#IWSG––Post Release Blues

#IWSG––Post Book Release Blues

3/1/2017

IWSG is posted the first Wednesday of every month, but I'm posting early this month. Explanation is below with my writing goals. It is the brain child of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. Get your fears and insecurities out or give words of encouragement. We're writers, let's support each other!

The awesome co-hosts for this month are Tamara Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield, and Nicohle Christopherson!

So, I had a release last month, so my insecurity is related to that. Release week went well and I had some nice sales, but now I'm worried I won't be able to keep up the momentum. Especially since I'm not sure how without going broke. I don't expect overnight best seller status and I know it takes time, but I'm impatient and, like many writers, suck at marketing.

March 1st question is: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

Yes, I have. I have an older story called Leaves of Fall and it's about a girl who gets abducted by bandits in an apocalyptic world and meets a boy who offers to help, but he turns out not to be human, but the thing that helped destroy the human world. I rewrote it line by line, but there were too many weak plot points and a few holes that, at the time, I wasn't able to fix. I'd still like to go back to it and give it another look because I still like the idea and maybe now that I'm more experienced at writing I can patch up those holes.

21 Comments

Pat Garcia link

3/1/2017 07:18:24 am

Hi Patricia,
First let me say Yeah! I can see your submit button. The last three IWSG months I tried to leave a reply and the submit button wasn't there.
Second, congratulations on your release. You will do well. Try hooking up with some other authors who may have readers that have similar interests or tastes in reading.
I wish you all the best with your marketing.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat

Crystal Collier link

3/1/2017 07:25:07 am

Ooh! What an awesome concept. I hope you do rework it and get it to a happy place one day because I'd love to read it. =)

Christine Rains link

3/1/2017 08:22:29 am

Feel free to brainstorm with me whenever you wish! :) I know that feeling about new releases. Marketing causes me so much stress.

M.J. Fifield link

3/1/2017 08:25:38 am

I had similar post-book release blues after my first book (well, all right, only book...) came out. Still have no solutions for it, though, apart from writing another book, which you seem able to do quite nicely.

And I agree with Crystal—that is a very cool concept for a novel. Keep working on it. You'll get it there.

ChemistKen link

3/1/2017 08:44:45 am

Just play around with it for a while. When the inspiration hits, you'll get all charged up and you won't be able to stop working on it. Good luck.

Anna Simpson link

3/1/2017 09:25:48 am

Sometimes it's better to start with an outline. Weak points and plot holes can be repaired when the big-picture is clear. :-)

<a href="http://emaginette.wordpress.com"> Anna from elements of emaginette</a>

Alex J. Cavanaugh link

3/1/2017 09:40:21 am

Give yourself more credit and tackle that story. You can fix it.

Madeline Mora-Summonte link

3/1/2017 10:00:46 am

Congratulations on the release!

Slow and steady, like a tortoise. That's how you build a writing career. :)

gwen gardner link

3/1/2017 10:27:15 am

Congratulations on your new release and good luck with your marketing. I suck at it too. Never have figured out the magic formula. Suppose I should sit down and come up with a plan. Bleh.

Chrys Fey link

3/1/2017 12:22:42 pm

Reminds me a tad of Abducted Life. ;)

Stephen Tremp link

3/1/2017 12:53:39 pm

I hear you about not wanting to go broke promoting your book. Me, I'm branching out. More about that soon as I'm not quite ready to release the details. good luck with everything!

Stephen Tremp
www.stephentremp.com

J E Oneil link

3/1/2017 01:10:23 pm

Sometimes it takes a lot of work to fix an old project, but it's totally worth it.

Ugh, marketing is the worst. Good luck.

Carrie-Anne link

3/1/2017 01:14:23 pm

It's so fun to do a radical rewrite and restructuring of an old story. It's very challenging and tiresome as well, but the payoff is so much sweeter because we had to work so hard to get to that polished final stage.

Good luck with marketing. I've been a complete failure at marketing, and was so embarrassed by my complete lack of sales I outright stopped doing anything to promote myself. Hopefully, that'll change.

S. Katherine Anthony link

3/1/2017 01:42:54 pm

Oh my gosh! You need to write Leaves of Fall! I'm intrigued!!!! :D

Congratulations on your release!!! And yes, I get the whole insecurity right after it. Ugh. But you'll do great! You have an awesome writing style with fantastic ideas!

Liz A. link

3/1/2017 01:43:55 pm

Perhaps you don't need to rewrite line by line, but rethink the plot first. I'm sure it'll be amazing.

Lexa Cain link

3/1/2017 05:32:17 pm

The premise sounds very good. You already have an inherent conflict - two people on opposite sides in a war. Great! Plus, you have an unusual setting. I don't know what your main conflict is. If it's escaping from & being chased by bandits, that's not really strong enough. There should be an overarching goal, the protags must get X to save the world. Then you add a ticking clock and you're good to go! Good luck!

Yvonne V link

3/1/2017 06:53:20 pm

Sounds like a great premise! I hope you do go back to it.

Jemima Pett link

3/2/2017 10:22:57 am

Hi Patricia! Don't forget to give yourself time to smell the flowers!

I like the sound of that idea too. :)

Cherie Reich link

3/3/2017 01:34:38 pm

Congrats on your new release! That story you'd like to get back to one day sounds intriguing.

J.H. Moncrieff link

3/4/2017 08:07:21 pm

I feel your new release pain! I came home from Cuba to discover my publisher had put my book up for sale while I was gone, with no warning, no marketing, no early reviews, nothing. I've been scrambling ever since.

I worked in marketing for over ten years, and I still read everything I can my hands on about it, since it's always changing and there's so much writers can do to build a readership without being sale-sy. I just read a great book by John Locke about it, and I have other resources as well. Email me if you'd like some suggestions.

And hang in there! :)

Michelle Wallace link

3/7/2017 03:16:55 am

I'm admiring your website header with the 7 books displayed! You've published 7 books! Well done!
Post book release blues...haven't experienced that...yet.
Has it happened with every book you've released?