How I’d Rewrite My Already Published Book
How would I rewrite my already published book if given the chance?
I think lots of authors think about this now and again, especially as we grow. I’ve been a novelist for over a decade now. What I write today is much different than my novels currently on the shelf.
When I look at my novels on a shelf, though, I still feel proud. They represent a time in my life where I dared to dream despite the odds–and I made it.
The market has since changed, and so has my writing style, but I’m still here, churning out words. Every now and again, though, I take a peek at my old novels. Maybe I’m looking for a confidence boost. Maybe I just miss my characters. Either way, I see aspects I would change, if given the chance.
So let’s talk about it.
First, what are the chances you’ll get a second chance at an already published novel? It’s not very high. Most publishers won’t consider already published books, and those odds decrease the larger the publisher is. Granted, we’ve seen a shift in trad publishing lately. They’ve offered book deals/print-runs to indie writers and self-published authors who’ve grown large followings.
But, again, it’s exceedingly rare.
That said, I was lucky enough to get picked up by another publisher when my first one shut down. While working with CTP Publishing, I got to relaunch the Timely Death trilogy. It was a dream. When it was all said and done, I asked them if they would be interested in republishing my very first novel, November Snow.
You see, my first novel was published in 2007. I was 16, and it came out before eBooks were even on the market. (Wild times.) It’s a small print run at a local press, more akin to self-publishing than modern indie publishing. As a high school student in the middle of Kansas, I had no time, money, or resources to help me market, so I hand-sold it a few places, and that was that.
Fast-forward a decade, and CTP said YES after I rewrote it from its original format. It’s now a four-book series, available everywhere.
It was very healing getting to redo both of my series.
So many authors launch into publishing too early, and it feels cruel that you’re told you don’t get second chances. My second chances were creative life-savers. I am forever grateful to CTP.
That said, the last book released in 2017, so I’ve grown a lot as a writer.
What would I do differently now if I had the chance?
Realistically, I know I’ll never get a third chance. This is more like a fun exercise I like to do to see how my writing has changed.
First thing I’d change? I probably would’ve used a gentler hand.
Bad Bloods is a very dark fantasy series. I always tell people 75% of the cast dies (and most of my cast is young children), so go in prepared. Folks who have read it have told me they’re surprised when they find out I first wrote it when I was 12. (And it was actually darker.) In fact, my stepmom at the time told my father I should stop writing because it was too dark. Admittedly, I can understand her concerns now, but I’m proud my dad encouraged me to write whatever I wanted and needed to, especially in the aftermath of my mom’s death.
When I consider what a gentle hand would look like with the heavy subject matter, I immediately feel that little 12-year-old writer inside of me surge up at the computer.
Too dark? she grumbles. I’ll show you dark.
Sometimes, my instincts still want to go darker. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like most of the teens I knew as a teen didn’t like being coddled. They could handle the darkness of these stories without blinking an eye because they live in the same world we ALL live in.
The truth is, the world is a dark place. It’s also a beautiful place. But children pick up on violence, politics, and the fragility of life at a very young age–especially today.
Still, if I had to rewrite it, I would use a gentler hand so that it was more accessible. The first step I would take in doing that is cutting back on the amount of characters highlighted.
In Bad Bloods, there are two major flocks of kids, each flock has 12 bad bloods. I never intended for readers to feel like they needed to track 24 characters. (And there are even more side characters.) I only wanted readers to see large groups of teens who had distinct personalities–mostly (to be completely honest) so their deaths were emotional. I feared if I didn’t show each teen a little bit that their deaths would come across as empty filler.
Granted, I succeeded–I still get emails asking about the most obscure characters I never thought anyone would latch onto that strongly–but I definitely think the large cast could be culled, and the book would be stronger for it.
Lastly, if I did it all over again, I would stand by that it’s one book–not two.
Bad Bloods originally was one book. When I rewrote it for CTP, it was too long (and too costly) to print as one book, so we decided to split Bad Bloods into November Rain (Part One) and November Snow (Part Two). Even though we called them “parts” and marketed it clearly, too many readers complained about the abrupt transition from November Rain into November Snow. This is actually what I regret the most. I wish I had revised my word count and kept it as one book instead.
But I can’t change the past!
We live. We learn. We keep writing.
I am grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had with Bad Bloods and my other novels. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned over the years into my new works.
If you were given the chance, how would you change your already published novels?
~SAT
