Don’t Blame the Author by E.J. Copperman, or his designee

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: If you're a mystery reader, sooner or later you're going to know this pain: three or five or eight books into a series you love, with characters you look forward to spending time with, and twisty plots that come to a satisfying end, suddenly... there's no more.

Sometimes, it's because the author has passed away. We are human, after all, and though I personally wish the ghost of Edith Pargeter was still toiling away at the Brother Cadfael mysteries, she's more than earned a peaceful rest. Some retire: Lee Child has placed the Reacher series in his brother, Andrew Grant's hands, and back in the late 90s, the historical romance author LaVyrle Spencer retired at the height of her career. Some writers get tired of the characters, or run out of stories to tell for them - famously Dennis Lehane with his Gennaro/Kanzie series. And occasionally, an author makes so much moolah he can sit on his vast horde like a dragon, puffing out hints of more books but never producing (I'm looking at you, George R.R. Martin.)

But the most common reason for the death of a series, and the one our well-loved EJ Copperman is here to tell us about, are the cold equations of the publishing biz.

 

 

It’s not my fault.

Readers like to ask authors questions, and authors love to answer them. But when I tell you that Good Lieutenant, the sixth Jersey Girl Legal Mystery, will be the last in that series, please don’t ask me why I decided to stop writing about Sandy Moss and her undisciplined friends.

I didn’t.

The reality of the publishing business is that it’s… a business. Publishers buy manuscripts they think will appeal to readers enough that they (the readers) will purchase copies, either physical or digital, or check one out from a library that has, in turn, purchased that book. If enough money is made – by the publisher – to justify trying this whole thing again, the publisher will request another manuscript in the series and the author, if they haven’t anticipated this development, will get to work on the next book.

That’s the theory. Now sometimes, not enough people purchase copies, and not enough money is made, and the publisher gently (most of the time) informs the author that the upcoming novel will be the last in the series, and thanks for your time and effort. If you get a new idea, ask your agent to let us know.

(Just as an aside: There are no new ideas. There are twists on old ideas and if it’s a novel – you should pardon the expression – enough idea, it seems new. But it’s not.)

So as Good Lieutenant was in process – that is, when I had submitted the draft but before all the editing and revising had been done – the publisher let me know, yes, gently, that this was the end of the line for Sandy et al. That was considerate, as I still had time to revise the manuscript and wrap up some storylines that otherwise would have been left dangling with no resolution.

It's six books and out for the Jersey Girl, and while I’m sorry to let her go, she had a good run. I’m proud of the books and glad that some readers have let me know they enjoyed the experience.

When I’m writing a series, I usually make each installment just a little more personal for the main character, and since I had started (Inherit the Shoes) with Sandy defending a client she didn’t know, but who ended up being her longstanding boyfriend a couple of books later (Spoiler! Sorry!) it made sense that she should finish by defending the character she most respects and from whom she craves the same kind of respect, Lt. K.C. Trench.

In Good Lieutenant, Trench calls Sandy at home to tell her he’s in custody, accused of fatally shooting another LAPD detective, one who Trench admits to having despised. There are good reasons for despising him, but Trench insists he didn’t kill the other cop. Problem: The bullet found in the victim matches Trench’s gun, which he keeps locked in a safe at home when he’s not on duty.

Trench, who plays his cards very close to the vest, cooperates with his defense team (mostly Sandy) but not that much. He doesn’t like to discuss emotion of personal business, and for Trench, this case if extremely personal. But he can’t investigate it, and that’s making him crazy.

But I’m not here to give you the whole plot of Good Lieutenant. Suffice it to say that Sandy’s life is threatened, her office vandalized, and her stuffed teddy bear destroyed. But that just makes her mad.

No, I’m here today (and thank you for inviting me, Reds!) to explain how I did not choose to end the Jersey Girl series. I don’t blame the publisher, a company that’s been very good to me and with whom I will publish again (two books in 2025). It is a business, and they are trying to turn a profit.

So what I’m saying is, do not ask for whom the series ends. Not enough readers heard about, were interested in, or bought the books, and that doesn’t look good on Severn House’s bottom line.

It ends for thee.

(I’m not really blaming you or any other reader for this; seriously. But how could I pass up a closing line like that one?)

 

E.J. Copperman exists in someone’s twisted imagination. E.J. authors the Jersey Girl Legal Mystery series, currently represented by Good Lieutenant, and the Fran and Ken Stein series (get it?), which will continue next year with Switcheroo. A new series will start around this time next year, but that gives me time to tell you about it later. There are a bunch of other series, too, but you know, not enough of those sold so…

Don’t blame me for being passive aggressive. I have a Jewish mother.