There are as many different publishing strategies out there as there are stars in the sky. All hold merit. All have benefits and pitfalls. Since closing out my time on Greystone I’ve been toying with a number of ideas on how to proceed. Not just what to write but how to present that content. One thought that crops up more often than not is stockpiling content.

What am I talking about exactly?

The kid in me, that enthusiastic pain in the ass that wants to write his little heart out day in and day out, is completely against this approach. He wants to jump from book to book, hitting the publish button as quickly and as often as possible.

Who wouldn’t want that? There’s a satisfaction in seeing your work out in the world that cannot be replicated in any other task we do as writers.

The problem with that model of production is that there is no lead time. One project ends and the next needs to get going right away to keep the trains moving.

I don’t mind the pressure of content creation. But it fails to take into account the marketing push, the social media aspects of the business. It’s purely creative.

Stockpiling content puts a hold on the publishing side. It’s strategy over quantity. To me, that’s appealing on a number of levels.

Benefits of stockpiling content

Better planning. If you’re working on a new series, this method allows you to take your time on the planning level to outline your narrative. Not just a single book but where everything leads – much like I mentioned during my ramblings on story bibles a few weeks ago.

More planning equals more connections for a fuller reading experience.

Lead time. If Greystone has taught me anything it’s that lead time is crucial. My goal has always been to be a year ahead of schedule when it comes to publishing. Due to some setbacks at the end of last year I’m down to about six months ahead and I can feel it every time I sit down to work. More lead time helps remove the stress, the crunch time of producing quality content.

Faster delivery. Let’s say you’ve written a trilogy. It’s taken a year to get all three parts completed but now they are ready to roll. Instead of offering one per year or even one every six months you can have them ready and waiting for your reader at a much faster pace. This increases interest for your narrative and doesn’t keep an impatient reader from turning to another series and completely forgetting about you.

Pitfalls

Taking too much time between projects. The lull between published works might hurt more than it helps in the long run. This is the point I keep getting stuck on with my post-Greystone projects. How do I stay in the game while also making sure I’m not sabotaging my next series by rushing it into the hands of my readers?

Driving readers away. Blasting out content at a rapid pace might force some readers away as their monthly book budget might not be able to handle the load. A steadier schedule might be more palatable but where is the happy medium?

Where do I stand?

This is the question I’ve been asking the last few weeks as I plan out 2019. (Insane, I know…)

Stockpiling content has a great appeal to me as someone who plans meticulously each step of the way. It puts more focus on the narrative and offers more strategic methods of publishing in the long run. But will readers be patient in the interim?

For another look at this topic, be sure to check out Nick Stephenson’s blog where guest author Peter Bartram discussed launching all three books of his trilogy at once.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Email me at lou@loupaduano.com. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks for reading.