Monday, February 10, 2014

When You Find Out A Book Series Is Going To Be Cancelled...

I feel like I had never really heard of this happening before. I'm sure it definitely is something that happens but I must have just been oblivious to it but I've heard of two instances in the past month or two of series being cancelled or put on hold.

The first was Dearly Departed by Lia Habel. I own the two books that are published but have not read them.The author talked about it here  and explains a bit about what happened.





The second one is The Archived by Victoria Schwab, a book I bought and got signed, which she talks about here on Tumblr. Her editor who was championing the series left, the sales didn't really merit a third book and the publisher was possibly not going to publish the third. Since she wrote this post, the book blogosphere has gone CRAZY and are raising up in support for this series. And, for a very short period of time, The Archived is only 99 cents!!

** I had a friend clarify something for me in this case: "The Archived is not being cancelled. They only ever bought 2 books and are not buying a third. Cancelled is technically when they buy 3 books and then decide not to publish books they bought." **






It's such a hard things for the author and for the fans and I'm even sure for the publishers and anyone who worked on the books. As a potential reader who owns BOTH of these, and knows nothing about them really, I feel stuck if I should start them. I already decided I was probably going to read The Archived by Victoria Schwab soon because I was really excited about that one when I bought it and apparently they don't end on cliffhangers. However, I don't know much about the Dearly Departed series and I feel like I don't really want to start a series that might not be resolved ever. (If you have read this one, please let me know!)

In the case of The Archived, I feel like reading and supporting this series soon will make the rest of the series happen but I'm not so sure, by reading the author of Dearly Departed's post, if that would make a difference until, rightly so, the author is ready to start working on it again.

I feel this same conflict with tv shows I find out are cancelled. Even if they are awesome, it's hard for me to want to read if they aren't resolved. I didn't know Veronica Mars, when I watched it years ago, had kind of just ENDED because the network cancelled it...but things were wrapped up enough that I felt OKAY but still obviously more because of how it ended/how amazing it was. And here we are all these years later with A VERONICA MARS MOVIE coming out soon because fans of the show championed the hell out of it! 

So, readers, my question for you...is has this ever happened to you? What do you DO? Do you read the series anyways if you own it or don't? If you know anything about the Dearly, Departed series can you tell me if it ends on a cliffhanger? ALSO, as I said, I feel like even though I'm sure this happens a fair amount...what are some series that have been cancelled?

35 comments:

  1. I read Descentant by Eva Truesdale and I regret it SO much. I loved the book and there was a major cliffhanger in the end. And then I noticed that the author has "vanished". I don't know what happened, and I don't know if anybody elso knows either. It's not exactly the same situation as now, it's possible that the author has passed away' cos second book was ment to be published, but never did and nobody knows anything about it.

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    1. Have you found out anything else?

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    2. The second one came out last year in August and the third one in March this year ;)

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  2. I started reading The Night World series when it first came out and I wasn't even in highschool. 9 books and a helluva lot of rereads, and coming up to twenty years after the ninth book was published, and there's still no sign of the tenth and final book. So yeah :/

    I know the author took a ten year break from writing but that kinda made the whole series pointless as the pivotal moment the previous nine books were building up to was the Millenium. It'll be interesting to see when (if ever) the final book is published and how the plot is changed to accommodate this huge period of time.

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  3. I have read the first book to a series that was been cancelled. The author discontinued the series because there were users on Goodreads and some bloggers that were attacking her and bullying her online. I feel really sorry for her and disappointed that the series has been cancelled but i understand her reasons.

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  4. I didn't even know this was a thing that happened. How awful D:

    I'm looking forward to reading The Archived and the rest of her books. Hopefully the fan response will help :(

    As for the other author, I'll have to check her out!

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  5. I read the first of the Dearly books and really enjoyed it, and started reading the second, but at the time I just wasn't really gettin into it {huge bummer, because I LOVED the first one}. I'd say it's worth reading. While there are things unanswered in the first book, it definitely wasn't a cliffhanger. I hope the second one has a similar ending, as I do plan on reading it eventually!

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  6. That sucks! I've never heard of that happening. I know if it was me, I would be hesitate to read them knowing that I might not get a satisfactory ending.

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  7. The first time I heard about something like this happening was somewhere between 2003-2005. Mari Mancusi's Blood Coven series was about Vampires and it came out BEFORE Twilight, so there wasn't much interest and, after just 3 books (when it was originally meant to be 4 or 5), it was canceled. There was a big rally from fans to "Save the Blood Coven." This was back when we had Myspace and I had the button on my Myspace page! (Hah! I feel like I'm dating myself now!!). Eventually, with all the Twilight hype, Mari got the chance to finish her series! And it ended being eight or nine books and it was AMAZING. She even re-wrote the last few chapters of the third book into the beginning of the fourth book so it didn't just abruptly end. It was magnificent and I'm so glad she got the chance to finish them! So many the authors above (Lia Habel and Victoria Schwab, especially) will someday finish their series!

