Lea Schizas - Author/Editor said...
Talking about book endings reminded me of a self-published book I reviewed a couple of years ago. This book had the potential to make it big, but I'm sure readers felt the same way I did when I came to the end and read: To be concluded. I thought, "Hold on, this is a book, not a movie!" My next action was to check in the beginning for the author's published books or upcoming books. Nadda.
I understand this may happen in a series, but I also understand that a book should stand on its own with most of the foreshadows finalized before THE END rolls around. Nothing was finalized. Everything remained up in the air. What a shame. That book kept my interest, but my Spidergal instincts tingled about three quarters into the book when no foreshadow or sub-plot came close to an end.
So a tip to newbies: make sure your book stands on its own.
December 13, 2009 10:24 PM
I've read big-time books that stood on their own but were parts of series. I believe I'm thinking of "Tarzan of the Apes," Edgar Rice Burroughs' first Tarzan book. It had an indeterminate ending, but it didn't say that it was part of a series. In a way, it was frustrating; in another, it was a wonderful lead-in to later books.
On the editing, "Tarzan..." was terrific in a lot of ways, but there was a page near the end that needed big-time help. There were major flaws that should have been edited in subsequent editions. It bothers me every time I read it.
More EDITOR@WORK blog entries
Entries from The Dog Blog
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(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)
Sheesh, that's just as frustrating as reading a book and finding the last page missing.
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