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Post by Claire on Feb 11, 2011 21:44:57 GMT 1
Ok this one doesnt have a poll, we have to work it out!
No. 1 surely must be the Saddle Club at 101 titles plus 7 'super edition' (not sure if we count these or not?)
No. 2 Thoroughbred Series at 72 plus 4 special editions.
I think Heartland may be next. The Brits are far behind the Americans on this top 10. Jackie must be our top series and that was about 15 I think.
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 11, 2011 21:53:45 GMT 1
Chestnut Hill is rapidly multiplying too
Half moon ranch is about 20 plus books too I think - maybe it's a more modern thing to do something to death!
I think their should be a sub list for authors who actually write/wrote their own books instead of all the ghost written series by an often fantasy author. Why do they do this?
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Post by Claire on Feb 11, 2011 22:24:24 GMT 1
Oh yeah forgot about Half Moon Ranch (or maybe I had blanked it out on purpose ) Trouble is its a little difficult sometimes to know when a ghostwriter has done it cos they sometimes keep it quiet. We all know about the TB series but there are hints about a few others too.
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Post by garej on Feb 11, 2011 22:49:22 GMT 1
Jackie has to be there, and unlike many long running series, is written by one author. There were 16 titles, not 15 Claire.
The Black Stallion series is quite long too.
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Post by sarah on Feb 12, 2011 9:29:10 GMT 1
If you look in the pre-order bit of Amazon - Pippa Funnell is already up to number 17.
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 12, 2011 15:16:49 GMT 1
lol that was quick! I assume thay are ghost written too...
I think Bonnie Bryant did write about the first twenty saddle club books but most of the later ones are ghost written...is it these who have 'special thanks to....' inside when they are ghost written? One of the big American series works this way anyhows...
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Post by Claire on Feb 12, 2011 20:27:12 GMT 1
I know the names of most of the ghost writers of the TB series butnot the Saddle Club ones.
Anyway did a bit of research last night and came up with these:
SADDLE CLUB 101 PLUS SPECIALS
THOROUGHBRED 72 PLUS SPECIALS
PHANTOM STALLION 24 (TERRI FARLEY)
HALF MOON RANCH 18 PLUS 6 SPECIALS
DIABLO 18
PINE HOLLOW 16
PONY TAILS 16
JACKIE 16
ROMNEY MARSH 15
MY MAGICAL PONY 15
BLACK STALLION 14
JINNY 12
PUNCHBOWL FARM 11
NEW FOREST (STEPHEN MOGRIDGE) 11
PONY CLUB SECRETS 11
PONY MAD PRINCESS 11
WILD HORSE ISLAND (TERRI FARLEY) 11
PIPPA FUNNELL'S TILLYS PONY TAILS 11
BLAZE ( C W ANDERSON) 11
GEORGIE 10
HIGH HURDLES 10
GOLDEN FILLY 10
MUSTANG MOUNTAIN (SHARON SIAMON) 10
JILL 9
SANDY LANE 9
TARONGA ROAD RIDERS 8
BLACKBIRDS 8
HOLLYWELL 8
GOLDEN STALLION 7
JOEY BRUMBY 7
LEYSHAM STUD 7
The Pippa Funell ones are up to 11 so far, must update her page on my website!
Probably missed some out or got some wrong so please feel free to put me right!
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Post by kunuma on Feb 12, 2011 21:04:36 GMT 1
lol that was quick! I assume thay are ghost written too... I think Bonnie Bryant did write about the first twenty saddle club books but most of the later ones are ghost written...is it these who have 'special thanks to....' inside when they are ghost written? One of the big American series works this way anyhows... Well that would explain a lot ;D But does that mean that if a book has say 'with special thanks to haffyfan for her help with this book', that haffyfan actually wrote it? It always intrigued me with the Saddle Club books how different they were from each other, even the mistakes were not consistent! (OK giving the game away now, yes I am the saddo who has read them all, but what is worse, I actually own them all!! ) I wonder who wrote the Pine Hollow series, I have to say, and will have to post this on the worst book thread, but if you think the Saddle Club ones are bad, just read the Pine Hollow ones, they are nasty, nasty, HORRID!!!
