To me at least, that’s when I get kind of annoyed. But maybe that’s just how I view it, I don’t know. 😅

I really miss seeing original ideas and different author voices in these works /: it is truly disheartening it really says a lot that compared too the early 2000s/2010s gen z barely has good chick-lit,coming of age stories,and college/new adult book voices that feel real and fresh especially original fictional worlds... When I was younger I remember gen x Meg Cabot,Sara dessen,and Nicholas Sparks having the gen y book/movie world in such a hold the princess diaries wasn't like her American girl duology and that wasn't like her other series were the main character could see ghosts... SD stories were all the different misunderstood or troubled women... Ns the last song wasn't like a walk to remember nor that like the notebook and so on and also done complete. I sometimes wonder where is our gen z Gilmore girls(not copying it) in terms of a fresh original cast of characters,cool fictional town/world that could be similar enough to our real life but, modern chick lit etc... Just too start.

I have started to appreciate standalones and duologies more, because I feel like there are never an end in sight for series these days…

Ugh yessss 100% agree!! I liked the shatter me series but wasn’t a major fan I just thought it was okay. My first reaction when seeing watch me was coming out was girl whyyyy?! I put so much time into reading the first 9 books (including the novellas in that count) that I want to be able to say I’ve read the series so will probably end up reading watch me but seriously just leave the series alone atp 😭😭😭😭

I have the first, second, and sometimes, third books in series that I've totally lost interest in. At this point, I totally could care less what happens to Bryce or the characters of Destroy The Night, or Sue Lynn Tan's Celestial books. I'm even not looking forward to the third book of Fourth Wing, because I wasn't thrilled with the second book. I didn't care for the Hunger Games prequel. I'm so over most books now, I've begun re reading my old favorites

I…had not seen the Watch Me news and now I need to go lie down bc the first extension was entirely unnecessary!!!!!

Ugh I’m getting where stand alone are my go to choice now.

the sequel fatigue is real. it's like how you mentioned movies and tv shows, like disney announcing live action remakes, frozen 3, moana 2, incredibles 3, toy story 5, zootopia 2, star wars series, marvel movies, and marvel series. and authors, whether they actually want to or publishers are telling them to, are revisiting the worlds of the books that got them popular in the first place. it just all feels like a nostalgia-bait, cash grab cycle nowadays. give us something new!!!

I haven’t read the Shatter Me series yet so I can’t complain. I couldn’t care less about the Crave series. I read the first book last month (late to the party) and I am all set with the rest. If I read it when I was younger maybe I would have liked it, but I found it annoying. I know ACOTAR was finished a few years ago, but it’s still new to me since I read that and ToG last year. I feel like ToG could maybe have a novella thrown in there but seemed to be wrapped up pretty well. ACOTAR has too many loose end relationships I would like to see. They don’t need to be 800 pages for each couple though. I get why Nesta and Cassian had their own book because she was a hot mess but if they cut out all the stairs parts I’m sure it would have shaved off a lot. I do like a different POV for some books if it’s a series I liked. Off the top of my head I can’t think of series that are making a comeback with new books that I’ve read a while ago. I do get your frustration though.

I understand completely.

I think all of this is getting ridiculous. I finally get series done years after other people and then I hear another book is coming out. WHAT!!!

Any series can be a standalone if you only read the first book. 😱

I really agre with your points. I sometimes like direct continuations of some series, but it just rarely works out, unless the author planned it from the very beginning. There will always be something that completely breaks whatever the previous books achieved. Sequel series with new characters sometimes work, but often you still feel it's the nostalgia cash grab, not a thought-off continuation/ expansion of the universe. I'm very worried for 4th book in Inkheart world, because it's been 10+ years since the 3rd book was relased :/ And while it's not about the main character of the original thrilogy, it's about my absolutely favourite character. But also, we knew that this book is coming for at least past 9 years (i remember reading the synopsis during middle school, and it matches the blurb of the relased version). On the other hand, some authors may have planned big series, and just their publishers don't allow it at the time. But in that case you still feel that it makes sense; that it doesn't contradict anything that was said earlier. I mean - I plan a big 20 book series, but even if the first book will be awsome, nobody will sign a contract for 20 books with a debiutant. Maybe three. And then after a few years maybe they will allow me to publish another three, etc. But I have the plot for all 20 books, so even if I continue them much later, it's still the same story and not something forced. (I think my plan is to get some standalones first and build a fanbase so I can just self-publish and not worry about publishers).

