Publishing a Series Out of Order & Other Adventures in Publishing

The one thing all newer authors learn pretty quickly is that there is no blueprint, no “how to” guide, to publishing.

We kind of have to feel our way around, gleaning what information we can from conferences and loops while being careful not to ask our editors or agent too many questions for fear of being a pest or looking stupid (at least in my case).

I’m a new-ish author.  Even though I’ve published three books in the past year, I remain a novice in many ways and how I handled my first series certainly attests to that fact.

My debut novel, published in April 2013, was not the first manuscript I wrote; it wasn’t even the first book I sold. The first title I sold was Tempting Bella, the third book in the series. My fabulous agent went to bat for me right away, asking my editor to publish the second book in the series, Seducing Charlotte, first.

Why not the publish the first book in the series first? After all, that would make the most sense as reviewers have certainly pointed out.

One friendly blogger, who had given the first two books nice reviews, wrote this about Compromising Willa:

“Overall, not a bad read once I got past my confusion at the beginning.” 

Another reviewer, who gave all three books excellent reviews, wrote:

“For some reason ‘the men in suits’ that bought these stories, decided they should be published out-of-order. Don’t ask!”

I cringed when I read these comments and I wish I could blame the ‘men in suits’, but the responsibility lies with an insecure author in elastic-waist pants. Yes, that would be me.

Diana Quincy’s Accidental Peers series in order of publication, although not in chronological order.

Compromising Willa, the first book in the series, was also the first book I ever wrote. It had finaled in contests for unpublished writers but had never won. By contrast, Seducing Charlotte and Tempting Bella racked up a number of contest wins and I thought they were “higher concept” and would sell better. In my mind, Willa was relegated to less-favored child status.

Because of this, I never sent Willa to my agent and my editor wasn’t even aware Willa existed until she asked, “Do you have any other books in this series?”

“Um, yes,” I said and promptly emailed the manuscript. My publisher bought it, along with the unfinished fourth book in the series, demonstrating more confidence in me and my writing than I ever had.

In short, I allowed my insecurities as an author to create confusion for my readers, which, in some cases, clearly diminished their reading enjoyment.

However, looking at the bright side, what I’ve learned from the experience, is that yes, I am an author, but I am also a businesswoman responsible for  charting the journey my books take on their way to publication.

While I’m fortunate to have the backing of a highly-respected agent and a thriving, innovative publishing house, the buck, as they say, stops with me. And I owe it to myself and my readers, to step up to the challenge.

What about you? What writing/publishing lesson do you wish you’d learned before you actually did?

 

Posted by Diana Quincy on April 7, 2014

https://thevioletfemmes.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/publishing-a-series-out-of-order-other-adventures-in-publishing/