Pop a review onto Amazon or Goodreads or B&N. Then nudge the author about the next book.
Total time invested? Maybe a half day?
Reader time versus writer time is like human to dog years.
Here's the writer's timeline. First draft, 7-10 weeks, author editing process before we send it anywhere 1-2 weeks, developmental edits - 2 weeks, copy edits - 2 weeks, and page proofs - another 2 weeks. 18 weeks or around 4 1/2 months.
And that's just the time invested by the writer. Then add in the publisher's time - cover, formatting, review ARCs, promotion.
It's a wonder any books get published at all.
But they do.
In the last two months, I've been working on six different projects. Copy edits for #5 - Done. Page proofs for #4 - on my desk. First draft for #6 - started. Third book in The Council series - submitted to my publisher for a yay or nay. Formating a self-publishing project, and tonight, I bought a cover for a new SP re-release for a novella I recently got rights returned on.
No, seven, because I ordered a new cover for Shawnee Holiday since its made enough to deserve a professional cover.
Make that eight, as I wrote a proposal for an entirely new cozy series and submitted it to my editor.
What have I learned through all the juggles? Lesson 1-I can't edit one book in a series and write another. I can if they aren't related, however. Lesson 2-I can write more words a day or a week than I'd ever expected. and Lesson #3 - you have to be good to yourself, otherwise, you get too many puppies dreams.
Am I complaining? Hell, no. I love the process. But sometimes, even this time management freak has to say uncle. Times like that, I start completing things to get them off my list. Then I feel better.
So what do you think an author does all day? You might be right.
Lynn
My Sexy Valentines - is available now, Amazon only. My story, The Twelve Days of Valentines, tells the story of a specialty jam maker and her delivery guy.
4 comments:
Lovely cover. Lynn. Your timeline sounds right. My favorite part of writing is editing and polishing the manuscript.
Thank you for all of the good information. My first novel should be coming out in a few months and I print off all kinds of information like this and keep. Anything to help me be less of a rookie. That is a perfect cover for the title. I read Guidebook to Murder based on your book cover and was not disappointed.
Jean - it's crazy all the work we put into making our books the best they can be, and how fast our fans read them. :)
Linda - Thanks for the kind words about Guidebook. So glad you're writing. Once you publish, don't forget to write. That's one thing that can get lost in the promotion madness...
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