C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

Stephen Woodfin is high on boxed sets and I’m high on serials (though I plan to do boxed sets down the road, too.) The commonality is, write more great books so you can engage in smart marketing practices like grouping and discounts. (Stephen’s article is at the link.)

Some will worry that we’re rushing to press and quality will suffer. I don’t think that’s necessarily so if you know what you’re doing. Stephen King does two passes and a polish. Mickey Spillane often wrote two novels at a time, keeping two separate typewriters hot and clacking. The working person’s ethic is back. I like that we aren’t too precious about our writing.  Some will make a fetish out of "years in the harness, paying our dues." I’ve paid my dues several times over, thanks very much. Many of us have. Endlessly tinkering does not necessarily equal quality. Endless tinkering might be procrastination in disguise.

Some authors write fast and others don’t. No shame or name-calling, either way. However, when one author who won a writing contest confessed that he’d rewritten his book more than 57 times (!) my reaction was not admiration. Instead, his arduous process suggested to me he didn’t know what he was doing. Maybe that sounds harsh, but the end product didn’t really show all that work. That book contest win was quite a long time ago and I haven’t heard of that author since.

I think we need to look for efficiencies when we’re writing. Maybe that means outlining first or using our time better. I rarely hear aspirants complain about writer’s block, though most of us will admit to procrastination. Every hour we procrastinate, we’re farther away from doing smart things, like box sets of multiple books. 

I said it in Crack the Indie Author Code and Write Your Book: Aspire to Inspire. I say it here again: The one sure strategy is to write more good books so readers can find you.