What’s Next In the Life of Teen Series Books?
We’ve witnessed the controversy, the movies, or just plain word of mouth, which have fueled the popularity of the contemporary teen series. The Reader speaks: They want more. Shortly thereafter, this cycle hits full swing with multiple “knock-offs” published, before slowly petering out of existence. Yesterday, the droves adored Sweet Valley High, Buffy, and Fear Street. And every once in awhile there’s still a whisper requesting one of these, confessing the cycle has not yet ended.

Today authors like Shan and Von Ziegesar have created their own homogenous similes of their previous works, namely Demonata and The It Girl, to fire demand. There’s no question that teen patrons are eagerly seeking these bestselling titles. And the approaching fall season promises big payoffs for dedicated readers who are anticipating the release of several new series titles, particularly, Snicket’s final installment to his Baudelaire tall-tale.

At approximately $10 a pop, it’s encouraging that these titles continue to sell strong, indicating that teen readers are serious consumers of literature, willing to eschew easier, similarly priced entertainment alternatives. Another impressive attribute of current teen series, is the duration and length to which they have survived. As it stands, Gossip Girl boasts its #9 serial and Cirque du Freak is selling its #12 installment, an impressive feat for series fiction given that CduF is first released in hardcover. With each new installment that continues to be a sucess, we wonder how much longer the series can survive.

Snicket has mentioned from the beginning that #13 is THE END to his long-winded Unfortunate Events. Besides wondering whether the answers to the Baudelaire riddles will be satisfactorily supplied this fall, we question what’s next for Snicket, and more importantly for the teen series formula in general. Though I belly-lauged my way through Artemis #5, I believe/hope this fall will be the last push before these series become overshadowed by newer titles and ideas. 

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New fall releases pictured above are listed from left to right: Artemis Fowl #5: The Lost Colony; The Clique #6: L Is for Loser; Princess Diaries #7: Party Princess; Gossip Girl #9: Only In Your Dreams; Cirque du Freak #12: Sons of Destiny; Unfortunate Events #13: The End.