This is my one book. Seven years planning, three years actual writing (including the aforementioned rewrite), five years getting it to publication.
Half my life.
I say DAMN!
This is my one book. Seven years planning, three years actual writing (including the aforementioned rewrite), five years getting it to publication.
Half my life.
This sounds really really fun! I mean, I love "on the road" stories, plus Scotland?! I really want to read that!
I wrote a new blog post about the experience of writing a first book. It's partly to promote my own new novel, but I thought some of it might strike a chord here:
yeah.... there is no way i could have planned out my project in great detail. I have the highlights I am working towards but as I approach 600k words I am still only about 25% done.Aw thanks, your post left me smiling. :D
Yeah, I can relate to that as I had some story that I had been planing since I was 15 and as I got older they ended up being remolded as I tossed out the childish element that I had originally and just refine it so the plot structure became more tighter.
I wasted so much time planing and planing as I wanted to be perfect when I started writing and it was only recently that I realised my error and on my current project, I decided to plan little time planning and just jump straight into the writing process.
The first few chapters were a struggle and I became frustrated as I was slow and could't stop hating what I wrote but I remembered what my lecture told me when she was helping me with my dissertation.
"The real work of writing comes in the editing process."
With that I was able to let go of my fear in getting it right and just focus on writing, warts and all with the mindset that this is only the first draft, mistake are needed to learn and grow and apply that in the editing process.
In the two years I went from starting the book to having 50 chapters and 97,000 words. Yeah it's messy, yeah it's still not finished and yeah it could do with improvement but I have done more than I did with my previous attempt that I spent 5 years planning only to hate the first chapter and feeling so overwhelmed by how big the idea had evolved during the 5 years of planning.
Making people smile is my favorite thing in the world, but I don't do without meaning it.
I'm not saying that person's opinion was right that your book was too long. I'm saying that the industry standards for publishing make that a hard sell for a first time writer. But it DOES happen. If a book is great, the word count is immaterial. If you're not confident that the book you have is great, then take it back and make it great. The first novel I ever wrote was over 200K in length, but I still managed to get a literary agent to make an offer of representation on that book. Unfortunately, he couldn't sell it, because even though he believed in the book, and even though the editor he pitched it to believed in book, that editor couldn't convince the publishers to take a chance on it.
It all really depends on what YOU as the writer want to get out of the book. If you want to go with the trade publishers, there are lot more hoops to jump through. If you don't care about that, just self-publish, and the word count won't be an issue. It's a different set of concerns, and worries, but self-publishing has been viable for a few years now for some writers, as long as they produce quality work.
Was it me who said something about word counts? I know I've discussed this with a few people on gaf in the past. I don't think I would've told you not to even try to publish it though, I would never want to discourage you like that!
It's true that 148k words is a lot for a debut author, especially if it's not epic fantasy or another subgenre where that's expected... but look, you gotta do what works for you. It sounds like you've tried cutting it down and tried writing something shorter and not felt right with either one of those. That might be a sign that writing shorter isn't a good fit for you, and that's fine. Maybe that means ignoring publishers altogether and self-pubbing. Maybe it means submitting to agents anyway while knowing that if they aren't interested, it might just be that it doesn't fit what they think they can market. Maybe it means publishing in a serial format online or something else that's more out there. If trying to squeeze into the traditional publishing mold isn't working, you can always try something else! (Or, again, try to get in without squeezing and see what happens, because why the hell not?)
Don't let me or some other jerk on the internet discourage you, please.
Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
When possible, write it last.Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
I have so many versions it's ridiculous. Just going to push on ahead without looking back this time. Just trying to start a series targeting just 45-50K words for a low price to get it moving.It's almost always the chapter I spend the most time scrapping and rewriting, yeah. And other media definitely show that it's not the worst thing in the world to have a bad opener but I try my best to make it interesting.
Might take up this idea haha
It's always my most edited chapter by a factor of three or four. It's almost never good :PDoes anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
I don't imagine that is a common feeling.Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
Making people smile is my favorite thing in the world, but I don't do without meaning it.
Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
If you guys will tolerate a brief foray into self promotion, I have my first novel coming out in 6 days:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Creek-Dan-Kemp-ebook/dp/B07D5KZ8ZQ
It's a 130K word contemporary fantasy that I've been working on intermittently for more than a decade, including a couple completely deleted half-written manuscripts. In the end I'm quite proud of it, decided just to self publish as it's more of a passion project than anything. I have no real expectations for making money but it'll be interesting to see the process play out. I've published several short form things under a pen name, but never anything of this length or with any amount of marketing effort (though still not much).
More than anything the whole process is just a bit terrifying, honestly. Putting something so personal out there publicly is a weird feeling to say the least.
