Retreat in the Heart of Darjeeling

Whoever said that writing a book was like having a baby was probably not correct.  (Do I hear a sigh of relief from the wonderful mothers I know?)  Granted there are a few similarities but hopefully not the associated physical pain.

The question I am asked most often is, “How long did it take you to write your book?”  It’s a great question and one I answer differently every time, though each answer is correct.

Issa–The Greatest Story Never Told is a work of historical fiction.  Therefore, the research alone was lengthy.  My colleague, Fred Peck, spent a year or two compiling material on the Kushan civilization while I focused on Jesus and his “lost years” not accounted for in the Bible.

Next came producing a draft.  I was working full-time then and my creative hours were limited to early mornings, evenings, and vacations.  The draft was probably twelve months in the making.

Whew!  I thought I had reached a major milestone.  In retrospect, it was more like the .25 mile-marker on a hiking trail.  I was just starting up the mountain!

Now we moved into the phase of editing, editing, and editing.  Then came reviews, input, and fact-checking followed by more editing and editing.  There was the additional writing of front-material, end-material, and more editing.  I mustn’t forget the rewriting of portions and then more editing.  In the end, it was worth it and I realized that the author is a small portion of a book and the assistance of many others creates a much better result.  This reworking phase took a year or two.

So, from concept to the printed book, the time-frame for Issa was about four years.

And then, there is promotion.  I’m on a learning-curve here, but I’m realizing that completing a book is just the beginning!  I have an illusion that in the old days (such as Jane Austen’s time) all you had to do was put a book in the shop window and people would buy it.  This was probably never true, however today your book must get attention in a sea of material in all forms of media.  Daunting, yet hopeful. 

If you are a first-time author considering the plunge my recommendation is, “Go for it!”  You will be glad that you did.