It’s August, which means that I am teetering on the edge of panic mode, which means that I will be traveling at lightning speed for the next…sixteen weeks. In two months I will be publishing my first novel in exactly one year and even though I’ve already accomplished so much in the past twelve months, suddenly it feels like there is still so much left to do.
Book 1 is OFFICIALLY DONE! YES! FINALLY! It has been copy edited and now all that’s left to do is format this baby, approve the final covert art, and hit publish! EEK! EEK again! That’s actually feigned excitement because the truth is, at this point I am completely numb. I’ve already written almost 400,000 words in this series and even though I know I’ll be nervous once I actually send the first book to reviewers, I also have this euphoric defiance about the whole thing and am too exhausted to care whether people hate it or not. But I’m sure this feeling is only temporary and as soon as the first reviews roll in I’ll either be crying with joy and relief or crying in absolute horror.
The final read-through for book 2 feels like it has literally taken MONTHS and…I’m still not quite done. In fact, I’m only about half way, which is a sure sign that this past month I accidentally fell into some kind of wormhole where time works in reverse. But since August is all about reaching maximum speed and defying the laws of physics I will, I REPEAT, I WILL get this read-through finished by the end of next week and then it will be off for it’s final copy edit.
I’ve had to push back edits for book 3 several times over the past two months but hopefully I’ll get notes back from my beta reader soon and I can get to work on the next draft. If all goes well I should have the fourth draft done by September and the fifth draft done by October, which means a late fall release date is still possible!
As for the last book in the series, I’ve finally broken the 50K mark. Progress is still moving slow but the entire month of August will be devoted to getting this first (practically second) draft in good shape. I know what I want the finale to look and feel like but translating that is harder than I anticipated. But I can’t slack off on this one because I know once the first book is out in the world it will be way too easy to get distracted by sales (or lack-there-of) and reviews and book tours and everything else that goes along with publishing a novel. So this is it. I have to figure out a way to make it happen and I have to do it now before anyone else’s opinions can get in the way.
Speaking of other people’s opinions, writing isn’t the only thing on my agenda this month. Now that I’m steadily approaching the publication date of my next novel there is so much to do! First things first, I’ve got to finalize the blurbs for the first two books, then I have to finalize the cover art, then I have to format the first two books for all the major online retailers, then I have to send out hundreds and hundreds of emails to bloggers begging them to read my book, followed by hours and days and, possibly, weeks of agonizing over their responses, and then I have to get promo and prizes ready for giveaways and interviews and teasers. And oh my gosh I totally forgot about teasers! This will mean one more quick skim of my favorite chapters before plucking out a few gems that have to be powerful enough to make people want to keep reading. And on top of all of that I have to stay focused on finishing the third book in the series as well as getting the fourth to a semi-okay place. And I have to do all of it blindfolded while juggling chainsaws!!!! Just kidding, but you get the idea. Basically what I’m trying to say is that August is make or break for me and I hope, with everything in me, that it’s the former.
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Wow, your to-do list made me dizzy. Best of luck with it all!
It makes me dizzy too, especially after seeing it all written down! I just hope I can stay on top of it and not get too distracted. Thanks for the luck, I’ll need it!
Good luck with it all Laekan! 🙂
Thank you!!! I know you know exactly what I’m going through as you prepare for your upcoming release as well. The prep is one of the most exciting parts of the publishing process but it’s also one of the most stressful. I just hope things run smoothly!
I hope so too. And you’re right – the prep is exciting but can be stressful. I find it tiring more than anything else. And I find it deflating if I don’t get the results from it that I was hoping for.
I know what you mean. The exciting part of the preparation has more to do with all of the infinite possibilities and when the result of all of that effort is actually…well, nothing, it can be truly devastating. It’s a huge gamble to try and do any significant amount of promotion but all it takes is reaching that one reader who will share your novel with the world.
Exactly. That’s what I’m waiting for. 🙂
You are very organised with your list, and I’m sure you can achieve all you want in August. You just have to believe it. 🙂
My list may look organized but this is actually the first time I’ve written all of these tasks down. It’s definitely a wake up call as to how important this month actually is, not just in the scheme of publishing this series, but possibly in the scheme of my writing career as a whole! It’s a lot of pressure, I just hope I can meet at least some of my expectations.
Fantastic news Laekan. Here’s to a following wind and hoping you catch a bunch of readers. That is a lot of words – you work damn hard.
Thank you!!! I did work extremely hard this past year and now it’s finally time to reap the rewards, or at least to let this project go and move on. I’m definitely looking forward to both, I’m just hoping the rewards might actually be tangible this time around.
How are you blogging?! :O
I probably won’t be haha. There’s definitely a lot on my plate and, unfortunately, deciding which should take priority might take as long as actually completing each task.