I know what you mean it feels like an unoriginal money grab so new readers want to buy the complete series again.... and collectors need to buy the intire series again, because there will be a complete cover redesign, ofcours😢 pff prequels are fine. Differen caracters in the same world /universe like sanderson that works for me sure. But you are right leave the main caracters alone i have yet to vind a series were it works out well when they go back years later. Just talk to your therapist she will tel jou to move on and let it go!😂😂😂😂

Kimberly, yes. I hate A Court of Silver Flames. I felt she just tried to ruin Rhysand and Feyre to make people like Cassian and Nesta more. I hate the angle she took with that book. If she doesn't fix the next one back, ACOTAR will be a 3.5 book series to me. I am not putting up with that trash. P.S. Still can't stand Nesta.

I've definitely enjoyed more prequels than I have sequels. I don't know that I hate them like you do, but I do wish Owlcrate would give us more stand alones than ones that will have sequels. I hate waiting for the sequel(s) to come out. I also don't think sequels or more books in old, popular series will go away because money. It's too easy for a cash grab for publishers/authors. I think they're mostly involving really huge, popular authors for the most part though, so if you fall in love with characters from a not as well known author, you'd probably be safe.

Ugh, I agree. SO many series, and I DO love a standalone. I realized too late FL and IC don't do standalones and then you have to plan your life around their release schedules and then hope you get a copy. It's SO stressful! Worst are the Urban Fantasy, some of those are 18-20 books long. I get those on Kindle. Where are you supposed to put all those books?! The dog has to have some space too!

Heir by Sabaa Tahir which comes out next month is set 20 years after an ember in the ashes

I agree with you -- I'm starting to hate sequels, especially when they don't seem to serve much purpose. It makes me feel conflicted about buying the books to finish the story or just giving up on the series entirely, even if I cared about the world and characters. I love world-building, especially with new characters (like what Rogue One or The Mandalorian did with the Star Wars universe) and I'm even okay with prequels or far off sequels (with "new" characters like in the Hunger Games: young President Snow or young Haymitch) since that also helps with world-building. I even like the occasional cameo from old main characters because that's exciting too. This may sound kind of harsh on authors, but I hate when sequels do nothing to justify their existence in that old world. It makes it feel like the author was just too lazy to build up a new world and they just wanted to rely on the reader's knowledge of the world-building they did in the last book. Once Upon a Broken Heart was guilty of this. I read it before the Caraval series and felt like I didn't understand much of anything about the world other than Eva's limited view. (Not to mention, it could have probably been wrapped up in two books -- not everything needs to be a trilogy!)

“Don’t mess with the original characters” is why I’m done with Rick Riordan. I found out he screwed over a Hero of Olympus character in Trials of Apollo. No. Just no. Now overall, I don't mind revisiting worlds. It's entirely possible to do new things in the same world without messing with the original characters. Hell, you don't even really need them to show up! Fantasy worlds can big enough that old and new characters don't interact, or far enough in the future or past that they don't.

Yes too everything you said Mrs. Kimberly! I always loved and preferred standalones and duologies far better. I notice movie buffs pointing this problem out first with the constant sequel to movies that were not needed or meh and now it's starting too happen in book culture as well sadly (which is the reverse of what usually happens) over-serialization has been going too far. I think I will write 2 comments on this.

did you know stephanie garber is doing a holiday novella for caraval that’s launching this fall 😭 it definitely feels like a cash grab

Not continuation of series but I hate when Stephen King drops a character from a book he has written. He thinks you are supposed to remember that person even though he has written 4 million books!!!

This made me think of Cassandra Clare, who seems like just is not capable of doing something out of shadowhunters world. She has what.... three, four...? series and at least 2 books with random short stories all in that world, and bunch of characters are repeating, mentioned again, coming back etc. I get it - you wrote first series and got fandom. Ok. Then you wrote that whatever from past series. But that's enough. Just why another whatever from past series from that univerese, then Malec books(supposed to be three but somehow third one still has not happened :D), then lady of whatever and midnight series... and all those books are very big books. I think this sword catcher (?) book is first book that is finally not in that universe and with new characters. Finally something new.