Some folks have asked why I haven't published more frequently. That's fair, but it also shows an incomplete understanding of the business of writing. When one becomes a writer, one begins to understand that the fun part is the writing, but the rest of it is what helps make someone a professional versus a hack.
To start with, I can't just poop out a novel. Some can; I can't. Sure, I suppose I could write a bunch of gobbledygook that might pass as a story and then just get it out as quick as I can, but a) people would rightly point out that what I wrote was shit, and b) I'd be ashamed of just putting something out there for the hell of it. Writing - good writing - takes time. There's a storyline to flesh out, characters to develop, and depth to create. Anyone can write a shallow story, but creating something that folks might actually like takes time.
The first draft of writing is only part of that time, and it's by far the most fun. However, the first draft is not what makes a great story. There's editing, redrafting, discarding what doesn't work, and rewriting. This is time consuming, especially if done right(for example, you can't properly edit immediately after writing or you'll overlook a lot). It takes a solid year after writing the first draft of a novel to get everything right. Yes, I could publish anyway and roll the dice, but I truly feel that would create something of lesser quality. Some folks are fine with that and even make money off of that, but it's simply not me.
Plus, not to put too fine a point on it, but doing things right costs money. Any idiot can write a book, upload it to CreateSpace, slap a blank cover on it, and voila - a published novel. I just can't/won't do that. I need a good cover(Extended Imagery on the links on the side of this page does awesome work), for a good cover draws in readers and captures the spirit of the story. And it ain't cheap. Extended Imagery does great work and is reasonably priced, but some cover artists go for more than $1500 a pop. I haven't made enough yet to cover that cost, so I have to find my financing where I can. Then there's also getting your book edited/proofread by someone who isn't you(never final proofread your own work), as well as getting the book formatted so it doesn't look like someone vomited on paper. If you want anyone to find it, you need an ISBN, and those cost money, especially since every format(print, Kindle, Apple ebooks, etc) needs a separate ISBN.
I've got enough now to bring out Schism, but I don't have enough to publish everything all at once. Moreover, some of what I've written needs major overhauling to be ready. I remember once thinking that Bill Watterson was pretentious for saying that his work required multiple rework sessions, but since becoming an author, I understand what he meant. I have another novel, Homecoming, ready for publication, and I'm trying to figure out that timeline, but several others need work. A lot of work. Bringing them out before they're even close to ready would show less than my best, and no matter how much I want to sell, I can't do that.
To start with, I can't just poop out a novel. Some can; I can't. Sure, I suppose I could write a bunch of gobbledygook that might pass as a story and then just get it out as quick as I can, but a) people would rightly point out that what I wrote was shit, and b) I'd be ashamed of just putting something out there for the hell of it. Writing - good writing - takes time. There's a storyline to flesh out, characters to develop, and depth to create. Anyone can write a shallow story, but creating something that folks might actually like takes time.
The first draft of writing is only part of that time, and it's by far the most fun. However, the first draft is not what makes a great story. There's editing, redrafting, discarding what doesn't work, and rewriting. This is time consuming, especially if done right(for example, you can't properly edit immediately after writing or you'll overlook a lot). It takes a solid year after writing the first draft of a novel to get everything right. Yes, I could publish anyway and roll the dice, but I truly feel that would create something of lesser quality. Some folks are fine with that and even make money off of that, but it's simply not me.
Plus, not to put too fine a point on it, but doing things right costs money. Any idiot can write a book, upload it to CreateSpace, slap a blank cover on it, and voila - a published novel. I just can't/won't do that. I need a good cover(Extended Imagery on the links on the side of this page does awesome work), for a good cover draws in readers and captures the spirit of the story. And it ain't cheap. Extended Imagery does great work and is reasonably priced, but some cover artists go for more than $1500 a pop. I haven't made enough yet to cover that cost, so I have to find my financing where I can. Then there's also getting your book edited/proofread by someone who isn't you(never final proofread your own work), as well as getting the book formatted so it doesn't look like someone vomited on paper. If you want anyone to find it, you need an ISBN, and those cost money, especially since every format(print, Kindle, Apple ebooks, etc) needs a separate ISBN.
I've got enough now to bring out Schism, but I don't have enough to publish everything all at once. Moreover, some of what I've written needs major overhauling to be ready. I remember once thinking that Bill Watterson was pretentious for saying that his work required multiple rework sessions, but since becoming an author, I understand what he meant. I have another novel, Homecoming, ready for publication, and I'm trying to figure out that timeline, but several others need work. A lot of work. Bringing them out before they're even close to ready would show less than my best, and no matter how much I want to sell, I can't do that.
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