Would you like to choose what I write?

Okay! There’s a few things to talk about, so let’s get stuck in.

I completed a book, and sent it out for beta-reading. The question now is what do I do once I get feedback.

See, I’ve been staring at this book for hours over the last few weeks. True to the creative process of writers everywhere, I now hate it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. I’ve closed the file and I’m not going to look at it until people come back to me with feedback.

I know it’s got flaws, unfortunately. If I had the time or interest, I’d go back and fix them, but honestly, I just can’t. A book doesn’t have to be perfect, and I have other books to write. And now, I’ve decided that I’m going to let someone else decide which I should write next.

Here’s a short list of stuff I have in the pipeline:

Fire Eyes, Shadowblade, Book 1 of Mekkaneer’s Madness Trilogy (fantasy adventure)
Mekkaneer’s Madness Book 2 (unnamed)
Mekkaneer’s Madness Book 3 (unnamed)
The Meldling, First Novel of the Daemonva (fantasy) – this is the one I just finished
The Nameless Knight, Second Novel of the Daemonva
Third Novel of the Daemonva (unnamed)
The Dogs of Law (alternate universe paranormal police procedural)
Winterlight (YA fantasy)
The Hunter General (steampunk)
The Fortune of Dragons (YA fantasy)
Snicker-Snack (a fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland)
Imperion Light: Adventures in Wartime (steampunk)
The Devil in the Details (fantasy comedy)

I think you can see a trend here. I’m going pretty heavily into fantasy right now, with a bit of steampunk and other weirdness on the side.

So here’s the deal, my friends. As soon as I publish the book I just finished (official announcement soon), I’ll be setting up some stuff to build a mailing list. Anyone who signs up to my mailing list gets to vote on what I’ll write next.

My creative output will be in your hands. You pick a title above, and whichever gets the most votes in the month after I publish a book will be the thing I concentrate on next. I’ve already announced Fire Eyes, Shadowblade, so if I get no votes, that’ll be the one. The only rule is that you get one vote per email address, and you can’t vote for a third book in a series if I haven’t written the second yet.

I’m also going to do something pretty special for the print version of every book I complete. I’ve been working on my bookbinding skills lately, as you might know, and I’ve got everything I need to print and bind my own books. So I’m going to make the print versions myself – they will be handmade with the best materials I can find, signed by me (obviously) and limited to three copies each. I’ll keep two – one for me, and one to keep as a present for someone close to me.

The last one will be given away to a reader.

Again, watch this space for the mailing list, kids. Only people on the list get a shot at the print copy, so consider yourself warned!

Ah, so busy… Let me know if you think I’m nuts in the comments below.

Related Posts:

Adventures in Bookbinding
Further Adventures in Book Binding
Fire Eyes, Shadowblade
What Makes a Good Blurb?
How to Spike Your Book in One Easy Step

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