As I’ve said many times, the most popular books that I sold were parts of a series. Starting today is a selection of those series. A series was usually deemed as being at least 3 volumes, some would last for over a hundred. They would be published until sales fell to a point of unprofitably.
SERIES Part 1
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
They're all quite dreadful, but also rather trashy and enjoyable. Chopper Cop just sounds hilarious. The one with the Elvis ttitle looks very early seventies blaxploitation, while The Outrider might be a Mad Max rip off.
I have a form of OCD which may have it's own name driving me to collect all of a series of books, albums, films, whatever. James Bond is the strongest example but there are others. Elvis albums, for one.
However I'm glad I didn't casually pick up one of the above, read it, then start buying the entire series!
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 9,330MI6 Agent
Hmmm, the 4th sounds like "Where Eagles Dare" and the 5th like "The Dirty Dozen" while the 3rd sounds like bits of other stories (eg "Shaft") glued together. Or is that the idea?
Oh yes, absolutely. These book series would often latch onto the latest movie/tv trends and go all out helter skelter to mimic their success. You will see several instances over this series of posts - a fun way of guessing which trend the books are copying - the Kung Fu one above is pretty obvious 😁
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Curiously, Wiki's entry on James Hadley Chase does not mention this title at all. Research leads me to believe it was repackaged as The Dead Stay Dumb.
The Mack Bolan series lasted nearly 500 books with another 100+ titles under the Super Bolan moniker.
The Breed series went to 22 volumes, written by Angus Wells who was one of the Piccadilly Cowboys, a group of British authors who worked in London, never setting foot over the pond.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
The guy who writes Harker [4 book series] spent the two years prior to that writing about a dozen novels -the Narc Series was a bunch of them - when I see this I either believe the books are collaborative or were written some years ahead of publication. I know about Mark Olden because he wrote the Black Samurai series, the first of which was turned into a late period blaxploitation movie with Jim Kelly. The Harker series does read as quite interesting though.
Sam Durell lasted 42 volumes and Adam Steele had 49 adventures. George G Gilman (Terry Harknett) had another long running western series called Edge, which was the most popular series of its time, lasting 61 books. Harknett authored over 200 books under various pseudonyms.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Both Edge and Steele had that Eastwood/Bronson/Coburn generic look, it depended on which artist was employed at the time. The western character Herne The Hunter was definitely Eastwood inspired, he will appear sometime in the future in this series.
The books are 70’s/80’s and definitely fit the term pulp. Great literature they are not, but some of them are great pulp literature, sex and violence are described in graphic detail.
The late numbers in each series always gain the best prices, the print runs were low as they stuttered to a point where it was not economical to continue commissioning more entries. Prices of £100+ for the last couple of books in a series were not uncommon even in my selling days.
Ralph Hayes wrote a handful of series titles and contributed to the Nick Carter series.
Gunn lasted a creditable 29 adventures, the percentage of series making 20+ books were pretty low. None of the others made it into double figures although Hawker got to 11 before handing in his guns.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Comments
Many genres indeed, and a few well known names - or at least, they used to be.
Looks like a book I should have bought 40 years ago 🤭
As I’ve said many times, the most popular books that I sold were parts of a series. Starting today is a selection of those series. A series was usually deemed as being at least 3 volumes, some would last for over a hundred. They would be published until sales fell to a point of unprofitably.
SERIES Part 1
They're all quite dreadful, but also rather trashy and enjoyable. Chopper Cop just sounds hilarious. The one with the Elvis ttitle looks very early seventies blaxploitation, while The Outrider might be a Mad Max rip off.
Elvis "twice as much as anybody else, oh yeah" 👍
I have a form of OCD which may have it's own name driving me to collect all of a series of books, albums, films, whatever. James Bond is the strongest example but there are others. Elvis albums, for one.
However I'm glad I didn't casually pick up one of the above, read it, then start buying the entire series!
I think I must have the same ailment as you, @Barbel, as my creaking bookshelves will testify. 😃
Chopper Cop sounds ridiculously fabulous 🤣
PSI-MAN mind-force warrior - fantastic title, sounds like an Alan Partridge pitch 🤣
SERIES Part 2
Hmmm, the 4th sounds like "Where Eagles Dare" and the 5th like "The Dirty Dozen" while the 3rd sounds like bits of other stories (eg "Shaft") glued together. Or is that the idea?
Oh yes, absolutely. These book series would often latch onto the latest movie/tv trends and go all out helter skelter to mimic their success. You will see several instances over this series of posts - a fun way of guessing which trend the books are copying - the Kung Fu one above is pretty obvious 😁
The harrowing tale of when a man insists on no mayonaise in his sandwich...and means it.
Good grief, the things they could get away with....
As Alan Partridge would no doubt say, "Kiss my fist, you mother!"
How on earth did they get away with that, as chrisno1 said.
Different times, that's for sure. It definitely wouldn't fly today!
Curiously, Wiki's entry on James Hadley Chase does not mention this title at all. Research leads me to believe it was repackaged as The Dead Stay Dumb.
Most likely, good research, Chris.
SERIES Part 3
The Mack Bolan series lasted nearly 500 books with another 100+ titles under the Super Bolan moniker.
The Breed series went to 22 volumes, written by Angus Wells who was one of the Piccadilly Cowboys, a group of British authors who worked in London, never setting foot over the pond.
500 books??? Even at my best that would take me 5 years to read.
Harker sounds interesting. It may be just me but some of those covers are looking very generic today.
The guy who writes Harker [4 book series] spent the two years prior to that writing about a dozen novels -the Narc Series was a bunch of them - when I see this I either believe the books are collaborative or were written some years ahead of publication. I know about Mark Olden because he wrote the Black Samurai series, the first of which was turned into a late period blaxploitation movie with Jim Kelly. The Harker series does read as quite interesting though.
After the first half dozen you’ve read them all.
These guys were capable of writing a book every month with ease, some would churn out 20 a year under various house names.
SERIES Part 4
Sam Durell lasted 42 volumes and Adam Steele had 49 adventures. George G Gilman (Terry Harknett) had another long running western series called Edge, which was the most popular series of its time, lasting 61 books. Harknett authored over 200 books under various pseudonyms.
I love the name Dartanian - do his 3 friends turn up, I wonder?
Adam Steele looks like Charles Bronson in that artwork above, but I seem to remember him looking more like Clint Eastwood elsewhere. Or was that Edge?
Would these be from the 70s, or at least partially? And would these be the equivalent of pulp?
The seventh book in the Black Samurai series retails second hand at £151 😲
Some truly crappy book titles there 🤣
Both Edge and Steele had that Eastwood/Bronson/Coburn generic look, it depended on which artist was employed at the time. The western character Herne The Hunter was definitely Eastwood inspired, he will appear sometime in the future in this series.
The books are 70’s/80’s and definitely fit the term pulp. Great literature they are not, but some of them are great pulp literature, sex and violence are described in graphic detail.
The late numbers in each series always gain the best prices, the print runs were low as they stuttered to a point where it was not economical to continue commissioning more entries. Prices of £100+ for the last couple of books in a series were not uncommon even in my selling days.
Part of the fun 😂
SERIES Part 5
The Inquisitor #6 was the last in the series.
Ralph Hayes wrote a handful of series titles and contributed to the Nick Carter series.
Gunn lasted a creditable 29 adventures, the percentage of series making 20+ books were pretty low. None of the others made it into double figures although Hawker got to 11 before handing in his guns.
"Black", "Killinger", "Gunn" .... someone spent a long time on those names. And "Night Of The Jackals" ... !
Lots of self-referencing and pinching of titles 😁🤣