Monday, September 24, 2012

One year from today! And the implications thereof.

Guess what happens exactly one year from TODAY?

My book releases!

Yes. I'm a little excited.

It feels like I've had my book deal for FOREVER (it's been 10 months and one week), yet I still have a year to go. In case you were wondering, yes, a year and ten months is a crazy long time when you're waiting for your book to come out! And yes, it's a completely normal length of time to wait if you're with a big publisher. Many of the people in the Lucky 13s have wait times over two years long. But now, to have that number be a year or less, feels MAGICAL. (Seriously-- anyone need any magic done? Today I feel like I could do it.)

There's a lot of implications, though, that come with the one year before mark that I can't say I had thought of before this point. Let me tell you where I'm at right now:

  • Book 1 has been fully content-edited. 
  • Book 1 has gone through the first round of copy edits, and ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies that go out to reviewers) are printed based off of that. It has gone to production for ARCs, even though they won't be out until spring. It has also gone back to copy edits for the second round. At this point, other than a few sentence wording things, it's pretty much set in stone.
  • Book 1 HAD a cover.... until it was shown at list launch early August, and they decided that the cover wasn't strong enough for the book, so they started over with a different illustrator. That's a story for another time, but basically, it would've had a cover by now, if it went according to plan.
  • Book 2 is two-thirds of the way drafted.

What does that have to do with anything, might you ask? A lot, actually. Like many, my books will come out almost exactly a year apart, which means books two and three will be on roughly the same schedule. Which means that when my book releases a year from now, this is what will be happening:

  • Book 2 will be fully edited
  • Book 2 will have gone through copy edits, and onto production
  • Book 2 will likely have a cover
  • Book 3 will be in the drafting stage.

Why that is significant?

Let's talk about reviews. Or, more importantly, constructive reviews. Have you ever read a book that was great except for one thing? Let's say it's an annoying tic the main character has that drives the general population nuts. Or something in the plot or with the world that seems to not fit, and desperately needs some explanation in the next book. By the time people start reading the book, and reviews start coming in, the next book is already to the point where everything is pretty much set in stone. So anything that needs to be addressed specifically, for the sake of the reader, can't be addressed until the third book.

Kind of mind-blowing, no? (Does it freak me out? A little. Yes.)(But it also helps stave off the Sophomore Slump, which is TOTALLY a story for another day.)

For a moment, I'm going to forget all that. Right now I need to go make one of those paper chains you made in December in elementary school to count down the days until Christmas by ripping off one link of the chain every day. Only this one will count down the days until TTBB releases. Then I'm going to wrap it around the walls in my office. And around... and around....

47 comments:

JeffO said...

Puts Tom Petty in the CD player. "The way-yay-ting is the hardest part".

Iain said...

What kind of hairspray do you use? Not even a single strand of hair moved during your energetic jumping above :o)
Do you have a deal for book 3? I thought it was a 2 book deal. Or is this still being negotiated?
I can only imagine the excitement you must be feeling now :o)

Steph Sessa said...

Congrats! That's so exciting!

Jennie Bennett said...

1 year! I have to wait that long! Goodness that's a long time. I'm sure it's harder for you, but I can't wait!!

Chantele Sedgwick said...

Yay!! Can't wait!! :D :D :D

Angela Cothran said...

This is so exciting!!! I love hearing the details of your journey. And I can't wait to see the cover!!!

Denise Baer said...

YAY! Congratulations, Peggy! I wish you much success on all your books. Keep it goin'. :)

Elodie said...

This is so exciting! And I'm sure nerve-wracking but still exciting :D

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Yay...it's sort of like a pre-anniversary!!!

David P. King said...

I already have some cash put aside for the big day! :)

Mara Rae said...

Woohoo! One year will fly by! I can't believe it's already been ten months since your book deal. I feel like I've accomplished nothing since then :p So, if you really do have some magic to spare, please pass it my way! I'm off to mark my calendar for your release day :D

Shallee said...

Yay Peggy! Thanks for sharing. I hope this year flies by!

Z said...

A year a year a year a year a year a YEAR!!!!! PLEASE post pictures of your chain - because those are the best things in the world :) Please use lots of fun colors!

Taffy said...

Go, Peggy! Loved watching you jump around. I was mesmerized for a few minutes.
I can't believe your book will be out in ONE year! And #2 is almost ready?? YES! How fun. I'm so excited for you!
Go, Peggy!

prerna pickett said...

so much work! But totally worth it! Can't wait to read your book.

Patti said...

Let the count down begin.

