Modern Author Problems: Solving For ne-X-t

Hey gang! First, I'll applaud all of you writer-types who overcame your math phobias to click on this link. Confession: I kind of threw up in my mouth a little just typing it. I'm better now...

If you're one of those sick people who gets a kick out of math jokes--we're watching you. Closely.

Anyway, this post isn't about math at all. So feel free to relax and put the calculators away.


Solving For ne-X-t

"STORY PROBLEMS RULE!" Mathletes in the wild.
Photo curtesy of Lisa L. Wiedmeier, WANA Commons

Be you an Indie, traditional, big press, small press, or no press author, there's a modern dilemma you should be wrestling with: 

What am I going to try to publish next?

Not that the authors of yesteryear weren't concerned with their next projects. I think most of us struggle to keep the idea bunnies out of our mental gardens long enough to harvest the current crop/story before the little varmints can devour it. But I'm not talking about the artistic desire to start something new. This a practical matter created by changes in the publishing industry, but we'll get to that in a second.

First, some semantics before we begin. You'll notice I said 'should'. That's because I believe forward thinking is an essential part of the author formula nowadays. (Okay, I said this wasn't about math, but you have to allow me a few math terms--it's what makes the title of the post clever!) 

You might also notice I said 'publish', not write. I make that distinction, because if you're in the business of writing as a business (see what I did there), I believe publication is the ultimate goal.

If you're writing just to write, and maybe get published--maybe not--this post might not be strictly relevant to you. However, I think most published authors will tell you that once that ball starts-a-rollin, she doesn't slow down easily. 

Plus, when even a few readers (who aren't your mother or aunt) suggest they want to read more of your work, trust me when I say it's like freaking writer-nip. You'll go to high places--maybe even spaz out and claw up the furniture--and do pretty much anything to get that feeling back. It's that cool and special.

Times are changing...



So let's assume you're going to be published, and that once you are, you're going to be a junky who'd  shank your Gran-Gran for another fix. (Sorry, I've been watching a lot of Breaking Bad lately ... apologies to Gran-Gran.)

Now, this isn't one of those, "YOU NEED TO WRITE A BOOK A WEEK AND BECOME THE PUBLISHING EQUIVALENT OF A PUPPY MILL!" kinds of posts. No, you won't find me suggesting anything but putting your best, most thoughtful work out as consistently as you can.

But here's the somewhat scary reality of what I'm seeing out there in the trenches (i.e., Goodreads and book blogs): Readers are becoming very impatient. They don't necessarily care about the things authors have to care about--like the staggering amount of time it takes to write a good story, the expense of editing and promotion, the publishing house's release schedule, yada-yada-yada. 

They want content, and they aren't really compelled to wait for it. 

Digital distribution has fundamentally changed the game for all of the consumable arts--music, movies, visual art, and books. Bands are going back to the EP and singles model, because it allows them to provide a steady stream of content without big breaks in between albums. Visual artist aren't waiting to collect a number of pieces to display in an exhibition, but are instead showing their offerings as quickly as they are created on sites like Deviant Art, Pinterest, and the like.

There's also the financial accessibility provided by digital distribution to the creators of the content. You don't need expensive, downtown storefronts to display your art. You don't need the support of a large publisher to find readers. You don't need a million dollars worth of equipment to produce a record or shoot a webisode. 

The proverbial doors have been opened, and thousands of talented people are running through them every day.

Couple the steady stream of content being provided with the sheer volume of what's being created now, and you get a perfect storm of production and consumption. And make no mistake, if you're a creator, it's a storm that will churn you under and leave you drowning in its wake if you aren't a strong swimmer.

In this instance, treading water--staying visible--is going to keep your career alive. 

That's true for every kind of author. Traditionally published folks aren't immune to it--unless you're the Stephen King, James Patterson, and J.K.R. type of traditionally published folk. In fact, it might be more important to traditional authors, because the time between finished story and publication is typically longer for them. The gaps are larger, and not typically within their control.

I don't think this is a revelation to most authors. We all feel the pressure of needing to move onto the next thing. In fact, most of us are already well into the next thing when the current thing is just crowning its head into the world. 

Unfortunately, just like when you're solving for X in Algebra, figuring out what to publish next depends on a number of variables. 

