By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’m an avid reader of mystery writer M.C. Beaton’s (pen name for Marion Chesney’s) books and have been for many years. I keep track of her releases and order them when they become available. She writes a few series under different names, but the Hamish MacBeth series is my favorite and has had a huge influence on me. Beaton’s books are the reason I’m writing cozy mysteries.
One of the reasons I track her books, apart from my own enjoyment, is because she’s successfully kept this particular series going for 30 books. (My series with the most books is only at 6 books…working on the 7th now). And Beaton has not only retained her readers, she’s increased her readership. She’s recently become active on social media (years ago I couldn’t even find a photo or contact info for her online…when I was already all over the place online) and that seems to have also helped gain her readers.
I remembered the other day that she had a fairly recent Hamish release and I hopped on Amazon to order the book. Usually her books are highly rated by readers who are just as avid as I am. This time I was surprised to see some bad reviews and scrolled down out of curiosity…interested to see what readers were saying. This isn’t my usual approach, since readers are terrible about giving spoilers on Amazon, but I wanted to see what they were saying this time.
Readers who gave negative reviews mentioned an increase in the number of bodies, a darker feel to the (previously cozy) series…a couple even saying it read like noir, complaints about out-of-character behavior by the beloved sleuth, and even readers claiming they thought the book had been ghost-written (!).
Of course, this made me want to read the book even more, to see if I’d get the same impression, myself.
So…this is a very long-running, very successful series. Maybe Beaton wanted to make some changes to keep the stories fresh or to keep her interest in the series from waning. Some readers may have been more responsive to her changes than others. Maybe the changes happened too swiftly for the series? This all made me ask:
What do you do when you’re wanting to keep a long-running series fresh?
It’s probably more difficult to…
Change the protagonist’s personality. Readers were saying that Hamish’s personality seemed different—that his response to stressful situations was inappropriate. Personality changes can be pulled off, but there needs to be good reasons for the changes that readers can believe.
Change the tone of the books. Tricky. Readers were saying that this book had a “noir” feel to it…and it’s a cozy. If the whole rest of the series is light and you introduce a dark book or vice versa—there may be some pushback.
Other ideas that might be easier to try:
Introducing new and possibly recurring characters into a series. Obviously, these would present different opportunities for interaction with the protagonist—conflict, friendship, love interest, antagonist.
Adding an ongoing conflict/trial/challenge for the protagonist to address. This could come in the form of another character or a health, job, or emotional challenge.
Adding a continuing storyline. If we haven’t had a continuing storyline from book to book, we could consider adding one to offer the opportunity for character growth.
Showing a different side to the main character (but one that fits in with his or her overall personality).
Taking the characters on a road trip (be careful here).
Providing opportunities for character growth (particularly with a continuing storyline, as mentioned above).
Of course, if all else fails and we really feel boxed in by our series and are longing to do something very different, the very safest course might be…to start another series.
Have you got a long series of books? How have you managed series change? As a reader, have you noticed instances where an author has pulled it off…and where they’ve struggled?
Great blog post :) I’m writing a series right now- a foodie cozy series. I keep a few core issues ongoing in each book- romance, job struggles, etc. but each mystery is self contained in the novel.
I haven’t read Hamish novels- 30 is impressive- I’ll have to give them a try!
Melissa–Best wishes for your foodie cozy!
I think your approach is smart. 90% of my books have *everything* self-contained in each book (i.e., no continuing storyline), but I realized a couple of books ago that that isn’t going to continue working for the Myrtle series (nor the quilting series, currently set for 5 books…but I already adjusted for that series, coming to that realization quicker than I did for Myrtle).
I, too, am a fan of M.C. Heaton. As a new writer she has given me personal advice when I would get stuck. So I appreciate her wanting to give a fresh look at Hamish.
I am one of those readers who start with book one of a series, even when many books are already out. One that comes to mind is The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun. 29 cozies! At first I read about 15 books, one after another. But, then to keep it fresh, I guess, she killed off a couple of my favorite characters. She made the main character wealthy, but not too pretentious. By the 27th book, Ms Braun was in her 90’s and you could tell she wasn’t into her series anymore. Murders would go unsolved and the main story was more about fluff.
So, in conclusion, sometimes you need to walk away. Authors need to love their characters. We readers can tell when the romance is over.
Patti–That’s wonderful that she helped you out when you got stuck!
Killing off a main character or two should have made my list of no-nos. That’s probably the most dangerous of all–because readers aren’t forgiving when their favorites are killed without very good reason.
I think you’re right–when our heart isn’t in our series anymore, even if readers are clamoring for more–we should end the series. Better than continuing on and disappointing readers.
Ps. My kindle spellchecker misspelled Ms Beaton’ s name.
Patti–You should see some of the text messages I send out! Autocorrect is a dangerous program. :)
Thirty books? Whoa…
Even with just three books, I worried that the tone would be too different in each one. The second one was lighter and a few people noticed. But in keeping it fresh, I think that’s why I jumped ahead twenty years each time.
