Possibility of a book contract with an insanely tight turnaround time

Congrats! Yep, I've done it. When I know the deadline is that tight, I do the math to figure out exactly how many words I need to write each day. I try not to do anything else (e-mail, AW, etc.) until that number of words is done, though I allowed for a one-hour break to get out and about and run errands each day. But, yeah, inevitably, sleep gets shafted at some point.

Big congrats, I am going to try and find those threads for the future, Thanks!

Sure hope you get this job. Will be waiting to hear!

hopeful said:

Hello,

There's just one catch. The due date for the complete, polished manuscript is just a few short months away.

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Have you asked them if the deadline is negotiable? In my book contracts so far, I've informed them that I can't make the date they originally specified in the contract, and they simply let me set a date I could live with. After all, it's not like they want a poorly written book.

hopeful said:

K1P1 --

Very good point. Unfortunately, I'm not at that stage of the process yet. (I'm still only being considered for the job. I don't have it yet.)

But if I were to get the project, I would at least consider inquiring about extending the deadline. (It's just that I would prefer not to make any waves, if at all possible.) In other words, if I do get the project and can figure out a way to meet their deadline, that would be my preference, even if that means not getting much sleep for a few months.

Thanks again for the advice!

-hopeful

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If you are at all like me, you'll just do whatever it takes -- sometimes more time isn't always motivating to me. Give me a tighter deadline and I'll work my butt off. Give me something loose and I procrastinate until I have to work day and night anyway.

Good luck!

KML

Hi hopeful,
I had to write a book in only 2 months a few years ago. It wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be. Like Jenna, I figured out exactly how many words I needed to write to get it done, and also included the number of hours I'd need to do the research in order to do the writing. I kept to the exact schedule I set up (got up at 4 am--had 4 kids under 6 at the time), got the work done, and loved how efficient I was. The really nice thing is that if you research and write efficiently, your hourly pay rate goes way up, too.

Congrats!

Congrats! I have had to do this many times. It helps me just like Jenna said to figure out exactly how much I have to write each day. Then I sit in front of my computer and just bust it out. No distractions. I try to schedule in some extra time. You CAN do it

I find sometimes that the topic is so fascinating I get distracted doing more and more research (ie procrastinating) so I have had to develop strategies to get my butt on the chair and typing.

I have found that with a clear outline or structure and a good basic understanding of the project I can write quickly and efficiently.

For me having the outline and knowing what each chapter will be about is the hard part. Once that's done I am good to go and can whiz through the writing. I use MS Word to do my outline and use the heading 1, heading 2 etc structure. Then I collapse it all using outline and that shows all the headings and indents each sub-head. Then I move them around until they look right, expand it back out so I have my notes for each section underneath and off I go.

Sometimes, I do it on paper by putting each topic or idea on a separate piece of paper. Then I group them in logical groups. I keep arranging the pieces of paper until I like the grouping. Finally I staple them onto bits of paper or put them on a cork board.

I know everyone is different but for me, the outline or structure is the critical part. After that is done I just pick a section and start writing. I don't worry about writing in sequence, because I have my headings organised. Pick the heading you want to work on and start writing.

I give myself specific goals when I am in the writing zone. I either write for a set amount of time each day or until I complete a set number of words.

Hopeful - I hope the project works out for you, but even if it doesn't there will be other projects, so plug away at it and don't give up!

Ewe, boy. I'm in a duplicate situation right now. I've got two letters of intent to publish a fantasy and sf. We haven't signed the contract yet, still waiting to peruse it. I did get suggestions from the publisher and the agent that required massive changes and polishing. The tentitive target date for publication is May of 2007. That's two books. Gak! So here I am riding hard in the saddle and trying to get through this and it seems so impossible.

But...you can do it. It requires discipline and a lot of guts. Strangely, I cannot readily come up with any excuses, as I now find that my ticket has been punched for the Polar Express. I just jumped on it, knowing that I have work to do.

Spend a little less time on AW, and focus, focus, focus.

Best of luck,

Tri

Looking back over this conversation, I realize my perspective is a little different because I don't have to just write, I have to knit. I can churn out the writing quickly and efficiently, but testing the knitting simply can't be hurried. I'm a fast knitter, but still the knitting takes a lot longer than the actual writing in many cases.

If the job just involves writing, then I say go for it. Like Nomad, I found that just being disciplined (I got up to write at 5 every morning) let me turn out 90,000 words in about 5 months, while working my PT day job, taking care of two kids, and driving around my 90 year old father.

hopeful said:

TaliaMana,

I cannot even begin to tell you just how timely and helpful your post was.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Still no definitive news, though I will certainly post if/when there is anything new to report.

-hopeful

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You're welcome!!!

If you are an expert on the subject matter, you would be surprised at how quickly it all falls together. A well designed outline can be very helpful. Also, keep a notepad or Palm Pilot with you throughout the day. Many ideas might come to you when you are not at your PC, and if you are anything like me, you will forget them later!

Good Luck!

How in the world did you get a potential contract without a finished MS? Are you a well-known author, or have you published with this publisher before? I'm just curious, but I've always thought publishers required a finished MS before they would even talk to you. Tell me I'm wrong!!!

cattywampus said:

How in the world did you get a potential contract without a finished MS? Are you a well-known author, or have you published with this publisher before? I'm just curious, but I've always thought publishers required a finished MS before they would even talk to you. Tell me I'm wrong!!!

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You're wrong. If it's NF, it's quite possible to get a contract before you've finished MS. Last month it happened to me - I sent a book proposal, synopsis and the first two chapters (the only chapters I had written by the time). The publisher offered me a contract (no advance, just royalties, but the publishing house is quite known in the field I work in (psychology). The deadline for the delivery of MS is 28 Feb. - a tight deadline, I know. But it was my suggestion - I work better under time pressure )

You can do it! The fire that will burn in your heart if you land the deal will be so hot your fingers will fly across that keyboard. I have worked with some VERY tight deadlines. In fact, since much of the work I have done previous is ghostwriting, I have been asked to turn around a 200 pager in 2 weeks. Here's what you have to do. Sit down, plot out exactly how many pages you need to write a day then outline each section. Then just do it. Leave some time for editing. It will be hard, but very worth it in the end. If you know where you are going when you begin, the journey to the end is much easier to follow. Best of luck and let us know what happens!

Agreed! You can do it. I had two horrendous deadlines for both of my non-fiction books. But when there's a fire lit under you, you can accomplish miracles. It's totally doable.

Tri