If you’re writing a series, have you ended each volume with a cliffhanger? Most series constitute an ongoing story, but if you end each one in the middle of a nail-biting scene, bear in mind that there are pros and cons.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve encountered such endings before and actually said something out loud that wasn’t very nice. In other words, sometimes they irritate your readers.  If the sequel has not yet been released, it’s even worse. In that case, if a reader has to wait, they may forget all about your story in the meantime or remember how frustrated they were at how the book ended. Granted, if your reader really loves your story and characters they’ll deal with it and look forward to the next book, but otherwise it could backfire. Mainly, be aware it doesn’t always work as expected.

Another thing to consider is that not all readers will start with volume 1. Starting a book in the middle of an intense scene carried over from the previous book is likely to be confusing, not something you want to do to a reader.

What do you think of cliffhangers? Feel free to leave your thoughts on them in the comments.