a ten year restrospective, sort of

[lagilman]

Because someone asked me last week and I swear, I couldn't remember...

Tie-in novels: 3 (2 Buffy, 1 Poltergeist: the Legacy)
YA Fiction: 3 (the GRAIL QUEST trilogy)
YA non-fiction: 3 (Coping with CP; The Yeti, Intro to Finance)
Paranormal Romance: 3 (NIGHT SERPENT, DAUGHTER OF THE SEA [in production], MUSTANG [in progress]
Urban Fantasy: 8 (the six Retriever books, HARD MAGIC [in production], PACK OF LIES [in progress]
Fantasy: 1 (FLESH & FIRE [in production])

So. Fifteen original novels, 3 media tie-ins, and 3 non-fiction works, since 1999?

Plus, of course, there's still the third PSI novel to be written, and the next two Vineart books to be written [one of them Right Now Hurry Up!], that are all under contract, so call that another three....

No fkcuing wonder I'm tired. Maaaaaaaan.


(this also explains why my short story production has fallen off so drastically. Taking steps to correct that, now)

Comments

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Wow. I feel stressed just trying to keep up with one book a year. That's an impressive ten-year list there!

[lagilman]

it is and it isn't...and most of the load came in the past five years, when I was full-time freelance. You work pretty hard when it's that or starving!

[lagilman]

Breaking into media tie-ins is difficult (and even harder now that it was when I did it, actually). Publishers want writers with track records, who have proven themselves able to hit deadline with solid product, and ideally have some name recognition as well. Loving the source material is also essential.

I backed into it via Chris Golden, who suggested me to his editor, and Josepha Sherman, who co-wrote the Buffy books with me (she handled the folklore and I did the fight scenes). The P:tL book I knew the editor had gotten the license and threw myself at her feet and said "oh plllllllease?" I still love that book much -- a locked-island mystery take on Tam Lin, with legal and moral implications of a broken contract....

[lagilman]

I actually found it to be remarkably limiting and stressful, because you have to play EXACTLY by the rules the licensing people set down, and some of them are....less logical and consistent than others (Yeah, MGM, I'm looking at you!). But other people (including kradical find a comfort zone there, and do well with it.

I dislike having to hit the reset button, when I'm writing. If I damage someone, they're supposed to stay damaged, damn it. *adjusts halo, polishes wings*

[lagilman]

Hrm. Being awkward about revisions is a good way to not have a career in any genre. But yeah, I'm not much of a group-effort writer. I would not do well in Hollywood.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

*schedules 'take a break' in there*

[lagilman]

Um. Yeah. Ooops.

(actually, I've had a reasonable amount of downtime over the years, which just proves I could be really Scary Productive if I were, oh, you. *winks*)

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

*snort* Yeah, 'cause you've clearly been such a slacker. :)

[egret17.livejournal.com]

Dang. *passes multivitamins*

[lagilman]

*snicker* Yeah. I'm under orders to take 'em but I keep forgetting...

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

That's an impressive list. And I imagine nearing two million words under the bridge, unless the YA stuff is really short.

[lagilman]

I'm not much for counting wordage, especially since I do several drafts on each project but, for the sake of argument, um... *ponders bookshelf* About 1,250,000 words in fiction, not counting material that was cut or projects that haven't sold? Back of the envelope reckoning, anyway. The YA and tie-ins are in the 60,000-75,000 word range, while the Vineart books are closer to 125,000.

It will be 1.5 mil by the end of the year, probably.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

Wow! You deserve to come to France next September. Maybe a book set in Lille?