AMOL progress and excitement...

[Terez]

No, it doesn't.

[nojnomad]

75% baby!

 

Brandon must be working in a bunch of those chunks that have been pre-written.

 

This is only the first draft but the sooner the first draft is complete the sooner they can get down to polishing this to be the best book of the series.

[nojnomad]

80%

He is showing some steady work on this.

At least he is working on gettin this done...

[mbuehner]

He's going to finish the book and Tor is going to sit on it until a prime selling season. Hopefully not next christmas.

[shadowofomioc]

I was somewhere that Harriet will want 6 months of editing time for this book.

So whenever it hits 100%, you can expect it to hit 6 months later.

Very dissapointing though. Did he ever say how big this final book would be? I remember reading his story about the last book being split into 3, but that was what 750k words? I'm sure he is close to that by now with these last 2 books.

 

Something tells me he got to the end and couldnt stop writing lol. And now he has most of RJ's stuff to work off of so the final 20% should go by even faster. May be done by Christmas with this draft.

 

I'm guessing next Christmas for the release.

 

This will give 6 months of pure editing and polishing - rewriting etc. And 6 full months of TOR hype train building. Web commercials, trailers, chapter teases, etc.

[Orderofolde]

I don't know...everyone's writing style and habits are different. I can sit down and in five hours burn off 6700 words, that's 11 pages btw on a word processor not spaced for dialog breaks. But when it hits 100% that's when the real editing starts. Already he's having editing going and continuity checked, but once it hits 100% they get the whole 1st draft. Part of the editing problem is that people have seen bits and pieces so often, commented and gone back and forth with it, it gets easy for them to miss typos and saidin/saidar flip-flops. They want to have extra time and probably bring more people in on polishing it up. 6 Months from the finish I'd wager to get the final draft approved, then it goes to the printers, printing occurs, then we get ARC's sent out to the "beta" readers, more corrections if needed, then we get down to the hardbacks printing with the final go-ahead, distribution through warehouses, they hit stores anywhere from 2 weeks to the day before the sell-date.

 

It's more like 8 months from completion of the first draft unless they really run it through printing and distribution, and in this economy with $29.95 hardbacks being pre-ordered at $19.95 or less, I don't expect to see it sooner. It may seem callous, but like with all things today it's all about business, I won't define it any further, we all know what drives business. I'll be happy though being able to buy in advance the Prologue and reading the chapters they are bound to let us nibble on as we draw closer. Hopefully there's another bonus chapter the fandom can earn with another hunt!

[Bob T Dwarf]

I don't know...everyone's writing style and habits are different. I can sit down and in five hours burn off 6700 words, that's 11 pages btw on a word processor not spaced for dialog breaks. But when it hits 100% that's when the real editing starts. Already he's having editing going and continuity checked, but once it hits 100% they get the whole 1st draft. Part of the editing problem is that people have seen bits and pieces so often, commented and gone back and forth with it, it gets easy for them to miss typos and saidin/saidar flip-flops. They want to have extra time and probably bring more people in on polishing it up. 6 Months from the finish I'd wager to get the final draft approved, then it goes to the printers, printing occurs, then we get ARC's sent out to the "beta" readers, more corrections if needed, then we get down to the hardbacks printing with the final go-ahead, distribution through warehouses, they hit stores anywhere from 2 weeks to the day before the sell-date.

 

It's more like 8 months from completion of the first draft unless they really run it through printing and distribution, and in this economy with $29.95 hardbacks being pre-ordered at $19.95 or less, I don't expect to see it sooner. It may seem callous, but like with all things today it's all about business, I won't define it any further, we all know what drives business. I'll be happy though being able to buy in advance the Prologue and reading the chapters they are bound to let us nibble on as we draw closer. Hopefully there's another bonus chapter the fandom can earn with another hunt!

 

By the end, Jordan was quoted as saying it was 60 days from when he finished writing until the First Editions hit the shelves.

 

TOR has never given a hoot about typos or errors up until now, and frankly this whole series has already run ten years past its "sell-by" date. Slowing its release by even a week will only cost the publisher money, and he's proven himself to be one to get all he can as quickly as he can. I don't expect him to change his spots now.

[Razor]

90%

[Kadere]

From Brandon's twitter.

 

Sorry to vanish for a few days, folks. Been making a big push to get #AMoL done. Still a lot of work to do, but the end is in sight.

 

Cautiously moving the #AMoL progress bar up to 90% done, reflecting work finished this week and last.

 

This last 10% is going to be tough to call. I'm not ready to put in the chunk that RJ wrote yet. We're close, but not there yet. #AMoL.

[Suttree]

By the end, Jordan was quoted as saying it was 60 days from when he finished writing until the First Editions hit the shelves.

 

Can't say for sure but from what I've read on the topic, what RJ would turn in was faaaar more polished than anything BS has been submitting up to aMoL given the time constraints he has been working under. In addition that doesn't even take into account the fact that it's not originally his world.

 

Luckers could you help us out here and explain better?

[nojnomad]

YEAH!

Does a happy snoopy dance.

