Here’s why I believe 512 titles over the next forty years is not only not impossible but actually not that much of a stretch even for me.
Assume 512 titles = 412 novels and 100 shorter works
The Numbers…
412 novels x 50,000 words = 20,600,000 words
100 shorts x 10,000 words = 1,000,000 words
20,600,000 words + 1,000,000 words = 21,600,000 words
21,600,000 words / 40 years / 365 days = 1,480 words per day average (To be precise: 1,479.452055)
I had already decided to do my best to start averaging 1,667 words a day. That’s what I want to reach in 2015, and if I do, it’ll be more than enough words to put me on the right pace to meet the 512 titles goal someday.
I’m excited by this goal. Motivated. And frankly, a little shocked at how reasonable it is for the long-term. No more 4,000 to 5,000 word averages necessary. No more struggling for 100,000 words a month. This is a great goal for someone like me, who writes quite slowly but doesn’t have to do a lot of revision, meaning that if I have a 1,667 daily average over the course of a month, then I know I’ll have a book ready to publish at the end of that month.
Now, my biggest obstacle’s going to be to increase my average daily word count. Right now I’m at 693 words a day, which is just a bit shy of 1/2 of the daily word count average I need for the 512 titles pace. So, hey, even if I don’t succeed in increasing my daily word count average by anything at all I’m still on pace to get halfway there. Now that’s something to think about.