I'm also a fan of the cover. Congrats on putting yourself out there. I hope to do the same soon enough, but I haven't settled on whether I'd go for an agent or self-publish. Overall, it's only $2.99, and I'm down a three story tale in different time periods. Gotta support our fellow authors too, so I pass it on my friends who like to read.If you guys will tolerate a brief foray into self promotion, I have my first novel coming out in 6 days:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Creek-Dan-Kemp-ebook/dp/B07D5KZ8ZQ
It's a 130K word contemporary fantasy that I've been working on intermittently for more than a decade, including a couple completely deleted half-written manuscripts. In the end I'm quite proud of it, decided just to self publish as it's more of a passion project than anything. I have no real expectations for making money but it'll be interesting to see the process play out. I've published several short form things under a pen name, but never anything of this length or with any amount of marketing effort (though still not much).
More than anything the whole process is just a bit terrifying, honestly. Putting something so personal out there publicly is a weird feeling to say the least.
Great job on that cover. I'll definitely get around to checking this.If you guys will tolerate a brief foray into self promotion, I have my first novel coming out in 6 days:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Creek-Dan-Kemp-ebook/dp/B07D5KZ8ZQ
It's a 130K word contemporary fantasy that I've been working on intermittently for more than a decade, including a couple completely deleted half-written manuscripts. In the end I'm quite proud of it, decided just to self publish as it's more of a passion project than anything. I have no real expectations for making money but it'll be interesting to see the process play out. I've published several short form things under a pen name, but never anything of this length or with any amount of marketing effort (though still not much).
More than anything the whole process is just a bit terrifying, honestly. Putting something so personal out there publicly is a weird feeling to say the least.
I hope to do the same soon enough, but I haven't settled on whether I'd go for an agent or self-publish.
If you guys will tolerate a brief foray into self promotion, I have my first novel coming out in 6 days:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Creek-Dan-Kemp-ebook/dp/B07D5KZ8ZQ
It's a 130K word contemporary fantasy that I've been working on intermittently for more than a decade, including a couple completely deleted half-written manuscripts. In the end I'm quite proud of it, decided just to self publish as it's more of a passion project than anything. I have no real expectations for making money but it'll be interesting to see the process play out. I've published several short form things under a pen name, but never anything of this length or with any amount of marketing effort (though still not much).
More than anything the whole process is just a bit terrifying, honestly. Putting something so personal out there publicly is a weird feeling to say the least.
*digs out location list*
Some places I can do in a day trip but some like Fort William and John O Groats I plan to stay longer in.
- Falkirk,
- Glasgow,
- Coatbridge,
- Old inns café,
- Sterling,
- Dundee,
- Aberdeen,
- Cairngorms National Park,
- Fort William,
- Loch Ness,
- Inverness,
- Rogie Falls,
- Helmdales,
- John O' Groats
- Edinburgh
It's about a guy who's down on his luck, his life is going nowhere so he lacked confident to anything but his life changes one day when he heads up to Glasgow for his cousin's wedding and due to a mishap he ends up going to the wrong wedding and before he could sneak out unnoticed he gets summoned by the bride who kidnaps him and together they embark on a road trip through Scotland while trying to avoid, a policeman, three crazy mechanic and a bald burly goon sent by the bride's jilted ex.
Been working on it for nearly two years now and I can't wait to finish it and share it to the world as I just love the characters.
Ha ha sorry disappoint you but there's no ghosts, unless you count metaphorical ghost.
If you guys will tolerate a brief foray into self promotion, I have my first novel coming out in 6 days:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Creek-Dan-Kemp-ebook/dp/B07D5KZ8ZQ
It's a 130K word contemporary fantasy that I've been working on intermittently for more than a decade, including a couple completely deleted half-written manuscripts. In the end I'm quite proud of it, decided just to self publish as it's more of a passion project than anything. I have no real expectations for making money but it'll be interesting to see the process play out. I've published several short form things under a pen name, but never anything of this length or with any amount of marketing effort (though still not much).
More than anything the whole process is just a bit terrifying, honestly. Putting something so personal out there publicly is a weird feeling to say the least.
Also, which sites are you using for promotion? I can recommend a couple if it helps.
Just wait till you start showing it around to family/friends/online.
I sent copies to ~40 people on LibraryThing hoping for some early reviews on release. I also bought a spot on Bargain Booksy.
After release and when I've accumulated a few reviews I'll probably buy some ads. Seems fairly pointless though while there's no reviews on the book.
Wait what?I'm delighted, but not sure anything will top the 2-star w/ text review from 'Kailey' any time soon, though.
Yeah I already have. It's especially weird because
1) A lot of my extended family is extremely religious, and this book is filled with mature content. So I had to have a big disclaimer on Facebook about the content and that I understand a lot of them will not enjoy this kind of book.
