author

Do Authors Ever Reread Their Own Books?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 19th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Last week, a friend messaged me that she was reading How It Feels to Fly. I was positively thrilled to hear it! My second published book holds a very special place in my heart, and it never really found a wide audience. As this friend was reading, she updated me a few times on where she was in the story. And as I read her updates, I got the strangest urge: 

I kind of wanted to reread my own book. 

I haven't read How it Feels to Fly, in full, since probably 2015. That would have been when I did my final proofreading pass before the book was sent to print. I read excerpts of it, sure—at readings and signings, or when I needed to double-check how I'd written something to talk about the story for promotional purposes—but I never reread the entire book. 

Each book in an author's career is a snapshot of the moment in time in which it was written. I have grown and changed a lot over the past decade, and there are things I would do differently if I wrote either The Distance Between Lost and Found or How It Feels to Fly today. I'm a better writer, for starters. I approach my craft with even more care. But also, my mindset on some topics has evolved. And the world is a different place. And the publishing industry has changed. 

Looking back—rereading something that's technically finished but could be better—can honestly be a bit frustrating.

On top of that, in the case of a book that "underperformed" (which How It Feels to Fly did, per my publisher), there's an ever-present wonder: could I have written a more marketable version of this idea? Hindsight is 20/20—and hindsight loves to tell me that, if I'd done a few things differently, I might have had the YA ballet book of the mid-2010s that got turned into a Netflix series. (Shout-out to Tiny Pretty Things!)

For all of those reasons (and probably others I haven't thought of), most authors I know don't often reread their work, once it's been published. 

The Class Critters books have been an exception to this rule, because I've been reading them to my daughter. Do I think what got printed is perfect? No. There are sentences I stumble over and wish I could rewrite. Plot points I could sharpen. But overall, I am happy with the finished product. I'm proud of those books, even upon rereading.  

Would I feel the same about How It Feels to Fly, were I to give in to my urge to reread it now? I sure hope so. 

(Sidebar: yes, sometimes older books can be edited and reissued. That's not going to happen for me and my books...unless I become wildly famous sometime in the next few years! So, um, get on that, fans... ;) 

Even as we promote our published work, authors have to keep looking forward. We have to keep chasing the next opportunity. The next title our readers will fall in love with. The next potential bestseller. The next story that will consume us until we've made it exist, wrenching it from nothing onto a printed page.  

The biggest piece of advice on what to do while you're waiting for one book to publish (or even to be considered for publication) is always "Write the next book." Look forward, not back. 

But I still feel that urge to reread How It Feels to Fly. I'm pretty far removed from the early days of my career, when that book's "underperformance" felt like the end of everything. And it might be interesting to revisit that version of myself, that particular snapshot in time (which is itself a snapshot, in many ways, of my teenage years). And maybe, sometimes, it's useful to remind yourself of how you've grown. How far you've come. 

If you're an author, do you ever go back and reread your early books? If you're a creator, do you like to revisit past projects? Or do you keep your eyes forward?

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: A few historical romance novels that appeared in my library queue all at once, after being on hold for many weeks! 

Watching: My husband and I have started "Silo" on AppleTV+. It's a sci-fi story with humans living in an enormous bunker, unable to go outside...or can they? Are they being kept in the silo for a reason? I haven't read the books the series is based on, so I can't speak to it as an adaptation, but two episodes in I am pretty intrigued by the story and the mystery. 

Loving: Spending a chill Mother's Day with my kiddo and husband. Brunch and playground for the win!

Being a Writer vs. Being an Author

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on October 7th, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

One of my professors in grad school, author and editor David Levithan, used to say that being a writer and being an author were two different hats.

Back then, circa 2008-2010 and several years before I would sell my first book, I was desperate to become an author. I saw my writing life as a clear before and after, with publication as the turning point that would, since we're using this metaphor, finally give me that new hat I'd been coveting. But David's point wasn't that before publication you are a writer, whereas after, you are an author. His point was that they are actually two different jobs.

