A special message from our Content Team on how to end a book
To all Inkitt and Galatea authors: Do you ever stress about how to end a book that you’re writing? You’re not alone! Determining the perfect way to close out a story that means so much to you and your readers can be difficult. Below are a few tips that might help.
Tip #1: Save cliffhanger endings for sure-thing sequels
Are you considering writing a sequel? If you have plans to continue your story, ending with a cliffhanger can be a really exciting way to move readers into the next book. However, if your sequel is unplanned or a long way off from completion, a cliffhanger may not be the best idea. It can leave readers feeling frustrated and unsatisfied, even if they otherwise enjoyed the book.
Tip #2: Reserve epilogues for 100% complete stories
Do you think there’s even a slight chance that you’ll continue the story? If so, you may want to avoid including an epilogue. Epilogues have long been the go-to ending for stories, but if you want to continue the series at some point, epilogues can complicate things. If John and Jane are suddenly married, with six kids, ten years later…well, that means we’ve skipped over a lot of storytelling opportunities and big milestones!
Tip #3: Make sure your readers feel satisfied at the end (even if it’s not an HEA)
Think about how you want your readers to feel at the end of your book. You don’t want them to feel anxious, frustrated, or disappointed, right? Try to leave the story (and the characters) in a satisfying place, going out on a high note. That doesn’t necessarily mean a happily ever after, but you can at least let the reader breathe a sigh of relief at the end. Let them bask in the glow of a well-earned respite…at least until you write the next book and introduce a whole host of new complications! You can read more about how to end a book here.
Our Writer’s Blog is full of useful tips and tricks for giving your readers stories they’ll love. Be sure to check in regularly next month (April 2022) as we’ll be devoting the whole month to sharing advice on how to market your book and make it irresistible to readers.
Special extra note to all Galatea readers
The Content Team has heard your feedback about unfinished stories, and we want you to know that we’re working hard to continue and complete some of your favorite stories! Many Galatea stories are meant to be ongoing, but all good things must come to an end, so we’re striving to provide more satisfying conclusions for our readers. Keep an eye out for announcements in the “Coming Soon” section of the app, and be sure to turn your notifications ON so you’ll be alerted when new chapters release.
