Having written and published as both a traditional author - in non-fiction, with the support of a publishing house behind me - as well as publishing as an indie author in the fantasy genre, I thought I might write a little more this week about some of the ways in which the two experiences are both similar, and different.
As I've suggested in prior posts, in both instances, a large part of the secret to producing a quality book is adequate editing. I will typically plan on at least four proof-read/editing cycles for each chapter, before I would even think of having a beta reader review my work.
Where the two most obviously differ, of course, is in marketing. As an indie author, you have to divide your time between writing the next book in your series, and promotional activities to support your prior work. The latter can be a considerable drain on time, particularly when you're a part-time writer with a regular job to support. That whole subject is probably a good topic for a future post of its own one day. But not this day.
The similarity and difference that I wanted to focus on this week, however, is setting deadlines. My first book, a non-fiction title focused on aviation history, had no real deadline driving it forward when I first set about writing the book. As a non-fiction title, I had to do a considerable amount of research, compiling sources, details, and laying the assembled information out into a form that readers could readily absorb. It took more than a decade of effort to get it to the point where I was willing to send query letters out to publishers.
Once I had found a publisher, however, the deadlines quickly set in. I had only so many weeks to reduce the word count to meet my publisher's expectations. I had to compile photographs and illustrations, and send them in by the appropriate time. Then there was the index, also with a due date behind it. And working with a proof-editor, to ensure that the formatting for the citations was consistent throughout. It was a lot of work, with a lot of deadlines to meet - one right after another.
When I went to write my first self-published fiction novel, therefore, I realized that if I wanted to see this book published in a more reasonable time-frame, I would have to set my own deadlines, goals and milestones. I would need to self-impose deadlines for the first draft, for completing each editing cycle, and for releasing the book to publication. My first fantasy novel required a little over six months to develop - from beginning the writing process to seeing it as an eBook online.
Which brings me to where I am today: approaching my own, self-imposed deadline for completing the first draft of my second novel - by the end of April (this month!). I'm far enough along that I can see that deadline taking shape: the light at the end of the tunnel. From there, it will be a lot of editing cycles to get everything the way I want it to be - before I can even begin to release it to my beta readers. But that first, all-important milestone is today visible - within reach. However onerous those self-imposed deadlines might be, it's a good feeling to have.
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