What have you done so far/what's your brand? Is it going to tick off your publisher/agent if you want to self-publish short stories? Is it going to tick off your fans if you delay the next book in your series to write something new? Do you have the momentum of an expensive (in time, money, or both) blog tour that needs to be sustained? Can you financially afford to self-publish (it can get expensive, fast)? If not, can you, or are you willing to, write for a market enough to make traditional publication an option?

All things that can factor into the decision. 

I'm actually at one of those 'NEXT' crossroads myself. I write an ongoing series, that I plan on continuing, but I've come to a natural transition period. I made a goal last year to see the first three Moonsongs books published. I'm on the cusp of doing that. Now I need to make new goals. 

More Moonsongs books are definitely part of those goals. But I've got other projects I want to see get off the ground, too. I'd like to finish this dark-YA-lovestory-thing I've been working on forever. I've got an idea for another New Adult novella series (techno thriller FTW!) I'm so excited about it keeps me up at night. And more...

Anyway, I decided to throw this dilemma of solving for ne-X-t out there, because I think many of you will relate. Maybe you can help me figure it out, or talk me through your process. And as I said above, I do think it's worth some deliberation. 

~EJW~

42 comments:

  1. I can't help you out as I'm just now realizing this dilemma, but I love the post. I was so focused on getting the first book out that I didn't really think about what came next. It's definitely an issue and one all writers need to consider I think.

    And please, no more math. I almost didn't overcome my phobia when I saw this. Suddenly I was back in 9th grade freaking out over math.

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    1. Ha! I was worried I'd scare people for good reason. :-)

      I believe it's an important issue, Julie, mostly because the readers I'm interacting with seem to want stories on a pretty continual basis. And there's so much out there, unless you're just an overwhelmingly popular author, you run the risk of slipping off their radar pretty quickly.

      I think a lot of readers mostly want to see a 'plan' from authors they enjoy. If it's a series, they like to know when the next one is coming, etc. Which is no easy thing to pinpoint.

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  2. I don't grind them out fast anyway, so fortunately the traditional publisher lag time has worked for me. Right now I am at a 'what next' spot. And it's also an 'if' spot. Still not sure the path I want to take.

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    1. As Karen mentioned below, I think there's a measure of finding your sweet spot. I'm definitely not a speed writer, either. But I do get a little faster with each story, I think. Probably more a matter of figuring out how to fill in the gaps, or plan out your path.

      I'll just say that it would be very unfortunate if you didn't continue to write and share after CassaStorm. You'd have a lot of disappointed fans, I think. :)

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  3. Great post and good comments. It is hard to move from one project to the next...and to keep on moving and keeping the momentum. I think readers have always been an anxious group...always awaiting the next. They can read what takes us up to months/years/etc. to write in a few short days. We can learn a lot from the music industry- I think it is smart for musicians to publish/release singles at a time. Wonder what that means for us???

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  4. Well, I really doubt if people are impatiently awaiting my next offering LOL but to answer your question-- I'm putting out a recipe book. And then hopefully a novel :) My goal is to publish one book a year while writing 2 books a year.

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  5. Boy, you got my head rocking and rolling, EJ. Hate math. Always did. Anyway, I'm working on two different things. The next book to Lila's adventures and a whole other series.

    Hugs and chocolate,
    Shelly

    Tweeted and shared.

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    1. I never intended to make anyone tax their brain in the middle of the week! Promise. :-)

      Glad to hear you're planning to share more of Lila's story btw!

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  6. I haven't even managed to get the first book out yet, so I still have a little time before I panic about what follows it. But I'm looking forward to that when it happens.

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    1. Honestly, MJ, doing some of that planning before the first one comes out is a perfect time. Helps stave off 'some' of the inevitable post-first-release-panic--see Cassie's excellent comment below for more on that common (unfortunately) problem. :-)

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  7. This is a tough issue for me. I'm working on two projects at once, but I'm nervous about putting the one that's closer to finished out there first because it's not the next book in the Champion trilogy. It's a book of short stories and poetry. I'm working on the second Champion book already, but I know it's not going to be finished for at least six months. (or more?!), and yet I have this other book that I've been compiling together for quite a while now. Do I put it out there, or wait until I'm through the Champion trilogy before putting it out. It will be ready by late April or early May. And I can't just focus on Champion - I'm way too much of a "Squirrel!" writer to do that. Plus, when I over-focus on a project, it goes bad with stressful writing. So, I don't know what's ne-X-t.

