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How many books do you publish a year
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Hey Marc,I also have a full time job and a part time gig on top of my writing. This year I should be publishing three books. One of which is a republish. I get a lot of my writing done on weekends or days off. Thankfully, I have a day job where I can write during my breaks and lunches so that helps average my output for pages to about 3 a day.
Everyone has their own unique writing habits, but for me I try to at least write 500-1,000 words each day, even though I know that most of what I write will be edited and/or deleted later. The best time for me to write is in the afternoon after I've taken care of my other jobs and responsibilities, which usually takes me one or two hours. If I'm in the mood and feeling inspired, sometimes I can write for three or four hours before taking a break to avoid burnout.
Mod
On a good day I can get ten or twelve pages done. On a better day, I can get two. On the best days I get one really good paragraph. As we all know, it's not about how many words you can write in an hour or how many pages you can do in a day. That's the rough draft and most of it will be changed, deleted, replaced, rewritten, and edited a thousand times until your final draft has almost nothing in common with the rough draft, just as an acorn looks nothing like an oak tree.
I have a full time (plus) job and take care of my house pretty much by myself as there's not much my wife can do. No kids, but we do have three dogs. I do the bulk of my writing on days off. I can usually manage some writing in the morning or afternoon on work days, depending on what times I work and how many hours. Sometimes I'm able to write while I'm at work.
I put out one novel roughly every six months. That seems to be enough time to write, edit, get beta reader input, and find a cover artist.
I also balance writing with a day job and a family. A few metrics that I've settled on after a few iterations now (just finished drafting my 4th novel):I keep track of productive time spent on writing, and related activities such as promotion and maintaining my web site. I reckon on averaging a little over an hour a day across the board.
Word count is only meaningful to me during the first draft phase. I generally average about 500 words a day, and complete a draft in about 7 months.
The rest of the process is editing, getting critiques, editing again, preparing cover art, and finalizing for publication. The whole process takes me about 2 years to get a novel out the door.
Writing is my job currently. Since I became an author two years ago, I have published three books--one novel and two short stories. One year per novel is fair, I suppose...
how many pages do you consider a novel. i like to keep my books at 250 pages max .
It's more about word count than page count. Once you fiddle with dimensions and font sizes, page count can change rapidly. My novel is 423 pages, but was originally almost 700 before I changed the dimensions of the page and shrunk the font size into something more pleasing. And this is speaking in terms of physical pages; one Microsoft word page, for example, won't always equal one book page.
Dwayne wrote: "How many books I can get out depends on the length and the style and how much work needs to be done to get it right. Short stories generally take three weeks to two months. Novellas are more like f..."
Bravo, Dwayne--well said. I particularly liked your reference to good, better and best days. It's about quality, not quantity. BTW, I get about one novel a year done.
Bravo, Dwayne--well said. I particularly liked your reference to good, better and best days. It's about quality, not quantity. BTW, I get about one novel a year done.
Mod
The size of a novel is not determined so much by pages, but by word count. Various sources list different word counts, but generally a novel is at least 50,000 words. That said, my first novel published was about 180,000 words, the second was 330,000 or so. I have no idea how long the third one will want to be. I'm guessing somewhere between those two numbers.
Mod
That's how I see it, too. Most anyone could type a bunch of pages and call it a book. The real work comes in making that pile of pages something worth buying and reading. (And that's the fun part, too).
I finished my first book and published it last August. It took me 8 mos to write, prep, and publish. I thought I'd be able to get the second one done in 6 months but hahaha-no. I have a full-time gig I love and a family I love even more, and there are only so many hours of sleep I'm willing to skip. I write four days a week, for 1-4 hours each day. I can usually turn out ten decent pages in 3-4 hours. On the days I don't write I'm outlining, illustrating and trying to keep social media current, plus promoting the first book, in a few hours of my free time.
For me there are no page limits. The story is done when it’s done. Now if I have to break it out into several books, fine. But for the most part I let it develop organically.
It seems that these discussions always dissolve into “if you write that much, it must be crap.”How many hours a day do you spend just writing? How many days a week do you write? How do you measure progress? Do you have deadlines? How many years (or decades) have you been writing books for? Are you someone who is just learning how to write books, or to publish, or are you someone who has a system in place? How clean is your first draft? Do you have an editor or team on retainer? Is this a business or a hobby?
