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* FunetikAksent: Sometimes used as part of racial stereotypes.
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* ''Literature/TheHardyBoys''
* ''Literature/NancyDrew''
* ''Literature/TomSwift''
* ''Literature/DaveFearless''
* ''Literature/NancyDrew''
* ''Literature/TomSwift''
* ''Literature/DaveFearless''
to:
* ''Literature/TheHardyBoys''
''Literature/TheHardyBoys'': The first massive runaway hit by the Syndicate, this is a KidDetective series about two brothers made during the height of the popular of adult detective novels.
*''Literature/NancyDrew''
''Literature/NancyDrew'': An even bigger hit, written shortly after women earned the right to vote, this is a KidDetective series with a girl protagonist.
*''Literature/TomSwift''
''Literature/TomSwift'': The adventures of a boy inventor.
*''Literature/DaveFearless''''Literature/DaveFearless'': The adventures of a boy scuba diver.
*
*
*
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* KidDetective: What most of the books were about.
* KidHero: Again, what most of the books were about.
* KidHero: Again, what most of the books were about.
to:
* KidDetective: What most some of the books book series were about.
* KidHero:Again, what most What ''all'' of the books were about.
* KidHero:
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* SiblingTeam
to:
* SiblingTeamSiblingTeam: Some of the book series were specifically about siblings working together, such as ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' and ''Literature/TheBobbseyTwins''.
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* StrictlyFormula: Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that Literature/TheHardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
to:
* StrictlyFormula: Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that Literature/TheHardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- included characters could get getting knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that.sometimes for long periods of time. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god". Even "gadzooks" stopped being used due to being a variation of "God's hooks."
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Edward Stratemeyer, the head of the syndicate, took a rather direct role in the creation of many of his books, which may be rather surprising considering how basic they are. He invented the primary characters of his stories by listing little more than a name and a basic description, and letting the ghostwriters fill in the personality blanks to flesh them out. He created rigid plots, but left enough blanks in the details to be filled out by a creative writer. Stratemeyer's books were super formulaic, and the man himself tightly controlled the formula.
to:
Edward Stratemeyer, Stratemeyer (1862-1930), the head of the syndicate, took a rather direct role in the creation of many of his books, which may be rather surprising considering how basic they are. He invented the primary characters of his stories by listing little more than a name and a basic description, and letting the ghostwriters fill in the personality blanks to flesh them out. He created rigid plots, but left enough blanks in the details to be filled out by a creative writer. Stratemeyer's books were super formulaic, and the man himself tightly controlled the formula.
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Deleted line(s) 34 (click to see context) :
* OlderThanTheDemographic: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are not only older than the elementary school kids who loved to read their stories, but they even had platonic lovers simply to appear more grown up to their readers.
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* OlderThanTheDemographic: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are not only older than the elementary school kids who loved to read their stories, but they even had platonic lovers simply to appear more grown up to their readers.
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Adding more of the story of the Stratemeyer Syndicate's history
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Stratemeyer was a marketing genius if nothing else. He noticed the changing times and applied them to his new book series. When the adventures of undersea diver Dave Fearless were losing popularity, Stratemeyer created the Hardy Boys to take their place, with a greater emphasis on dialog and character. When the women's lib movement started, Nancy Drew came into existence, and became hugely popular. The addition of Jewish and Italian characters to ''The Hardy Boys'' was a response to America's growing tolerance for diversity at the time. Notably, the characters' only real personality traits in Stratemeyer's original description [[TokenMinority was that they happened to be Jewish and Italian]]; the ghostwriter had to give them actual personalities.
to:
Stratemeyer was a marketing genius if nothing else. He noticed the changing times and applied them to his new book series. When the adventures of undersea diver Dave Fearless Boy Scouts were losing popularity, invented, Stratemeyer created a series of books about Boy Scouts going on dangerous and exciting adventures. When the kids were discovered to be secretly reading their parents' detective novels, Stratemeyer created the Hardy Boys to take their place, with serve as a greater emphasis on dialog and character.family-friendly alternative. When the women's lib movement started, Nancy Drew came into existence, and became hugely popular. The addition of Jewish and Italian characters to ''The Hardy Boys'' was a response to America's growing tolerance for diversity at the time. Notably, the characters' only real personality traits in Stratemeyer's original description [[TokenMinority was that they happened to be Jewish and Italian]]; the ghostwriter had to give them actual personalities.
personalities.
