Since switching to 100% indie publishing, I have done two things consistently (apart from writing a lot of books!):
- I have planned a schedule of book releases for two years out.
- I haven’t shared that plan with readers.
There are a lot of reasons why I don’t share, even though I get peppered with constant questions about when the next book in xxx series is coming out. (Also, a huge number of requests for just one more book in such-and-such series — but that’s a different post altogether!)
One of the major reasons for playing it close to the chest was purely cautionary: When I still had a day job, I didn’t know how much time I could reliably get to write, so publishing release dates ahead of a completed manuscript would risk disappointing readers. You, in other words.
When I switched to writing full time, I was still uncertain about how a full-time writing schedule would play out in the long term. I knew how many words I could write in an hour, and multiplied by xx hours, that gives a general idea of how many books I could write. Only, I had been warned by other full-time writers that daily writing marathons that full time writing really is tend to lower word counts in unexpected ways. Then there are sick days; a high fever doesn’t really slow me down that much, but days when even sitting upright is a challenge can bite into a production schedule. Then there is all the usual stuff that throws curve balls — accidents, family troubles, weather…shit happens, right?
For the first year of full time writing, I still didn’t want to disappoint readers by failing to hit a deadline, although by the end of last year, I was starting to feel more comfortable about hinting from the side of my mouth about upcoming titles. Then, in my newsletter, I boldly declared there would be six releases in six weeks, leading up to Christmas.
Yeah, shit happens. As soon as I opened my mouth, life dumped on me. I ended up missing one out of the six titles, which wasn’t too shabby, considering I spent two weeks in the States that I hadn’t been counting on when I advertised the line-up.
Since then, I have been playing a six month game of catch-up, and finally, I think I’m gaining ground. I’ve been writing full time for 18 months now, and learned a few lessons and skills about maintaining a production schedule over the long term.
As a result, I thought it would be nice to give you a glimpse of upcoming titles–let’s say, to the end of this year. Although, given everything I’ve just said, I’m sure you’ll understand that this list is not completely guaranteed. No release is guaranteed until I type “the end” at the bottom of the first draft. Only then is the release a certainty.
Let’s just say that this list is what I hope to release by the end of the year (with one or two additional surprises, perhaps). I’ve managed to stick to the production list so far, so the odds are good these books will see the light of day:
The Endurance
(science fiction romance)
2 novelettes, 2 novels
Series info here.
Scandalous Scions
(historical romance)
2 novels, 1 novelette.
Series info here.
Kiss Across Time
(Menage vampire time travel romance)
2 shorts, 2 novels
Series Info here.
The Indigo Reports
(Science Fiction)
1 short, 1 novel
Series Info here.
The Vistaria Affair
(Sexy Romantic Suspense)
1 novelette.
Series info here.
That takes me right up to the end of December this year.
Also note: This is just what is scheduled. If I get ahead of the schedule (as I am right now), then I can play with stories and that might result in some unexpected bonuses.
If you want to ensure you don’t miss any of the upcoming releases, subscribe to my newsletter, as I don’t generally make release announcements here on the blog. Comments, questions, suggestions on the list of planned releases are welcome — you can comment below, or email me directly.
Cheers,
.
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