I thought I’d take a quick break from my cat blogs and give you an update on how my YA Fantasy/Romance manuscript, or should I say manuscripts, are going.
Yep, somehow my small 65k word novel I was talking about in this post decided to morph itself into a trilogy. The main character, called Phoebe Rose, had so much more she wanted to accomplish in her life then I had planned.
While I was really excited to reach 70,000 words, my book was lacking in tension in the right areas. The three act structure I was aiming for was completely off-balance. So I ended the book early at a slight cliff-hanger (can still be a standalone novel) and began to figure out the plot outline for a trilogy.
I’ve now completed rough outlines for all three books plus their endings, though I’ve left enough room for a few as yet unknown twists and turns to develop on their own. I love not knowing exactly where my story will take me, but having a definite ending makes the process easier.
I ended up changing the name, as Under a Different Sky was too long a title for a book in a series. The new series is called The Hidden Sun Trilogy, and I named the three books after the cities they were set in, though the titles will probably change again at some point…
These are the new book titles and word counts:
Book 1: Erebus (68,000 words)
Book 2: Hades (15,000 words)
Book 3: Helios (3,000 words)
Here’s a sneak peek at the rough copies of my book covers if I decide to self-publish. I couldn’t resist designing them ASAP (yes I do tend to get ahead of myself!)
I’m terrible at blurbs, but here’s a quick one for Erebus:
Phoebe Rose uncovers what she believes is a ghost living in an old warehouse close to where she lives. Inexplicably drawn to the stunning creature named Lucius, she is taken against her will to his underground home, a city that exists somewhere beneath our feet. Left there in the care of his brother, Phoebe begins to fall for the enigmatic Leon, discovering that not only do these strange humans live for hundreds of years, but they also love passionately too. With the return of Lucius looming ever closer, Phoebe must decide whom she loves more – and her choice may just ruin them all.
So ahem anyway, Book 2 is going to be my project for NaNoWriMO. Now that the plot outline is (mostly) done, all I have to do is get 50,000 words done in November and it’s pretty much finished! …Famous last words.
Publishing wise, I’ve decided I would like to have a go submitting my manuscript to some of the big publishers and agents here in Australia. Actually, this weekend I’m pitching to a publisher from Allen & Unwin in a private face to face pitch! You can read about what will happen here. I’ll make sure to keep you all udpated, as whatever the outcome, it will be a wonderful opportunity and I’m looking forward to sharing the experience. I’m really nervous, but hopefully I won’t stumble on my words too much.
If all else fails, I would like to get both Book 1 and Book 2 finished and ready to upload to Amazon by early next year. As much as I would love to get Book 1 out there as soon as possible, I think it will be a better marketing strategy to have two come out at once (or at least very close together). My thinking is when I do promotions and sell Book 1 for free, it may lead potential readers to my next book. And who the hell actually enjoys waiting 1-2 years for a sequel to a cliffhanger?
I love setting goals for myself, so this is when I aim to publish my books:
Book 1 Erebus: Release date March/April 2017
Book 2 Hades: Release date March/April 2017
Book 3 Helios: Release date October 2017
Considering that the US publisher had only offered to publish my book at the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018, I could potentially have three books out in the world before they would have even looked at mine. Winning!
Next post will definitely be How the hell do I self-publish – With Cats!
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