Returning to a "failed" novel

Ian_Eller · Oct 8, 2019

I am not sure if this needs to go here, but it seems as appropriate a place as any.

Two years ago I finally finished, polished and self published my first novel. After the initial rush of friends, family and supporters bought it, it quickly stopped selling even the single occasional copy. I spent some money to get on a couple book lists, which did not result in much. It was reviewed a few times, all well, but that didn't help. It's "failure" got into my head and while I was doing pretty well working on the follow up I abandoned it. "Why write a sequel to a book no one read in the first place?"

I have tried a few different projects in the intervening time. I do some tabletop RPG writing and design on the side and that has been working fine for me, creatively speaking, but everything I have done fiction wise has been fits and starts and amounted to nothing. I finally realized I needed to slay the dragon that is my failed novel and its sequel. I intend to read through the finished novel, polish it some, maybe it expand it a little, and give it a new cover plus add the first few chapters of the sequel to the back. With that I will give a date for release of the sequel to force myself to have a finish line. AT least, this is my idea.

Is this a good strategy? Is it worthwhile to go back and continue this series despite the fact that the first book gained no traction? Can you overcome "writers block" (it seems like a mismatched term since other kinds of writing are working) by beating a project? Is it better, smarter or more worthwhile to just start fresh with a completely different idea?

Thanks.

Woollybear · Oct 8, 2019

Are you looking for feedback? Since I expect a similar trajectory once I publish, I took a look inside your book--and I found your prose style absolutely charming.

I would bet top dollar that the book failed to get traction because the opening is so information-heavy. No idea if that approach continues throughout the novel, but interjecting some dialog and immediate action might work wonders to breathe life into your beautiful writing.

To get back to your question, there's a lot to be said for writing prolifically. There's a Facebook group called 20 books to 50 K and the idea is the more books you have the more likely you are to build an audience. Growth is not linear, but geometric.

CalRazor · Oct 8, 2019

Forgive me if I've read the implication wrong, but it doesn't sound like you put much into advertising?

Ian_Eller · Oct 8, 2019

CalRazor said:
Forgive me if I've read the implication wrong, but it doesn't sound like you put much into advertising?

I didn't. I did not, and do not, have much experience with or talent for marketing. I honestly couldn't parse what was predatory advice versus good advice on the internet because there seem to be more people writing books about selling novels than writing novels. Intellectually I understand that was a big component of the novel's failure, but emotionally it's.. less clear.

Ian_Eller · Oct 8, 2019

Patty said:
Are you looking for feedback? Since I expect a similar trajectory once I publish, I took a look inside your book--and I found your prose style absolutely charming.

I would bet top dollar that the book failed to get traction because the opening is so information-heavy. No idea if that approach continues throughout the novel, but interjecting some dialog and immediate action might work wonders to breathe life into your beautiful writing.

To get back to your question, there's a lot to be said for writing prolifically. There's a Facebook group called 20 books to 50 K and the idea is the more books you have the more likely you are to build an audience. Growth is not linear, but geometric.

Thank you. That's a very nice compliment. Part of the point of the novel is to go ahead and embrace the occasional "tell" because the story about the main character requires context. I intentionally opened with a "there once was a hobbit who lived in a hole in the ground" styl opening because I think it works really well for certain kinds of stories. In its own weird, dark way the book is a fairy tale (or legend, anyway).

Yes, I should certainly write more. I have collected a lot of incomplete work in the last couple of years, from gritty fantasy to humorous erotica, and haven't been able to bring any of it to fruition.

cool pop · Oct 12, 2019

Ian_Eller said:
I didn't. I did not, and do not, have much experience with or talent for marketing. I honestly couldn't parse what was predatory advice versus good advice on the internet because there seem to be more people writing books about selling novels than writing novels. Intellectually I understand that was a big component of the novel's failure, but emotionally it's.. less clear.

That's your problem right there. You have to advertise or how do you think anyone will know about your book? There are thousands if not millions of books published a day, if you put a book up without a marketing plan then you might as well not publish it. Gone are the days when authors could just stick their books up and hope for browsers. Organic visibility is nearly nonexistent these days. You have to constantly point people to your books or they won't sell. Redoing the book and series won't matter if you make the same mistake you did last time and don't promote. All authors have to promote even those with publishers. No way to get around that.