Alex–I’m still amazed at your carrying off a 20 year jump for two separate books. Great idea and a good way to be able to explain any small character personality changes….because who *isn’t* different 20 years later?
Elizabeth – I like Beaton’s work very much too. I admit I’ve not read the latest Hamish Macbeth, but I do like her work.
It is difficult to decide which changes to make to a series to keep it fresh. As you say, readers simply aren’t going to want certain changes. I think the most logical ones are once that might happen in a real person’s life. Characters coming and going, moving, things like that. If it’s a change people can imagine, it’s probably easier to take than a change in personality type or a change in writing style.
Margot—And it adds to the general realism of the story, too, so that makes for an added bonus.
I am on the third book in a series, while I wait on the finishing touches of the first to publish. Not too hard to keep things fresh so far. I am working with an author on a collaboration project involving both our characters. If you find someone you might work well with who’s story and characters would work in your world, it is a great way to add spice to a series, as well as introduce you and your partner to a new set of readers. It also adds you to the “readers also bought” list on Amazon.
I’m in the early stages of this project so far, so can’t comment on how it works yet. Something to think about.
Silas
Silas–That’s very interesting! I just read an interesting article on Joanna Penn’s site that mentioned collaboration as one way for writers to diversify. I’ll be interested in hearing how it goes for you.
I’m only on the second book of my series (nothing like being a newbie, eh?) but this topic is already on my mind, for a couple of different reasons. First, I had to decide how long after the story in the first book that the story in the second one should begin, in terms of the MC’s continuing story line. I didn’t want to make it too much same old same old, but there had to be a sense of growth from her personal circumstances that readers could relate to and want to know more about in future books.
The second concern was getting into the right frame of mind for my MC. I’ve been battling a recurrence of an illness that knocks the willies out of me for the past couple of months, and much of what I wrote during that time seems darker than what’s in the first book. Fortunately, I’m on the mend, and so is my “voice.” But it was an eye-opening experience to see how easily consistency in style and tone can be disrupted. I’m hoping the voice will be less vulnerable as I gain more experience.
Meg–The series timeline is a little stressful, isn’t it? For me, I can’t let the protagonist of my most successful series age (she’s an octogenarian and I’m keeping her that way), but still there are events that change my character and cause growth. So…let’s just say I’m very vague about time passage.
Sorry to hear you’ve been ill! Hope you’re able to fight it off. And you bring up an interesting point about tone–sometimes it’s unintentional. The readers pick up quickly on it, though. I wrote something dark for one of my Penguin books (not sure why I was in such a dark mood, but the book was a struggle to write so maybe that was why) and the cover artist picked up on it. Made the whole *thing* dark. Scared away some of my cozy readers (they have emailed me about it), but I picked up, interestingly, some male readers in the process. So…I guess it’s a double-edged sword?
You are so prolific, I can see you taking another pen name and doing that darker series! Sounds like a great way to expand your reader base, not a double-edged sword at all ;)
Meg–I’d love to. :) Wondering if I can squeeze something in next year (contract ends then).
As someone who’s only at the book-two stage in a series (and book two has yet to appear), I am not qualified to speak on this issue. But that’s never stopped me before, why now? So: what occurs to me about someone like M.C. Beaton, someone who has published so many books in a series, is that the writer has changed. It would be interesting to learn what big events have occurred recently in her own life. If they were dark, tinged with the personal equivalent of “noir” experience, I bet that would have something to do with what’s happened in her writing.
Barry–I suspect so, too. Which makes me wonder about that balance between our responsibility to our readers and our responsibility to ourselves. If she needs to write dark books to be a cathartic experience…should she make a break with her current book commitments and write something dark in a one-off book or a new series? Should she allow it to leak into her lighter, fluffier series?
Then there’s the purely business aspect of it–her contract. I don’t know how many books she’s under contract for, but she may not have time to write two very active series and write another book, too. That’s when we’d really have to ask ourselves–can we fake lightness for our readers? Should we?
I’m also a fan of M.C. Beaton but I read her Agatha Raisin series. I haven’t noticed any jarring changes in that series (although I’ve read more of the later books than the early books.) She seems to explain what those characters are thinking and feeling so well that I can accept anything they do.
Another series I read a lot of is Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity mysteries. In the earlier books of that series, it seemed like her main character Lori (who is a married mother) would get into a flirtation with a temporary male character in every book. In a way, it was realistic, because being married doesn’t stop you from recognizing that other people are attractive, but it got to the point where I felt that Lori was starting to cross a line and possibly wouldn’t be able to stay “happily married.” Thankfully in the later books, that kind of storyline has disappeared and I think it made the books better. Romance elements now come from secondary characters.
Megan–I should read more of her Agatha books. I did like the character–although I winced for her sometimes in her determined pursuit of her original love interest (now I can’t remember his name). Beaton does a great job, as you mention, making the characters *real* and helping us get into their heads.
I’ve read some Aunt Dimity, too–nice books. I wonder if Atherton’s decision to drop the storyline was reader influenced? Seems like the kind of subplot that might be.
