About a week ago I stumbled across kboards. What is kboards, you ask? It is at once a treasure trove of valuable information for independent authors and the most depressing place I’ve ever been. Not really, but given how long I’ve been working on my first manuscript, the thought of immediately writing two more books in rapid succession does nothing to improve my mood.
But thanks to the likes of Stephanie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, and others, standalone books are passé. Hell, even Harper Lee jumped on the bandwagon! It’s all about the series – that is the trend right now. If you don’t have at least three books ready, no publisher will even talk to you. And if you are self-publishing, and you only have one book, you will find yourself at a marketing disadvantage against all the authors with multiple books.
Easy solution though, right? Just write more books! Sure, no problem. Like many (most?) of the writers on kboards, I’ll just crank out a new book every three months. I don’t know how they do it. I think the entire site is an elaborate hoax designed to destroy the self-esteem of would-be writers. Some of the discussions there have left me feeling very inadequate. I question whether I can commit the time and energy it takes to produce a few books that will ultimately earn an extra $100 per month. I’m not doing it for the money, remember? But I am doing it for the readership and the interaction with fans that comes with being successful. Learning that I’m still two books away from starting that journey is something of a bummer.