Enjoyed this series in one serving as I get caught up on my blog reading for the week!

If you’re completely burnt out, and you’re happy with what you’ve already accomplished, then B (Quit) is perfectly understandable. Some people do that, and if they can live without writing, it’s okay.

If you’re determined, patient and energetic, then (C, co-writing, work for hire) is a good way to keep your hand in and stay sharp.

If you’re REALLY energetic and boundlessly optimistic, then (D, self publishing) might be a way to get what you need while you’re waiting… and learning.

Personally, when I hit a bump in the road I took (A, write a better book). Ironically, since I aimed the book at the general market and it landed in NY the week of the stock market crash, nobody would look at it. I’m neither energetic nor optimistic, but I make up for it with stubbornness, so I wrote another book tailored to the existing CBA market and got a contract.

Point is, we’re all different. Follow your bliss. If that means writing another book, then take it to a new level of excellence and innovation and trust God to open doors. If not, don’t beat yourself up over it. Do what seems best to YOU.

That said, I think C is also a great option, especially that part about learning. Although I’m not published yet, I’ve heard published authors say they’ll never know all there is to know about this business. So why not take the lull as an opportunity to learn from those smaller writing assignments or co-writing, etc.?

I have no real life experience, but still I have an opinion. (I’m sure you’re all dropping dead in surprise over that one. )

I didn’t think A was absurd at all.

I do think C is a great option.

But I also believe in aiming for the most amazing book of my life with each new book. I know if your numbers are bad with one publisher, you’ll have a hard time selling to another publisher. But I don’t see why you’d give up. It’s always been hard to publish and it always will be.

I really believe that sluggish sales are, more often than not, the author’s fault–s/he’s not writing well enough to get word-of-mouth going. For some reason the story isn’t compelling. I think we have to take responsibility for our own failures.

I know there is the God-factor involved in getting published and in sales (being in the right place at the right time). But here’s my question to those who give up on the greatest novel ever and wait for the market to heat up: What will you do when the market heats up and you have no novel because you didn’t think it was worth writing another greatest novel ever?

What good will it do you if God puts you in the right place at the right time and you aren’t prepared? Usually the right place at the right time comes along because the person has worked and worked and worked to learn what the right place is and they’re always ready so anytime is the right time for them.

I think the thing to do is take the work for hire or the ghosting jobs if you need to do that to support yourself, and then forget money and markets for your next novel. Just write the best novel ever without thinking about whether it will sell. Look for a fresh concept, a compelling conflict, and a great character and write. Don’t worry about whether the genre is hot or about your dismal sales numbers or about publishers wish lists or about market sluggishness.

Just write for the love of writing. One time you may hit it out of the park. If not, you’ve had a darned good time writing what you loved, so no harm done.

If my older stories are going out of print, releasing them as e-books would be an interesting experiment and maybe a way to get an advertising vehicle to actually pay me back. If their lackluster performance was really due to a slow economy, people might be willing to pay a bargain price to read them in a hot new format. If I do nothing, I make nothing. If I try this, it’s still my name going out and a bit of money coming in.

And all the while I’d be studying, learning, and planning. Response to the e-books might indicate whether the economy was to blame or whether I need to take a look at my topics, style, or branding. If I’m barking up the wrong tree, barking louder won’t improve the situation. I may need to change trees.

But then, THEN, the ideas will start coming for that really amazing book that I can write with passion!

Kudos for providing a very thought-provoking week!