: Re: Should I release my novel now... or miss a golden opportunity? I just finished writing the first draft of my novel. (BTW, this is my first) As luck would have it, something just popped up

@Sue2132873

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There seems to be a consensus here.

If you release it now when you know it is not ready, anyone who reads it will think this is the best you can offer. Should you publish another, the readers of the first will eschew your second knowing the quality of your writing.

They might even post reviews - if it is anything like the first, save your money and time.

Consider, once it is out there, you want people to read it and enjoy it. Tie ins with current events are interesting, but can also seem opportunistic. Readers don’t like that and you might misrepresent yourself as the literary equivalent of an ambulance chaser.

Write the book and finish it. Perfect it as much as you can. I have a WiP that is possibly three volumes that I have yet to format - too busy writing. I joined a writers group and sent the first 18 pages for critique (which has amounted to ‘wow’) so I know mine is readable.

Once you have it right and it is something that you cannot remove one more word without thinking of Mozart’s reply to the criticism ‘too many notes’ - then publish. If that is five years from now, so be it.

Also, you mention this is your first. First novels are rarely great. Harper Lee’s Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I know my first attempt at a novel will never be read - not worth it. What I am working on now is my fifth so at least three novels exist purely as an educational exercise. My fourth could use some work, but maybe. My fifth I am confident is something that I would have bought to read had someone else written it. Even so, I understand the odds are long and certainly not in my favour.

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