Cliffhanger endings: 3 reasons why they make readers mad
Mickey Spillane once said, “The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.” Unfortunately, some authors interpret that truth as meaning they should end a book with a cliffhanger. There are (at least) 3 reasons why cliffhanger endings will make readers mad–and angry readers are less likely to read your next book.
But before we get to that: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine. Stop by and leave them some comment love.
Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives us an optional question to answer. This month’s question: Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?
3 reasons why cliffhanger endings annoy me
I love cliffhangers at the end of chapters, but I don’t like them at the end of books. I believe a book should stand alone as a complete story. Some loose ends in a book that’s part of a series is fine, even some unresolved tension, but a true cliffhanger at the end of a book annoys me. Here are 3 reasons why:
- I read a book expecting a complete story. I may not have read the previous book in the series, so if a book opens with a pre-existing cliffhanger, I’m going to feel like the uncool kid who isn’t in on the joke. I got enough of that feeling in middle school.
- If the next book isn’t out yet, I may have to wait months or even years for a resolution. By that time, the tension is gone. I’ve moved on, and I may not care enough to read the next book.
- Sometimes authors never write the next book in a series. Their publisher cancels the series contract if the previous book didn’t sell well, or they decide to go in a different direction with their career or they stop writing, leaving their characters (and readers) forever hanging off that cliff.
So, was Spillane right? Does the ending sell the next book? For me, yes. When I read a book, I’m investing hours of my precious and extremely limited free time. That’s an act of trust. I’m trusting the author to deliver a story that’s sufficiently compelling and satisfying to be worth that time. If you fail to resolve a key conflict in the name of ending on a cliffhanger, you’ve betrayed my trust, and I’m unlikely to trust you enough to read your next book. But if you give me a well-plotted story with compelling characters and good writing–and you deliver a satisfying ending? Take my money, baby!
On an unrelated note, I have a question for you:
Are you on Threads or BlueSky? How do you like them?
About a year ago, I wrote a post about Threads and BlueSky. At that time, many of us were looking for alternatives to X-Twitter, because under its new ownership, engagement was decreasing and toxicity was increasing. The X-odus has accelerated, and BlueSky in particular has seen a huge increase in users, especially since the US election. My follower count has about quadrupled in the last 2 weeks, and I’m seeing an uptick in hits to my website as well.
I’m planning to update my post about Threads and BlueSky, probably around the holidays when I’ll be off work and have more time. To inform that update, I’d love to hear about your experiences with these sites. Do you use either of them? Both? What do you like/dislike and why? Drop a comment and let me know–and if you’d like other IWSG-ers to follow you, include your handle(s).
My handles are:
- BlueSky: janetalcorn.bsky.social
- Threads: janet.writes
The memery
Truer words were never memed.
Let’s get into some holiday spirit:
Now I want a giant hand as a tree topper. And I’m digging the Dali one. The melting tree looks like a moldy piece of pepperoni pizza.
Here’s something for my Friends in Cold Places1:
I live in Central California, and it’s dark by 5:30 here, so not all that much better.
Finally, let’s end on a bookish note:
Better idea: a menopausal superhero. She fries villains with hot flashes or drowns them with sweat, and her tights are actually yoga pants because who wants to fight crime in spandex? It’s too tight, doesn’t breathe, and shows every lump, bump, and fat roll.
And on that note, that’s it for me. Unless I trip over some inspiration2, I probably won’t be back in your inbox/feed reader until around Christmas. But then I’ll have over a week off, plenty of time to post some extra drivel insightful commentary.
Happy Holidays! And don’t forget to share your thoughts on Threads and BlueSky in the comments. If I quote you in my updated piece, I’ll link to your website (if you provide it). Thanks!
- I literally wasted at least 5 minutes trying to come up with a winter-related parody of Friends in Low Places. And I got… nuthin’. But I’ll leave you with this wonderful performance:
- I’m more likely to drown in perspiration. See: menopause.
28 Comments
alexjcavanaugh
If the story is compelling, that will be enough to sell the next book, not a cliffhanger.
Not on any new social media. What I do now is enough.
Janet Alcorn
I hear you. I have so little time as it is. I’d really like to find one platform that worked well for me, but I haven’t quite landed anywhere yet.
patgarcia
HI,
I ve joined Bluesky and Threads and I’m thinking hard about whether I should close my twitter account. That decision will come after I see how easy or difficult it is on Bluesky and threads.
Congrats on your win! I find that so encouraging and cool. It motivates every time you win an award.
All the best. Shalom shalom
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! For now, I’m keeping my Twitter account, but I’m not active there anymore. I hate to give up something I’ve built since 2006. Musk may get tired of his new toy and sell it to someone less toxic, at which point I can pick up where I left off.
joylenebutler
Ahh, so that’s why my house is messy. I need a deadline. Merry Christmas, Janet. Thanks for all the informative and humourous posts this year. I enjoy how your mind works. Hope you have the best Christmas ever.
