Who knew there were so many tactical decisions in a writer’s life? As earlier posts attest, I keep having to make decisions. The gentle escapism into the creative craft is only the first step on a long journey. My dilemma may strike a chord with you. The decision I have to make now is whether to continue the serialised publication of A Prize of Sovereigns. Sixteen chapters have already appeared, and I’m committed to publication of the first 24. Do I agree to the next 12 (which would mean around three quarters of the book has been published online)?

I made up a list of pros and cons. I consulted friends. The pros are:

• Since I’ve decided to switch to pitching my mystery novel The Golden Illusion, it will continue to provide exposure for A Prize of Sovereigns and a readership for my work.
• Some publishers like to see demonstration that a book has enjoyed online success
• Along with the serialisation, the book gets an edit

The cons are:

• The readership this site attracts is not large. The first 12 chapters attracted 555 unique page views, and about 20 regular readers
• Some publishers will not touch a book which has already appeared online
• The edit is a micro copy-edit, not a strategic macro-edit.

Decisions, decisions!