Spilling the tea on my own biggest mistakes writing a series \\ How to Plan And Write A Series, #6
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- čas přidán 8. 08. 2020
- Today, I am spilling the tea on my own mistakes in publishing series as an indie author. I hope this helps you to avoid making some of the big mistakes I have made along the way!
This is Video #6 in our “How To Plan & Write A Series” series of videos, so we’ve got 2 to go (with a few bonus videos coming soon).
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Links:
The emotional toll of writing a series - • The Emotional Pitfalls...
David Gaughran's blog post about multiple genres - davidgaughran.com/2019/05/07/...
(He honestly has several more and TONS of great info. Sign up for his newsletter, too!)
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks - www.amazon.com/Big-Leap-Conqu...
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Heart Breathings - Episode 189
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About Me: My name is Sarra Cannon, and I've been indie publishing since 2010. In that time, I have published 26 books and sold well over half a million copies.
I've made some mistakes along the way, but I've also learned some valuable lessons that I think will help you reach your goals. I can't wait to help you learn to make money writing what you love.
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THREE FREE BOOKS -- sarracannon.com/book/beautiful...
My Author \ Vlog Channel - / sarracannon
#authortube - Jak na to + styl
It's not always easy talking about your biggest mistakes, but I hope hearing my stories will help you to decide the best path for yourself and avoid some of these big mistakes along your journey to success!!
Q
IDK if you considered this, but I have seen other authors do it with some success and it does address the "shiny new object" syndrome - that is, write in the same universe but from a different POV or location or whatever. One of the cozy mystery writers I follow has a novella series that centers on two sisters that were side-characters in the main, novel-length series. Even though I kinda hate one of the sisters, it's still neat to see the MC from the main series as a bit-player to get different perspectives. One of the sci-fi authors I follow does these really intricate twisting time travel plots for his novel-length series but between releases, he puts out short stories/novellas about a time/place featured so we get to see the repercussions of events from the perspective of those they leave behind. His newest novella is so close to novel-length that I think it might turn into another stand-alone series. That's the beauty of self-publishing and turning an art into a business is the freedom it offers on every level. Thanks again for sharing your journey with us. Awareness of the ups and downs are crucial to not feeling so alone in such a solitary endeavor as writing.
Loved getting to hang out with "Storytime Sarra" today! This video was so great. Needed every single one of these points. Thank you!
I loved this video. Thanks for being so real. So many things you said resonated with me from having a squirrel brain with tons of ideas to self-sabatoge (for me, making money always makes me feel slightly guilty even though I'd never tell someone else the same thing or even believe it for them). Anyway, thanks for your videos! I learn so much from you!!
Thanks for saying “for most people, even 3 books a year is a lot”. I’m so tired of seeing all the people saying you have to publish a book every month to find success.
Right, to me a book a month to me just tells me they're sacrificing quality for quantity.
so true, each at your own pace
For me 1 book every 3 years would be a lot 😂
You are amazing!! Heart Breathings is one of the main reasons I have decided to self-publish after 10 years of trying to get traditionally published! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Everyone makes mistakes no matter what career they’re in, but not everyone is willing to share them to help others...and in a public space, no less. Thank you for so openly sharing your experiences and what you’ve learned over the years. 💕
Thanks Sarra, I love how vocal you are about the mental health aspects of the industry. I think it’s so important to keep an open dialogue about these things!
I do want to point out one thing, that it’s definitely not the case regarding traditional publishers guiding series. I’m traditionally published and I’ve never once been told how handle my series (or my story) by my editor, publisher, or agent, and that’s the case for dozens of other authors I know at various publishers as well.
(Good) editors trust you as the writer to take the reins on the creative process. In the end, they understand it’s your story and they want you to be happy. They wouldn’t buy the book or continue the series if they didn’t trust you to handle it. They’re too busy to hold authors' hands like that 😂
(At least this is the case in the SFF genre. Maybe publishers are more demanding/controlling in romance or mystery or thriller genres, but I know authors in those genres as well and have never heard of their publishers getting involved in the trajectory of a series.)
Sorry, I just feel like trad pub can get misrepresented sometimes especially when it comes to control, and I don’t think anyone should be discouraged to pursue trad pub because they’re afraid they’ll lose creative control of the story!
We are a judgement free zone! I’m so grateful that you put yourself out there - honestly, hearing what you would do differently, but knowing how your life is working out not only gives me some courage to get out there & to know that even when you make mistakes, you can still support yourself and have a job you love. Thank you!
