GETTING BACK TO TWO BOOKS A YEAR
For the past few years I have been, at most, publishing one book a year. I went through a period before that of doing two, one year I did three, and I will never do that many again, but my usual was two, and I was happy with that. I stopped doing two for a few reasons. One, I had a book ready to go to the editor, but decided that I did not feel like it was at the right stage. So I pulled the release and spent more time on it. Two, I didn't want to have an odd number of books, so I went with one the next year to even things out. And three, my former editor changed careers and for a time she thought she might be able to manage, and then realised that she wouldn't, and I had to wait to find a different editor, and then because it'd have been another odd book year, I waited until this year to do two.
So how does it feel? To be back in the two books a year, the balancing of covers, reveals, pre-order, editing, and all of the things that go along with it? Well right now I have one book at the pre-order stage. I've done absolutely everything I can with it. I've edited, proofed, and the final version is all uploaded and ready to go. It's with ARC readers now, and so there is very little I can do with it. The second book though has just gone to the editor, and I've had back a couple of my edit letters ready to start my edits in May. I have the front cover for it, the cover reveal all planned, and then all the other little bits and pieces coming together.
I'm also revising one of the releases for next year, getting that ready to go to the editor in November, and it's a lot to cope with, a lot to get done. I can certainly remember how stressful it was before, and it's a little less stressful now, but still up there with the angst and anxiety and the worry. It's a lot of work. I know I've already said that, but I truly don't think non-writers really do grasp the amount of back end work that gets done before a release, and that's trad and indie because we both go through a number of different stages that are about the same.
That said, I like doing two books a year, which is why I came back to it when I could. I liked having less than a year, or a year between series releases, and I liked the way it helped clear some of my backlist, since I have a fair few books there already and I'm pretty set drafting wise for a number of years. I like being able to release and share my stories. It's something I work hard to do, and something that has taken a lot of balancing and juggling and all the rest, but has also opened me up to the possibility of keeping this going so long as my editor and everyone else involved is on board with that.
Releases, for indie anyway, they cost money. There are editors to be paid, even before that sensitivity readers who also need to be paid. I have to pay my cover designer, I have to pay for things that you wouldn't think about simply because I use those platforms to help with my promo images and the like. There is a whole lot of money that is behind, at least, my releases, and I have to really be sure both that I can manage it, and also that I'm able to put in the work. After all, I'm chronically ill and disabled. I don't have unlimited energy and I don't have anything really to pull from should I need help of some kind.
But are they worth it to me? Yes, very much so. Getting back to two books a year was always the goal, and it will remain that as long as I'm able to sustain it, but it does take a lot out of me, and it would anyone. But if it's something you have the means and ability to do, and mostly, if you want to do it, then it's worth it, and that's about it really.
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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