Another question issued by coercion. This one comes from Asher B. in White Plains, NY, the series editor on Tales of Ciel:

Do you always draft an entire trilogy before publishing the first book?

A little context here. Asher edited the first two books in Tales of Ciel and will be editing the third as soon as I’m confident in the second draft.

In short: No. It’s atypical (but not unheard of) in traditional publishing for an author to complete a full trilogy or series before releasing the first book. Releasing each book as soon as it’s ready makes sense from a business perspective, since these writers are working against advances that they may or may not earn out in royalties. The editorial and production timelines are also sloooooow, so it makes sense to get each manuscript in the publisher’s hands as fast as possible. In independent publishing, the incentives are different.

Aesthetically, there are some real advantages to drafting an entire trilogy before the first release. Stories grow in the telling, and the final book in a trilogy doesn’t always pan out exactly how you expect when you start writing Book 1. If you publish the first book before you finish the last, you run the risk of boxing yourself in. It’s a lot easier to write yourself out of a bind if you can go back to the beginning and give the story a little nip/tuck for symmetry. If I discover the resolution to a particular conflict in Book 3 seems unearned, I can go back into Books 1 and 2 and lay the groundwork to make that resolution more satisfying. If I find a secondary character claiming more page space than expected in Book 3 (this does happen), I can go back into Books 1 and 2 and sprinkle her in. That way, she doesn’t jump out of nowhere with a pot of plot gold like a leprechaun at the end of a convenient rainbow.

So, no. I’ve never written this way before, but I don’t hate it. I may not always have the luxury to work this deliberately going forward, but it does lead to a tighter trilogy.

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