A lot of writers, myself included, work on a deadline. Some of them self-imposed, others imposed for projects they have signed up for, and still others, part of a contract from a publisher.
The beauty of being a self-published author is controlling your own deadlines. I have control of my own career. And now that I'm starting to grasp that, I know that it's important to put out the best work possible.
That being said, I recently pulled out of a project because of this exact reason. I was excited to participate in it. I would be publishing with my friends, as I have before. But my work is not ready.
The assignment was a short story. It has now become an epic saga, at least, in my mind. It's a paranormal suspense series. I've come up with such an extensive storyline, that I've decided to turn it into a series.
I could use the project to feature a short novella and kickoff the series, which is what I was considering for quite a while.
Here's the thing; since I know this is a project, that will contain historical aspects, paranormal aspects, and characters that will reappear over several books, I need to get this shit right from the get go. Blunt, but there it is.
I need to build my world and outline it. My timeline needs to be complete so I can see the tie in for each book, especially since the series will have several overreaching arcs. My characters need to be fully developed. With paranormal aspects, I need to decide what characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses my creatures posses. With historical aspects, I need to do research. A lot of research.
I want this project of mine to be fabulous. Not half-assed. So it was time to put on the brakes.
Do I want to publish books as fast as I can? Yes. But that doesn't mean I should. I want quality. Quantity will come.
As a reader, I hate having to wait for the next installment of a really good book, and have stopped reading a series, while I wait for the next one. Why would I expect my readers to be any different.
Nope. I will be taking my time. Getting it right. I want to readers to clamor for the next book in the series, and I want it to be available. So I will not rush. I will publish my best.
What are your thoughts as a reader about waiting for the next book in a series to be released? How long do you wait? What is the ideal timeframe between releases in your opinion?
Thanks for reading. You can find me and all my links on my website at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com
No comments:
Post a Comment