I need this today!! I’m almost finished this draft and I’ve had so much worry. “This romance isn’t quite focused enough on the romance! Is it truly an inspirational romance? Are the themes too mature?” Just a million questions and doubts that will NOT help me finish. Lol. I will make mistakes and I have to be okay with that.
Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable and share your mistakes. I think your emphasis on the mental health aspects of a creative career is what sets your channel and content apart. Self sabotage is real and confounding. You're an inspiration. Sending you love and gratitude.
I just had a glimpse of the future, where one successful author after another do interviews and credit Sarra with being a profound guiding force in their writing careers.
I've heard of imposter syndrome, but "upper limit syndrome" really made me understand why that happens. Thanks for explaining it.
I think you are so brave to share this with your viewers ❤ your positive attitude despite the mistakes you admit to making is very inspiring. Failure can be paralysing, but listening to this is so inspirational. Thank you for this, and all the advice you give.
Thanks for sharing! It sucks to make mistakes but we learn and grow a lot more from them than successes.
So true! This is where the growth happens!
You are so right about the series! I looked at my most popular and was shocked that it had been two years, and I had to scramble.
I hope you're making progress on your series! :)
Sarra, Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I know it is hard putting yourself out there like that and I appreciate all of the advice you have based on your experience. Your comments make so much sense. :)
Thank you so much for this video, Sarra! I love how open you are with us in hopes of helping us learn. And your deeper takeaways are always so inspiring. I appreciate this and you so much! ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much Sarra I have learn so much for you. It take a lot of courage to talk about your mistakes online and I’m really thankful that you share some of your experience as a writer
Oh my lord, that last one hit hard. The rest I couldn't relate to as I can't seem to put the world I'm writing down and it's a series of standalones and two-parters. But that last one. Whoa boy. Have I met my "cap" before I've even published
Fantastic video Sarra, and I think you are being too hard on yourself. I should know, I am my own worst critic. I completely understand the self-sabotage! I have been doing that to myself for most of my adult life. It is only in the past 8 or 9 years that I have really been working on not doing that to myself and facing my fears. I am loving this series on How to Write a Series! Thank you so much!
OMG! Thank you so much for sharing your writing journey. I have thought about most of these-especially #four & Five. Now, I have to figure out if I want my books to be a series or serials. I did have the idea of releasing a small book at a time, like indie author Omar Tyree with his books titled Corrupted. So, I guess that would be considered serials. I have to watch your series on how to write a series too. You have re-ignited those ideas within me. Congratulations on all your success. I am afraid to get my first book out. 😏 What you said about us sabotaging ourselves, I know that's part of why I have not published. Plus, the other day, I found myself thinking, Do I deserve a 27” or 21” screen computer? Wtf! 😆 People like you help me to stay focused and push on. Thank you so much 🙂
I've been struggling with focus and fear, too! I did a sort of outline and then... decided I needed to read every craft book out there to be "good enough." Lol I taught MS ELA for years... I've TAUGHT basically all the writing strategies I've seen in the craft books, just with shorter works! What is the matter with me? I KNOW the rules of story writing, but I'm not DOING it. Time to feel the fear and do it anyway! (after I finish Publish and Thrive...???)
Laura Heffernan, Yes! Good for you! Enough with the stalling for us. Forge ahead!😆
This is very helpful, particularly about the burnout. I was pretty burnt out last year (one of my jobs is a commission artist) to the point where my body was physically demanding I take better care of myself and cut back on work. It's a slow drain, but it comes for everyone eventually.
You are awesome, Sarra! Don't let anyone make you think that because you're so honest that you are being negative. You help so many people. You certainly help me! And I know that you are not being hypocritical or detrimental towards others. I don't write in the same genre that you do. I write more of the Epic Fantasy (Lord of the Rings) type of books, and I have learned SO VERY MUCH from you! You are like a mentor to me.... Martha
Point #5 about fear speaks to me so much. It's almost paralyzing. Thank you for being so honest!
Thank you for being so vulnerable and open about your experiences and reflections. My affirmation is "I'm going to make mistakes and that's OK!" I just gotta learn from them and keep moving forward. Thanks for the video! You're awesome!
You are so wonderful! You speak into my soul. Genuinely. Your words have reinvigorated me to get back to writing and are helping me organize myself in a way thay truly resonates with my writing process. Thank you for all that you offer to the world!
This made my day thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to do this. Needed a reminder that it's okay to make mistakes. To just keep showing up!
Finally caught up on the videos! Really enjoying this series so far, Sarra! Thank you for making these for us. Excited for the rest of the series!
