# for those of you who read SERIES



## sammykay (Jan 14, 2012)

I wanted to ask the readers this question   When you come across a series, do you like to wait until the whole series is available for sale?  Or do you mind waiting some time in between the books?


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't mind waiting at all. I just put the author and series name on my "watch for" list, and I periodically check on Amazon to see if more books have been released.

OTOH, if I have read the first book of a series and liked it, I will then buy all of the series I can find.


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## Matt Larkin (Sep 27, 2011)

sherylb said:


> I don't mind waiting at all. I just put the author and series name on my "watch for" list, and I periodically check on Amazon to see if more books have been released.
> 
> OTOH, if I have read the first book of a series and liked it, I will then buy all of the series I can find.


What is a "watch for" list? Is this a standard Amazon feature?


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I'm not big into series but I dont let that be a limiting factor on my reading. If I come across a series, or one is recommended, I just try to start with the first one. I really dont like picking up one from the middle of a series, like at Costco. 

But I will occasionally....a deal's a deal! And if it's good, I will search out the earlier books. 

And I wont worry about waiting for the series to be complete. Who knows if it ever will be? For ex. the Ayla/Clan of the Cave Bear series has gone on for years but each book wraps up nicely....you're not left hanging.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I love series.  Especially in audio format.  I don't mind waiting, but I do like to discover old series and listen to them all the way through.  
deb


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Matt Larkin said:


> What is a "watch for" list? Is this a standard Amazon feature?


Nope, it's a list I keep in an excel spreadsheet of my favorite authors and series I want to keep an eye on.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I read a lot of books that are part of a series. I think the genres I like to read just have a lot of them. 
It really depends on what kind of series it is. If we are talking each book being resolved at the end with a thread running through the series? I can wait in between the books. 

But there are others like for example the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. After reading some comments and finding out there are big cliffhangers and there was like I think a year before the 5th came out, I purposely waited before starting the series. I timed it so that by the time I got to #4, #5 was being released so I could conclude without going nuts with waiting. 

Those kind of series are more rare in my reading life though. 

I have so many backlist series to read though that by the time I get to the latest, there is another one out already. 

Because no matter what kind of series it is, what I cannot do and what goes against every fiber of my being, is reading a series out of order. Must start with book 1 every time, no matter how loosely connected.  

So if I know there are cliffhangers, I would probably wait before starting any in the series. Unless of course its too late and I already have started  

There is a cool site Fictfact.com where you can follow all series. You get an email if a new book in it comes out, you can mark off which ones in the series you have read, etc.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Here is a helpful web site for those of us who like to read series its fictfact.com and it helps you keep track of series and helps you know which book is next in the series.

This question would be better put in a poll with two questions - do you read series and do you mind waiting for the books with the possible answers:  yes - yes, yes -no, no - yes and no - no.

My answers are yes - no.  I like the anticipation of what will happen in then ext volume.


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## J.R.Tate (Jul 20, 2010)

I don't mind waiting in between books.  If I see a series that sparks my curiosity, it'll kill me more to wait for the author to complete it all before diving in, rather than just waiting in between. I can't stay away!


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

I think one of the great advantages of a kindle is that it's easy to search through previous books in a series to refresh your memory of characters, without having to physically carry around all those books. It makes reading a series - spread out over a long time - much more enjoyable (and less confusing).


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## Aenea (Dec 24, 2011)

I always wait until the series is complete before I buy it. My memory isn't that great and by the time the next book comes out, usually a year or so, I've forgotten most of the previous one which makes reading it less enjoyable.


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## J.R.Tate (Jul 20, 2010)

It also depends on the type of series it is too. Some series books you can read out of order. They are just grouped together by a certain theme.  Also, sometimes authors don't realize they will be writing a series or sequel until later, so a lot of times it's hard to even tell if a book will become a series.