Janet Alcorn
LOL – exactly. I have to have housecleaning deadlines to really clean my house, as in, people are coming over next week, and I don’t want them to see how we really live 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too! Thank you for all your kindness and encouragement!
Laura Zeigen
I recently signed up for Bluesky (you probably got a friend request there), but I never used Twitter that much except at conferences, so aside from checking in occasionally to see what folks are talking about, I’m not sure how or how much I’d use it. I’ve seen thread postings, but haven’t installed the app on my phone. Basically I’m going to go where my friends and people are. I am mainly on Facebook still bc it is how my people create invites to friend events. If a critical mass of my friends settles into some other platform that’s where I will go.
Janet Alcorn
I just found you there. And your approach makes total sense. My Facebook feed has largely become a cesspool of ads and posts from pages I don’t follow and don’t care about, so I don’t spend nearly as much time there as I used to. These companies go so overboard on monetization, they ruin the engagement that keeps people on the platform.
deniz
I agree, it’s so difficult to wait for the next book in a series :p
I’m on bluesky. It seems tidier so far, but it’s the same as other social media — I need to make time for it, and I never feel caught up on all the interesting stuff!
Janet Alcorn
Yeah, making time for another platform is a challenge. I’m trying not to spend additional time on social media but rather to parcel out the same amount of time on different platforms. If I ever get to the point where I have books to sell, I’ll have to pick 1 or 2 and focus on those.
cleemckenzie
Your answer to this month’s question is perfect. Satisfy your reader of each book, and they’re more likely to read more you’ve written.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! The most precious commodity in the world right now is time/attention. If someone gives you hours of their time and attention, you owe them a great experience.
Joanne
I was going to have all the same arguments as you! I’ll never forget my middle son searching for YEARS for the next book in a series he was reading when he was quite young… the author never wrote it (I’ve even speculated to myself that perhaps they passed away?!). I find that sometimes the time between books is so great that by the time that next book is published and I pick it up to read I really can’t remember who all the characters and side stories are/were.
Janet Alcorn
Exactly. If I really loved the previous book, I might reread it so I’m ready for the next one, but usually I don’t. Some authors do a phenomenal job of weaving backstory from previous books in the series to help you catch up without wasting your time. Others… not so much.
emaginette
I do enjoy a good cliffhanger at the end of a chapter and I totally forgot about the last chapter selling the next book. Explains to much. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
Janet Alcorn
I like end of chapter cliffhangers too – even though I end up staying up too late to finish the dang book.
Ronel Janse van Vuuren
I agree that a cliffhanger that takes years to be resolved is tiring. I’m not on either of those social media platforms — after Twitter/X died, I just kept to Instagram and Pinterest as I have no energy or time to learn a new platform and get sucked into all of that again. But I’m glad it works for you 🙂
Ronel visiting for IWSG day Over and Done With. An Author’s Year in Review 2024
Janet Alcorn
I completely understand about not wanting to deal with another platform. If you have one that’s working for you, why bother?
Susanne
I’m very annoyed about cliffhangers in both books and movies. They make me feel it ends in the middle of the story (which it does) and make me feel I’ve seen the movie or read the book in vain, that it’s a waste of my time. I can appreciate that other people like how the ending makes them think.. but that’s not me. I read fiction or watch movies for entertainment and then I want the complete story.
I’ve tried both Threads and Bluesky, and the only reason I still have an account on Threads is that I sometimes want to read something that comes up in my Instagram feed. I thought Threads was mainly a marketing/business chat, and absolutely contaminated with negativity and trolls. I could absolutely not enjoy it there. Bluesky seems very promising now when more people have started to actually use it, and I’ve heard lots of good things about engagement, etc.
Janet Alcorn
“make me feel I’ve seen the movie or read the book in vain, that it’s a waste of my time” – This, exactly. Not wrapping up a key storyline breaks the contract between writer and reader. I give you my time, you give me a complete story.
I enjoy Threads, but I’m frustrated by all the bots, scammers, and catfishers. And now they’re starting to come to BlueSky. I had about 40 new follows this morning, and at least 10 were garbage accounts. I wish these companies could find better ways to identify and block the scammers.
Olga Godim
I never heard about BlueSky or Threads. Need to check them out. Thanks for the heads-up.
Janet Alcorn
Happy to help!
Liza
All I need is a well-written book and I immediately look for other books by that author. Leave me on a cliffhanger and I’m done with that author for good.
Janet Alcorn
Yep! I don’t like feeling conned.
Kim Elliott
I agree so hard! A book in a series needs to strike that balance of leading to the next book without angering readers. A few story threads can be left unanswered without a full-blown cliffhanger. I think your post was very well thought out and summed up my feelings on cliffhangers exactly.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Jennifer Lane
I love the idea of a menopause superhero who drowns villains in her sweat, hehe. I’m happy on X, so I haven’t tried the other platforms.
You listed some great reasons for disliking cliffhangers!
Janet Alcorn
Right?! If we have to suffer, the source of our suffering should be a superpower.