Nothing makes an author antsier than being without a contract. I haven’t found myself in that situation in a long, thank you, God. Because there are a zillion people out there vying for the limited number of contracts available, most authors have a tendency to say yes to every one that comes along. Steady work is GOOD.
Lately, I’ve found myself blessed. I’d already gotten a three-book contract with Grand Central when Harlequin offered a two-book deal for their Romantic Suspense line. Woohoo, I said to my agent, then my husband. Then the next day, surprise! Another offer from Harlequin, for a Christmas novella for Romantic Suspense. Woot woot, I said to my agent, then my husband.
I woke up the next morning and immediately felt a rush of delight. Contracts for six books! Belated Christmas/Happy New Year to me!
Then it hit me: five of them are due in a year. Wow.
I’ve written five books in a year. I’ve actually written seven in one year. But that was a long time ago, when I was younger. I’ve gotten comfortably (read: lazily) settled into a routine where I write two to three books a year. Can I kick it into high gear and get them all done?
The first thing I did was scribble out a calendar, covering every week for the next year. Then I figured how many weeks I need to write each book and added in one or two extra. I also had to include time to write proposals (a synopsis and chapters) for the second books on the contracts and, of course, a little sanity time. I’ve never done this kind of time planning before. My usual method was to schedule deadlines equally, giving myself, say, three months to complete each book. The first two months would pass with frequent reminders to myself that I’ve got a book due soon, then I would write madly for three to four weeks and finish it just in time to overnight it to New York. I always promised myself that the next time, I would do it in a more reasonable fashion, but I never did.
This year “reasonable” is the only way to do it.
Though I dunno. As I write this, it’s the second day on my 52-week schedule, and all I’ve written are blogs . . .
And so, there was a collective shout of rejoicing from Pappano fans everywhere. Speaking personally, I am sorry the pressure is on for you over the next year. As a reader, however, I am doing a little fist pump in the air for the hours of enjoyment to come from your work.
Just blog up for air once and a while and let us know you are okay.
Thanks, Deb! I’m actually kind of upbeat about the fact that I know now exactly what I need to be doing six months and three weeks from now.
And I do like challenges. After the editor I submitted my first-ever book to told me not to send her anything else, I was determined to prove to her that I COULD write and sell. If she’d been nice in telling me I sucked pond water, I probably wouldn’t have submitted the next one.
You can do it, Ms. M! Now, I just need you to cattle prod me in the butt to finish editing TROLL so I can work on Gargoyle! Last year really put a stopper in my creativity and I’m finding it difficult to start writing again!
Ya know, I just realized that you won’t be writing your witch books this year.
Gotta write the contracted ones first. . . .
I did work on the first one over the holidays, while I was waiting to get approval/revisions on the others. I’m hoping things go well enough with the scheduled writing that I can make one day a week a witch-writing day. It’ll be slow, but it’ll eventually get done!
You keep losing weight, I won’t find a cattle prod small enough to prod you with.
Maybe we should do a monthly breakfast or lunch where you have to be grilled and poked with a salad fork if you don’t have progress to report.
I’d like that, Marilyn!
All hail the might Queen!
I know you can do this because we’ve got places to go, research to do, and I get the hours of escapism reading!
You bet, Meg! Speaking of places to go, don’t you hear Rosanna’s calling our names?
I do hear a faint calling on the northern winds we’ve had. Will be trying to work that out very soon.
I’m SOOOOO proud of you, Marilyn!
You are the ABSOLUTE BEST!
Thanks, sweetie. I couldn’t do it without you.
This is fantastic news, Marilyn! I have complete faith you’ll meet every single deadline. Can’t guarantee anything about your sanity by the time you finish, though.
I know some sane people, and they’re no fun at all — no people living in their heads! I prefer me some writers.