On Writing a Sequel
Bookish thoughts for bookish people
Hello there,
Regarding the upcoming mystery, A Shamefaced Murder, the feedback from beta readers has been coming in, and the news is good.
Early readers have enjoyed the story and that’s a massive relief. People talk about a difficult 2nd album, but try writing the 6th full-length novel in a series (not to mention the prequel novella and the short stories).
Readers don’t want more of the same, but they don’t it to be radically different. They want the characters to grow and develop, but they don't want them to change too much. The themes must be new, but the tone must be similar to what has gone before. The series arc must be woven in there somewhere, but the story must have a fresh plot. The book must stand on its own two feet, but it should take its place in the series.
You get the picture.
It’s a loft goal to aim for, but this book has hit the mark, and that brings joy to my heart.
Beta readers found a few niggles that needed ironing out, and I stumbled on one inconsistency myself. Interestingly, different readers picked out different issues, so it seems we can all gloss over some things while noticing others. I was surprised that no one mentioned the problem I spotted, but it took me a while and several drafts before it occurred to me.
So I’ve been busy at the keyboard.
Sometimes it’s easy to change a scene by cutting a line or two or swapping a few words. But at this stage, it’s often no easy matter to tinker with the text.
Still, the book will be better as a result of the feedback, and for me, that’s what it’s all about - producing the best books I can.
A Shamefaced Murder will be going off to an editor soon, and the cover designer is already working his magic.
All this costs money of course - money that I pay out long before any royalties come in. For that reason, I really appreciate the paying members of The VIP Readers Club. If you’d like to help with keeping the lights on and the books rolling out, please consider becoming a paying member, even if it’s just for one month (it’s easy to cancel).
Thank you.
My Books in Kobo Plus
Kobo Plus is a service from the popular and excellent ebook retailer Kobo, whereby readers pay a monthly amount and can then read or listen to any books and audiobooks within the scheme. You can choose from 3 levels of service: ebooks only, audiobooks only, or both ebooks and audiobooks.
This is great value and so much better than Kindle Unlimited which places a lot of crippling restrictions on authors. If you find that Amazon is awash with adverts and poorly written books, take a look at Kobo and breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Kobo sells ebooks, audiobooks and their own e-readers (which are rather good - I have two). They do not sell lawnmowers and fridges and tonnes of badly made, knock-off products that fall apart on their third use.
The Devonshire Mysteries are in Kobo Plus, and that means you can read the whole lot for less than the price of a couple of the books. I’m in the process of adding my other books to the scheme too, and they will be in Kobo Plus soon.
You can find out more at:
Canada: kobo.com/ca/en/plus
Aus: kobo.com/au/en/plus
For other countries, please use one of the links above and then click on the flag to visit the store in your country.
That about wraps it up for book news this week.
Take care and happy reading,
Mikey