Although my agency, Conville and Walsh, are very enthusiastic about stand alone thriller book 2 which is now in their capable hands it still seems very fresh in my mind and moving to stand alone thriller book 3 seems very hard on its heels as I'm still waiting for publisher feedback.
Moving to the next project is the best option though. I have a concept which I've been thinking about for the past six months and was about to start writing it when I had notes from the agency re book 2 and had to put it to one side while I concentrated on those.
I was very keen on the idea but my concern was whether I could generate enough suspense with it. I've now come up with some characters to populate the plot which should keep it rattling forward at the pace I want so I've decided to commit to it and commence writing.
There seem to be as many theories about third books as that difficult second book. One theory is that many readers don't take a gamble on a new writer and that it's their third book which makes their name familiar enough to generate interest. Another theory is that the first book introduces you, the second is the favourite and the third divides your readership.
Both are probably true in terms of different authors but it's pretty pointless to try and second guess how your work is going to be received. Best just to try and write something better each time.
So...back to it!
Richard Jay Parker
Well, I remember once when I was young, finally deciding to buy the third novel by one particular author. The first one had been full of wit and excitement, the second one carried on in the same vein, but I had some misgivings about the third one, just judging from the tagline on the back cover. Lo and behold - this third one wasn't as good as the others. Still OK, though, so when the fourth one came out, I bought that one too. And since then, I'm hooked on Pratchett... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Just goes to prove you should stick with writers for the duration. Imagine what we might miss out on otherwise.
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