I am currently in the middle of a six book series, a double trilogy one might call it ;)
Since the series is called Seventeen, everyone was kinda expecting 17 books. I’ve made it very clear there aren’t going to be that many!
There are overlapping characters in the books but each story is about 1-2 specific protagonists. So far, readers haven’t felt cheated on this style of writing and seem to relish discovering more about the world I’ve created, as well as revisiting favorite characters.
The challenge is going to be the final book, when I bring the protagonists of the previous stories together for the final big adventure. I will try very hard not to drown people in multiple POVs! :D
AD–This sounds like an approach that would be fun to write. You’ve already set the readers up that you’ll be focusing on different protagonists and situations, so no worries that they’ll disapprove when you go into a different direction. And it gives you the chance to keep things fun and fresh for yourself as you write it. Good luck with that final book!
Keeping a series fresh is a challenge. I’m writing a couple stand alone novels now that before picking up with the Chase Manhattan series sometime next year. I think you owe it to your readers to find ways to keep things fresh. Best wishes to you!
Stephen–Thanks for coming by. Hope your computer problems that you mentioned last week are getting better. And good luck on the stand-alones!
Lots of good ideas.
One of the things I’m doing with my 10-volume G.I. Joe series involves characters. Specifically killing off some here while bringing other in there.
It builds suspense, keeps readers wondering, and makes it fun for me. Since this world has so many characters it’s easy to find some waiting in the wings. If you wanted to do that with your own world it might be best to have 20 characters that you know of at the start, and which you ‘roll out’ as the books progress.
Greg–Sounds like another great method of keeping things interesting for *you* as a writer of a 10 book series while making sure readers aren’t alarmed at the plot changes. You’re setting reader expectations so they don’t have any problems with characters being eliminated and others inserted into the storyline.
Ultimately, I think it’s all about knowing what readers love about your series.
But I think it’s good to remember that it’s okay to have a book here and there that is less successful than the others. The audience isn’t just one homogenous whole. In a long series, everyone will have a least favorite and most favorite book — and it will be a different book for every reader.
So it’s probably okay to take something in a slightly different direction for one book — especially if you don’t do things that violate the reader’s trust (like killing puppies and favorite characters) — or to add the kinds of changes you mention above, if you think the series needs something to freshen it up for the long haul.
Oh, and one technique for that long haul change; I’ve seen writers introduce changes by keeping it low key. For instance, if the detective is injured in the climax of the story, some books will have it be a terrible life-changing injury and the readers will cringe at this change. But some writers will not make it a big deal, but as you read, you see that the injury did change things. The character may not be able to quite do what he did before, and it becomes an interesting new problem to deal with — but it’s still the same character dealing with life the same way.
In the end though: if you have the kind of series where things happen the same way every time, don’t change it just because you get bored with it. Start another series. Or write a standalone book. You can even write it under a pen name if you think your name is too closely associated with a certain style.
In the end, it’s all about the promise you make to the reader — if you don’t want to do the same thing, then you have to find a way to make a different promise.
Camille–Good point and I think readers do lose sight of that point…okay, we’re talking about a 30 book series. *All* the books can’t be the best books. There will be weaker books in a series. The writer probably knows which ones those are (I know I do) and the readers will probably have their own ideas (and you’re right–some of my weaker books were very popular with readers…who knows why?)
I like the low-key technique! So, play it down, even if it’s something that could have been potentially catastrophic for the character.
But ultimately, you’re right–if we get tired of a series, we shouldn’t change it up for that reason. The readers aren’t tired of it, after all. If the series isn’t under contract, we could even take a break from writing the series for a little while.
What a compliment to the author…readers love her characters and stories so much they become personally attached. This proves what I’ve learned: negative talk can create just as much interest in a book/movie as positive!
Julie–Yes! They feel (I do, too) as if they *know* these characters and they’re friends. That point came up over and over in the reviews. So the readers took the changes personally.
It did make me want to buy the book more, yes…ha! Human nature is a funny thing.
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As a reader, I’ve left a number of series’ for a variety of reasons. But it often seems like around book seven, the author gets tired of the series and wants to shake it up, often doing something too dramatic. After that, it starts to feel like they’ve lost their way, and I’m done with them. I might read one or two books after, but I usually stop at that point because I’m not getting what I came to the series for. I think this part of the problem with publishers — the books are still selling, so they want more, instead of letting the writer branch out, and we end up with a series that is beaten into the ground until it’s worn out.
Linda–Your comment sent a chill up my spine, since I’m currently writing book 7! Definitely words to the wise–will be sure to err on the side of “more of the same” and less on the side of “something dramatically different.” The series is for the readers, after all. I’m fortunate in that this particular series doesn’t have publisher oversight, so I’ll leave it to readers to indicate when enough’s enough. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Great ideas, Elizabeth! As the writer, it’s up to you to make the road to the ending as exciting as possible, but if you’re writing genre fiction you have to know the rules of genre fiction and be careful not to deviate from them, because the readers have their own reasons for buying it.
Anita–Absolutely. I think it’s a comfort thing for readers…they expect a particular framework for genre stories and that’s what makes them relaxed and engaged as they read.