Completing a book is a monumental achievement in a book journey. You successfully navigated the Draft Marshes, no simple task. Perhaps you’ve even braved the Range of Revision or hiked the Line Edit Foothills. But it’s possible to make that journey and choose not to continue to Publish Bay. Not every book is meant to be or needs to be published.
There are many possible reasons to forego publication. Here are a few examples:
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- You’ve lost your spark for the book.
- The book is fundamentally flawed, and you don’t like the characters enough to fix it.
- The book is too personal, so although it’s lovely and wonderful, you don’t want to share it with others (or at least not with strangers).
- The book is in a subgenre or niche that is too saturated right now, so it’s better to hold off.
- You queried the book and got no takers, and you’re not interested in self-publishing.
- The book is too big (too many characters, settings, or plot complexities) for your writing skills right now, so you need to train up your skills on some smaller projects before revising this one.
- The book isn’t what you want to be known for.
Even if you do decide to publish this book, the publishing process takes time whether you publish traditionally or self-publish, and there’s no need to let your writing muscles atrophy while you wait for release day.
For these and dozens of other reasons, it’s okay to start over.
Return to the Marsh
Some writers worry that giving up on their first story idea or first full draft means quitting. And we all know that winners never quit, right? Heroic champions persevere through every challenge and hurl themselves against every difficulty, no matter how harsh!
This is false.
Just because something was your first idea doesn’t mean it requires all your focus forever. Sometimes a manuscript just isn’t worth more than what you’ve already invested in it. Better to return to the Draft Marshes to write something new, something you’re excited about, than wither in malaise.
Heroes know when to quit. Sometimes you have to quit a side quest to achieve truly important (or at least public) success.
Use What You Gained
Even if your current manuscript is a side quest to future success, it’s not wasted time or effort. Every word and story you write—even and especially the bad ones—teaches you something. Practice improves your craft, even if that practice ends up remaining private and unpublished. Most writers have piles of so-called trunk novels they’ll never share, or at least a pile of practice writing they don’t need anyone to see.
When you’re leaving a manuscript—whether you’re abandoning it or simply working on something else while you submit queries or launch a book—take stock of what you’ve learned. Did your prose get better? Your dialogue? Or did you learn something you want to do differently next time? So long as you learned something, those words weren’t wasted, even if you abandon them.
Know When to Let Go
A lot of the first-time authors I work with struggle to let go of their first manuscript. But heroes don’t save the world the first time they pick up a sword, and it’s okay (and normal) to realize that your first (or second, or tenth) novel was a practice run. That said, it can sometimes be difficult to know the difference between a flawed manuscript you should keep fixing and a practice manuscript you should leave behind. Here are some articles, podcasts, and more to help you decide if you should persevere on this book journey or start on a new one.
- Catherine Forrest, “The Sunk-Cost Fallacy” (about the value in quitting)
- Your Mom Writes Book, “Your Mom Has a Spark” (about how to regain energy for a book … or move on)
- Writing Excuses, 12.53 “True Confessions” (about when to end a project)
- Writing Excuses, 4.33 “Trunk Novels” (about how to reuse material from old projects)
- Writing Excuses, 7.34 “How to Start the Next One” (about how to start something new)
What’s Next
You’ve been there before, but it’s time to return to the Draft Marshes. It’s dangerous to go alone! Be sure to check out the other book journey map posts to see who (and what) you can take with you to make the quest easier.
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