    Speaking of, poor Lia Habel! I never knew!! She was very brave to post that and I truly hope, when she feels better, she'll write the third Dearly, Departed book. I know it sucks reading a series that doesn't have a conclusion, but they were SO good. I loved them!!

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  8. Ugh! YES! I had a taste of this before. My 14 year old niece helped me out of my reading slump. It had been years. She's to blame for my awakened shameless obsession now with YA. Well, she insisted I needed to read one of her favorite books from one of her favorite authors.
    Soulbound by Heather Brewer.
    Now, the writing was, well, not at it's best. I hate saying that, but it was, especially in the beginning a little difficult to get through. To my surprise though, the STORY was great! The concept and plot line--it was really interesting and had my full attention. So here I am, devouring this book, get to a climactic ending, and then the last line is the biggest. freaking. cliffhanger of LIFE!
    There's a cover reveal for Book 2 and all. There was a release date, only...I read the book six months AFTER this supposed release date to book 2.
    Then my niece, with a broken heart told me...they will never release it. The series was cancelled!
    I scream, "WHAT THE?!" Now, I was invested dang it! *heavy sigh* So yeah, it sucks.
    And that's my story. The end. :)

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  9. Oh, yes. This has happened to me before for sure! Like Meredith above mentioned, though, I've also seen some series revived. One very, very recently in fact - a zombie trilogy that had two titles released from a big house. The author seems to have found a home for the third with a small press and I'm stoked to finish the series.

    It's always so sad when it happens and I feel the same responsibility to try to push and promote the books I love in hopes something great will come of it. Speaking of which I need to go order UNBOUND!

    Cora also mentioned the NIGHT WORLD series. I think that one haunts readers of my age group! We all hang onto some ridiculously unfounded hope that that final book will come out! (Kind of burns you from reading series as a whole until all the books have been released. Fortunately I outgrew that really quickly!)

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  10. Well, that's sad. I didn't know about the Lia Habel series being cancelled. I read the first book through Netgalley when it came out and I rather liked it. (Which surprised me.) I was watching for book 2, but guess not closely enough.

    My current nail-biter is Laura Lam. I was told the other day that she is not signed for a third book! (She writes Pantomime and the recently released Shadowplay). So, if the sales for book 2 are not good enough there might not be a book three. This makes me really sad! (Especially since book 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and there are so many unanswered questions!)

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  11. Wow that's so sad. I didn't know this happened. Are authors able to self-publish the last of a series if the publisher doesn't choose to continue it or does the publisher own some kind of right that doesn't allow that.

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  12. I've never heard of this happening before, but how disappointing! I have the Archived Series on my tbr list and am thoroughly looking forward to reading it!

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  13. I have heard of this happening because it is a business that thrives on the sales of the books already published. If they don't sale then why continue..sucks for the readers and the authors who write them. I think the authors should take their books and pursue other avenues that just oh I am sorry there will be no more because the publisher doesn't want to take a chance. I have heard of some authors who has had this happen to them finish the series and self pub on amazon..those are authors who really care about their books and the people who read them. :) I know not all authors can or want to do that but it's an option! :)

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  14. I just picked up The Archived -- but knowing that the series won't have the 3rd installment originally planned, I don't think I'll read it after all. No point in investing in something that won't have a conclusion, in my opinion. This hasn't happened to me with books much (although I also read the Night World series and wanted the final volumes!), but certainly it's a fact of life with TV shows. As with The Archived, I wouldn't be interested in starting a book series if I know it cuts off without its proper ending.

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  15. I've heard of and experienced TV shows being cut or cancelled, and it's distressing. I remember Pushing Daises ending, and Chuck, two of my favourite shows! I've never had the knowledge of a series being cancelled, however, I've been aware of the Archived thing going on; I thought it was to encourage the reader, not the publishers to allow it, so I've learnt something new today. I think if you wanted to read them originally, you should, don't let the publishers deter you from books you wanted to enjoy :)

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  16. Very interesting! I also hadn't heard of this outside of TV series. It makes sense from a publisher standpoint. I wonder in today's freer marketplace, the idea of raising money via kickstarter to continue the series, or self-publishing, that brings a lot of new life to projects that publishers don't want to assume risk for.

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  17. I have heard of TV and movie series stopping early, but I hadn't realized that this happens with books too. The first I heard of this was the Archived series. I am excited that there seems to be a grassroots push to continue this series.

