by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is one of those posts where I sort of cringe as I write it. It’s not what I would have necessarily believed or even wanted to do when I was starting out in the early 2000s. But here it is: I think readers don’t really want new and different with a long-running series.
First off, a proviso. Of course writers should do anything they want to do with their writing and their series. They’re the creators. It’s very important for writers to be creatively satisfied. This has more to do with the business end of the stick.
As an example, I’ve subscribed to a long-running podcast. After I discovered it, I looked online to find the most popular episodes and add them to a playlist. There were tons of results for favorites, spanning a number of years.
Late last year, I saw a discussion on Reddit about the podcast that made it clear listeners now had waning support for the program. The content, they said, had changed dramatically. It had become darker, more disturbing and strayed from what everyone enjoyed most. From what I saw online, none of the favorite episodes were recent ones. The podcast was struggling and asking for memberships and donations.
That’s why, from a business standpoint, it’s important to deliver more of the same. What do readers like about your books or your series? What do they email you about or comment about on social media? What’s reflected in their reviews? Find out what your secret sauce is and give them more of it.
If you’re like me, though, sometimes you want to do something different. And that’s totally fine: start another series (I’ve got 5 now, 4 are active) or write under another name.
That’s not to say we don’t need to keep long-running series from getting stale. But there are plenty of ways to do that without making radical changes to the content readers love.
Have you ever experienced changes to a series as a reader? Ever tried making them as a writer? What’s been your experience?
Writing More of the Same: Share on XImage by izhar ahamed from Pixabay
It's a double edged sword. No, we don't want our favorite series or show to go off the rails by doing something really different. But we don't want them to become repetitive and boring. (It's also sad when people just want the same thing over and over. Little different topic though.)
That’s exactly what it is…a double edged sword. It’s a very tricky balance.
Oh, that's so interesting, Elizabeth! And you make a point, too. If readers are attracted to books for certain reasons, they want more-of-same, because that's what they loved in the first place. So, too many changes will put readers off. I think that may be especially true if a beloved character leaves the series, or something else like that. The same goes for a blog or podcast, too. People who like what you do like it for certain reasons. To me, it's just a bit like a marriage. You marry someone for certain reasons, and you don't want those reasons to change, if I can put it that way. Lots to think about here, especially considering you also want a series to stay interesting…
That’s an excellent analogy! It’s very similar to a marriage, in many ways.
I agree with Alex on this. But good series achieve the right balance. I think good character development throughout the series helps too.
Great point! Character development, as long as it’s thoughtful, can work wonders.
I think part of wanting the same-o is that we like certain genres for reading and movie viewing. Secondly, I think we get comfort from reading (and watching) series, knowing we can depend on these for comfort. Kind of like when my son did not want his favorite blanket washed when he was little. He also didn't want me to patch it. The blanket (manky) needed to feel, smell and look the same. :) When I'm super stressed, I still go to my Little House Books for therapy.
I think you’re absolutely right–it’s a comfort thing. Manky sounds a lot like my daughter’s doll, Dirty Baby. Dirty Baby couldn’t really be washed, either. We all need a little comfort sometimes. :)