Ending with Cliffhangers

I don't understand why authors continue to use cliffhangers to end their books. I've never heard of a reader who likes them, and most hate them. I've noticed all of them have lower reviews. I would never buy the next book if a novel has one. The only way I've ever continued a series with cliffhangers is if I already had the entire series prior to beginning to read them.

A good place for cliffhangers is at the end of a chapter within the book, not at the conclusion. This can help make the book a can't-put-it-down pageturner, but no book should end that way. The reader has invested time and usually money in the book, and they're owed a solid, satisfying ending. To write anything else, especially without mentioning it ahead of time, seems dishonest or cheating the reader.

Authors should instead concern themselves with writing stories so good that readers will want to continue reading them. If they do this, they won't need underhanded gimmicks, and they will establish a much larger fan base in the long run. I think cliffhangers are for insecure authors who don't have enough confidence in their work, not for the professional.

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