Also, no one is born with experience with marketing and promotion.There's no such thing as having a "talent" for marketing. It's not like singing or doing the Moonwalk. Anyone can market and promote if they try. You don't know how to do it then you need to learn how. Not knowing is not an excuse. None of us knew how to market before we started doing it. Every author who promotes their books well learned ways to do it. Part of self-publishing is taking charge and that means constantly learning different things to grow your business. You have to put in the effort to learn how to do it. It's not hard. There are millions of ways to promote a book. You can do a Google search, join indie FB groups, read the promotional threads here at AW and join some indie forums. Try different things and see what gets you the best results. If you want to give your book a serious chance then you have to get the word out some kind of way. Either on your own or hiring someone.

As for what advice is predatory, anyone who promises you anything is predatory because there are no guarantees in this business. So if there is a promoter, marketing service or publicist who says they can make your book a bestseller or a big hit, then run. Ignore those who promise guarantees and you will be all right.

Ian_Eller · Oct 15, 2019

cool pop said:
If you want to give your book a serious chance then you have to get the word out some kind of way. Either on your own or hiring someone.

Yeah, I am going to do some research on hiring a marketing company. If it is within reason cost wise, i would rather let a professional do it. I mean, I didn't edit it or design the cover myself, either, right?

mccardey · Oct 15, 2019

Ian_Eller said:
Yeah, I am going to do some research on hiring a marketing company. If it is within reason cost wise, i would rather let a professional do it. I mean, I didn't edit it or design the cover myself, either, right?

Do be aware that you'll be unlikely to make your money back. (Which is only important if you're writing in order to make money.) Generally I'd say it's best to work on standalones at the start, than investing too much time and money into a series while you're still unknown.

That's my 2c, and I won't even charge you for it

Ian_Eller · Oct 16, 2019

mccardey said:
Do be aware that you'll be unlikely to make your money back. (Which is only important if you're writing in order to make money.) Generally I'd say it's best to work on standalones at the start, than investing too much time and money into a series while you're still unknown.

That's my 2c, and I won't even charge you for it

I've really abandoned "success" as a goal as it relates to writing. I have been a writer all my llife, and sometimes made some money doing game writing or other technical type freelance, but I have never made a name for myself and certainly have never made enough money for it to matter. But I can't help but want to write so I do. I got excited, thought maybe this book would make it more than just a thing I do, but now that I'm on the other side of that I'm okay with puting out a book a year and enjoying the process of making that book.

sandree · Oct 16, 2019

I have only one book out and the advice here is right on the nose. If I don’t promote it, nothing happens. I have been advised, many times, to write more books. There is an appetite for series and some readers won’t take a chance on someone with only one book out because so many writers do give up after one.

Since you already have a start on book two and enjoy writing, I say go for it. Get the second one out and start researching promotion ideas. Just because it didn’t get traction does not mean it was a “bad” book.

Dan Rhys · Oct 16, 2019

I had a similar experience where I wrote a novel that no agents were interested in and entered it into a contest where it placed poorly. Since I liked the characters and general set-up of the novel, I came up with a fresh new story for a sequel and while, still, no agents were interested in it (I suspect few even read my query), it placed MUCH better in the contest and got published. I let the 'failure' of the first novel motivate me even harder to do well on the second novel. As long as you look back and see the work as good and worthwhile, I would not abandon it. If your impression of it has changed, then that might be reason to move on. I am still happy with my first novel, so I have returned to it and am polishing it off, and I hope to release it as a prequel before long.

Ian_Eller · Oct 16, 2019

Dan Rhys said:
I had a similar experience where I wrote a novel that no agents were interested in and entered it into a contest where it placed poorly. Since I liked the characters and general set-up of the novel, I came up with a fresh new story for a sequel and while, still, no agents were interested in it (I suspect few even read my query), it placed MUCH better in the contest and got published. I let the 'failure' of the first novel motivate me even harder to do well on the second novel. As long as you look back and see the work as good and worthwhile, I would not abandon it. If your impression of it has changed, then that might be reason to move on. I am still happy with my first novel, so I have returned to it and am polishing it off, and I hope to release it as a prequel before long.

My intent is to use November as a "NaNoREMo" -- National Novel Revision Month -- and both spurce up the first novel and collect all my world building and plot threads in preparation for finishing the second novel in the first part of 2020.

Returning to a "failed" novel

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