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    1. Put it out there!! Absolutely! And don't look back. Then you'll be free to focus on getting the next book in your series out. It is ABSOLUTELY okay for us to pursue multiple genres, and multiple forms (short stories, novellas, poetry, background and shorts related to our series, etc). DO IT!

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    2. Completely agree with JR, Tyrean. If it's ready, go for it. I think we all understand there's a certain amount of 'cultivation' that needs to be done to grow a book--especially one that might be different than what your existing readership is used to. But you've got time to do that, and furthermore, you can't start doing it if it isn't out there. :-)

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  8. I published my first novel last July. My second will come out in April. That's about as long as it takes to birth a human baby. But the second manuscript was ready to go when Book 1 came out. I'm now working on Book 3. I'm hoping to bring it out in Spring 2014, but it may be later. I'm desperately searching for more writing time. These three books are all set on the Texas Gulf Coast but are not a series. After the third book, I'll be working toward publishing a trilogy set in San Antonio. The first book is planned, I have an overall general idea of the second, and I have the series arc in place. I need time to write most of all.

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    1. I know what you mean! Finding more time to write is definitely the constraint. I have the will, and the words…and so little time. Another thing I'm trying to remember is that I'm in this for the long haul. So I can't work at burn-out pace all of the time. Best of luck carving more out of your days (and nights!); you'll get there!

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    2. Carol, I can very much relate (and I'm sure many others can, too) to the writing time problem. Unfortunately, I've learned that writing time and editing time aren't always the same. To create 'new' content that takes space and deliberation, which is hard to come by when you're busy promoting and growing your brand, revising the next project in the release line, etc.

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  9. I have the same problem of what to publish next. Also I think to some extent sales are going to let one know if they should continue with a series or try something else.

    However, I don't think you have to be in a rush. I found some advantage in taking 2 years between books. It gave me time to get reviews and readers for the first book, so that when the next book came out I had readers waiting for it. Although 1 year between books would be better.

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    1. Cindy, your comment about 'sales' is something I've been gnawing on. How do you know when a series is popular enough to sustain? Perhaps more importantly, how do you gauge its potential for growth? Especially when you're a new name on the author block. :-)

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  10. I'm not there yet, but it is a great topic for discussion. When do you know to switch gears and move to a new project? When you figure it out let us know! :)

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    1. I'll let you know, write the book, and fly us all to Paris to discuss it over tea and coffee with the millions I make! :-D It's a common dilemma with an ambiguous answer, I'm afraid.

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  11. Oh...techno-thriller. I like the sound of that. Also, Bob Dylan is kinda sexyish in that youthful pic.

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    1. Bob would probably say he's still sexy--but I've seen him, and the years haven't been all that kind. ;-)

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  12. See, this is why I shelved my last novel and decided to write the prequel before continuing with the query process. I wanted to have two novels ready to go, especially if I end up self-publishing. I'm a very slow writer (I also write long 100K plus books) and I worried I wouldn't be able to keep up after having a novel published if I didn't have a backup ready to go soon after. I'm definitely a big picture gal when it comes to this stuff. :)

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    1. You can see my comment to MJ above to see how I feel, but basically I think you're doing a very good thing. The easiest time to form a basic strategy is pre-first release. Like skiing, once you're rolling down the mountainside it can be difficult to adjust.

      And if you believe what I said in the post about what readers are wanting, etc. it's probably wise to not force too long of a wait in between releases if you can help it at all.

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  13. Oh my gosh, I'm dealing with this right now! I've got these things I didn't have before called deadlines, and I've got this weird pressure to write something as good as my first book or even better and it's blocking me. Then I get all stressed about being blocked that I can't even think about writing what's next, I just need to write SOMETHING! Oiy, maybe it's just the week I've had, lol.

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  14. EJ, this is a problem I think about literally every day. Especially because I have a job, two small children, etc….life never slows down, and I am always bursting at the seams with words that want to flow. I have about a dozen projects in various stages. Of course I have my priorities, but for most of this who bother to put so much work into something that pays so little, writing is the JOY PLACE, too. Don't ignore that. If you follow the joy you'll produce more -- and better work -- over all, or at least that's what I've found. :)

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    1. Totally agree, JR. You have to keep that spark in place, or you'll just be churning out content. And if you aren't darn sure you have a market or readership waiting to devour said content, you'll be waisting your time.