This is one of those things which is based on each person's life and habits. I have been publishing one book a year but am hoping to get three out this year but will settle for two. I do work a full time job, work two part time jobs and write 2 hours every evening. I manage to write at least 1250 words a day when writing. When not writing, I'm revising and editing, taking classes on writing while learning how to market my books effectively. This doesn't include keeping up with a website (which has been neglected lately) a newsletter, and email. Oh, and here too. Then again, I am used to doing multiple things at one time after going to nursing school while raising 4 children and taking care of a sibling and their 3 children along with 2 brothers-in-law who were living with me at the time. I became used to doing things in bits and pieces which comes with having a family and are responsible for the house and kids. While some authors can turn out 10 or more books a year, I can't. It takes me too long to get a full novel written. Most of those are writing shorter books than I do and can write to a template/formula which allows them to be extremely productive. If you can learn to do that, great. You can write a 100 books in 5-10 years and if you are good at it, your readers will love you. I've completed 26 books in three years but only have 2 full length novels and a novella published. The rest are in some stage of revision or editing.
If you are just starting out, don't get in a big hurry. Learn your craft. There are tons of books out there to use to learn craft. (If you need a decent list PM me and I'll send you my list of books writers should read.) Develop your own system of writing. If you are self-publishing, start now to learn marketing and what you need to know about covers, blurbs, copy writing and ads. Learn how to edit and get your book in the best shape possible. If you have group of writers in the area, see if they have a critique group or find one on line in your genre. Another thing is to read books in the genre you are writing in so you know what readers expect.
I wrote my million words before publishing my first book wasn't the best in the world, but it is out there and several people liked it enough to leave a review. Also, remember, it took most famous writers five or more years to become an overnight success, so use the early time to learn and hone what you are doing while putting out the best product you possibly can. (Hint: use an editor, copywriter, or proofreader to catch 99% of those pesky mistakes the lazy writers don't do because it costs money and they are in a hurry.)
If I really sit and hammer the words out I can get up to 2000 a day. The real issue is maintaining that momentum over time. It's really hard when it feels like the book sucks and I'm wasting my time. Most of the time leaving it for a week and coming back to it convinces me to go on. At 2000 words a day I should be able to do 2 a year, counting editing etc.
At the moment it takes me between 16-18 months to write a novel (70,000 - 80,000 words in length). My most recent project has been a bit different though, I've been turning one of my books that was originally a standalone novel into a 3 book series - I've been working on books 2 and 3 and it looks like it's going to take me about 18 months in total to write the two books, so it seems like the two books being a series has made the process a fair bit quicker.I don't really know how much I write in a day. I write for two and a half hours, 4 days a week. I can't do any more than that currently because of health problems, but it seems to be enough to make good progress and I'm really glad I can still spend some of my time writing as it takes my mind off other things! I think I probably write about 2 chapters a day. (My books don't have particularly long chapters!) Sometimes I'll stop writing in the middle of a chapter if that's where a scene ends and it feels more natural to stop there.
wow i guess you guys dont watch tv loli am lucjy i get in 30 mind 4x a week. i also do othet stuff
its good to know. i hope i can do 2 books year.
i hoping to write one big book then break it into 2 or 3 series books
Mod
I'd suggest you find a pace that suits you. If you rush your work, it'll suffer.
I should probably add, I can write much quicker now than I could in the past. I used to spend significantly more time on writing each day than I do now, but it still took 18 months for me to get my first novel out (which was about 100,000 words I think) because I was still learning the basics. I think once you've spent a lot of time writing, you get faster at it, that's certainly been the case with me. Also, using an editor helps, which I've done for a couple of books now. In the case of the two books I'm working on at the moment which are a series, I've had manuscript critiques done and now the first book is currently being copy-edited. It's really sped things up - while one manuscript is being edited I can switch to working on the other, which has been wonderful! When I used to do all the editing myself that made things more time consuming, though, of course, it kept my costs low.
Usually I crank out about one book each within a year or so. I do write every single day but not always on the same thing I'm working on, I have 1,079 works to get out there. I'm publishing other authors. And I'm a single mom with a lot to manage. So there's that. But this year my goal is to get out at least two books out a year and three the next year. I think I might get there.
On a good day I can get ten or twelve pages done. On a better day, I can get two.As Dr Johnson is oft quoted "I'm sorry this letter is so long - I didn't have time to write a short one."
Just to make everyone feel good, I manage one book every two years, though last time it was a little less so I took two months off! I love writing and spend every spare minute doing writing-related stuff. And I can type faster than most, but I just don't have enough time... sigh.
Write at whatever pace suits you. I wrote the first two books by both of my pen names in the first six months of trying to do so and have filled in my third books in those series about a year later. I wrote a couple of books of short stories in between. I have a friend that has written only one book and he completed that before I even started but I tell him that we aren't in any sort of competition so not to worry about it.
I'm at about 1 book every 1 and a half years right now. That being said, I don't hold myself to that strictly. It's done when it's done, after the writing, and edits, and beta reads.As for how much a day, it depends on how creative I'm feeling. Sometimes 2 sentences, sometimes 5 pages. I'm not aiming to be prolific though, so I have no feelings of needing to rush to get this done to get onto the next story.
