Is it done yet?

[karen_w_newton]

In some ways, having an unpublished novel or short story is like being pregnant and never giving birth. If you think about it, until your work sees the light of day, you can keep changing it. But once it's published, it's done; it's out there for the world to see, and except for corrections made in later editions, it doesn't usually change

Comments

[anabelgonzalez]

I think the same why not ake the changes but you have to make a note so the reader can know!

[karen_w_newton]

exactly! like when they show a movie on TV, they warn you if they shorten it.

[bogwitch64]

Beware! Down that path, there be dragons!

While I do appreciate the ability to change something you're not exactly happy with, I do question the wisdom of actually doing so. Where does it end? If we can eternally go in and tweak our stories, where will we stop?

[karen_w_newton]

True! Which is why I think the author needs to be upfront about it. But on the other hand, I do think the we should take advantage of the technology. I can recall, in particular, a science fiction novel where the protagonist mentions moving the entire ship Titanic forward into the future, right before it sank; I happened to read the book shortly after they found the wreckage of the Titanic, and it totally threw me out of the story to read that. If I were the author, I would want to be able to take out that sentence.

[tracy_d74]

I don't know. I'm kinda of a once it's done, it's done kind of person.

[karen_w_newton]

Don't you think it might depend on WHAT it was that you wanted to change? I kind of think there would be only a small set of things that would be big enough to bother you, as the writer, but small enough to make you feel that it was OK to make the change without making it into a whole other book.

But the important thing is, since she is self publishing an out of print book, she gets to decide herself!

[tracy_d74]

yes, if you want to change a walkman reference to an mp3 reference 30 years later...sure. but if you are changing a scene...giving it a different vibe...a scene potentially vital to the original understanding of the story...i don't know.

like i said, i tend to be a ..."it's done it's done." even references to older technology don't bother me. i find it kind of fun and nostalgic. then again, i try to limit pop/trendy references in my stories.

[jongibbs]

Sounds fair to me :)

[karen_w_newton]

Me, too! It is, after all, HER book!

[bondo_ba]

I think it will change the way backlists are managed. You're absolutely correct on that front. What worries me is still the "new book" quandary: how will we, if everyone published their own work, know what to avoid? Much of the SP work out there today is simply unreadable, and if every work is self published in the future, we'll need someone to tell us what is good and what simply isn't...

[karen_w_newton]

Oh, I think you'll recognize the unreadable on the first page. And most ebooks stores offer a free sample chunk, so you will know in a matter of seconds. The free sample is extremely useful because even if a books is well written, you don't know if you will like it until you try it. I use it all the time for traditionally published books. I think in a self-publishing scenario, the tricky part will be the good but lazy writer who only polishes the beginning of the book, so that you don't find all the typos and sloppy writing until you have already clicked the Buy button.

[bondo_ba]

LOL. Both good points. The free sample will help weed out the true trainwrecks, though.