Art takes time. It demands attention. It requires patience. There are so many faster ways to make money than to write a book. And yes editing and rewriting allows the work to evolve and blossom. Like a good bottle of wine, it needs to breathe.
The trend for fast publishing is absolutely mind-boggling to me. It has taken me ten years to publish my historical trilogy and I still haven't _officially_ published the first book! I like taking my time to tinker and do those final edits. I know it has evolved considerably over time and become a better book for it. In fact, the best thing for my editing process (besides working with a developmental editor) has been just putting the MS away for a few months and coming back to it with fresh eyes. That's something I'd lose if I was just churning out a book every few months and sending it straight to print.
I couldn't agree with you more! I don't understand it, except that there seems to be this anxiety over making money and a living from writing. And it seems to be becoming a competitive sport. I would like to get a bit faster but not zillions of books a year.
Well, if one is rich, they can afford all that. But my dev editor missed so many things, and I was told that they don't pick up everything, that I might just do copy editing next time. My beta readers did a better job picking up storyline stuff. And my copy editor picked up cliche'd phrasings, wordiness, overuse, etc - also, ProWritingAid does that too. I agree that's really important.
I can't afford $5k a book to edit it... (yet!) And I do agree, having a great editor is phenomenal - but not many people can afford them. Just my thoughts.
As always, thank you Diane for keeping it real.
Art takes time. It demands attention. It requires patience. There are so many faster ways to make money than to write a book. And yes editing and rewriting allows the work to evolve and blossom. Like a good bottle of wine, it needs to breathe.
I think you nailed it - art vs commerce. I just might write about that for next time.... Thanks!
The trend for fast publishing is absolutely mind-boggling to me. It has taken me ten years to publish my historical trilogy and I still haven't _officially_ published the first book! I like taking my time to tinker and do those final edits. I know it has evolved considerably over time and become a better book for it. In fact, the best thing for my editing process (besides working with a developmental editor) has been just putting the MS away for a few months and coming back to it with fresh eyes. That's something I'd lose if I was just churning out a book every few months and sending it straight to print.
I couldn't agree with you more! I don't understand it, except that there seems to be this anxiety over making money and a living from writing. And it seems to be becoming a competitive sport. I would like to get a bit faster but not zillions of books a year.
I don’t even know the best way to get one myself! So you are so right - it’s one of the biggest challenges!
Well, if one is rich, they can afford all that. But my dev editor missed so many things, and I was told that they don't pick up everything, that I might just do copy editing next time. My beta readers did a better job picking up storyline stuff. And my copy editor picked up cliche'd phrasings, wordiness, overuse, etc - also, ProWritingAid does that too. I agree that's really important.
I can't afford $5k a book to edit it... (yet!) And I do agree, having a great editor is phenomenal - but not many people can afford them. Just my thoughts.