Time for a Change

I made the difficult decision last week to remove some of my titles from circulation. Not an easy or overnight decision by any means—I spent many months reaching that conclusion. With the closure of one publisher now was as good a time as any to reconsider some of my older works. Those I've withdrawn no longer represent me. I've improved and my style has changed. I may re-release some after an edit but I'm happy to let others rest for now, if not indefinitely. I wrote a few books I never intended to write, owing to the muse and opportunity. I regret none of them—they were all a learning experience—but my interests have grown, as have the possibilities.

To some writers, particularly those still seeking publication, the decision to withdraw books from the market may sound surprising. No one warns you of the heartache when a good publisher closes, or having to make the sometimes heartrending choices, and this was definitely one of those. I was pleased and proud to hear their door remains open. This re-enforces the fact they were a wonderful group to work with and tells me they've appreciated the stories I produced for them. Didn't make parting ways any easier.

The simple truth is some older works can do more harm than good, particularly when the writing has improved so much as to be almost unrecognisable. I don't mean the older work is necessarily poor, but the difference can be so great it may influence someone's decision to hire the writer, and there can be many factors too many to bother mentioning here. If a work weighs heavily on the writer, if there's a smidgen of doubt, the best thing can be to put the work to bed. In the matter of love it's sometimes said the heart wants what the heart wants. It's a peculiar lesson for the writer to realise the same can be said of one's writing.