Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Multiple Works in Progress

How many of you have multiple works in progress? Are they all the same genre? How do you divide your time between them?

Currently, I have 4 WIP's.... sounds like alot huh? Right now I am thinking that too! As my second book just went back to my publisher for the formatting (after 13 hours of editing, my eyes are still crossed) I find myself looking at all the projects I have in the works.

One project is about half way through - but I had come up with a snag in the plot and I got frustrated so I put it on the back burner. Recently, as I find myself mulling over the issue, I think I found the way to work through my snag... but.... There is a more recent project that I started that I was working hard on. As soon as I figured out how to work through the other issue, I lost my train of thought on the new one.

Then there is the other book that I am working on with another author. Now that one is a huge project that will be in the making for a long time, but we are throwing ideas back and forth and running plot ideas and twists back and forth.

Then there is book 3 of my series (the second book is about to be published). After reading book 2 - and coming back to those characters I find myself running that plot hard and heavy in my mind. Conversations and characters building....

I'm at a loss right now as to exactly what I should be working on. I think I have so many things in the works that I am befuddled as to which one to go to next.

Anyone else get themselves in this situations? How do you work through them?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Norris on October 13, 2011 at 8:29pm

Great Idea Borislava -

I'm more than happy to start the ball rolling, perhaps we can create a thread on here with our book message and link and just keep on posting. The more the merrier for me

Permalink Reply by Catherine Green on October 13, 2011 at 9:15pm

Hi guys,

Well, me and Stacy have sort of been cross promoting each other on Twitter as it is, so yes, definitely, I'm on board! (And, yes, I have a Blackberry so this week I have been climbing the walls!)

Good news; since I started my personal organisation plan on Sunday, I have been writing at least 1000 words a day on my current manuscript. I am very pleased and finally feel like I am doing what I should.

Permalink Reply by Amy Manemann on October 13, 2011 at 9:17pm

I think the sharing message idea is a good one, I've already been participating in such a thing on Facebook and have made some great contacts and met some really awesome people.

Borislava I would LOVE to attend your's and Catherine's chat on October 15th but I will be at our Girl Scout Bake Sale from 10-3. I do hope you guys have a wonderful time and know that I'll be thinking of you both XO

Permalink Reply by Amy Manemann on October 13, 2011 at 9:18pm

Welcome Dennis, you've stopped off in the right place! I completely agree, I think having too much to do is way better than having nothing to do. I thrive on chaos as my husband likes to tell me ;0) Thanks for adding to the message board, hope to see you again!

Dennis P McGeehan said:

Short answer is Yes ! I'm recently retired so you would thimk I have lots of time to write. Well I have about 20 years worth of projects for our home to get to. Add being the father of 8 kids and time becomes precious. I have one novel I been working on for 5 years, a Spiritual Warfare plot, with about 30,000 words so far, another Paranormal novel that I had about 10,000 words in when I lost everything to a computer crash. A third book I am working on that is non-fiction that I hope to finish up in about 3 weeks, I need to get photos for it done, and a fourth that will be a long term project and at least a Trilogy when it is done. I also have just put up a blog page. I am a total novice as an author, trying to learn the ropes as best I can. I just came home from a writer's conference, it was great.

So yes, I can relate to drowning in different projects, but I think it is better to have to much to do than nothing to do.

Dennis

Permalink Reply by Amy Manemann on October 13, 2011 at 9:32pm

That's fantastic Catherine, great job! I've been MIA with my writing as of late as we have too much going on but I applaud you for your accomplishment! XO

Catherine Green said:

Hi guys,

Well, me and Stacy have sort of been cross promoting each other on Twitter as it is, so yes, definitely, I'm on board! (And, yes, I have a Blackberry so this week I have been climbing the walls!)

Good news; since I started my personal organisation plan on Sunday, I have been writing at least 1000 words a day on my current manuscript. I am very pleased and finally feel like I am doing what I should.

Permalink Reply by Steve Norris on October 13, 2011 at 10:44pm

2500 words tonight - tripping off the page tonight.

Well done Catherine

Permalink Reply by Catherine Green on October 13, 2011 at 11:07pm

Thanks! Now I have to do some writing, it's getting late and I haven't started. Need a brew first though...and maybe some more chocolate... ; )

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 14, 2011 at 8:00am

Dennis, I also had a computer crash and when I was learning about computers, I did something that made my entire story go to the left margin. At the time, I did not know about the undo button. It took me a year to rewrite and get it back where I needed it. I would suggest copying your work to a disk. I copy to disk about once a week. However I am afraid that my computer, right now, is about to retire, it is eight years old. Last year we crashed it on purpose and started over, which might give me another year or two, or not. As far as your 30,000 words I know what you mean. I am working on a book that I think the main story is near done, but I am at only 20,000 word. Now is time to make it bigger. Today I picked up another two thousand words. I copied it to paper for my writer's group this weekend and at work tonight, I revised it, with a pen, no doubt!!! So I'm thinking in the morning the story will grow even more. Good work on your book and keep writing and coming here and sharing...