Home life balance comes from being able to write on breaks and lunch at work, and occasionally when carpooling. I very rarely write at home.
Just a year and a half in indie publishing, and all of my books are on Amazon. I guess it depends on how a story in your mind grabs your imagination and refuses to let go. Probably 4 novels or novelletes a year, I guess. Most of what I wrote are in series format and that drives writing forward. Most readers expect sequels 3 to 4 months down the road.
I was publishing 3 a year, but developed some health problems late last year and have cut my 2019 schedule to 2 books. I work full time, but don't have kids. When I was in better health I was writing 1-2000 words per day. I could usually finish a first draft in 6-8 weeks.
Since I started having health problems I've had a lot of brain fog and exhaustion. Thankfully (?) this hit when I was in an editing portion of my production cycle, so I haven't been writing since then. It has drastically slowed down my editing though. Edits and revisions are always the hardest part of the process for me.
So, I would love to get two works published a year, but I don't make that. I have a day job. That's my excuse. I also have another pen name I'm writing under. It takes me a couple years to put out a solid novel with my life schedule, but I can get shorter works done faster.I try to write a couple times a week.... I used to write every day. I did much better when I wrote every day, not only for just general progress, but the stories were fresh in my mind.
A really interesting discussion! and interesting answers above - I agree that balancing work (studying in my case), all the while writing can be quite hard.I also find that some books write themselves, and others are harder to finish. This can depend on the genre of the book, the topics discussed within and so on.
I sometimes have a few projects running side by side so I can switch if something gets in the way. I'm currently writing the memoir of a sailor which I find to be more time consuming than writing a fiction novel that doesn't have to abide by the same 'rules' that a memoir does.
Ida wrote: "I also find that some books write themselves, and others are harder to finish. This can depend on the genre of the book, the topics discussed within and so on. "So true.
I've had some books that I knock out full drafts for in 4 weeks (All For One, Off the Rails, and the 2 books I'm querying right now) but others feel like pulling teeth (Moreau House, and a couple of trunked novels I want to get back to next year). In the case of All for One, I was on a really tight deadline. I had about 1/3 of the first draft done, and when I was talking about it on Twitter there was a bunch of interest in it from a contest I wanted to enter. So I plowed through the first draft and the first revision in about 3-4 weeks so I could submit it.
It came out all right, but that is definitely not my preferred way to work!
Sophia wrote: "Ida wrote: "I also find that some books write themselves, and others are harder to finish. This can depend on the genre of the book, the topics discussed within and so on. "So true.
I've had so..."
I can imagine the set deadline must be quite harsh! Especially when you want to make everything as good as it can possibly get. Then again, I guess a deadline can be something that makes you power through instead of hanging on the same page writing things over and over again only to delete it again. I guess all the time in the world can also mean more time to doubt which way you want things to go :)
The memoir I'm writing is really terribly difficult because I want to be true to the story that is being told all the while still creating a nice driven story that is interesting to read - I think that is why it is taking me so long. But, in the end, I think the outcome will be great.
I have to admit, writing fiction is a hobby for me - that doesn't mean I don't take it seriously. I don't put myself on a production treadmill, just write what I write when I write it. I published a book in January, been working of a couple of short stories, do some blogging plus writing a weekly newspaper column. I have another novel, about half done, that's been sitting on the shelf for a while, but it will most likely be next winter before I get serious about finishing it up
It took me 4 years to write my first novel and 6 months to write the second. It depends on the genre. I'm happy if I can publish one book a year, although I didn't publish anything last year. I've been focusing on marketing, not that that's done me any good!
Everyone has their own pace. Don't compare yourself to others <3 You do the best you can. I have 4 kids at home, a husband working 16 hour shifts at work but I have 7 books lined up for 2019. My daily word count ranges from 1k to 4k sometimes more, sometimes less...
i got 4 kids too. how do you have 7 books lined updid you right them for a year two then publish them.
I am hoping I can write one 600 page book and make chop it up into books as part of series and release each one every 4 month with a audio book for each one every 4 months
I then can use a year to plan my sequel to my first book
or do you guy think a sequel should come out first?
I also plan to start pod cast for authors and start up compaines - free interviews. i keep you guys posted.
Two are rough drafted. They need an overhaul because they are a series that links together and I have some big changes to make. the 3rd in that series is 90% done but sitting on the back burner at the moment.The other series has 4 books I want to release this year.
I guess I just find the time. All my kids are in school now (this is the first yr). I get up at 0500 and write until its time to wake them up. Then after they go to school I write most of the day. Might burn a couple hrs on TV just to shut off my mind.
