Book 10 of Shannon Messenger’s very engaging Keeper of the Lost Cities series is coming. But we don’t know when.
And neither does she.
According to a social media post I found on Reddit, she’s delaying the release again (was supposed to be Fall 2023) because, again, she’s having a baby.
And fair enough! Bravo to her.
This is not a piece complaining about someone prioritizing their real, actual life over art they’ve committed to create. But rather, it struck me that putting yourself out there and stating ambitious plans is a BIG thing.
I’ve no doubt she will write Book 10. But I also suspect that when she got midway through writing Book 9 and realized she couldn’t wrap up the story in that book, she didn’t think it would be years and two kids later when she finally, presumably did.
This is on my mind in a different way thanks to Adriana Tica’s latest newsletter, where she talked about “the subscription economy.”
She made the good point that if you offer Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime subscription options—and the Lifetime option is more expensive than 3 years on Yearly but cheaper than 4—you better make sure you keep doing/offering your thing for at least 4 years.
And I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t take a commitment to keeping something going as is (or better) for 4 years lightly.
Doable, yes. But make sure you’re sure!
Committed,
James
P.S. I’m on Book 4, reading to the kids. My son has read it all and is the reason I know when Book 10 is/isn’t coming, lol.
Recent Comments