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 12, 2011 21:20:37 GMT 1
I just had a quick look and the ghost written saddle club ones appear to have a little authors note saying on the lines of special thanks to .... for her help in writing this book. Claire if you want a list of the ghost writers (of ones I have) let me know ;D btw you missed jinny....or was it intentional Linda Craig had 11 (or 12 if Scorpio does exist!) and i think 12 on the newer ones too and Kit hunter was 12 too
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Post by kunuma on Feb 12, 2011 21:26:41 GMT 1
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 12, 2011 21:29:55 GMT 1
maybe she couldn't meet the publishers demands on her own? lol she created a monster after all!
I think she wrote the novelisation of honey i shrunk the kids actually too and maybe she does/did others too
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Post by kunuma on Feb 12, 2011 21:45:41 GMT 1
Hmmmmm - so how do you apply to be a ghost writer then.................
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Post by Claire on Feb 12, 2011 22:36:05 GMT 1
OMG cant believe I missed Jinny out have added her now! Yep I think haffy is right about ghost writers, I think authors get sick of writing the same thing/dont have time cos they want to move on to other things. I suspect lots of best selling authors also have ghost writers as I have noticed that some of their books (usually later ones) dont seem as good or seem to be missing something, almost as if someone has been writing them 'by numbers' - of course it could just be that they have lost their edge but I am cynical by nature. Being a ghost writer must be a funny sort of job, doing all that work and no-one even knows you exist! Haffy yes, would love it if you could let me know the ghost writers for the Saddle Club books some time.
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Post by garej on Feb 12, 2011 23:03:47 GMT 1
Being a ghost writer must be a funny sort of job, doing all that work and no-one even knows you exist! I remember reading (before Society of Authors decided to revamp their pages, so anyone could see author info - that is how come I found - and wrote to - Gillian Baxter) that Gillian Baxter did ghost writing, so sometimes they are famous in their own right. Though nothing - apart from Sue Ellen Draws a Horse - to date has been attributed to her other than what she has written under her own name.
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 13, 2011 11:21:17 GMT 1
YI suspect lots of best selling authors also have ghost writers as I have noticed that some of their books (usually later ones) dont seem as good or seem to be missing something, almost as if someone has been writing them 'by numbers' - of course it could just be that they have lost their edge but I am cynical by nature. Join the club but sometimes i think it goes the other way too...for example Harry Potter...I am utterly convinced the pen who wrote the first two was not in any way/shape or form the same one (at least without a LOT of help) who wrote the far far far superior later books ) They are in a different class altogether and the writing/style isn't consistant either....
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Post by trixiepony on Feb 13, 2011 11:36:49 GMT 1
It seems to be more the modern book seem to do really long series, hears on you forgot how about the Pony Pal books I think there are 45, and Silver Brumby books there are 7.
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Post by Claire on Feb 13, 2011 13:13:03 GMT 1
Crikey yes there are a lot of Pony Pals ones arent there! Do you know if they are ghost written at all, trixiepony (or anyone)?
Depends if you count Moon Filly as part of the Silver Brumby series I suppose to get 7, but its still way off the top 10.
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Post by Claire on Feb 13, 2011 13:16:26 GMT 1
Join the club but sometimes i think it goes the other way too...for example Harry Potter...I am utterly convinced the pen who wrote the first two was not in any way/shape or form the same one (at least without a LOT of help) who wrote the far far far superior later books ) They are in a different class altogether and the writing/style isn't consistant either.... Yes the later ones are better written and much darker but then again some authors do tend to be able to write in completely different styles. I have read really funny books and really dark books by the same authors before. But then again ARE they the same. Sigh, I suppose we will never really know. Look at all the hoo-ha about Dick Francis and allegations that his wife wrote ALL his books!
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2011 13:55:02 GMT 1
trixiepony, you are right, it does seems to be a mostly modern phenomenon that large series come about, rather than the older writers.
Peter Clover's Sheltie series is quite long, 24 titles (and that is without the compilations). He wrote two other series, but they werent successful (3 and 4 titles long). The last Sheltie book was published 10 years ago and the first was in 1996.
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Post by Claire on Feb 13, 2011 14:21:39 GMT 1
Crikey I missed loads out. Also did I mention the Short Stirrup club books by Alison Estes, which I think is about 10 or 11?
I think the predilection for series nowadays goes with the very conservative stance of publishers in recent years, they tend to stick with tried and tested formulas rather than trying something new, so we get the same old stories re-hashed in a slightly different setting or whatever.