I get to the school an hr early for pick up and sit in my car and write with zero distractions. Once they are home I usually dont get any words in... under 1000 if I do.
U just keep chipping away at it.
As for your sequel- I guess it depends. Genre, number of books you have up and published. There are a lot of things to consider and there isn't really any right answer. You have to do what you think is right for your plan, budget etc. and what you want to achieve.
my hats off to you dedicated. I love my sleep .hope to see the books of yours soon
keep in touch -marc
Striving for at least one book a year maybe but, if it takes longer for it to be right then that's the way it goes. I'm not necessarily counting how many books I put out in a year, I find much more satisfaction in being able to put them out at all.
When you look at the number of books per year, you need to also look at what genre the person is writing in, how many words, along with how they are publishing. Most of my books are >100K words. It takes couple of months to write the novel, but the editing is what is time consuming. I am hoping for two books a year but am happy if I get one out. This year, I might hit the target of two as I do have two with editors. Next year, I'm going to see if I can get my trilogy ready for publishing by the end of the year. Again, the books are all >75K words. Those will take longer to edit than a 40-50K word book.
Many of your authors of the classics took over a year to publish a book, and they had editors who took care of all those pesky issues we have to do ourselves, they had publicists who did their marketing, etc. The key is to do what you are comfortable with doing. I'm like Molly in that I can write the books fast, but I'm a stickler for the editing. I do what I can to get the manuscript the best I can before a profession editor gets it which can take 6 month or longer per book.
Marc wrote: "my hats off to you dedicated. I love my sleep .hope to see the books of yours soon
keep in touch -marc"
Thanks Marc. Lucky for me, I hate sleep :D May as well use it to my advantage right?
Best of luck to you as well. Hey, its not how fast we write that matters, even if you only write 20 words today, that's 20 more than the guy sitting there wishing he was writing a book
Mod
When I started writing, I (foolishly) believed that writing a series is writing one book at a time and publishing them like that, so I thought I'd have the first book in 2018, second in 2021 and third in 2024.
I am glad I strayed from that idea before the first one was in a complete first draft. Interweaving the editing #1 and early drafting of #2 and #3 help each other and if I just finished the first and then realized something's not working well towards #2 and #3, I guess I'd be screwed. So, I plan to work on it like this with the plan of releasing the trilogy with year-long gaps (which is definitely better than three-years-long gaps). The current plan is to have #1 released in late 2019 or early 2020.
And, as said, the pace is dependent on many factors, including length. I think that what I'm about to do is decent for someone having writing as a hobby with 180k-ish word count (for each book of the trilogy).
Molly wrote: "even if you only write 20 words today, that's 20 more than the guy sitting there wishing he was writing a book"
The motivational line of the month! Always keep the bright side in mind.
I'm not sure how many books I can publish a year now that I'm actually writing them from scratch. I discovered this whole self-publishing thing a couple of years ago and in that time have published 10 books, but most of those were already written and somewhat edited beforehand, so it wasn't so difficult getting them to the publishing stage. Now, I'm back to the beginning, writing from nothing, so I probably won't have more than one book a year, maybe two coming out. I'm okay with that. Whatever it takes to produce something of quality, I'm not so worried about the quantity :)
Tomas wrote: Interweaving the editing #1 and early drafting of #2 and #3 help each otherThis! totally. I keep a pretty through log of what Ive done throughout the day, editing, writing, cover work etc. I find it a must to keep writing one WIP while editing another. Not only does it help push two products along, but it also keeps my brain from going stale on one storyline/idea.
I am writing the last book of my trilogy. The first book was a journey, but when i got into it and editing it, etc... it took a year to publish it. The second book was published a year later. This third book is taking longer. I have a job that gets busy, a son who needs a lot of help with school and several other things going on that I had to put my writing to the side for a bit. I do not make a living with my books, it is a hobby. If I get too stressed over a time limit I will have to stop. I do take notes through the day, write ideas, etc... down. I do have another book in the back of my mind to write and it is waiting for me to finish the trilogy. I can't do two or even three books at one time.
Last year, I had published two poetry books. This year I published one poetry book and will be publishing my 1st novel. So, I am working to complete two books per year.
I have been publishing novels since 2016, and I have been consistant with 3 books a year. I am a multi-genre writer, and a freelance journalist writing for various magazines at the same time.
The last two years I did one. I own a busy business, working a "day job" in the music industry. This year, I committed to two and am right on track with two next year. Forcing myself to have "office hours" helps. I'm less likely to binge watch Netflix if I've set work hours like a normal job.
I am just curious. How many books does the average indie author publish a year.
how many pages does the avg person writing in d ay.
I work full time and I having time writing more than 1 to 2 pages a day
how does everyone manage their time with a full time job and kids.
I am just curious