Stratemeyer understood that elementary school kids wanted to ''feel'' grown up but didn't actually want adult subject matter, and so he focused on delivering the feel that they wanted. At one point, his books featured the same style of cover and size as adult novels, to appear more "grown up" on the surface. Characters would sometimes have platonic girlfriends or boyfriends to give the impression of maturity, but no hints of romance were actually included, because kids were assumed to not want that kind of stuff.
Kids loved his books. One survey early in his time found that over 90% of kids named a Stratemeyer book as their favorite book. The competition simply had a hard time catching up, as Stratemeyer innovated in many fields - copying the popular trends of the time, giving kids the illusion of maturity, and even inventing the concept of the "throw ahead," which was a preview chapter of the next book in the series. References to previous books in the form of characters remembering their past adventures would also let kids know in unsubtle ways that other books existed that they could buy.
Eventually, decades later, competitors would learn Stratemeyer's tricks and the demands of the kid audience, and catch up, resulting in ''Nancy Drew'' and ''The Hardy Boys'' becoming relics of the past rather than the blowout hits they once were. But until then, Stratemeyer dominated with its sheer innovation and its understanding of the market in a way nobody else had before then.
Stratemeyer understood that elementary school kids wanted to ''feel'' grown up but didn't actually want adult subject matter, and so he focused on delivering the feel that they wanted. At one point, his books featured the same style of cover and size as adult novels, to appear more "grown up" on the surface. Characters would sometimes have platonic girlfriends or boyfriends to give the impression of maturity, but no hints of romance were actually included, because kids were assumed to not want that kind of stuff.
Kids loved his books. One survey early in his time found that over 90% of kids named a Stratemeyer book as their favorite book. The competition simply had a hard time catching up, as Stratemeyer innovated in many fields - copying the popular trends of the time, giving kids the illusion of maturity, and even inventing the concept of the "throw ahead," which was a preview chapter of the next book in the series. References to previous books in the form of characters remembering their past adventures would also let kids know in unsubtle ways that other books existed that they could buy.
Eventually, decades later, competitors would learn Stratemeyer's tricks and the demands of the kid audience, and catch up, resulting in ''Nancy Drew'' and ''The Hardy Boys'' becoming relics of the past rather than the blowout hits they once were. But until then, Stratemeyer dominated with its sheer innovation and its understanding of the market in a way nobody else had before then.
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The creator of many many formulaic juvenile book series during much of the 20th century. Each series was written by many ghostwriters sharing a common pseudonym.
to:
The creator of many many, many formulaic juvenile book series during much of the 20th century. Each series was written by many ghostwriters sharing a common pseudonym.
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Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that Literature/TheHardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
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Dominate is a verb, dominant is an adjective.
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* NewMediaAreEvil: Here, it's not that newer media are "evil" pre se, but when television became the dominant medium by the UsefulNotes/TheSixties, the trope, ReadingIsCool, became dominate in parental concerns. That meant that the Stratemeyer Syndicate stopped being considered the "junk food" of literature and became a proven literary series that young people might be encouraged to try in parents' hopes that they'll read ''something''. Thus when the TV series, ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries'', came out in the UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, it sparked parents hopes that it might kickstart their kids' interest in reading fiction.
to:
* NewMediaAreEvil: Here, it's not that newer media are "evil" pre se, but when television became the dominant medium by the UsefulNotes/TheSixties, the trope, ReadingIsCool, [[ReadingIsCoolAesop Reading Is Cool]], became dominate dominant in parental concerns. That meant that the Stratemeyer Syndicate stopped being considered the "junk food" of literature and became a proven literary series that young people might be encouraged to try in parents' hopes that they'll read ''something''. Thus when the TV series, ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries'', came out in the UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, it sparked parents hopes that it might kickstart their kids' interest in reading fiction.