2) I'm an ER PA and a lot of the nurses, techs, etc. have seen my Facebook post and ask me about it all the time at work, which is just a very weird feeling. There's a super irrational voice in my head that tells me if a nurse doesn't like my book they'll respect my medical judgment less, haha. As stupid as that definitely sounds.
My publisher did a giveaway on GoodReads and one of the winners was a woman named Kailey. She gave a very thorough review and awarded it two stars out of five. I was a little shocked at first until I read it. She's apparently a missionary and uber religious. She hated the swearing and drinking in the book (which are basically two of the MC's main traits) but seemed to really like everything else. It's actually one of my favorite reviews because in spite of absolutely detesting those bits (which are frequent) she still enjoyed it enough to finish the whole thing. It was really fascinating.
Yeah, that must have been pretty awkward. Any weird reactions?
Yes there is.How do people come up with location and place names, is there a generator or something.
I random gen in my head, but they often are stupid.How do people come up with location and place names, is there a generator or something.
I go with the mash-two-words-together approach for most of my place names, such as the town of Crooksfield in Lamplight and the village of Highburn in The Stickman's Legacy.
I'm always impressed when people can come up with something plausible-sounding without using existing words.
Sometimes mine's are based on a theme or places in real life so I play off of that, but most of the time I just pick shit up randomly that sounds good.How do people come up with location and place names, is there a generator or something.
You crazy, The Pilaf saga is great!Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
I prefer slower feeling introduction to the character type of chapter ones rather than, instantly start in the middle of some action with names of characters who if described breaks the flow of the storytelling but who, since they arent described, just feel like names attached to -saids.Does anyone ever feel confident in Chapter 1 of their stories? It's easily the hardest chapter for me, as I know what to do with the other chapters and I believe I definitely have a good story going. I feel people would consider it bad, but to be fair, I think a lot of my favorite series starts off bad/boring as well (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, etc)
Sad for no ghosts, but it does sound really intriguing regardless!
Please take lots of pictures and post them with book snippets~ <--Twitter/media fodder for the marketing phase?
Also, I lived in Dunoon when I was a kid, so if you're looking for a gritty depressed town for some grim inspiration, check it out. :D
How do people come up with location and place names, is there a generator or something.
I like that approach - and it's probably far more memorable than the more sensible placenames.One of my cities has a stupid name, but since I liked it I took the time to justify it being called that by giving a small backstory on the founder of the town who had that as a last name >.>
Quick question: music plays a big part in my book as one my characters loves dancing and is always dancing along to the music CD that is stuck in the radio, so what I was thinking that either at the start or at the end is put the track list so the readers can go and listen to the music themselves.
My questions is that a good or a bad idea, especially as none of the songs are in English and would I run into any legal copyright problems?
I think that's the most complimentary two-star review I've ever read! Honestly does a better job selling the book than the five-star ones.
I was going to take pictures but the marketing angle is really interesting as I didn't think of that nor did I think of including it in.
Well if it means that I get to spend longer in Scotland then I am all for it.
Yeah it is, I still remember it fondly when I went there in 96.
Right? And such a low review score will undoubtedly interest potential readers who are on the fence, and when they read the text, well... Hopefully they're not so dismayed by swearing and booze! I did think it kind of hilarious that out of all the people who could possibly win my book it had to be a missionary.
I do have to wonder what a missionary is doing entering giveaways for horror fiction (yours is horror/comedy, right?) in the first place!
I've had mixed experiences with them - had a couple of reviews from librarything after giving away 50 ebooks, and my one goodreads giveaway (before they started charging for them) came back with nothing at all. This time around I'm trying emailing bloggers directly instead.
Yup. Horror/dark comedy/slightly sacrilegious thriller with an alcoholic main character. Exactly what a missionary is looking for in a novel. Apparently she really liked the cover so entered it on a whim.
And yeah? I've been interested in doing more giveaways to try and get the book out there a bit more, especially since it's been out for a while already and I'm not sure how to get people to give it a look at this stage. Reviewers seem to prefer new releases or upcoming releases. What's a 'middle-aged' book to do? :P It's also a bit tough because my publisher is the one in charge of that stuff, so I can't just hand it out willy-nilly. Would you recommend librarythings, then? I just had a look and it seems I actually have a review on there already! (Neato.) The goodreads one certainly made a lot of people add it to their 'to-read' list, but I only got two reviews from that it in the end. I had no idea they charged now, either.
As for bloggers, that's definitely an option. A bit tough, but even getting one response feels amazing. One of the blurbs on my physical edition came from a blogger who reviewed it after I mailed her. Do you have a list or anything of who's good to send books to? I just flailed around looking for suitable reviewers when I did it, so that might be something we could all compile and add to the OP.
Anyone want to brainstorm on 'middle-aged' book marketing strategies? :D