Challenge

Am I Really Going To Write a Novel Every Two Weeks?

Got That Question Twice in Emails…

The short answer… I think I will try the challenge.

But I am turning 75 and I love the idea of publishing 75 major books (novels, collections, novellas) in my 75th year. (I don’t tend to write novellas, so it will be mostly novels and collections and anthologies/magazines.

So if I started on a novel every two weeks, I would write 26 if I hit it, but only publish 22 or 23 due to the time lag between finishing and publishing. A long way from 75…

So for years now I have wanted to do a series of collections to get all my short stories into print in uniform editions. No genre, just ten short stories per book plus the covers for each story inside.

My gut sense that would be about 50 collections when finished, but if I did one collection every two weeks, I could do 26 in a year, publishing 22 or 23 in my 75th year.

So 46 books. Way short still.

I will be doing all the layout and covers for all of those. I will have VA help loading them to markets and my Shopify store. I will do electronic, paper, and hardback editions of every book.

Let’s figure I get 8 issues out of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine as it ramps back up.  That is 54.

How about 5 DETECTIVES COLLIDE, so that would be 59…

8 issues of Smith’s Monthly would get me to 67. (I would do all the layout on those as well.)

10 Pulphouse collections (five this fall, five next spring) would get me to 77.  A couple to spare.

But the core is the writing of the novels. And those are where the energy to do the rest will come.

So yes, thinking about it. Excited that for the first time in more years than I want to think about, I have no one between my writing and publishing.

That control is the true essense of indie publishing.

We shall see how it goes if I decide to give it a fly.

 

 

4 Comments

  • Edward

    Dean, that’s an incredible amount of creativity and writing. If anybody is up to the challenge, it’s you. I’ve taken your sound advice, and I started publishing a book a month, and it’s in your favorite type of format. The Novella! Ha! This is the format I’m most comfortable writing. I’m getting rid of the perfection mindset and getting down to the story. And you know what???? I’m finding out that my creativity meter goes way up when I don’t worry about imperfections. Since I’ve retired, I’ve put a lot on my plate. I’ve started a podcast that is published once a week, which is tied to my writing theme. I’m done trying to be perfect and just getting the story out. Thanks, Dean.

Leave a Reply to Mangala McNamara Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *