One of my last posts on this blog looked at how long it takes to write a book. The idea I tried to put out into the Interwebs was tied to the belief that small efforts over a relatively long period of time can lead to productivity and completed projects. Near the end of last month, I completed a draft manuscript for a project I'd been addressing on and off for about seven years. The topic is a West Virginia senator from the last century who is not named Robert C. Byrd, although Byrd shows up fairly frequently in the text.
The final manuscript draft was about 110,000 words, counting all notes and a bibliography. I received a confirmation that the editor I'd previously contacted had received the draft, along with a note that it would take a while to review. I fully anticipated that this would be the case. My hope is that he will be able to bring it up at his next board meeting so that the proposed book can be out within the next 18 months or so.
Of course, there is the possibility that the reviewers and the editor decide not to proceed, which would be disappointing. I have to say that I was pretty satisfied with the draft, although I'm absolutely sure that there will be revisions regardless.
I have a few ideas for the next project I'll submit, and I've started thinking/researching a couple of them. One is more theoretical, while the other would focus on the Spanish flu and resemble (at least to a degree) my previous book Big Pandemic on the Prairie. You can buy that book here. (Not an affiliate link.) Both of those would probably be about half the length of the most recent manuscript, so writing 500 words per day on those would lead to about 100 days of writing, although it's likely to take quite a bit longer for me to research and write them. However, looking it in those terms regarding words per day can make the process of writing a book seem much more manageable.
I'll be sure to update the progress of the submitted manuscript, and I may provide updates as to the progress on the other projects I'm looking into.
