Book Watch 4: Why You Haven't Had a New Book from Me Since 2021
And what might happen next.
If you’ve been around for a while, you may remember that between fall of 2017 and spring of 2018, I had five books release in a six-month period.
What a special time.
We called it Bookmageddon.
On average, I write one book a year. Depending on genre, the manuscript will land somewhere between 50,000 and 80,000 words.
When I write a book, I typically spend three to six months blitzing through a very rough draft to frame everything out from beginning to end. Hardest of all, I flail my way through the boggy no-mans-land of the middle.
I then spend the next six months taking the manuscript through various rounds of revisions and edits before collecting a small team of beta readers, getting their early feedback, and making final adjustments before sending the manuscript along to its next destination.
If you’re doing the math, you’d be estimating that, given that my last release (Socially Awkward) was in 2021, I’ve likely written three books you haven’t seen yet.
And you’d be right.
In the past three years, I’ve completed three full manuscripts.
Unfortunately, writing pace and publishing pace aren’t always the same thing.
Especially not when you’re making pivots and working to level up.
The book I wrote after Socially Awkward is good.
It’s very good.
I sensed it during the drafting process, and once I had a completed draft ready for beta reading, my early readers confirmed it.
This book is a marked departure from the books I put out in the past, both in genre and skill level, putting it on a much different (and therefore time-consuming) publication pathway.
Which is why, over the past few years, in addition to writing three books, I’ve also successfully pitched and signed with a literary agent, a time-consuming and nerve-wracking process that I’m happy to have behind me.
I’ll spare you a treatise on the ins and outs of the state of the traditional publishing industry post-pandemic. Sufficed to say, the wheels are grinding slowly.
But rest assured—these books are on the way.
And they’re worth waiting for.
What does all this mean?
The fact that my agent has several pitches out for me at the same time could very well lead to publication news any day now.
Given the way the entire industry is trending right now, though, it’s likely these books will swirl in the pre-publication void a lot longer than any of us would like.
In the meantime, as we all wait, here are few things you can do to help.
Read, rate, and review my back catalogue. Sales, engagement, and related metrics help show publishers that people enjoy my work and want more from me; and ratings (even low and mid-rank ones) help consumers make decisions about what to read. In short, more reviews and more ratings lead to future sales. Most review sites (Amazon, Goodreads) only ask a few words, and even a simple star rating helps. So if you’ve read and enjoyed any of my books in the past, consider adding a short, small consumer review somewhere online.
Pray that my new manuscripts land on the right desk at the right time in front of the right sets of beady little eyes. In order for a book to make it, so many things have to go right at the same time. As with all artistic endeavors, subjectivity is a huge factor, which means while my books need to meet a certain standard of quality, they also need to wind up in the hands of someone who loves what I’m doing. Beyond that, they need to fit what the publisher is currently looking for, meet the market in some way, not be too similar to something else but not so different that it’s hard to sell to a specific type of reader, and a million other factors. Up to this point, I’ve focused heavily on the things I can control (the process of writing the books), but beyond this, I must cast my book upon the waters and wait many days to see what returns. While writing another book, of course.
Share my essays. Discovery of new voices tends to happen through word-of-mouth. If you like any of my essays, consider sharing them so more people can join this fun little community.
Sign up to this mailing list via the simple form below. Signing up below helps in a few ways. First, it allows me to reach your inbox (hello!) without relying on the whims of the social media algorithms. That way when I write a future unhinged essay about falling out of a hot air balloon or whatever, you won’t miss out. This mailing list is also tangible data I can show publishers that there are people out there who are invested in what I have to say. “See! When you put my book out, I can email X people to tell them about the release—they’re ready for more!”
In the meantime, I’m off to write y’all another book.
I'm ready to buy more!
I’m so looking forward to the next one (or 3!)!!