As a reader, I would also say I prefer the box sets too so I can have them all. If there's no box set, for romance, I only purchase the book I liked the most rather than each book in the series. And if it's a different genre, then I prefer physical copies to digital.
Sarra, your transparency is endearing and inspirational. Thanks so much for the truths you share. We can surely learn from this! You go, girl! We are with you on this journey. xo
Thank you for your honesty and candor in making this video. I’m loving this series on series!
Thank you Sarra, you always say just what I need to hear. I love and appreciate your honesty and help for is other authors.
I really appreciate your willingness to share your personal experiences, and all that you have learned along the way to help us move ahead. Thank you Sarra💟
Always so much helpful information!! We appreciate you Sarra💗
Sarra you are such a gem💎 I hope you hear that often! Thank you for sharing your personal experiences to help guide us. This is all so very eye opening & helpful🙏 sending good vibes to you💫
This is a super helpful video! Thank you for being so open about your journey!
Thank you for sharing and for your vulnerability! It's never easy to talk about these things but I sincerely appreciate you putting your heart out on here so that we can learn from you.
I appericate and respect you for being as honest as you are. We all need to heard about mistakes, and the fact that you share your mistakes, and that you are still learning from them says alot about you. I've learned alot from you and continue to learn from you, and I thank you for that!!
I really love your outlook and advice.
I have been loving your videos so much. Seriously considering self publishing my romantic suspense books.
Thank you so much for these amazing videos! I really appreciate you going into the mistakes you made especially since I can easily see myself falling into many of those traps (I hope I'll remember to come view this video when that happens!). My favorite thing about your videos is how they include actionable advice rather than vague ideas or principles I should try to incorporate into my writing/business plan. I love coming away from your videos with concrete ideas for what I want to do (and I'm loving the Publish and Thrive course so far!).
THIS WAS SO HELPFUL, thank you very much for being vulnerable
I am addicted to your channels.
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m a new author and am working on the plot, etc. using your system. All of your videos are so helpful. The self-sabotage is real. I’ve done it many times. Acknowledging that this happens is so important and necessary to move forward and not do it again and again. Me taking the steps to write my first novel is a major leap of faith. I’m excited and so glad to be able to hear about your experience. Thanks again 💖
Tons of great lessons. I really enjoyed these stories, thanks for sharing.
Oh DAMN IT I've just missed the course! =((((
Great series though, thank you for sharing your journey and being so open and vulnerable it must be super hard! You are the most genuine author with best tips on YT I've watched so far!
You really have a knack for teaching. I love your series on writing. I am working on a manuscript but I do have an idea for a series and did not know where to start. This series and your plot a novel series have been helpful.
I admire your honesty. Thank you, Sarra.
I love this series and I love your videos. Thank you
This was so good - I just published my first book, and my next comes out in december and I feel so much of what you're talking about and I am just a noob lol. Thank you for all you do, your words mean so much to those of us just starting out
Thanks for this video. It has been so hallway the beginning Bing of my author journey. I'm grateful for your practical, spiritual, and emotional insights.
This episode, and series, has been really useful! Thank you, especially for sharing about the self-sabotaging aspect (I so identify with that part).
This was a great video. Thanks, as always, for your generosity sharing your journey with us 💛
This video is so worth worth watching. Thanks so much for sharing and for your honesty. 💖💖💖
I've learnt a lot from what you've advised here.Thank you so much.
I know it’s a vulnerable space in which you share, but your journey is helping so many others. You should feel very good about that. It’s helped me quite a bit. Thank you for that.
TY for the hint to The Big Leap beside all your experiences :)
I loved the "story time Sarra" of this haha It was great to get some examples, and some reasons on why I need to get my 'shiny object' syndrome under a little more control.
Really enjoyed that. Thanks so much for sharing your history. So helpful. 💚
U blew my mind with small books released every two months! Just signed up for your class and did the homework 🍎
Sarra, thank you for sharing your experience with us in the way you share it. Very much appreciated and very helpful :0)))
Thank you for sharing these tips! I found them very helpful and illuminating.
I'm going to read that "Big leap" book, thank you for mentioning it because I definitely need all the help against self-sabotage
Very very good. It was most helpful. Thanks for doing this💕💕
I'm using this as motivation to finally complete a book. Also looking forward to the series vs serial video.👍
Thanks for your honesty!
Thank you so much for this “real” talk. I have walked in these shoes myself and am just now recovered enough from life situations to get going again. Would you consider doing a video on what you think are good ideas to jumpstart a series that has languished? Thanks again for all you do!
