Can I Do This Again?

One source estimates only 75% of writers traditionally publish a second book. Getting to publish one book is incredible. But now I’m left wondering: Can I write another book just as good?

It’s a tough industry, and many writers have addressed the “second book syndrome” of self-doubt sinking in alongside voices of your agent and editor that probably weren’t there while drafting the first.

I, of course, thought I’d be immune. For one thing, I didn’t have the pressure of having to sell a second book. It’s already sold! I just have to write it.

Hahahahaha!

(Hold on, I’m not done.)

HAHAHAHA.

Second book syndrome is real and it has started even earlier than I thought.

Per my contract, Book 2 is not a sequel, but another standalone YA thriller.

Normally I take an idea for a book, brainstorm different elements of it, start writing, and THEN I feel the doubts creep in. Do the ideas I brainstormed actually make sense on the page? Is the story strong enough to stand out? But, like I tell my students, once I get my words on the page, I know other readers can give me feedback. Get the words on the page. That’s the important part.

So that’s what I prepared to do this time.

My contract requests that a full draft of book 2 (set for publication in 2025) be submitted by Sep 1, 2023. When I first saw that last summer, I wasn’t too concerned. I had some ideas sketched out and I had a whole year to outline. Plus, I could use this summer off of teaching to actually draft and get feedback from friends. Totally doable.

I set to work. Once I finished each round of revisions on Silent Sister, I had 4-8 weeks while my editor reviewed the revisions and gathered new notes. I passed the time by submerging myself into a new book idea I’d sketched out, re-outlining the plot, diving into the characters more, and getting myself ready to pitch this story to my editor for book two.

In Feb, I sent my 6-page chapter-by-chapter outline to my agent. This was my first test. Would she completely reject the plot and tell me to start again to save myself the embarrassment before my editor saw it? Would she see a glaring hole to fill before I sent it to my editor?

To my surprise and relief, Molly was very enthusiastic about the story! It felt like confirmation that I wasn’t a one-hit wonder. I could do this book thing again. But I still needed to wait until April, until my line edits were approved on Silent Sister, for my editor to give me a green light. Once the time to submit came, some of the same doubts crept in, but I also figured if my agent loved the idea so much, surely my editor would too.

Rule number 1 in publishing: never forget how subjective it is. What one person loves another person won’t.

As it turned out, my editor did not fall in love with the story I outlined for book 2. I was disappointed, but after a week or so, I was ready to pivot. I emptied my head of my first ideas and came up with some possible fixes to have the same pitch, but different story. I could do this second book thing again, I knew it!

At the end of May, I had a phone call with my editor to discuss…and none of those fixes felt right either.

Okay. Pick myself up. Toss out that whole book outline and pitch. Pivot again!

I dusted off the ideas I’d sent my agent nearly a year ago plus one new one and sent them off to my editor the very next day.

My editor got back to me and liked one of the pitches, BUT it included a fire, and there are a few recent and/or popular books in this same genre with fires, so she hoped I could come up with something else to fill that piece of the story.

Cool, cool. I got it! A great idea! Twists and turns start firing immediately! I type up a brief pitch and send it off. More hope. More doubts. And then…my editor says I’ve somehow managed to pick the same plot element as another book she’s worked on that’s not even released yet! Try again.

I went back and forth a lot. Should I try returning to the heart of my idea? Abandon it completely? Haven’t all the GOOD ideas already been done before?

After some more back and forth on a new idea to replace the fire element, my editor gave me a green light to outline, but until I hear back from her on that, I’m in limbo before I can write it. I keep telling myself, Don’t get too excited about this idea, don’t get too attached.

I once had an agent tell me the end of Silent Sister was too similar to another book, so she turned it down. Molly, however, did not see it as an issue, and obviously my editor didn’t either. When querying or on sub, there’s hope you’ll find the right person for the story.

Unlike those stages, I am now collaborating from the beginning. On the one hand, it’s great to know these things before I write an entire book. On the other hand, it’s hard to get excited when I know an idea can be kicked down so easily.

My close writer friends know how exasperating these last few months have been trying to peg down this story. I had a book outlined with character profiles complete and color-coded spreadsheets ready to go for months so I could spend my summer off of school drafting book 2. Instead, I am facing the end of June without a word written.

It’s hard to remember that my plans and schedule may not align with reality, but it all happens for a reason. While I wait to hear back on this recent submission and when frustration settles in, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to work with such a great agent and such a caring editor. They both want to help me succeed, and even when it’s not on my timeline, this second book will get on the page, and eventually into readers’ hands.

Update: I forgot to send this at the end of June because I got the greenlight to write Book 2! My goal is to write 50,000 words in July (a full and badly written draft).