I recently found out that I’ll be writing a fourth Memphis Barbeque book. Good news! I’m really excited about spending more time with Lulu.
The tricky part was figuring out when I can deliver the manuscript to Penguin.
I’ve got the second book for the Southern Quilting series due in May (book one, Quilt or Innocence debuts in June 2012).
I also have a project I was working on independently. Let’s just say that that’s the one that’s now been put off until probably late summer of next year.
I’ve found that I can comfortably write three books a year. That’s just without me completely freaking out about deadlines and promo.
I was a little nervous about setting a deadline for the Memphis book that was too close to the Quilting series book. Although in that amount of time, I should be able to write a couple of books, sometimes life (holidays, kids, boring-but-essential stuff) knocks me a little off-track.
My editor for the Memphis series brought up a very good point to my agent—production time. Production time is really what’s trouble in publishing. There’s marketing and covers and catalogs and it all takes time. Usually, it takes about a year.
So I just had a release November 1, which was the third book in the Memphis Barbeque series. If I turned the book over to Penguin in, let’s say, October 2012 (which would be a piece of cake for me to make) …it would be another year for the book to launch. An October 2013 release…and the last book came out November 2011. Nearly two years between books. No. Not a good idea.
Obviously, keeping that in mind, I bumped up the time that I agreed to deliver it by. And I’m hoping that I can hand it in earlier than I’m contracted for because I immediately got what seemed like a really solid idea for the book and several different angles to work the mystery. In fact, I started making some real progress on it and had to stop and switch back to the other book (which is due first.)
On the reader end of things, lag time between books can be frustrating. My son was fussing about one of his favorite authors who is writing two series at once and how long it was between his releases. “Can’t he write faster?” he complained.
It made me wince. I explained to him that an author can write really quickly and still have a long period of time between books, especially if he had more than one series. There’s such a thing as quality control, too.
But then my mother pointed out that I just released a Myrtle Clover book, myself…the first one since 2009. That was a two-year gap, too. Sales have been brisk for Progressive Dinner Deadly, but—I believe most of the readers are new to the series. In fact, I’ve noticed a decided uptick in the sales for the 2009 Pretty is as Pretty Dies as a result.
I think I’ve come to the conclusion that you might sacrifice some of your old readers if you have too much space between books…although, with the right promotion, you may pick up new readers willing to read the books out of order.
With that in mind, I think it must be very important to write books as stand-alones if you’re going to have long spaces between them. The spacing with the next Memphis book won’t be that long, but I’m still planning to make sure no one gets completely lost when they read it.
How far apart do you space your books? As a reader, when do you start looking for a new release in a favorite series?
Please remember I’m giving away a 1000-word critique from The Bookshelf Muse. Just send an email to me at elizabethspanncraig (at)gmail (dot) com with “contest” in the subject to enter. Entries accepted through November 21. The randomly-chosen winner will be announced here November 22. Thanks, Angela and Becca!}
Very exciting, Elizabeth. I know there is some anxiety about the space between AND about working on three at a time. It WILL work out, because you are staying in the social media with your readers. They will be loyal AND you’ll get new readers in the meantime.
T
Hi Elizabeth .. well done on writing another Memphis BBQ book .. along with your other projects. You are one organised lady – and it’s good for us that you can put your thoughts down for us to read. Thanks – and good luck .. Hilary
Hi Elizabeth I think You are right.
Elizabeth, that is so exciting. You are the real deal to me and what you share here is so helpful. Best of luck with the writing and the deadlines and the promo and living your life with your family.
Karen
Congratulations on the new book!
I’m painfully aware of how much a lag between books can cause readership to suffer. I’m confident I could write two books a year, but wondering about when to submit queries and how to give myself the time to get the work done is daunting.
One of my biggest fears is that I’ll wait too long to send my second book to my publisher and miss the window to have it released the year after the first.
And this is one more reason why I am in constant awe of you. Congrats on the new book!
And this is one more reason why I am in constant awe of you. Congrats on the new book!
I just picked up Hickory Smoked Homicide, so yay! for a 4th book on its way. For me, I don’t really notice time between books in a series. As long as I have the pub date and can put it on my wishlist, I’ll remember to order it. (And as long as you talk about it here, I’ll have all the reminders I need.)
Right now, I can’t imagine writing three books a year, but I’m not in a place where I have to. Once I get published, I’m sure I’ll figure out a way.
Think I’m on track for a year and a half gap. Of course, if I don’t start writing again soon, that gap time will increase!
Yes, spacing would be important. It sounds like three is just right. You have to be very organized to do it, I think, and you obviously are that. And congratulations for the November 1st release.
Ann Best, Memoir Author
Hilary–Thanks so much for coming by!
Paul–Yes, that’s a tough balance. I’d say, if you’re working on the second of a series (wish my memory was better…can’t remember if you’re doing a sequel or a stand-alone), go ahead and query on your outline (or come up with a brief outline/proposal if you’re not outlining). If you’re writing a stand-alone, query after the first draft is done and while you’re editing (as long as those first 30 pages are clean enough to send in with a query.)
I’d go ahead and send some exploratory emails to your publisher about it. It can’t hurt. Shows you’re serious about delivering it and can give you an idea what timeline they’re looking for.
Journaling Woman–I appreciate that! I think I probably need to do more with Facebook to keep in touch with more readers. Facebook isn’t my favorite, but so many readers are on it.
B.E.–Thanks so much! Hope you’ll enjoy it. :)
It’s really not so bad writing three in a year. You spend a few months with the first drafts, then a month in edits. I think the edits get quicker as you go along. And the writing goes faster, too. And with series, of course, they’re easier to write…at least, I think so. The settings are already fixed, the core characters are in place. Seems to go fast.
