should I write all the SEVENFOLD SWORD books at once?
A suggestion from a reader:
I wish you could write all the Sevenfold Sword books and release them all at once. They’re so good I always finish them in a day or two, and I’m so bad at waiting for the next ones!
Thanks! Once SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT is done, there are four SEVENFOLD SWORD books left to write, and I could write them all at once, but I would probably go nuts. 🙂 Each SEVENFOLD SWORD book is about 100,000 words long. So writing all four of them at once would be at a minimum 400,000 words, and more realistically probably about 600,000 words, since the last two books will probably be longer. Given that in 2017 I wrote 1.4 million words, that would be about 42% of my output for the year.
So that would be about six months. And then I would have to edit them all, which would probably be about another two to four months.
I have to admit that would be a huge mental strain. It’s really good to alternate between series. Like, Ridmark and Caina think very differently and do things differently, so it’s refreshing to switch back and forth between series.
So if I wrote the rest of SEVENFOLD SWORD all at once, you’d have to wait until mid-2019 or so for the books. On the other hand, if I write them one at a time, the next one will be out in September.
Anyway, I am definitely committed to putting out a SEVENFOLD SWORD book every other month if possible until the series is done.
-JM
Hi,
Do what makes you happiest. If you like to alternate then do that. We can use the time to learn patience.. and besides.. I don’t know anyone who produces as much and still maintains the feel and quality you do.
Alternative answer: Gahhh nooo, so few books left. I need a spin off serie 🙂
I agree with Anna, do what makes you happy. 🙂 but I also think that you should keep doing it like you have now, so we get a good book to read once a month or so 😀
I love the sevenfold sword series and I also read very quick but happy to wait as long as you keep writing
Don’t do anything to endanger your mental health! Relax, have a nice soothing cup of tea – and then get back to producing books with your normal speed!
Seriously, I’d love everything at once – greed is one of my defining characteristics – but knowing how reliable you are at releasing new books, I can certainly wait a couple of months.
Thanks for the good reads!
I have no complaints with your writing. You are a great writer and the wait is very short and worth it 100 times over!
I’ve recently started rereading the series and I must say that it better the 2nd time around. I enjoyed it the 1st time and the 2nd time is even better because I pick up on things I missed the 1st time around. Can’t wait for next book Sevenfold Sword: Serpent
Thanks
Authors that keep at one series get stale in my experience. Besides the Sevenfold production schedule is several decades faster than trad pub. Consider, one would be released every 18 months or so or would be waiting for a open release slot. I am a binge reader but am happy to wait for a quality story.
And I frequently get good ideas in the gaps between the books. I thought up the entire subplot with the Scythe while I was writing CLOAK GAMES: BLOOD CAST between NECROMANCER and SHADOW, and she wasn’t in the original outline. When the audiobook people get to SHADOW, I’m going to get an email along the lines of “who is this Scythe person, she wasn’t in the outline?!?”
Here’s Peter Grant’s after action report from writing and publishing a trilogy ‘all at once’ (he used a 28 day interval between books).
https://madgeniusclub.com/2018/07/13/lessons-learned-an-interim-report-and-kindle-unlimited-observations/
https://madgeniusclub.com/2018/08/10/lessons-learned-from-a-trilogy-part-2-the-impact-on-sales-of-rapid-releases-and-other-factors/
I found it interesting reading. He noted that editing the whole trilogy at once was far more grueling than single books, and that publishing them close together like he did didn’t change the purchases that much, but it did affect Kindle Unlimited borrows significantly.
IMO your writing speed is fast enough to not worry about stacking your books together. Keep up the good work, I’ll keep buying as long as you keep writing!
I’ve been meaning to read that trilogy. Thanks for sharing those links! Very interesting insights into launching a series.
my vote is for whatever keeps you happy, healthy and writing fun books for the foreseeable future