Dennis P McGeehan said:

Short answer is Yes ! I'm recently retired so you would thimk I have lots of time to write. Well I have about 20 years worth of projects for our home to get to. Add being the father of 8 kids and time becomes precious. I have one novel I been working on for 5 years, a Spiritual Warfare plot, with about 30,000 words so far, another Paranormal novel that I had about 10,000 words in when I lost everything to a computer crash. A third book I am working on that is non-fiction that I hope to finish up in about 3 weeks, I need to get photos for it done, and a fourth that will be a long term project and at least a Trilogy when it is done. I also have just put up a blog page. I am a total novice as an author, trying to learn the ropes as best I can. I just came home from a writer's conference, it was great.

So yes, I can relate to drowning in different projects, but I think it is better to have to much to do than nothing to do.

Dennis

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 14, 2011 at 8:08am

Chocolate and beer, that's a first!!!

Catherine Green said:

Thanks! Now I have to do some writing, it's getting late and I haven't started. Need a brew first though...and maybe some more chocolate... ; )

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 14, 2011 at 8:12am

I have a writer's group that day but I'm going to try and make it. I didn't realized it was EST, which is an hour different than Minnesota. If I make it, I'll be coming in at the last half hour. I hope to make it. It sounds fun...

Borislava Borissova said:

Thank you very much, Steve! Now I am in the process of editing of my third book and I am sure I prefer to publish it using amazon opportunities.

I am interested in your words: "my proposal with Stacey to work together". It happens the same for Catherine Green and me. We will host a chat together this Saturday and I so hope some of authors hereq including you would come and join us. On 15th October from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST on the Chatters E-loop I will be co-host of a live chat titled: Love and Other Dreams in Books on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenfindoutaboutnewbooks.

But I also consider other possibilities and my last idea is exchanged posts on our Facebook walls. Example if I publish your short message about your book on my FB wall it will reach more than 350 people in my chain. If you publish my short message about my book on your FB wall it will be noticed by the people in your chain that do not know me at all.

What do you think? What other authors here think about this channel to get new readers?

Steve Norris said:

The way it works in the modern market is that authors are running kindle books as a loss leader. So Stacy is selling hers cheap and so am I. This is purely to get presence in the market. The cost base is low so there is nothing to lose as such. The theory is that selling 10 kindles for £2/$3 is better than selling one for £10/$15, as you presence in the market increases.

Every marketing blog for books will tell you to smash the price of kindle/ebooks as to be honest they are more disposable and it gets you more of a market presence which in the end will translate to paper sales. Hence my proposal with Stacey to work together to inflate our chart position to get more market presence for minimal cost.

I had the same conversation with my publisher who was happy to reduce the price to raise sales as they also have no costs to recover on e-books. A new author selling e-books at a high price has minimal chance of sales I believe, but maybe this publisher/distributor knows something I don't.

To Robert's point about devaluing your work, well you can be proud, or you can sell books. There may be a hard choice to make. I would say where i have done specific targetted marketing on the kindle version it has done the job as people are simply more likely to take a punt on a cheap book

Hope this helps

Permalink Reply by Borislava Borissova on October 14, 2011 at 8:17am

Oh, perhaps next time when I participate in such an event we would be together, Amy :)

Amy Manemann said:

I think the sharing message idea is a good one, I've already been participating in such a thing on Facebook and have made some great contacts and met some really awesome people.

Borislava I would LOVE to attend your's and Catherine's chat on October 15th but I will be at our Girl Scout Bake Sale from 10-3. I do hope you guys have a wonderful time and know that I'll be thinking of you both XO

Permalink Reply by Borislava Borissova on October 14, 2011 at 8:20am

You are very welcome, Robert!

Robert L. Allen said:

I have a writer's group that day but I'm going to try and make it. I didn't realized it was EST, which is an hour different than Minnesota. If I make it, I'll be coming in at the last half hour. I hope to make it. It sounds fun...

Borislava Borissova said:
Thank you very much, Steve! Now I am in the process of editing of my third book and I am sure I prefer to publish it using amazon opportunities.

I am interested in your words: "my proposal with Stacey to work together". It happens the same for Catherine Green and me. We will host a chat together this Saturday and I so hope some of authors hereq including you would come and join us. On 15th October from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST on the Chatters E-loop I will be co-host of a live chat titled: Love and Other Dreams in Books on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenfindoutaboutnewbooks.

But I also consider other possibilities and my last idea is exchanged posts on our Facebook walls. Example if I publish your short message about your book on my FB wall it will reach more than 350 people in my chain. If you publish my short message about my book on your FB wall it will be noticed by the people in your chain that do not know me at all.

What do you think? What other authors here think about this channel to get new readers?

Steve Norris said:

The way it works in the modern market is that authors are running kindle books as a loss leader. So Stacy is selling hers cheap and so am I. This is purely to get presence in the market. The cost base is low so there is nothing to lose as such. The theory is that selling 10 kindles for £2/$3 is better than selling one for £10/$15, as you presence in the market increases.

Every marketing blog for books will tell you to smash the price of kindle/ebooks as to be honest they are more disposable and it gets you more of a market presence which in the end will translate to paper sales. Hence my proposal with Stacey to work together to inflate our chart position to get more market presence for minimal cost.

I had the same conversation with my publisher who was happy to reduce the price to raise sales as they also have no costs to recover on e-books. A new author selling e-books at a high price has minimal chance of sales I believe, but maybe this publisher/distributor knows something I don't.

To Robert's point about devaluing your work, well you can be proud, or you can sell books. There may be a hard choice to make. I would say where i have done specific targetted marketing on the kindle version it has done the job as people are simply more likely to take a punt on a cheap book

Hope this helps