Just a thought: do folks prefer series or stand-alones, or do you like both equally?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2011 14:49:52 GMT 1
I like series as long as they don't get too samey.
The trouble with a stand-alone is if it's really good then I'm left wanting more, like how the characters might have developed or what happened to the horse etc.
I guess I like both equally really.
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2011 17:36:24 GMT 1
I like series as long as they don't get too samey. The trouble with a stand-alone is if it's really good then I'm left wanting more, like how the characters might have developed or what happened to the horse etc. I guess I like both equally really. What rosie said. I prefer to read the Jackie in little bits at a time, otherwise I find that Jackie gets a bit samey. Her stupidness begins to grate at the time, and the attitude of the male characters gets a bit chauvinistic at times, when in reality you want a decent male character who believes girls are equal. I find that if I start reading too many Jackie books I find that I want to throttle Jackie and chuck the book outta the window! Whereas if I read no more than 6 books at a time, then I dont get that way!
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Post by haffyfan on Feb 13, 2011 18:27:17 GMT 1
I'm With rosie too but usually after 3/4/5 books you've covered enough ground!
Found this on net about BB and it was obviously copied on to Wikipedia as it has same info!
Like many long-running children's book series, eventually The Saddle Club was taken over by a team of ghostwriters. Bryant wrote at least thirty-eight The Saddle Club books, six Pony Tails books, and two Pine Hollow books herself. Ghostwriters for the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow books included Caitlin Macy (sometimes credited as Caitlin C. Macy), Catherine Hapka, Sallie Bissell, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Helen Geraghty, Tina deVaron, Cat Johnston, Minna Jung, and Sheila Prescott-Vessey.
On the ones I ahve so far I ahve found
Bonnie Bryant appears to have written no's 1 to 18, 21, 23 to 29 and 32
then these four are a bit iffy...
no 22 has in the publishing info (not on own dedication page as with later ones I'll list ) - Special thanks to Cynthia Lirkle and Kim Shinn for help with this project.
Snow Ride as above (forgot to write no down) has special thanks to Lou Willett for help on this book and
no 19 as above has special thanks to Ellen Krieger for her contribution to this story.
no 17 as above special thanks Alexander L robinson and Katie Cooke who each in a special way helped to give the book flavour
Most other 'thanks' in this slot refer more to people who may ahve provided her with accurate information on a topic eg vets/group chairmans etc so not sure what these helped with exactly as not as clear as with others.
The following all have special thanks for their help in writing this book and of course are from the list I found and copied above. this is situated on it's own page as a dedication usually would be.
Catherine Hapka, 76, 43, 40, 36, 35, 53, 50, 30, 47, 61, 64, 59
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - 44, 39, 52, 54, 46, 57, 55, 66, 63, 60, 69
Catlin Macy - 41, 37, 34, 51, 49, 45, 56, 65, 62, 58, 31
Helen gerraghty - 33, 38, 48
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Post by garej on Feb 13, 2011 21:48:59 GMT 1
Linda Chapman's Secret Unicorn series is 17 titles if my counting is correct. Definitely qualifies as one of the longest series.
Rex Dixon's Pocomoto series is lengthly (24 titles)
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Post by trixiepony on Feb 14, 2011 1:52:03 GMT 1
I like series as long as they don't get too samey. The trouble with a stand-alone is if it's really good then I'm left wanting more, like how the characters might have developed or what happened to the horse etc. I guess I like both equally really. Yes I feel the same, sum long ones sort off over do it and get stayel and sum stand alone or short series have you wonting more I think I prefer the short that leave you wonting more.
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Post by Claire on Feb 14, 2011 13:20:23 GMT 1
Ooh annoying just wrote out a long post and it disappeared! Thanks for all that info haffy I probably prefer series slightly to stand alones as I like to follow the characters. That said, I agree with others that they are probably best when around 3-5 books long, as the very long ones can get a bit samey. Also its slightly annoying and unrealistic when the characters stay the same age throughout and its more interesting when they age and face different sorts of problems. Thats why the Romney Marsh, Noel and Henry and Ruth series will always be superior to Jackie for example (who only seems to age a tiny bit in the last couple of books). We can follow the other characters as they grow up which means the books will always be slightly changing. Talking of Jackie, I had to laugh at garej's post. I remember reading the entire Jackie series (minus the last one which I didnt have) a few years ago to work out the correct reading order and it was probably Babs I wanted to strangle more than Jackie! ;D
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