I really like your video about your mistakes as well as your accomplishments. It puts in more humans to you That I can relate to. I appreciate the video so very very much and have a good day.
I am at that upper limit point-I will get that book and read it because I make a thousand excuses why I shouldn't write or meet my writing goals or do the publish and thrive things and none of them are valid. So I will read that book.
Really enjoyed your video your passion and sincerity is very good ,Thank you.
I love your soul, your work, your shirt, and this video
Thank you for this video; you are an inspiration.
this is fantastic!
Well, you're in good company. I am sure I've done all of the above. Took another person's advice on the "romance" intensity. Regretted it. Pulled the book. It's so regrettable that it really hindered me in moving forward. I mean, how could I write book two? At the same time, I love the story (without those parts) and the world it is set in. It was a huge lesson in following the advice of others that didn't really resonate with me. I feel like I sacrificed my story and characters for a trend, and they didn't deserve that. The market is very fickle, so you might as well write what you love the way you want. I'm currently in the gap (Grand Canyon) between books, but I have 105K words of progress (same series). Yay! The plan is to "redo" the first one to be re-released just before the other comes out. I'd like to at least have a rough draft of the third by that time. Between the regret and what's been going on in the world, it's been very hard. I feel like your videos are right over the target. PS... Yes, I am guilty of shiny syndrome, so I have set up a binder with tabs for each idea so I can write the ideas down as they come.
Thank you! Great video.
Thank you so much Sarra!
Loving this series Sarra. Very helpful insight and information. I also love that black cabinetry behind you with all the draws. It looks like an organisers dream. Whee did you get it? Thanks. Xx
Thanks for you honesty.
I love your videos!
Every step we take make us who we are♡♡♡
Thank you for sharing your story. It is really helpful. And we've all made mistakes too :-)
Sarra, I really want to get your HB90 undated planner, but I use a classic size happy planner. Can you add that size to your HB90 planner or is there a way I can reduce the large planner to make it into a classic size?
I'm so sorry you've experienced sexual assault, too! I hate how prevalent it is in society. That's why I am writing my own series, which is a dark fantasy with romance and epic themes. All the 'mistakes" you made still led you to where you are now. I love your videos, your honesty, and your 'you do you' attitude!
Wonderful...
I would like to hear your take specifically on spin off and sequel series. What do you include in a spinoff? How do you know if you have enough for a sequel or prequel series, versus knowing when your series is truly done? I just finished a series and the author wrote a sequel series but I don't know that it captures what made the original series special.
Can you discuss if it's a good idea for serial to be in dual POV in your next video? Also, if the serial has to be a limit of 25k words.
I'm working on my first sci-fi series and I don't know if I should do a three or two book series. It's hard to figure out. I don't want the middle book to be boring. I thought I might split the second book up between the first and third book.
i'm stuck i started my book 4 years ago and i still need to finish it. any tips on this? how I can stay motivated so that I can finish it?
Can you do a video abaut Writing as just a Hobby and not a job??. I am a person who are feeling mutch beter if i write just as a Hobby and not let things out on the market that part is to mutch stress for me.
Excellent advice. I'm listening in Oct 2022. How have you progressed with finishing your series since you did this video?
Still working through them! I thought Book 3 of my Eternal Sorrows series would be the end of it, but I still need one more book to finish it out. So book 3 of that series came out in January 2021. Then I published Book 11 of my Shadow Demons Saga in July 2021. Hoping to finish that series with Book 12 early 2023.
Please teach more on serials.
Yes!! So glad you want more because I'll be starting a new serial story coming up and sharing everything about plotting, pacing, and marketing! I'm excited
Like try to avoid it as much as you can such as for the cranberries I’m doing my first book is going to be released next year and I’m planning on releasing my second book either at the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024 so not too too far apart from the first book
❤️❤️❤️
Heart Breathings. I tried downloading your series bibles checklist as a PDF info word because I wanted to edit the information and add my story info to it. However the PDF only goes to the internet. I don't feel comfortable printing it out and having it out somewhere. I prefer to have it securely on my computer. If you can help I'd appreciate it.
Not sure if this is still relevant, but have you tried changing the (advanced) settings in your browser to *not* open PDFs automatically and then right-clicking the file and selecting another program to open it with? Like Acrobat reader.
I grew up seeing one book a year as the norm.
Is the real issue starting new series or publishing them? If you had files of prep work on 20 new series and first drafts, you would not have the problem. The problem is you published them which set up expectations.