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  18. I've never heard of this happening before! And I'm so surprised, particularly about the Victoria Schwab novels which I've heard nothing but praise for recently. I've read Dearly, Departed and absolutely loved it; I have the second book somewhere and I'll definitely be reading it even if the series is discontinued, because the characters are brilliant and the concept is quite unusual. How disappointing... :(

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  19. I feel really sad for the authors when it comes to this, but I guess at the end of the day, books are business and publishers can't publish what they can't sell. I really liked Dearly Departed but I really didn't like the sequel. I've always wanted to read The Archived though so I do hope the sales pick up.

    -P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex

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  20. That is so sad! I just bought Archived yesterday because the 2nd book sounded so awesome. I am also watching Pushing Daisies right now which is my favorite ever cancelled TV show. Hopefully the extra support will get the series back :)
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  21. I actually didn't know that the Dearly series got cancelled. There wasn't very many unanswered questions after book 2 and since I didn't see any news of the 3rd book, I just assumed that the series was over with.
    But I have had this happen before. With the Intertwined series by Gena Showalter the 3rd book ended in a cliffhanger and the author made a post saying, a few years later, that a 4th book won't be coming out.

    It's sad that these things happen :(

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  22. WHAT! I didn't know Dearly was cancelled! I just read the first book couple of weeks ago and totally loved it!!

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  23. I read Dearly Departed over the summer and actually was not a big fan of it, the idea was totally unique as far as zombie series go but the story itself just dragged a little too much for me!

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  24. Ahh, I don't know why I never thought of this happening. It happens with great tv shows, so why wouldn't it with books?

    I just bought The Archived (thanks to this post!), a book I borrowed from the library. And I'll buy the second book now as well, rather than borrow. I may be one, but every book helps right?

    As for the other series, I just don't think I could go into a series I know would be incomplete. There are too many I want to read that do have ends. It is sad though.

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  25. Gah! I had no idea about The Archived series! I just got this book and now I don't know if I should read them! Well thanks for the warning and great post! :)

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  26. I don't know much about The Archived series either. I was under the impression they were fairly stand alone novels so I'm still tempted to start them even if the third book doesn't end up coming out.

    As for cancelled book series, I haven't had any experiences myself. The only experience I have that may be close is when Isobelle Carmody leaves a series hanging before the last volume and doesn't write it. Instead, she moves onto another series and does the same thing. At first, I was always anxiously waiting and hoping she'll eventually come back and finish the series off. But it's been 12 years and I'm still waiting. On her website, it's listed as "forthcoming" - somehow I doubt it. But it's okay, it's been so long I've forgotten most of the plot anyway. :(

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  27. I never really thought about it either. But I think I would still read them. The series I love the most, I would have still enjoyed the beginning books. So my answer is yes. If they had good reviews and are perhaps 'sleepers' I would take a chance.

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  28. This is always so sad. I've only ever had one series that I was reading be more or less cancelled. It's a matter of, the author wanted quite a few in the series, and her publisher didn't seem to care after the second book so it's been in a stand-still for years. It really makes me sad, but in the long run, I think I would end up forgetting about the books after a while anyway. It's one of the reasons I want to self publish if I ever finish my novels. I don't want to risk not being picked up for a full series. I think it looks worse on the author than the publisher in those cases, because people who don't care to look at the reasons just blame the author for dropping the series, and that isn't good for them at all. Publishers only care about the dollar signs. It's not right. They shouldn't disappoint fans like that. Even if they offered it only as an ebook, at least the series would be out there.

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  29. You hear about TV shows being canceled all the time, but I don't think I have ever heard about a BOOK being canceled because there wasn't enough popularity generated out there. I think there is always someone who loves a book enough to buy into them.

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  30. I have actually never heard of book series being canceled. I've heard about issues and putting of pub dates, but never canceled. I was wondering why everyone was talking about The Archived, but now I know. I own both of them and now I'm really bummed there won't be a third, unless the second one ends okay, then I won't be mad just sad. I can't stand when television shows cancel in short notice and the viewers don't get any closure, it drives me insane and really makes me mad. Great post!

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  31. I didn't know tis could happen or that is happened to Lia Habel's Series.. Which I LOVE! I MEAN LOVE! This is among the devastation I felt when it happened to Veronica Mars... I want to petition this! I am so bummed right now!

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  32. I've had this happen more with TV series than books, but it definitely still sucks when you're left wanting more of a story and its characters. I've mostly been lucky as far as book series go, but I did read the first Lia Habel book, and am sad that she won't be continuing it for the foreseeable future.
    As far as reading it yourself, I think the first at least was fairly self-contained, though not every outcome was entirely settled as much as some readers might desire. I have purchased the second book, and though I anticipate being a bit sad even going into it, knowing me I'll be reading it at some point, regardless. If its out there in the world, I'll leave no enjoyable series unfinished in whatever capacity it's available.

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  33. Good news ;)

    http://veschwab.tumblr.com/post/92246669193/on-the-third-book-in-the-archived-series

    really want it to be true... hope its ok to post a link here. :)

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