Any news on Peace Talks

[123Chikadee]

Ah ok, then, I see. I just want it so bad, lol. Well hopefully when they are ready to announce that he's done, they state a date.

[Griffyn612]

The soonest possible date is probably November or December but that would involve the publisher spending a few buckets of extra money, parallel edits and copy edits, a lot of *really* tight deadlines and betting there won't be major revisions of the manuscript. I think the publication process can be condensed down to about three months (which I think is the plan for GRRM's book) but that assumes writing and editing can be done in parallel. Given that the Dresden Files are a single POV in rigid chronological order, I don't think that can be done.*

More likely is spring or summer of next year, which is what most of me hopes they'll do. It tends to make for a better book and is less likely to burn out the author. I'd rather Jim get back into the rhythm of regular releases than go into a major editing crunch just to get the book out a few months earlier.

*I don't know how Jim's writing process fits into editing or what state his submitted manuscript is in. But what I've heard about the more common methods is that edits in later chapters can often mean revising previous chapters to make it look like they knew what they were doing all along.

In the past, Jim has used Beta readers that get chapters as he goes.  They provide notes, so there are fewer surprises at the end.  I don't know if he's continued to use them or not, but it seems likely.  That should help with the editing turnaround.

Still seems likely that the end of the year would be the earliest, and early next year more likely.  Depends on if the publisher wants the sales sooner or later.  I imagine they'd bump someone else off the schedule for a sure #1 if they need the 2019 sales.

[Con]

I mean I'm hoping for a Christmas release. That would make sense for the publishers to push for.

[magnuskn]

From reddit, the turnaround time for prior books, after Jim posted "The End" on Twitter:

Skin Game: 191 days* (6.4 months)
Cold Days: 120 days (4 months)
Ghost Story: 109 days (3.6 months)
Changes: 93 days (3.1 months)
Turn Coat: 97 days (3.2 months)
Small Favor: 208 days (6.9 months)

[Bad Alias]

Storm Front: 86,961 words

Fool Moon: 102,149 words

Grave Peril: 116,932 words

Summer Knight: 111,764 words

Blood Rites: 121,308 words

Death Masks: 107,382 words

Dead Beat: 144,555 words

Proven Guilty: 154,598 words

White Night: 130,223 words

Small Favor: 139,798 words

Turn Coat: 141,745 words

Changes: 149,280 words

Ghost story: 162,899 words

Cold Days: 175,685 words

Skin Game: 151,922 words
https://www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/comments/29lhkq/word_count_for_all_books/.

From reddit, the turnaround time for prior books, after Jim posted "The End" on Twitter:

Skin Game: 191 days* (6.4 months) [151,922 words]
Cold Days: 120 days (4 months) [175,685 words]
Ghost Story: 109 days (3.6 months) [162,899 words]
Changes: 93 days (3.1 months) [149,280 words]
Turn Coat: 97 days (3.2 months) [141,745 words]
Small Favor: 208 days (6.9 months) [139,798 words]

I have to run. I haven't done the math, but it looks like there isn't much correlation between word count and time to publication. Good news?

[noblehunter]

It looks like Jim's publishers are quicker than I thought. Optimism!

Assuming the clusters of turnaround time have meaning, do we know of any distinguishing characteristics of Skin Game and Small Favors? It's not time since previous novel.

[nadia.skylark]

Assuming the clusters of turnaround time have meaning, do we know of any distinguishing characteristics of Skin Game and Small Favors? It's not time since previous novel.

Well, they both start with "S"

[Regenbogen]

Well, they both start with "S"

LOL
So, how long did it take for Proven Guilty?

[Bacail]

I'd love to see it on Halloween.  Would be perfect.

[g33k]

We can crunch the numbers any way we want, it's not like we can draw any real conclusions.

First, there isn't enough data to actually do any (valid) statistical analysis.

Second -- and much more important -- Jim isn't delivering his manuscript to some predictable, homogenous, PerfectEditingEngine.  The publisher won't slurp up the draft and PEE out a hardcover in 4.61829 months.

It's a bunch of PEOPLE.  What other projects have they got under way, because they cannot just put the whole business on-hold waiting for the next DF novel; not even a guaranteed hit is worth that!  Maybe his editor is going through a divorce of their own, or moving, or just lost a pet, or is undergoing gender-reassignment surgery.  I dunno, what other reasons has Jim given -- valid, understandable reasons -- for being so much slower to complete this draft?  Maybe Jim's editor isn't playing "Keeping up with the Butchers," maybe they aren't hitting EVERY hardship Jim hit en route to finishing this draft.  Maybe they've got it worse.  We have no real way of knowing.  (n.b. I don't remember all of Jim's (very good!) reasons; I may have forgotten one or two, or added-in one or two that didn't actually happen to him).

 

[wardenferry419]

This is my good news of the day! Still hoping for Oct 31 but I will be happy with Turkey day or X-Mas!

[pcpoet]

I think release date will  have more to do with looking for a release date that fits....you don't want the release date being the same week as George R Martins Game of thrones or another major urban fantasy novel.

[noblehunter]

We can crunch the numbers any way we want, it's not like we can draw any real conclusions.

First, there isn't enough data to actually do any (valid) statistical analysis.

Second -- and much more important -- Jim isn't delivering his manuscript to some predictable, homogenous, PerfectEditingEngine.  The publisher won't slurp up the draft and PEE out a hardcover in 4.61829 months.

It's a bunch of PEOPLE.  What other projects have they got under way, because they cannot just put the whole business on-hold waiting for the next DF novel; not even a guaranteed hit is worth that!  Maybe his editor is going through a divorce of their own, or moving, or just lost a pet, or is undergoing gender-reassignment surgery.  I dunno, what other reasons has Jim given -- valid, understandable reasons -- for being so much slower to complete this draft?  Maybe Jim's editor isn't playing "Keeping up with the Butchers," maybe they aren't hitting EVERY hardship Jim hit en route to finishing this draft.  Maybe they've got it worse.  We have no real way of knowing.  (n.b. I don't remember all of Jim's (very good!) reasons; I may have forgotten one or two, or added-in one or two that didn't actually happen to him).

True. But I'd hoped for a visible reason for some books to take six months instead of three to four; like apparently delivered on schedule vs apparently late. There are so many factors in publishing schedules, it was a forlorn hope but I thought I'd ask.

[Mr. Death]

I think release date will  have more to do with looking for a release date that fits....you don't want the release date being the same week as George R Martins Game of thrones

Pretty sure that we don't have to worry about until, like, maybe the 20th DF novel.

[Bad Alias]

We can crunch the numbers any way we want, it's not like we can draw any real conclusions.

I was just wondering if there even was a pattern, or a somewhat tight range that the books fell into.