A writer's job is to write. To dream. To create.

An author's job is, well...everything else. The author shows up to book events. The author does social media. The author writes email newsletters. (Hi! *waves*) The author creates marketing graphics. The author orders swag, like bookmarks and stickers, and hands them out to anyone who seems even a tiny bit interested. The author visits bookstores and signs books. The author emails school librarians to set up school visits. Unless you're in the context of a creative writing class or workshop, it's the author who's speaking to readers.

This year, I have been wearing my author hat a whole lot more than my writer hat. That's partially been by design: I had two new books release in 2022, and I'm trying to get my series off the ground. In general, authors these days have much more marketing work on their plate than in years past. (Thanks, social media...) Publishers highlight a few titles a season—generally those by big names, with proven track records, or else books with undeniable public appeal—and the rest of the authors are given the bare minimum. It can feel like sink or swim. That author hat I longed to wear...it's heavier than I imagined.

That doesn't mean it's all bad! Connecting with readers is the absolute best. I'm loving doing school visits for Class Critters. Visiting stores and signing books and talking to booksellers—it's so rewarding. But the work of an author is work.

And it's a different kind of work than the work of a writer.

Since MarcyKate and I turned in our latest revision of The Thirteenth Circle right before Labor Day, I've done very little creative writing. I've been focused on Class Critters promotion and then an array of freelance article deadlines. In fact, other than a few picture book manuscripts, I haven't written any new fiction this entire year. And lately, I've really, really missed it.

But last week, I took a walk with my friend Lance (check out his amazing YA books!) and we chatted about one of my middle-grade manuscripts. He'd read it back in March/April, and had offered me some tricky feedback. At the time, I'd had neither the hours in the day nor the energy to devote to fixing the problems he'd pointed out. Well, after our walk last Friday, that book was back on my radar. And a few days ago, while staring out the window...I suddenly knew how to solve the issue he'd pointed out. Seriously, I just knew.

And I immediately opened that document. And I started from page one, with Lance's notes and my solution in mind. And it felt so good.

I had on my writer hat.

Since that morning, I haven't wanted to take that hat off. (I've had to, though—re: the aforementioned freelance deadlines and Critters promo.) In fact, I'm setting a goal for myself for the remainder of the year: don't let the creative work fall by the wayside. I know we've got another Thirteenth Circle revision coming, but when I'm not doing that, I want to see if I can finish revising this other middle-grade manuscript. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll try starting something entirely new.

To bring this metaphor to a close, there has to be a place for multiple hats on my hatrack. I'm a writer and an author. (And a mom, and a wife, and a freelance journalist, and a dancer, etc.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to put my writer hat back on. After all, this book won't revise itself.

~Kathryn

Below: Wearing my (invisible) author hat at the Maplewood South Orange Book Festival this past Sunday! I had a wonderful time talking to young readers—and sold a lot of books!

What I'm:

Reading: Well, I officially DNFed (Did Not Finish) the book I wasn't enjoying last week. I tried for a few more days, and just couldn't keep going. (This is rare for me!) I cleansed my palate with a couple romance novels I had in my library queue. As I write this, I'm reading Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren.

Watching: "The Great British Bake-Off" is back, huzzah, but I've also been watching the junior version on Netflix. These kids are adorable and amazing! Some of them seem like genuine baking prodigies, while others might not be as polished but have a love for baking that is undeniable. Plus, the judges are so warm and kind. It's possible that I want all of the contestants to win. (Though I do have a favorite! Or, as this is British TV, a favourite??)

Loving: My street had a block party last Saturday afternoon. My daughter strolled out our front door with confidence, saying, "I'm going to get my face painted. I'm going to be a tiger." I told her I didn't know if there would be face-painting, but...sure enough, there was. She found the booth, sat down, and made her request. May all our wishes so easily come true.