An Experiment

I finally got my contract for my three-book deal from Random House. This is the first time I've ever had a contract negotiated for me by an agent. In the past I never read my contracts, just signed them without giving them so much as a glance, and mailed them back. One time, I mailed the contract back without even signing it, so much was I in a hurry to clinch the deal and get my check.

This time I did glance at the contract - not the money part, or all the four hundred thousand possible sub-rights that are being sold and what percentage split I get for every one - but at the due dates for the three manuscripts. The first date has already past (May 3), but that's okay as the book was submitted on time and I'm working on revisions now. The due date for the second book is August 30. And the due date for the third book is September 15. Of this year! Two weeks after the due date for the second book. Each book is supposed to be 25,000 words, around 125 pages in my Courier font.

I assumed it was a mistake. Was I really supposed to write a whole entire book in two weeks? But I just checked with my agent, and apparently it isn't a mistake! He told me that I might be able to get another month, though, if I need it.

I'm used to writing books in a VERY leisurely manner: a page a day, handwritten early in the morning, with pages slowing mounting up as the months go by. So this is going to be an experiment. Will I like writing books quickly, generating huge quantities of pages every day? Maybe. I think I might. I'll have to see. But I don't think I'll be writing any OTHER books between now and September!