Publishing is what I mean by starting a new series, and yes that's the issue I'm discussing in this video. Playing around or working on new ideas without publishing doesn't necessarily cause the same issues unless it also delays your main releases by the same amount of time. Starting and even publishing a lot of series only really causes an issue of you can't write fast enough to keep up with regular releases, which I couldn't, so the same applies whether you're publishing one series or five. If it takes 2 years to get the next book out, you'll see trouble. If you can keep up with your normal release schedule on one series and just play around with other ideas along the way, there's only good things coming from that, I would say.
It sounds just like me yes I write books but before I started I wrote little short stories and then I started writing a book a book about a band from the 1990s about a band called the cranberries I started writing this book an officially it was supposed to be a standalone normal and now guess what it is a book Siri Yep a book series totally totally didn’t want to turn it into a series it was supposed to be a standalone and it turned into a series
Don't be hard on yourself - As a "whale reader" I read 100+ titles per year and I could name several authors in at least four genres that have all made similar mistakes. The switch in the release schedule is the hardest one to adapt to as a reader but I think the "genre creep" is the most frustrating. It's so intrusive like having fourth-wave feminist ideas in dialog or attitude that's supposed to be zero-wave or first-wave Victorians. I've seen steam engines/steampunk elements in what is marketed as cyber-punk or a cozy mystery series suddenly have a thriller for book four. It's the main reason why M/M romance written by women is so reviled in the gay community. Even with a pen name, I can always tell when those books are written by women because the guys have the same POV and sound too much like women. As much as I hate having to wait for a once-a-year installment of a favorite series that used to be twice-per-year, I'm more tempted to throw my kindle at a wall when characters act so, out-of-character or an incongruous element pops up in the setting.
As for genre-hopping, I do it as a reader so I get why authors might like to try their hand at something different. I have many authors who send me their newsletters with updates but as long as they make progress on the series/books I care about, I understand why they're taking time away for something else.
I do have several authors that seem to have utterly abandoned me and apparently don't want my business any longer. I see on Good Reads that lots of people want them to put out a sequel or continue a series but for whatever reason, they don't engage the readers who post. From a business standpoint, I think the most appropriate response would be something like, 'thanks for your interest, I'm still hashing out some plot/story issues so please sign up for my newsletter.' I appreciate you sharing your personal history like this because like you mentioned, people move, they have babies, they have more going on besides writing the next book.
People write more than one book a year?! I’m struggling to write one like what?!
I prefer sweet romance over sexy romance. Not because I am prude but I am simply not interested in other people's bedroom behavior, even if I like the people or characters. The trend for erotic novels might die down but romance never. It is so much nicer to use the own imagination of what happens behind closed doors. I stop reading for a while because the last novel that I read was so graphic sexual that it was icky.
What's interesting to me is the gushing comments this video inspires. "Oh, my God," "OMG," "Thank you so much," "You're so brave." It's not just you, when I read comments on Wattpad they are the same variety. That interests me. What is it about this category of writers- I assume they're all writers- that fills them with such apparent slavish devotion? It's a terrible thing to comment on as it may seem insulting to the commenters, but there is something here. Whatever it is, you have inspired a devoted following. Good for you for inspiring same.
Saying "thank you" or making a compliment about bravery is very far from slavish devotion.
It really takes little devotion or slavishness to make a positive comment on a video. It's just being nice to someone who spent time making a video which people like.
Some people write 15 books a year?! I’m sorry but there’s no way those are good books. The amount of editing you need to do alone 😐
I agree that's crazy to me too and my quality would definitely be affected, however some people write short novels and in some genres, there are a lot of expected tropes and repetition like romance which might make it easier.
It's typical for Romance readers to plow through a book a day - one of the reasons why the genre is so popular - also what makes it hugely competitive with bigger rewards for the authors who can produce quickly at a reasonable level. It's not going to win any literary awards and as long as a couple of the characters aren't completely one-dimensional, many others can be flat.
With so many sub-categories, you could basically write the same plot/structure with similar cast dynamics again, and again but this time, it's a billionaire falling for his new assistant or a cowboy falling for his boss' daughter. Both are forbidden love plots with much of the same emotional backstory.
Of course, such a fast pace also requires arrangements with beta readers and editors. I've seen something similar in Cozy Mysteries where the victim and five main suspects are different each book but it's the same structure and very similar dynamics between the characters. Familiarity, tropes, and expectations are different between sub-categories but there's enough overlap to where you don't have to reinvent the wheel with each installment.
I'm a publisher. Trust me, there are authors who write that fast and still write good books!