Sunday, March 29, 2009

Another One Down

I've set some challenging goals for myself this year, but I'm having some trouble deciding the order in which I should attack them. Two major goals have already earned the 'finished' moniker and now I'm taking a day to decide what to work on next.
To Tame a Tiger finally has found a home with TWRP. I'm thrilled about that. That company is super organized and constantly striving to improve everything about themselves from their customer service and what they do for their authors.
The second book in my fantasy series with Medallion Press, Beyond the Gate, is finally traversing cyper space to their docket with the expected edits completed. In the past three weeks I cut nearly three thousand words to make the writing tighter and do more showing and less telling. I think it's the best book I've ever written to this point.
Now what should I do next? The choices are varied and I want to have them all done before the end of 2009. Here are my choices in no particular order.
Book three of my fantasy series with Medallion Press, Beneath the Mountain, is about half completed. I had to set it aside to work on other projects. This is the thing I most 'want' to work on but it's also the one I probably have the least need to get right on. My editor at Medallion probably won't look at it until fall at the earliest as we work on getting the first book ready for its January, 2010 release.
Book four in my Solonian Chronicles with New Concepts Publishing is finished. That is the first rough copy is done. Unlike some of my writer friends, my first copy always needs tons of work. This is probably the one I should get right on because I'm sure they'll work to get it out as soon as possible since it's another book in a successful series. This is the last book in that series and I'll probably be pitching another series to them next fall. But for some reason, I'm feeling little inspiration to get started on this, perhaps because I know I have to major revisions to the first part of it.
My 'Tigers of Salubria series,(I hope it ends up being a series with TRWP) also has a second and third book completed and waiting for revisions. I hesitate to start work on that because I don't know how quickly TRWP press moves on looking at a second book when I don't even have a release date for the first one.
The last option is my newest fantasy book, First Dragon, that I completed a few months ago. I've been querying agents who like my writing and give my kind words but no contract. They want urban fantasy not sword and sorcery type. They think they can't sell it. So after months of frustration with those replies, I'm going to try and find a home for it on my own. Wish me luck.
Those are all my choices. I'm giving myself today to decide. Suggestions are welcome.

5 comments:

Victoria said...

Wow, Sue! That's quite a list! Congrats on all you've accomplished so far!
My suggestions? Query the fantasy book with publishers while working on the one that needs the big edits. (You're definitely not the only author whose first draft needs tons of work.) Then, move on to the thing you most want to work on.
For whatever that's worth. It's so hard to know sometimes. Good luck!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Thanks, Vickie. I think that's the choice I'm leaning toward.

Ava Quinn said...

Yowza, Sue!! You have so much accomplished already. Great job! Decisions, decisions. You'll make the right one for you, I'm sure. And you have lots of great back up options as well! Good luck in your choice!
M3

Helen Ginger said...

I'd say, work on "Book four in my Solonian Chronicles." The publisher is expecting it and you want them to take your next series. So you need to make a good impression by getting it to them on time and in good shape.

But you have a lot of wonderful choices!
Helen
http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I agree with Vicki and Helen! Good luck!