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Not sure Trixie Belden is Syndicate.
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* ''The Rover Boys''
to:
* ''The Rover Boys''''Literature/TheRoverBoys''
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* ''Dave Fearless''
* ''The Dana Girls''
* ''Literature/TrixieBelden''
* ''The Dana Girls''
* ''Literature/TrixieBelden''
to:
* ''Dave Fearless''
''Literature/DaveFearless''
*''The Dana Girls''
* ''Literature/TrixieBelden''''Literature/TheDanaGirls''
*
* ''Literature/TrixieBelden''
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* StrictlyFormula
to:
* StrictlyFormulaStrictlyFormula: Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that Literature/TheHardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
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Moving YMMV items
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* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case). The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles''). Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
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* MoneyDearBoy: A large number of the ghostwriters were primarily journalists writing the books while moonlighting for extra cash. The salary varied due to the ebbs and flows of the publishing industry, but by many accounts the writers were paid well. (Roughly $100 per book, which, compared to journalist's salaries at the time, approximated six weeks salary for a book which might be four-weeks work.) Leslie [=McFarlane=] (the ''Hardy Boys'' original ghostwriter) in particular grew to hate writing the books (calling them "those damn juveniles") but kept getting roped back in to feed his family.
** Reportedly, he eventually refused to continue writing books for ''The Dana Girls'', in which he had to write about multiple female characters while using a female pseudonym, arguing that "starvation seemed preferable".
** Reportedly, he eventually refused to continue writing books for ''The Dana Girls'', in which he had to write about multiple female characters while using a female pseudonym, arguing that "starvation seemed preferable".
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** Reportedly, he eventually refused to continue writing books for ''The Dana Girls'', in which he had to write about multiple female characters while using a female pseudonym, arguing that "starvation seemed preferable".
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* NewMediaAreEvil: Here, it's not that newer media are "evil" pre se, but when television became the dominant medium by the UsefulNotes/TheSixties, the trope, ReadingIsCool, became dominate in parental concerns. That meant that the Stratemeyer Syndicate stopped being considered the "junk food" of literature and became a proven literary series that young people might be encouraged to try in parents' hopes that they'll read ''something''. Thus when the TV series, ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries'', came out in the UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, it sparked parents hopes that it might kickstart their kids' interest in reading fiction.
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None
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* MoneyDearBoy: A large number of the ghostwriters were primarily journalist writing the books while moonlighting for extra cash. The salary varied due to the ebbs and flows of the publishing industry, but by many accounts the writers were paid well. (Roughly $100 per book, which, compared to journalist's salaries at the time, approximated six weeks salary for a book which might be four-weeks work.) Leslie [=McFarlane=] (the ''Hardy Boys'' original ghostwriter) in particular grew to hate writing the books (calling them "those damn juveniles") but kept getting roped back in to feed his family.
to:
* MoneyDearBoy: A large number of the ghostwriters were primarily journalist journalists writing the books while moonlighting for extra cash. The salary varied due to the ebbs and flows of the publishing industry, but by many accounts the writers were paid well. (Roughly $100 per book, which, compared to journalist's salaries at the time, approximated six weeks salary for a book which might be four-weeks work.) Leslie [=McFarlane=] (the ''Hardy Boys'' original ghostwriter) in particular grew to hate writing the books (calling them "those damn juveniles") but kept getting roped back in to feed his family.
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None
Changed line(s) 24,25 (click to see context) from:
* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case). The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, but the HardyBoys and NancyDrew have met each other many times since. There was even a [[ThatCameOutWrong three-way]] crossover with TomSwift!