[myth87]

I'm of mixed views. I can easily see them holding out for a fall 2012 release date. The first 2 were released in the fall and the suspense and extras they could put out would get us all more hyped up than we already are.

 

That said I hope they look at it and decide to get it out asap. We have waited a long time and BS has other projects he wants and needs to be thinking about. Therefore, I am holding out hope they do the right thing and we see it by June at the latest.

[Rcurran]

It wasn't a six month turn around the last two books and I can't see this being different. This is not a new series, 99% of people buying the hard back book will have read all the others and have been waiting for years - waiting tip Xmas 2012 is mad.

[nojnomad]

Don't you mean maddening?

If so then I agree.

But isn't that just all part of the experience?

[michael.clinton83]

Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!

[Suttree]

This is the final work upon which Robert Jordan's legacy will be judged. The problems with TGS and ToM have been well documented. There is no choice but to take as much time needed to put out the very best work possible.

[Bobaganoosh_30]

90% OMG

[Bobaganoosh_30]

I say we all ban together, and go to his house, and take him, and beat it out of him. Opps, did I just think that out loud. I would like to say I'm just kidding, but this Nov 2012 date is down right wrong. Make some loyal fans wait longer so you can make more money off it during the Holidays. Do alot of people randomly buy the 14th book of a series, and have never read any of the other 13 books, for someone for a present? That doesn't seem likely. The majority of buyers will be loyal fans, and they will buy it regardless of the time of year. I think I'm not gonna buy it until 2013, or maybe ever, just in spite. I'll let my cousin read his, and then I will borrow that one. If I can wait until Nov 2012, then what will a couple of days hurt while I wait for my bro to read it. Please, do not give me that, Brandon needs time story, he already stated he would have it done around January. Blah, disappointed in Harriet and Tor.

[Rose]

The extra time is not for the writing. It's for the editing. There were lots of complaints about how full of typos TOM was, and that's because they rushed it. They don't want to rush it this time, and I sure hope they'll take as much time as they need. This is the LAST book. Everybody wants it to be as perfect as possible. If that means taking a little longer, then so be it. I'll be happy to wait.

[Suttree]

The extra time is not for the writing. It's for the editing. There were lots of complaints about how full of typos TOM was, and that's because they rushed it. They don't want to rush it this time, and I sure hope they'll take as much time as they need. This is the LAST book. Everybody wants it to be as perfect as possible. If that means taking a little longer, then so be it. I'll be happy to wait.

 

and it wasn't just typos, the quality of the writing suffered a great deal due to how rushed the first two books were.

[NetSlider]

I personally think that if time is needed to write a better book than I'm all for it. But to me it still seems a bit excessive 12 months for editing. I mean, if you have 1-2 editors working 8 hours per day, does a project like this really takes a whole year? What's the industry average, I wonder?

 

I'm not trying to be too critical of BS at all, I think he's doing a great job even if some things are not perfect (he's not RJ; not that RJ is better, it was simply his world). But to me it seems that BS is working really hard to write the book and than the editing process takes a long (if not longer) than writing the book? Seems weird.

[Rose]

I probably won't be a full 12 months. Keep in mind that he's not even done with the 1st draft yet, and now that he's on tour, it's going to slow him down. Let's says he's done by the end of the month, though. That's not when the editing starts. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I understood that he will be starting right away on his second draft without giving it to the editors to work on. No I have no idea how long that takes, but it seems likely that the editors won't get the book until early 2012. That's when the real editing will start. Give it 8 months for the editing (a bit longer than normal, due to wanting it to be really really good), then add the promo time during which they send out advanced copies and stuff. November of 2012 seems reasonable.

[Suttree]

I probably won't be a full 12 months. Keep in mind that he's not even done with the 1st draft yet, and now that he's on tour, it's going to slow him down. Let's says he's done by the end of the month, though. That's not when the editing starts. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I understood that he will be starting right away on his second draft without giving it to the editors to work on. No I have no idea how long that takes, but it seems likely that the editors won't get the book until early 2012. That's when the real editing will start. Give it 8 months for the editing (a bit longer than normal, due to wanting it to be really really good), then add the promo time during which they send out advanced copies and stuff. November of 2012 seems reasonable.

 

Correct, per BS' assistant the more polished draft like what RJ used to do(first time BS is doing it this way) will be turned in sometime around the NY...then there are still more rounds of revision to go sent back and forth before the final editing process can begin.

[Rcurran]

Ach I don't agree with the sentiment that the book needs more time so to speak it's simply going to be Tor and the editing team being slow and Brandon twiddling his thumbs as he waits about. He'll be feeling like his productivity has taken a massive hit. I'm a little surprised that they're not saying the editing time will be reduced given Brandon will be doing a second draft, as he is actually a fast worker. Tor needs to work a bit smarter like digital editing to get it done quicker. Collaborative documents etc. If im not mistaken RJ was not a digital man, Brandon is, therefore needs less time.

[Gathering Storman Norman]

I'm sure BS won't sit idol while hoid work is being edited. I bet he starts work on the next Stormlight book.