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Requesting Feedback: Release Dates and Updates
Thursday, January 16th, 2020 1:10pm
Keywords: Feedback, Writing, Schedules, Books, Release Dates, Editing, Updates
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Hey everyone, I'm looking for feedback on something, and I wanted everyone's opinions on this.  Namely, on the current structure of release dates that I run, which is a semi-annual schedule of releases, with one in February, and one in August, on the first of the month in both cases.  Given my ability to write, that release schedule works just fine for me.  However, as I grow older, and as writing subsequently becomes more difficult for me (other older writers have said this will happen, and it is), and the quality and complexity of my works increase, I'm finding it ever increasingly more difficult to keep up with that schedule.  Some of you may even remember the nightmare I had with my Offworld Chronicles 3 novel, where it took me 3x's my normal span of time to get the book right, and finally released.

That, among other things, is why I'm thinking of breaking with my traditional publishing schedule, and going with something slightly different.  Another reason I want to switch from what I have now is to give me more time, without feeling rushed or pressured, to produce new books, and do so with the quality and consistency you've come to expect, and maybe even better quality than that.  I also want to have time to break away from the current works I'm writing and go back to my older works, especially the Earthfleet series, and start cleaning those up, and have the time to do that without my current projects cutting into that effort.  I say "clean up" in respect to the idea of taking what I've learned in the past 12 years and apply it to the older books, both in gammer, spelling, and sorting out a few plot holes I clearly overlooked.

Improving those, without massively changing the story, will be important, and a step forward that I believe all of you will feel is the right thing, as you will benefit from it as well, as I make the stories better through better editing, and clearer, mroe concise writing.  Again, I'm not rebooting or rewriting the stories.  What they are will stay the same.  What I'd be doing is fixing all the problems with them (again, grammar, spelling, plot holes, etc) that still exist due to my substantially lesser skills in writing that I possessed at the time I created them.  I've grown a LOT as writer in the past 12 years, and I'd like to ensure that all my books, past and present, show that improvement, even if just in the improved grammar and spelling found in each book.  So what is my feedback that I'm looking to gain from you?  Well, I'd like to know your thoughts on the following:

1.  Should I maintain my current 6 month publishing schedule, no matter what?  Or should I go to something different?  The two new release schedules I'm considering are either moving to a 9 month or yearly release schedule, or perhaps being even more flexible than that and moving to a "released when ready" schedule.

2.  Would you like me to update and improve my older titles where applicable, or leave them as they are as an expression of where I've come from, and as a way to further show how much I've improved over the years?

In regards the question one, if I were to choose one of those schedules, it'd be the "released when ready" schedule, as that would give me the flexibility to take as long as I needed to get something right, without feeling the pressure of meeting a deadline, and thus rushing the work and possibly missing something important.  But, if the majority of you want to go with a fixed release schedule, be it six, nine or twelve months, I'm okay with that too.  I want what's best for you guys.  But I also want to be realistic about my own abilities, schedule, etc.  As for question number two, I have no thoughts on that.  It'd be up to you guys what I do with that.  Either way, please share your thoughts with me.  Your feedback and input is important to me, as I write these books with you in mind, so I'm always interested in hearing your thoughts.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, and I pray, keep sharing your thoughts, concerns, ideas, etc with me.  I really appreciate it. :)

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