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, but the HardyBoys and NancyDrew have met each other many times since. There was even a [[ThatCameOutWrong three-way]] crossover with TomSwift!
to:
* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case). The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Casefiles''). Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, butthe HardyBoys Literature/TheHardyBoys and NancyDrew Franchise/NancyDrew have met each other many times since. There was even a [[ThatCameOutWrong three-way]] crossover with TomSwift!Literature/TomSwift!
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, but
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* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case.) The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
to:
* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case.) case). The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
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None
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stratemeyer_syndicate_letterhead.png]]
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Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that the HardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
to:
Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that the HardyBoys Literature/TheHardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
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* ''[[Literature/HardyBoys The Hardy Boys]]''
to:
* ''[[Literature/HardyBoys The Hardy Boys]]''''Literature/TheHardyBoys''
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* ''TrixieBelden''
to:
* ''TrixieBelden''''Literature/TrixieBelden''
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The creator of many many formulaic juvenile book series during much of the 20th century. Each series was written by many ghostwriters sharing a common pseudonym.
Edward Stratemeyer, the head of the syndicate, took a rather direct role in the creation of many of his books, which may be rather surprising considering how basic they are. He invented the primary characters of his stories by listing little more than a name and a basic description, and letting the ghostwriters fill in the personality blanks to flesh them out. He created rigid plots, but left enough blanks in the details to be filled out by a creative writer. Stratemeyer's books were super formulaic, and the man himself tightly controlled the formula.
Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that the HardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
Stratemeyer was a marketing genius if nothing else. He noticed the changing times and applied them to his new book series. When the adventures of undersea diver Dave Fearless were losing popularity, Stratemeyer created the Hardy Boys to take their place, with a greater emphasis on dialog and character. When the women's lib movement started, Nancy Drew came into existence, and became hugely popular. The addition of Jewish and Italian characters to ''The Hardy Boys'' was a response to America's growing tolerance for diversity at the time. Notably, the characters' only real personality traits in Stratemeyer's original description [[TokenMinority was that they happened to be Jewish and Italian]]; the ghostwriter had to give them actual personalities.
!!The Stratemeyer Syndicate's series include:
* ''The Rover Boys''
* ''Literature/TheBobbseyTwins''
* ''[[Literature/HardyBoys The Hardy Boys]]''
* ''Literature/NancyDrew''
* ''Literature/TomSwift''
* ''Dave Fearless''
* ''The Dana Girls''
* ''TrixieBelden''
----
!!This company's work provides examples of:
* AdultsAreUseless: Done intentionally by the most prolific ghostwriter, Leslie [=McFarlane=], who believed that kids should be exposed to corrupt and incompetent authority figures in fiction, so that readers didn't become too reliant on them in real life.
* BoundAndGagged: Often in lieu of "real" violence.
* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case.) The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, but the HardyBoys and NancyDrew have met each other many times since. There was even a [[ThatCameOutWrong three-way]] crossover with TomSwift!
* ExtrudedBookProduct: ''Nancy Drew'' and ''Hardy Boys'' have often been called "anti-literature" for precisely this reason.
* KidDetective: What most of the books were about.
* KidHero: Again, what most of the books were about.
* MoneyDearBoy: A large number of the ghostwriters were primarily journalist writing the books while moonlighting for extra cash. The salary varied due to the ebbs and flows of the publishing industry, but by many accounts the writers were paid well. (Roughly $100 per book, which, compared to journalist's salaries at the time, approximated six weeks salary for a book which might be four-weeks work.) Leslie [=McFarlane=] (the ''Hardy Boys'' original ghostwriter) in particular grew to hate writing the books (calling them "those damn juveniles") but kept getting roped back in to feed his family.
* SiblingTeam
* SnoopingLittleKid: How the kid heroes get into danger. In ''Hardy Boys'' in particular, the boys would do their own parallel investigation separate from their dad, a detective himself.
* StrictlyFormula
----
Edward Stratemeyer, the head of the syndicate, took a rather direct role in the creation of many of his books, which may be rather surprising considering how basic they are. He invented the primary characters of his stories by listing little more than a name and a basic description, and letting the ghostwriters fill in the personality blanks to flesh them out. He created rigid plots, but left enough blanks in the details to be filled out by a creative writer. Stratemeyer's books were super formulaic, and the man himself tightly controlled the formula.