Peter–Thanks and thanks for coming by!
Karen–Thanks so much! And I hope you have a happy holiday. :)
Alex–And doesn’t it seem like the last year and a half has flown? I’m wondering if it’s more important to space books really closely together if you write for the Young Adult market–time seems to move slower for them.
Ann–Thanks! Sometimes I’m more organized than others. :)
Elspeth–Thanks! Hopefully it’ll work out with all the series at once. Ha! Usually I’m not going back and forth between them quite as much.
Yep, it’s a series. I have it worked out into six books at the moment.
I outlined part of the overall plot to my editor while we were e-mailing back and forth about ways to improve the first book. She seemed enthusiastic but I still want to take some time to get my first book’s re-writes done and re-draft the second. I just hope I don’t miss my window for a 2013 release on the sequel!
At the moment, I’m juggling too many different things to do anything but put out a book when it gets done. And as an indie author, I have that as an option — I can publish a whole bunch of things close together, or I can take my time.
However, for traditional publishers, there’s a reason they like to space books apart: booksellers only have so much space on their shelves. Putting out new books too fast can mean that other books get pulled off the shelves faster. They also want time to build up the publicity machine for those all important first two weeks on the shelf.
It’s different with online booksellers, and especially with ebooks.
As a reader, I get sad when the space between connected books is too big. I really love visiting with the characters again. But as a writer, I understand why the gaps are there, and I force myself to be patient :)
And then there’s the Jean Auel experience… I waited decades between the first and last books in that series, and, since I had started it in 8th grade, had the impression that was how I should expect things to roll. So when I could read a new Potter book every year or so, I was in heaven. Now that I’m writing, I see it has as much to do with the author’s inclination as any hope on the reader’s part– though I am more careful about picking up a new series when I don’t have any evidence of how long I will have to wait for more. ;)
This is quite an interesting article. Hopefully, this is something that won’t affect my readership too much if I decide to write two series at once.
It’s also amazing how much time it takes between the final draft and actually releasing the book.
Three books a year would have sounded impossible to me a year ago. Now I’ve got 5 (plus 2 anthologies) coming out in the space of 3 months. I’m sort of handling it, but without a day off in five months, I’m going a little nuts. I don’t know how you do it. The writing and revisions aren’t what take the time–it’s the promotion. I haven’t got that streamlined yet.
Paul–Cool!
No, I don’t think you’ll lose that window at all…maybe just get started in January and hand it in later in 2012? Even if you wrote just a page a day, you’d have it done before day 275. Then a month of edits? They shouldn’t need more than a year for the whole process (your edits, their cover, promo, catalogs, etc.)
C0–You know, I seem to have some readers (bless them!) that will read whatever I write. I have others that seem stuck with a particular series or character…those are the tough ones. They’ll email and ask me when the next Myrtle is coming out or the next Lulu. I’ll email them about a new book in another series and they just aren’t interested!
Daring Novelist–That’s one of the best things about e-publishing. We’re on our own timetable! Of course, that usually means a faster pace, too…at least, that’s what’s recommended. I guess at least we see the immediate fruits of our labors. That’s pretty rewarding!
Anne–It is *definitely* the promo that’s the most time-consuming. I sort of just maintain a consistent presence, then spike it when the books come out. Promoting *5* at one time? That makes my head hurt!
I’m doing three books in my Kelly O’Connell series within a year. The publisher and I both think its important to keep the series hot while it’s got interest–well, at least some interest. Then we’ll probably publish an unrelated one and then back to the series. Thank heaven, I’ve got some ideas rattling around for that fourth book.
Well the handy thing is I got the first draft written during the summer so I just need to do my edits on it then it’s ready for querying. :-)
I’m planning to start writing Book 3 in January.
Congratulations on your new Lulu book! I look for books about a year apart.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I think two years would be an unbearable weight IFF you didn’t have other stuff for people to read, but I think the fact that you have a couple series going allows people to jump to something else in between if they want, so you’re fine. I worry about the cycle, too–not that I am even actually started, but what I’ve been thinking is 3 books a year ALSO, though for me it would likely be two mysteries and one YA. (at least at this point) I think one YA a year is reasonable if they are stand-alone. Series, it may be harder to wait quite so long.
Congrats on getting that 4th!
Great post, Elizabeth! I’ve been writing stand-alones and have had a book released every year since 2002. But my first series will begin in 2012, and I’m scheduled to complete a book every six months in that series, which will have release dates in March 2012, September 2012, and March 2013. I’m anxious to see how it goes, and whether the release dates being closer together will result in more fans. Congratulations on all your series, Elizabeth!
Three books a year is quite impressive. Do you write full time?
Cold As Heaven
Jemi–I’ll admit I’m an impatient reader, too. :) Although time is starting to fly, so I sometimes don’t realize how much time is passing!
Tonya–Oh, me too. I’m totally a series reader. If I think a book is a one-off, I might even pass it up. I just invest so much emotion in the characters that I’d like to think the author would keep going.
Judy–I didn’t have ideas at first for the 4th book. I think that’s because I’m superstitious and didn’t want to jinx it. Then I lucked out and got a good idea. I guess I need to forget being superstitious, moving forward…
Paul–Sounds like you’re sitting pretty to me!
Hart–I think switching genres might be slightly easier than your 2 mystery series (but what do I know, since I only write 1 genre!) I do think a lot of readers read my other series, too, in between releases. Some don’t though–and email me for more of the series that they read!
p.m.terrell–Thanks so much! And congratulations on your series!
Carol–I usually do, too, as a reader. Thanks for coming by!
Cold As Heaven–Thanks! Yes, but I have a patron/husband with a decent day job. :)