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BookJunkieLI · 02-19-2016, 11:07 AM

I write fanfiction. I have also written a full length novel. I know a number of writers - both fanfiction and professional.

Most full-time writers, with no other job, average at least 5 to 10k words a day 5 days a week unless they're working heavily on revisions or plotting.
Most part-time writers, working part-time, can average about 1 to 5k words a day, more on weekends.
Let's take the 5k average. 5k times 5 days is 25k words a week. That's 100k words in a month. Depending on the genre the average novel length is 65k to 80k. Harlequins tend to be in the 55 to 70k range while Science Fiction and Fantasy tend to be in the 90k and higher range. Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series averages in the 100 to 125k range. Which means an author could have a rough draft written once a month. So given time for revisions and editing, then yes, it's possible to produce four or even more novels in a year.

There are, of course, exceptions to this. I personally know two writers who regularly churn out 40k or more words a day. By regularly I mean more than once a week. Is it all great work immediately ready for publication? Hell no, but that's why it's called a rough draft.

As for being able to keep up that kind of pace? It's called a job. Writers who take their craft seriously and don't prattle on about the "muse" and being "inspired" sit their butts in a chair and write for set amounts of time every day. If they're a full-time writer they typically portion out their day for specific tasks with actually writing being the major portion of their workday.

All writers produce clunkers along with polished gems. Anyone who claims they haven't is lying. But saying that all of an author's work must be crap if they have a high-production volume is disingenuous and tells me you haven't bothered to read any of their work. I have read Mercedes Lackey and Barbara Cartland and Nora Roberts. Actually I've works by all of the authors I mentioned in my first post. And I will admit Cartland's novels were a little simplistic but that doesn't make them bad. But let's look at some other authors who haven't been so prolific to have produced 100s of works but have produced over 50.

Stephen King
Agatha Christie
Joyce Carol Oates
Anne McCaffrey
Erle Stanley Gardner

I dare you to tell me all of their work is crap.

edited: Nevermind on Piers Anthony. It's been decades since I've read his work and due to my age at the time hadn't noticed certain 'themes' in his work that are just creepy.

02-19-2016, 11:07 AM	#42
BookJunkieLI Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 572984 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Long Island Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle 4, Nook Gl4, Nook STR, REB 1100, Ebookwise 1500,	I write fanfiction. I have also written a full length novel. I know a number of writers - both fanfiction and professional. Most full-time writers, with no other job, average at least 5 to 10k words a day 5 days a week unless they're working heavily on revisions or plotting. Most part-time writers, working part-time, can average about 1 to 5k words a day, more on weekends. Let's take the 5k average. 5k times 5 days is 25k words a week. That's 100k words in a month. Depending on the genre the average novel length is 65k to 80k. Harlequins tend to be in the 55 to 70k range while Science Fiction and Fantasy tend to be in the 90k and higher range. Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series averages in the 100 to 125k range. Which means an author could have a rough draft written once a month. So given time for revisions and editing, then yes, it's possible to produce four or even more novels in a year. There are, of course, exceptions to this. I personally know two writers who regularly churn out 40k or more words a day. By regularly I mean more than once a week. Is it all great work immediately ready for publication? Hell no, but that's why it's called a rough draft. As for being able to keep up that kind of pace? It's called a job. Writers who take their craft seriously and don't prattle on about the "muse" and being "inspired" sit their butts in a chair and write for set amounts of time every day. If they're a full-time writer they typically portion out their day for specific tasks with actually writing being the major portion of their workday. All writers produce clunkers along with polished gems. Anyone who claims they haven't is lying. But saying that all of an author's work must be crap if they have a high-production volume is disingenuous and tells me you haven't bothered to read any of their work. I have read Mercedes Lackey and Barbara Cartland and Nora Roberts. Actually I've works by all of the authors I mentioned in my first post. And I will admit Cartland's novels were a little simplistic but that doesn't make them bad. But let's look at some other authors who haven't been so prolific to have produced 100s of works but have produced over 50. Stephen King Agatha Christie Joyce Carol Oates Anne McCaffrey Erle Stanley Gardner I dare you to tell me all of their work is crap. edited: Nevermind on Piers Anthony. It's been decades since I've read his work and due to my age at the time hadn't noticed certain 'themes' in his work that are just creepy. Last edited by BookJunkieLI; 02-19-2016 at 01:47 PM.