Virtually all of the book series were about teens going on adventures or solving mysteries, with slight variations on the concept. As such, the books contained very similar themes and portrayals. Characters had platonic love lives, if any at all (rather humorously, this led to the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that the HardyBoys were gay, due to their lack of interest in their nominal girlfriends, preference for male friends, and one brother's close friendship with a boy who disliked girls). Suspense was used to heighten tension, but violence was limited -- characters could get knocked out or tied up, but nothing worse than that. Language was tame, and even expressions such as "oh gosh" and "oh golly" were dropped after some readers complained that they were merely euphemisms for "oh god".
Stratemeyer was a marketing genius if nothing else. He noticed the changing times and applied them to his new book series. When the adventures of undersea diver Dave Fearless were losing popularity, Stratemeyer created the Hardy Boys to take their place, with a greater emphasis on dialog and character. When the women's lib movement started, Nancy Drew came into existence, and became hugely popular. The addition of Jewish and Italian characters to ''The Hardy Boys'' was a response to America's growing tolerance for diversity at the time. Notably, the characters' only real personality traits in Stratemeyer's original description [[TokenMinority was that they happened to be Jewish and Italian]]; the ghostwriter had to give them actual personalities.
!!The Stratemeyer Syndicate's series include:
* ''The Rover Boys''
* ''Literature/TheBobbseyTwins''
* ''[[Literature/HardyBoys The Hardy Boys]]''
* ''Literature/NancyDrew''
* ''Literature/TomSwift''
* ''Dave Fearless''
* ''The Dana Girls''
* ''TrixieBelden''
----
!!This company's work provides examples of:
* AdultsAreUseless: Done intentionally by the most prolific ghostwriter, Leslie [=McFarlane=], who believed that kids should be exposed to corrupt and incompetent authority figures in fiction, so that readers didn't become too reliant on them in real life.
* BoundAndGagged: Often in lieu of "real" violence.
* ChannelHop: In 1979, after the original publishers Grossett and Dunlap did very little to celebrate the Hardy Boys 50th anniversary in 1977 and gave the Stratemeyer Syndicate a resounding "meh" when asked about Nancy's 50th in 1980, the Syndicate decided to sever ties with them and move both series over to Simon and Schuster (after a rather ugly court case.) The series were then moved to paperback, and S&S decided to experiment with the format, both going LighterAndSofter (with SpinOffBabies series like ''The Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''The Hardy Boys are: The Clues Brothers'') and DarkerAndEdgier (''The Nancy Drew Files, The Hardy Boys Casefiles.'') Both franchises are cranking out new books to this day.
* {{Crossover}}: Didn't start happening until after Edward no longer ran the company, but the HardyBoys and NancyDrew have met each other many times since. There was even a [[ThatCameOutWrong three-way]] crossover with TomSwift!
* ExtrudedBookProduct: ''Nancy Drew'' and ''Hardy Boys'' have often been called "anti-literature" for precisely this reason.
* KidDetective: What most of the books were about.
* KidHero: Again, what most of the books were about.
* MoneyDearBoy: A large number of the ghostwriters were primarily journalist writing the books while moonlighting for extra cash. The salary varied due to the ebbs and flows of the publishing industry, but by many accounts the writers were paid well. (Roughly $100 per book, which, compared to journalist's salaries at the time, approximated six weeks salary for a book which might be four-weeks work.) Leslie [=McFarlane=] (the ''Hardy Boys'' original ghostwriter) in particular grew to hate writing the books (calling them "those damn juveniles") but kept getting roped back in to feed his family.
* SiblingTeam
* SnoopingLittleKid: How the kid heroes get into danger. In ''Hardy Boys'' in particular, the boys would do their own parallel investigation separate from their dad, a detective himself.
* StrictlyFormula
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