Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good series as much as the next person. However, what I'm describing can hardly be described as such. Sure, a series tells a story that is only truly complete when you've finished all of the volumes, but each separate part typically has a story of its own. For example, the Harry Potter series wasn't complete until book seven, but even book one had a plot that was resolved at the end. J.K. Rowling didn't cut it off right after the detention in the Forbidden Forest.
Writers, I understand, especially among self-published authors, that there is a need to build a reader base, but why these incomplete stories? It may seem like a good marketing tactic, but when I encounter this kind of thing, I feel tricked, not drawn in to your writing. Why not write a complete, short story attached to the series somehow? I know I'd rather read a good short story from you, get a taste of your writing, and then pay a few dollars for the books in your series. Or why not just make the first complete book of your series free?
Please, writers, no more of this nonsense where you have a complete, long story, but break it up into several terribly incomplete stories with cliffhangers rather than endings. That may work well in television, but it doesn't work so well with books.