S.P. Bowers said...

That's going to be one looooong chain.

Congrats on the ever decreasing count down!

Valerie Hartman said...

I have been going a little crazy here and I have not kept up with blogs. Love the new photo, hope I am not weeks and weeks overdue! Maybe it is a blessing that you will be into new projects when the book FINALLY launches. Oh, and I think you could do magic today too. :)

Suzanne Furness said...

A year's a long time but I'm sure it will wizz by and what an exciting year it's going to be for you. Congratulations.

Donna Nolan said...

My first thought was, woo-hoo a year! And then I realized that a year is a long time to wait to read your book. Either way I'm excited for you.

I think you should do a snack jar instead of a chain. You know, put 365 M&Ms in a jar and eat one (or one handful) a day until they are all gone. :)

But really that is so awesome that you give us so much information. I never really understood why people wouldn't change things up in Book 2 based on criticism of Book 1 but now I get it.

Nancy Thompson said...

It's already been 10 months? Wow, how time flies. And one more year, huh? I know what that wait feels like. But it will go faster than you think and then it'll all be blur. One year between books? Guess I really need to get started on #2. Yikes!!

Emily R. King said...

Congrats! I hope the year passes quickly for you. :)

BECKY said...

Holy Schmoly, Peggy! HOW can you wait a whole year?? BUT, of course, it is wonderful news!! I'm jumping right along with you!

Anonymous said...

Longest. Years. Ever.

Donna K. Weaver said...

This is SO exciting, Peggy. It's all downhill from here.

Kinda.

Annalisa Crawford said...

So excited for you! Love the animation. 365 days will fly by :-)

Natalie Aguirre said...

So excited for you. I can't wait to read your book. At least you can watch others debut and learn some more. And have book 2 done. That will feel good.

Deb Stevens said...

Great things to know, and keep in mind. I love how you are so willing to update us, and you're so open about your writing process. To someone who's trying to figure it all out from the bottom up, this means a lot.

Yay for you and your long paper-chain!

Angela Brown said...

I'm very excited for you. I can truly understand the happy, jumping .gif :-)

You've given the publishing process a perspective - with regards to reviews - that hadn't really occurred to me. That timeline can be a bit of an issue, but TTBB is going to be so great that we'll just pish-posh on that :-)

Golden Eagle said...

Congratulations! Wow . . . what a process to publication.

And I love the GIF. :)

Mart Ramirez said...

That IS EXCITING!!! Super congrats! And LOVE your pic lol!!! Awesome!

Stina said...

Two years sounds like a long time, but it'll go quickly. :D

Congrats, Peggy!!!!

Anonymous said...

It will fly by now you are in the home straight. Enjoy it!

Jessie Humphries said...

Wow. Just wow. Your journey is even longer than Hope's!

Janet said...

YAY for Peggy cant wait for this day to come!

Carrie Butler said...

1. Best GIF ever!
2. I can't wait! I'm so excited for you. :D
3. Okay, now I am freaking out. LOL

Bish Denham said...

How exciting! I hoping all the best for you and that the waiting pays off.

Libby said...

That is a crazy long time. Congrats on being with a big pub! That's fantastic!

Stacy Henrie said...

So cool, Peggy! I'm excited for you - the year will go fast. Love the picture. :)

Erin Shakespear said...

Woo-goo! How exciting and fabulous and brilliant. I can't wait to read it.

Rachelle Christensen said...

Woot! So excited for the countdown. It is nice to be working on the next books in the series before you get any mind-numbing criticisms, but I agree it does create a quandary. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS!

Tracy Campbell said...

Hi Peggy,
How exciting!
Congratulations.
Thank you for commenting on my blog yesterday. Much appreciated.
Tracy Campbell

Anonymous said...

The joy just radiates from this post! So happy for you. And so thankful you're sharing the process. It's so interesting to get a peek behind the publishing curtains. Thanks for sharing!

Coleen Patrick said...

Peggy I love that graphic with you jumping!! So cool. Looking forward to the countdown :) Yay!

Susanna Leonard Hill said...

First, most awesome graphic EVER! I totally want to know how to do that!

Second, I somehow missed that yours was a three book deal! So amazing! Is it a trilogy? (I'm guessing it is from your comments, since 3 unrelated books wouldn't have the potential character problem since there would be new characters!)

Third, I can relate to the long wait. In picture books, 2 years is the minimum usually, and I had one that took 4! :)

Jeigh said...

So excited for you! And I can't wait to see your new cover! And I definitely need to hear more about the sophomore slump.