      Juggling all of the life stuff plays a huge part in this equation (sorry, I thought I'd missed sneaking that term in the post, and just had to use it! lol). Most of us only have so much time to write, and sadly that diminishes once you've published something--if you want to let people know exists that is. All the more reason to choose your projects wisely.

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  15. I'm lucky, I guess, in that I don't have any real interest in branching out as a writer. I don't want to write in multiple genres or in more than one world. My entire career, I suspect, will be spent building on one imaginary world and telling stories from that place.

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    1. I think that's great, Sarah. The more focused you can be, the more fleshed out the universe will become, and the more immersive an experience for your readers. Let's call it the Tolkien or G.R.R.Martin plan (though Martin definitely branches out, most of his fans wish he wouldn't). :-)

      I would advocate getting creative in how you expand that universe, though, particularly in this age where you don't really have to worry so much about the practicality of distribution. If you want to enhance your larger stories in the series with short, side-character stories, you can publish them easily enough.

      I sometimes wonder what kinds of things Tolkien might've churned out had he been able to access millions of fans via a blog, or publish things directly. There didn't seem to be boundaries to his creativity and musings in that universe.

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    2. G.R.R.M. was a sci fi writer before he started ASOIAF. I wouldn't say he fits the Tolkien mold at all. ;) Tolkien was a very, very slow writer and a perfectionist. He was working on The Silmarillion until his dying day so I doubt our technology would have made a difference. I am quite like him, but hopefully not as slow! I definitely will work with different formats. Though I do think that once you start a series you should focus on finishing it. Unless it's the kind of series where each story stands alone. If it's the "one story over the course of 10 books" kind of series I think that once you've started telling it to your readers you do have some obligation to finish it ASAP. There are too many great stories out there that suffered because their authors died before they were completed. There's nothing more frustrating as a reader.

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  16. Great post, EJ. Very thought-provoking.

    Whatever you do, find out what it is about your books your readers like, and keep giving them that. ;)

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  17. Fantastic post! I'm not published so I think I feel less of the pressure you're talking about, BUT one of my concerns is that my ideas, while mostly middle grade, are all over the place in terms of genre and plot. I think if you're successfully published in a certain genre/age group, then there's definitely pressure to produce more for the same audience who like your first book. OH, by the way, I've been getting these emails from Google+ that say you've put out new content and stuff...I'm not really on Google+ and I don't really know how it works (I joined it specifically to send one message to someone), so please don't think I'm ignoring you!! :)

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  18. I want you to work on the one that's keeping you up at night!

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  19. Awesome post! I completely hear you--I sometimes feel this massive pressure to "just get the book out there!" even when it's nowhere near ready. The game has seriously changed. (And there's my WIP that I'm dying to finish and work on and who knows when the heck that's going to happen...)

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  20. This is a dilemma! I have two books that will be ready about the same time. I know which one should go first, but I sort of like the other one better. How to solve that equation?

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  21. You're a winner no matter what. The crossroads might go different directions but you will do fine either way.

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  22. Yes, I agree with M.P. up there, work on the one that keeps you up at night. The one who's MC's voice nags you until you get up and move to the computer. The one who's plot details fill your mind while it's supposed to be working on other things. Quite simply, the one who pulls at your heart, mind and soul the most.

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  23. Fascinating post with lots to think about - thank goodness this wasn't really math. *shudder*. I am currently still working on getting my first book out there and working on the second book in the series. I think if something else strikes me I would work on it for a bit- or at least take lots of notes to help me when I have more time to develop. ;)
    ~Jess

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  24. This was a fantastic post. I'm glad I found it and I'm glad I found you through the Overcoming Adversity hop. I'm the slowest writer known to man but I try not to sweat it. I have no one to report to but myself and that's fine for now. This was a good reminder not to pressure myself to crank something else because everyone else seems to be able to do so.

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  25. I agree that we have to think forward but while we do need to write we also have to do marketing and promotion. Then again, writing is more important. Love Bob Dylan, a true poet!

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  26. Excellent post with lots to think about. I like how you said publish instead of write. It gives a definite vibe to the goal.

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“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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