False Advertising

There I was, merrily peddling away on my stationary bike as I read a book I found quite entertaining, when all of a sudden I see this: Ready for more Cry Wolf? Grab the next two books in the Cry Wolf Series Boxed Set…

Say what? And, seriously?

Okay yes, this was a freebie on Amazon, and yes it did show on the cover that it was Cry Wolf book one, but when I checked the next book in the series it was about someone different, so I downloaded this one thinking I had a complete story. Nowhere, neither in the blurb nor on the cover, did it mention that volume one was actually a three book set.

There’s only one thing worse than a book that is serialized – and by serialized I mean that the full book is spread over several smaller books – and that’s a book that has no warning that story has been serialized. It’s a cheap tactic that shows that the author is only in this for the money, not the story.

But wait, you say, what about your books? Aren’t they a series?

Yes. The Ardraci Elementals and the Moonstone Chronicles are both series, but they have not been serialized. These books are complete stories that also happen to be part of a larger story. You do not have to read the entire series to get a complete story from each book.

A serial is a single story broken into episodes.

A series contains the same characters throughout, but each episode is a different story.

With a serialized book, you have to buy several such episodes to buy the whole story. In the 19 century it was common for novels to be serialized in periodicals. But the thing is, people knew from the start of the story they’d have to buy several issues to get the complete story.

My beef is with the authors who don’t warn you ahead of time that the book has been serialized, that you won’t get the whole story unless you’re prepared to shell out for several volumes.

I have no problem with a book that’s been serialized. If the story is well written and piques my interest I have no problem paying for several volumes to get the complete story. But when I read a book with a story I’m really enjoying and at the height of the action I suddenly get presented with what amounts to “to be continued in the next book” then all I feel is cheated.

How about you? Do you enjoy serials or would you rather read a series?


Prompts of the Week

Prompt One: Dampness lingers in the midnight air. Nearby, an unidentifiable sound pricks at your nerves, repeating every few seconds. Your breath catches in your throat as a long shadow cleaves through the light spilling from a street lamp just around the corner ahead of you. You consider turning back . . . What happens?

Prompt Two: You are showering one morning when you notice a tattoo on your body that you’re quite sure you don’t remember getting. What is it, how did you get it, and what does it mean?

Remember, don’t spend a lot of time on these, they’re just meant for fun. Take 5 minutes to think about it, then write for 10 or 15 minutes. And if it turns out you like what you’ve written, then by all means turn your exercise into an actual story. You can find these prompts, and others like them, at Writer's Digest .