Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, which has a monthly blog hop on everything related to writing. The question this month is:
Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
For me, the answer is no, I’ve never done it. But I’m thinking about doing it, with a twist. I published five books under another pen name with the now closed Ellora’s Cave Publishing. Two were stand alones, the other three part of a series. Part of me wants to take the series, revise it up, rename them and reprint, now that they are off the market.
Like many, I’ve developed a pros/cons list as to whether or not I should to do.
The Pros:
- I enjoyed the books, and would enjoy spending some time with them again.
- I’m a slow writer and it would enable me to be publishing something in between my new books and stories, and build my backlist more quickly.
- Reach a new audience.
The Cons:
- It would still take time to do, and that’s time not spent on my current series.
- Sometimes it is better just to keep moving forward. This is a bit like looking back.
- Similar to point two, it can be saner just to leave well enough, alone. Sometimes when we stir things up, we create a more powerful story. Sometimes, all we get is sludge.
Am I missing any pros or cons? What would you do?
Visit the other bloggers, and see how they answered the question or just what they have to say about this crazy journey we call writing.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group was founded by Alex Cavanaugh, who is also a key player in the A to Z Blog Challenge, which I intend to sign up for. During the month of April, bloggers post everyday but Sundays, following the alphabet. If you love blogging and a challenge, visit the Challenge site. They are preparing for a big announcement for the 2017 event. 
Your old series sounds like the perfect candidate for Wattpad. Have you ever looked into serializing on there. If you release the first book, chapter by chapter (one per week), while your editing, it could keep you motivated, and help you build a new audience for the rest of the series, which you could sell. Give the first book away as a teaser, so to speak. And if you aren’t drumming up new interest, you can evaluate if it’s worth it to edit the whole series. Just a thought. http://www.raimeygallant.com
Thanks, Raimey. These are excellent ideas. I just recently joined wattpad but wasn’t completely sure what to do on there. This seems like a good way to get my feet wet.
My first thought was one of your pros—having the ability to publish something in between new books and stories.
I like Raimey’s suggestion of giving the first book away as a teaser to judge the interest level. That could decide things for you right there.
Thanks, M.J. I definitely have some fresh ideas to consider. Definitely looking at Wattpad as a serious middle option.
I have a story I really want to fix, but I’m too lazy right now. 🙂
Best of luck!
Link works great!
Heather
Co-Host, 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge