Don’t be in a hurry to publish
It is so easy to publish now. No longer are manuscripts waiting for months and years as hopeful authors query agents and publishers. But that waiting time served a purpose. All the while, most authors would be looking again and again at that manuscript, not just picking up errors of grammar and spelling, but noticing that discontinuity, realising that that part needed a bit of explanation, noticing the awkward sentences and smoothing them out. The story was polished.
But now, some authors write ‘The End,’ and immediately start formatting for publication. I think that was why a recent novel I read was so hard to follow – that the author was impatient. Others have too many errors – errors that should have been picked up by the author long since. It is not good enough to upload a rough story, and expect to fix the mistakes later. People are going to pay money for a story, and even if you only charge 99c for the ebook - even if you offer it free for that matter – it should be a polished and professional work of art.
Take your time, get it perfect. Wait a month, and have a look at it again. Wait a couple of months, go back to it, and only then, when you’re totally satisfied, should you publish. It is a lot more important to do it right than to do it quick.
All the best works of art take time to form – sometimes a very long time. My best book was completed around five years ago, and was only published October, 2011. That was 'Not a Man.'
Spot on, Marj. The biggest downside to the self-publishing phenomenon is the ability for authors to throw out unpolished works.
ReplyDeleteThey damage not only that author's future prospects, but also tarnish the image of self-publishing for everyone else.
I can't say if Not A Man is your best, because it's the only book of yours I've read so far, but it's certainly a polished performance.
Tickled pink that you said that. Thank you.
DeleteMarj.
Could not agree more.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, Marj. I was in a huge rush to publish when I finished my first book and began querying just a couple of months after finishing the first draft. I wish I would have waited. I think authors should wait before signing with a publisher too. Wish I would have held off and taken the entire process much more slowly. Live and learn, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThis is such good advice, Marj. I'm going to be blogging on the subject next week. Just because we CAN doesn't mean we SHOULD. I think Joe Konrath did a lot of writers a disservice by telling them that every day a book isn't published you're losing money. No. Every time you edit it, you're giving yourself a better chance at a lasting career.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading "Not a man" and I just want to say you are so right - your first novel is an absolute gem! Not only did the story capture me --I stayed up far too late on three consecutive weeknights just to finish it-- but I have never seen such a flawlessly edited self-published book, a joy to read in every sense of the word. It is worth so much more than what you charge for it. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeletePipo, thank you for coming back to tell me you enjoyed it. It is so nice to get a message like this.
DeleteMarj.