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## shelbymhailstone (Jan 17, 2012)

I love to read series because then I can get invested in the character and the stories and I'm not left wishing there was more after it's done. (Although I still feel that way with a series but a little less so...if that makes sense.)
So I don't mind waiting. The suspense makes the wait that much better. It sweetens the deal, I think.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't mind waiting but I do also enjoy finding an already-established series and can read them one after another.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

I prefer to read series' because I don't want the story to end!  It's been a pet peeve of mine in the past that I'd have to wait a whole year for the next installment! Now, with the advent of the Indie, that is no longer an absolute and I've been free to read entire series that get pubbed 4-5 books in one year! Not a lot of waiting (like Dalglish of high fantasy Indie fame, for example). I will always buy a forst book in the series and don't feel obligated for the whole deal to be published before purchase. After the first book, I may not wish to continue? So no, the whole series not being available at one time is not a deal-breaker.

BTW, I don't make my readers wait either. I write my book(s), edit it/them and publish it/them. Period. As a five-book-per-week reader, I sure appreciate an author that's a producer! However, having said that, I haven't given up on my fave authors that are traditionally published. They must adhere to a structure that is not always of their own making. Does the delay change their writing prowess? No! It's just frustrating to wait...


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

I'll never wait until the series is finished if I start it and like it, or think I'll like it. That being said, waiting for George R.R. Martin to finish _A Song of Ice and Fire_ is an exercise in extreme patience.


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## Brad Murgen (Oct 17, 2011)

Having been burned on a number of series that have taken forever to finish, I rarely get invested into a series now until it's nearly complete.  I may try a first book from time to time, but it has to be REALLY good for me to keep with it over a number of years.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Matt Larkin said:


> What is a "watch for" list? Is this a standard Amazon feature?


You can always set up your own Amazon Wish List -- I have one called, loosely, "Waiting on next book" which is for series I follow. I put the most recently released book in the series on this list, so I can remember to search occasionally for a new release in that series. (This works well especially for more esoteric authors that aren't included at FictFact, mentioned up-thread.) It's easy to put the 'most recent' book on the list, because it was almost always on the "Waiting on new release" wish list before that, once it showed up on Amazon with a release date, so all I have to do is move it between wish lists! Yeah, I'm a bit anal with lists. 

That said, I love series, and it doesn't matter if they are completed or not. J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas/In Death series is on what, #34 not counting the in-between novellas, and if I'd waited until it was done before I started -- not knowing when it will BE done -- I'd have missed out on a lot of wonderful reading in the past many years. Same with John Sandford's Davenport/Prey series. That said, I don't mind finding a series that's been completed and reading it, if it's well-recommended.


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## flipside (Dec 7, 2011)

I start. I don't wait for the series to end.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

I love series too.  

I've done series both ways: reading them in order and reading them out of order, as in the case of the 20 volume O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series. I didn't even discover that series (this is in the U.S., mind you) until nearly half were in print. I read all I could find at first, mopped up the ones I'd missed, and then awaited the remainder. Eventually I reread all 20 from start to finish, a thundering fine experience. Is there a problem, officer?


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I love reading them in order, and to whenever I can. It's also fun to observe the author as he/she discovers the arc of a long-term character. Favorite examples, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, John Connolly, Mo Hayder.


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## Matt Larkin (Sep 27, 2011)

Steph H said:


> You can always set up your own Amazon Wish List -- I have one called, loosely, "Waiting on next book" which is for series I follow. I put the most recently released book in the series on this list, so I can remember to search occasionally for a new release in that series. (This works well especially for more esoteric authors that aren't included at FictFact, mentioned up-thread.) It's easy to put the 'most recent' book on the list, because it was almost always on the "Waiting on new release" wish list before that, once it showed up on Amazon with a release date, so all I have to do is move it between wish lists! Yeah, I'm a bit anal with lists.
> 
> That said, I love series, and it doesn't matter if they are completed or not. J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas/In Death series is on what, #34 not counting the in-between novellas, and if I'd waited until it was done before I started -- not knowing when it will BE done -- I'd have missed out on a lot of wonderful reading in the past many years. Same with John Sandford's Davenport/Prey series. That said, I don't mind finding a series that's been completed and reading it, if it's well-recommended.


