Reposting this because well, at his point, the nasty messages about why I dont publish a book every month are just getting ridiculous... I love my readers. But please... Patience... :-) As an author, one of the most common questions I get asked is Why do we have to wait until (fill in the black) until your next book is out? Ive been getting asked this more and more, readers referring to other authors that seem to put out a book a month. Well, that wont be me. I published my last book, Heart Of Marley, in the beginning of November. My next book, Chasing The Dragon, isnt expected to be out until June 2015. Why? Because Im still writing it. This has morphed into two books so the process is definitely taking longer than I had originally anticipated. I dont anticipate being done with the first draft of this manuscript until the beginning of February, at the earliest. I know you are all excited about Vanished that will be coming in 2016 but Tylers story needs to be told before Vanished. His story is EXTREMELY important in order for you to understand what happens in Vanished. Ill take you through my process so you can get an inside look at how a book comes from concept to final product. First, a story idea pops in my head. I dont sit around and stare at a blank screen, hoping to come up with an idea. They come to me, usually when Im out for a run. I scribble down a basic premise and start a research folder. I always carry a legal pad with me and whenever another idea pops in my head, I scribble it down and add it to the folder until Im ready to start writing. Second, comes writing. I dont outline. This means that sometimes I have to go back and rewrite parts of the story that no longer make sense because the story has changed as I began writing. I like to write this way. I have a basic story arc or where I want the book to go, but Im not married to it. I look at my rough draft as my outline. Its the dialogue, some action, but its just a basic story. Third, once I have the rough draft finished, I go and read through it at least a half-dozen times to add emotion, details, etc. I check for spelling and grammar issues and make sure the overall flow is up to my standards. I know it sounds excessive, but its important for me to do as much work as possible on my manuscript so that I dont waste my beta readers and editors time. Fourth, I send it to my beta readers to get their feedback. (****Side note - Beta readers are not editors. Please dont use them as such. Beta readers are simply there to point out any plot holes or anything that doesnt make sense or that didnt flow well in their opinion.****) Fifth, when I get notes back from my beta readers, I consider their suggestions and input any changes I agree with. Then I probably read through the manuscript another half-dozen times to prep it for my editor. Some have asked why I do so many rounds of self-editing when I pay for my manuscripts to be professionally editing. Well, I hate when people waste my time and I wont waste someone elses time either. Im paying my editor to pick out things that I hadnt found in my first dozen plus read-throughs, not stuff I could have picked out myself had I not been too lazy to put in the effort. You cant pay someone enough to care as much as you do (but my editor does. Im lucky there!) Sixth, I get the manuscript back from my editor after about 2 weeks or so. Then I input all the changes and read through it a few more times before sending the manuscript back to her to do a final read-through. I like to get my manuscript back from her at least 6 weeks prior to my release date. Seventh, I read-through a few more times once Ive formatted it. I read-through both the paperback and the ebook to check for anything that was missed and for formatting issues. Last, I hit publish. So, as you can see, I put in as much time and effort into the editing and revision process as I do writing the book. Actually, probably more so. I understand that youre all anxious about my upcoming books, and I am, too. Thats why Im always sharing bits and pieces of my process with all of you. Its fun and exciting for me. I love the process of writing a new story, new characters, new love. But its a process I wont rush. Too many books are rushed to publication these days, giving many of us Indie authors a bad name. I take pride in the amount of time and effort I put into my books and I will never hit publish on a book that is less than my best effort just to get it out there. Im so grateful for all my amazing readers and for this journey that I never in a million years could have imagined. I have books planned into 2020. The next two years, I have several books that Im extremely excited about. So I thank all of you for your support and cant wait to share my next book, Chasing The Dragon, with you in Summer of 2015. :-)
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 00:06:11 +0000
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