To start off, I read a few blogs about cliffhangers, and most of them discouraged authors (especially new ones without a fan base) from using them. Most authors who use them, do it because they want to sell the next book in a series. But a lot of readers get ticked-off when they don’t find out what happens to the main character at the end of the book after growing attached to him or her throughout the story. In her blog, “You Just Keep Me Hanging On: Cliffhangers in Romance Novels,” Brie Clementine (@racblog), states, “When I think of cliffhangers, the phrase ‘sequel bait’ is the first thing that comes to mind, closely followed by ‘shock value.’” Personally, I’m not looking to shock readers in that way or make them feel like all I care about is selling them the sequel. I’d like readers to buy the sequel because they love the characters and story enough to continue the journey. I agree with K.M. Weiland (@kmweiland) when she states in her blog, “Is the Cliffhanger Ending Overrated?”, “There are better ways to get readers to read on to the next book—not least among them strong plots, concepts, characters, and themes.”
I also asked some of my writer friends and here are their comments:
"As a reader, I don't mind the concept of a cliffhanger - anticipation of a sequel can be downright delicious and a well-constructed cliffhanger can definitely add to the excitement I feel as a reader. However, as an aspiring author, I've come to avoid them, at least for any new story I'm trying to put out there. For an unpublished author, I think it's very difficult to sell a book that's intended to be a series, and when a cliffhanger ending is thrown into the mix, publishers have no opportunity to market the story as a stand-alone and then consider the potential of a sequel at a later time. Also, I've read enough reviews on Amazon, etc., suggesting that many readers find cliffhanger endings to be gimmicky - basically, an insurance policy to get readers to buy a second book that actually backfires if the readers feel duped or suckered into spending more money on an author to find out how a story ends. I've written stories with cliffhanger endings because I used to think it was an exciting and dramatic way to end a book, but part of my learning curve has been accepting the negatives of this story structure seem to outweigh the positives." – K.A. Cozzo (@KACozzo)
"Every reader is different, but personally, I don't like cliff hanger endings unless I can begin reading the sequel immediately! As a writer, I like to wrap up the main plot points, and if I have a sequel in mind, leave a few subplots open. But, many writers use cliffhangers effectively. I think readers want a complete character arc for the main characters to be satisfied, even when the author employs a cliffhanger ending." – Jennifer DiGiovanni (@JenniferDiGiov2)
"As a reader, I think it's okay to have some loose ends, as long as the main story question is answered and character arc wrapped up. But a true cliffhanger, like a television end-of-season style, doesn't sit well with me. With a TV show, viewers only need to wait a few months to find out what happens, but most book releases are a minimum of six months out and usually year or even longer. That's asking a lot of your fans to wait." – Theresa Hernandez (@theresahernandz, http://thhernandez.com)
Lastly, I asked my eight critique partners for Empath (CritiqueCircle.com) how they would feel about the story ending after the action-packed climax scene. These folks have been reading my manuscript and giving me feedback on each chapter as I post them online since last fall, so they were invested in the story, and the overall consensus was they wanted closure. And ultimately, I did, too. I enjoyed writing the last chapter and tying up the loose ends with the main storyline. There are still subplots hanging out there, but the reader isn’t left wondering what happens to the main characters after the fight scene and hating me for making them wait several months to find out.
So my overall feeling is that cliffhangers should be saved for the second or third book in a series and used only if the reader won’t have to wait too long to buy the next book. I’m writing Book Two in the Empath series right away because it will give me a break from looking at the first book, but part of why I’m doing this is to avoid upsetting my critique partners who want to know what happens next. And, well… I might want to know what happens, too.