Well, I already maintain a list of authors I follow and check periodically for releases. I was more hoping there was some automated feature that tells me when someone has a new release.

However, it sounds like FictFact might have that.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Harry Shannon said:


> It's also fun to observe the author as he/she discovers the arc of a long-term character. Favorite examples, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, John Connolly, Mo Hayder.


Very true, but with some caveats, at least in my book. Ex: Robert K. Tanenbaum's Butch Karp series fell apart about a dozen books in. I learned later his previous editor quit, leading me to suspect that it was the editor who had been responsible for the sparkle of the first books in the series.

I loved James Lee Burke early on too, but then I began to tire of the same old schtick, even though the writing was still first class.

Janet Evanovich finally cloyed for me after a while. I understand that others feel differently, but for me the freshness wore off.

It's hard to keep a series fresh, particularly if it's a long one.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I love it when I find a series that has all the books out already but that rarely happens.
I have waited to start a series before because I heard the cliffhangers were brutal and I knew the last book wasn't due out for a few months. So I just waited a little while to start it and by the time I was done reading the rest of the books the last one was out so it ended up working out perfectly.

But usually it doesn't stop me from starting a series based on how many books are out. I have so many series going I can usually find something else to read to fill that time in between waiting for the next books to be released.


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

When someone says "series" I think more of works like George R.R. Martin's _A Song of Ice and Fire_ or Stephen King's _The Dark Tower_. While Michael Connelly, Janet Evanovich, and other writers of that ilk have created characters that feature in long strings of novels, I don't look at them the same way because each novel is a self-contained story; the series I mentioned and others like it, however, are like one massive story stretched out over several books.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

I wait.

Example: *"A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE" by George R.R. Martin.*

Waiting.

Todd


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## LadyHawk (Feb 7, 2012)

I've noticed that a lot of series are very repetitive. So if you started reading number four of seven, I'm sure you could easily pick up the plot.

I've just started A Games of Thrones. I have all of the series to date.

I also started to read The House of Night and would NOT finish the series even though I had all the books.

As for Harry Potter and Twilight. I read one and then waited eagerly for the next.

I'm now patiently waiting for the next book after Discovery of Witches and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Claire. 

In between the series, I try to read single books.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

I hate waiting. This is a somewhat paradoxical problem as a reader: I hate waiting for the next book in a series to come out, but I seem to be constitutionally incapable of waiting for a series to be complete before reading it. Oh, well.   There are countless marvelous books to keep me occupied.


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## fancynancy (Aug 9, 2009)

I LOVE series, and as long as the writing and the characters are great, I don't mind waiting.  My favorite thing is to start reading when there are several already out, but the author is still writing them.  Then I can immerse myself, knowing there are more to come later.


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

fancynancy said:


> I LOVE series, and as long as the writing and the characters are great, I don't mind waiting. My favorite thing is to start reading when there are several already out, but the author is still writing them. Then I can immerse myself, knowing there are more to come later.


I hear that a lot, dang it, and it's no fair. You guys read MUCH faster than I, and probably most other writers of series, write! In my case so far, there was a marriage, then kids, and then they started growing up and the family matured. You gotta be patient, people, please!


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## Neil Ostroff (Mar 25, 2011)

I read the first book and if it's good I'll buy the rest all at one time.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I prefer to wait in general, but will read some on going series.

Something like A Song of Ice and Fire I'll read as it goes since it's written over years.

Something like R. A. Salvatore's work where he has a lot of stand alone trilogies where the books come out over 3 years, I'll just wait for him to finish the trilogy and buy and read them all back-to-back-to-back.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Matt Larkin said:


> Well, I already maintain a list of authors I follow and check periodically for releases. I was more hoping there was some automated feature that tells me when someone has a new release.
> 
> However, it sounds like FictFact might have that.


Yes, for authors you're 'following' you can set it to send you a notice when there are new books coming out.


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