250 Weeks of Goblin Quest
As I was adding my Bookscan numbers to my big old Excel Spreadsheet of Sales (yes, I’m a data geek), I realized last week marked exactly 250 weeks since Goblin Quest [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy] first started showing up in bookstores.
That was an odd realization. It’s been not quite five years since the biggest shift in my career… In some respects it feels like a long time. There are circles where I feel like one of the old pros, watching the new kids with their fancy e-books and their new-fangled urban steampunk pararomances and their social media. In other ways, I still feel like a brand new author trying to figure out how to make a career of this.
Some random factoids about Goblin Quest…
- I started writing the book on November 1, 2000, as part of a Novel Dare with some friends.
- I finished the first draft on December 7, 2000. (I was unemployed at the time, so I could spend a lot of time writing.)
- After a three week break, I started revising on January 1, 2001.
- I wrapped up revision after about two weeks, and submitted my first four query letters on January 16, 2001.
- My first rejection letter showed up on January 30, 2001.
- I submitted to a total of 39 agents and publishers over the next few years, and was rejected by almost all of them.
- The first acceptance arrived on January 7, 2004 from Five Star Books … three years after I finished the book. (We sold the book to DAW in early 2006.)
- Goblin Quest has been published in Russian, German, French, Polish, and Czech. (We almost had a Hebrew edition as well, but that fell through.)
- The book has earned out its U.S. advance twice over, and is currently in its sixth printing with DAW. Its two sequels also earned out their advances and gone back for multiple printings.
Not bad for a nearsighted goblin runt and his pet fire-spider, eh? So much has changed since then … it makes me wonder where I’ll be in another five years.
D. Moonfire
August 17, 2011 @ 10:19 am
It’s amazing when you look back and remember the early struggles. I hope to do that again some day, this time with the succeeds that you have. Gives me a goal because I love the Goblin series.
I’ll also admit, I feel that I missed out something when I had two things rejected by Five Star Books. I keep hearing about them in the circles I listen to and I was sad my writing wasn’t good enough when I was submitting to them. *sigh* Oh well, I just have to get better.
Jim C. Hines
August 17, 2011 @ 10:49 am
Five Star was an interesting experience. No bookstore distribution, but they did pretty well with library sales. I was very disappointed when they stopped doing SF/F titles.
mattw
August 17, 2011 @ 11:49 am
The goblin books are great. No wonder you’ve found success with them.
Seeing your timeline above made me wonder about your revision process, since I’m starting that on a novel I’m working on. Have you talked much about your revision process here before? How do you balance revision with working on new projects, and how does it fit into your regular writing schedule?
Jim C. Hines
August 17, 2011 @ 11:51 am
Matt – thank you!
Goblin Quest was in many ways a fluke. I’ve never written and revised a book that quickly before or since, but at the time, I was unemployed and had just moved back to Michigan, so there was no real social life going on either.
For years now, I’ve been doing roughly one book a year. It takes about 3-4 months to do the first draft. I usually do one or two complete rewrites, starting from a blank page. Each of those take another 3 months or so. Then I go through the book a few more times to fix it up before turning it in to my agent and editor. (There are more revisions that come after I get their feedback.)
It all fits into that same one-hour lunch break each day, though I do squeeze in a little evening/weekend writing when deadlines start getting uncomfortably close.
D. Moonfire
August 17, 2011 @ 1:31 pm
Just curious since I’m in the middle of finishing up a book. Did you use a professional editor outside of the publishing company or just went with Five Star’s services?
Jim C. Hines
August 17, 2011 @ 1:33 pm
Five Star edited the book, just like any other commercial publisher would do.
I’ve never hired an outside or freelance editor; that’s always been done in-house.
D. Moonfire
August 17, 2011 @ 1:59 pm
Doesn’t hurt to ask. My only experience with publishers didn’t do any editing except for simple reformatting.
MaxineMF
August 17, 2011 @ 7:47 pm
*sigh* Three years before your book was accepted. I’m still working on my final draft (trying to shuffle that between being fastfood employee and getting a college education sucks!). :3 But this timeline was very interesting.
Back to you, though: I’m really glad that someone did pick up your book finally. The series was a delightful read and I’m SO glad that I found it. It attracted me because it was so different. Between The Squire’s Tale (Gerald Morris) and Goblin Quest I chose yours and I’ve never regretted the decision. (I’m sure I’ll hit up Morris eventually.)
Once I shrink my Current Reads list I’m definitely going to hit your Princess Series. You’re a marvelous writer and I hope you keep at it! More importantly, I’m glad that you didn’t give up and you continued to send your letters in. … especially after three years. Dear Lord I hope I can be as tenacious -_-; BUT! I first have to finish my book before I can even start crossing that bridge.
Jim C. Hines
August 17, 2011 @ 8:25 pm
Yeah, publishing is many things, but it’s rarely quick. I’m happy to have stuck it out, but the waiting can get really painful sometimes.
And thank you! I very much appreciate the kind words.
Best of luck with your own books! (And with college!)