Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

You fail only if you stop writing. - Ray Bradbury.

I like that thought. On the other hand I'm not so sure how I feel about the l latest trends, mostly in self-pubbing (because it's unlikely to happen in traditional publishing). It's called Rapid Release. This is where we see people releasing a book a month, sometimes more than that.

I was talking to a self p ubber in my group and she made mention that Kindle Unlimited is driving this. I have a lot of problems with this as both a reader and a writer. One I don't NEED that much content from an author. This isn't Netflix. I don't need to Binge read. (And frankly I rather hate binge watching is the driving force of Netflix. I get BORED with the same characters no matter how much I like them. I need breaks. I know that's not the norm but it's true).

Anyhow, rapid release to me makes me wonder as both a reader and an author (and I really can't separate those things since I've been writing for decades) just how sustainable that is. If that's our new and brightest publishing star, I think it's a bad one to be following. I'm sorry but it makes me wonder just how polished could these books possibly be.

Let's just look at Like Stone the fan novel I finished in two months this summer. Now I don't even have to work on character or world building here. It's already there for me. All I have to do is plot. I didn't do as wipbigbang wanted and publish it all because I KNEW it was rough. I've been polishing and publishing it but it's taken another month to get 90% of it ready (today alone I added over 800 words to one very rushed chapter).

Very rushed, that's what I think of when I think rapid release. If I see an author chucking out scads of new material (I'm not talking rereleases, that's different) I have to wonder has it been edited? Am I seeing a first or second draft (honestly Like Stone is just second draft but I need time away).

Burn out is real too. I am BURNT from writing that story. I feel like I do after nano. You pour out 50K in a few weeks it has an affect. Not everybody's mileage is the same. Some authors can do that effortlessly. I know others that write very well but they are slow. Where does that leave them? Is there stuff not worth reading because they can't rapid release.

The person from my group suggested that most of the rapid releasers are living off their writing and don't have a 'day job.' Well many of us do. I couldn't live without mine. Maybe if I had a significant other and that second income, I could do this but I don't have all day every day to do nothing but right and Amazon's new paradigm makes me feel lesser, like I'm not quite as worthy.

I hate giving any energy to Amazon. I know it's different for self pubbers, but if you have a publisher you can't get good data out of Amazon and its author central. Just to be sure I'm NOT getting ripped off (because my trust in the publishing world isn't particularly high for good reason) I wanted to see if the books sold according to my various publishers matched Amazon sales...and you can't GET that info. You just get your rank. Oh that's as useless as fuck. So thanks for nothing Amazon. I don't give a damn about rank. Tell me how many books I've sold. (there is some arcana table where you can guesstimate sales from your rank but that's just idiotic).

So I'm curious, how do you as readers and/or authors feel about rapid release? Do you like it? It is working for you? Are you as dubious about it as I am?

(also my sugar is STILL high and I'm cranky about it)

Let's have some links

From Betty

HASHTAGS FOR WRITERS

5 Ways Authors Can Make Money Outside of Selling Books

The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2019-2020

5 Questions for Choosing a Protagonist Who Represents Your Story’s Theme

The Intersection of Character Transformation and Moral Dilemma

How to Write a Real Page-Turner, Part 4

WORLDBUILDING :Siege Warfare Before Gunpowder

DESCRIPTIVE THESAURUS COLLECTION

And from around the web

Writing Advice from Ray Bradbury

How To Get Cover Design And Formatting That Fits Your Story: My Self-Publishing Experience Part 6

Your Nonfiction Book Should Tell A Story

I’m An Author… Do I Need A Blog?

7 Quick Tips for Mastering Pacing in Your Story

Writers: How To Come Up With A Great Title—Ask Writer’s Relief

15 tips for writing from home.

Comments

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Thanks for the links!

I hadn't heard of rapid release, but now that I have, I'm pretty sure I hate it. :D

[cornerofmadness]

You're welcome.

I can honestly say I'm not a fan.

[scribblemoose]

I think rapid release is encouraging quantity over quality and as such isn’t something I want as a reader or a writer. I would much rather wait for something that’s fully baked and more than two books a year would stress me out horribly!

[cornerofmadness]

I agree with you and like I said to Kit if it was a serialized novel (which I don't think they are) that's one thing. This would be another. I couldn't imagine putting out three or more longer works a year let alone something every month (even short fiction)

[havocthecat]

People get together and work out group names to rapid release instead of slamming out a lot of titles in a short amount of times, usually. No one writes that fast, much less edits, puts together covers and ads, and then throws up a marketing campaign by themselves.

[cornerofmadness]

THat's definitely where it started but I'm not seeing a ton of single author rapid releases

[havocthecat]

I really don't watch the market that closely; I'm on a list with people who watch trends and I listen to them. /shrug

[cornerofmadness]

Yeah I've seen it that way and it's quite annoying when all authors involved email you their newsletters for it but if it works for them... I can definitely say as a reader it puts me straight off reading any of it