My forecasts of the publication date for my first book are as bad as my speculations about the launch date for my first large software project. Ignorance about how long a large new project will take makes it possible to keep going - you could be finished very soon - but it becomes a growing problem for anyone who wants to see the result. Earlier this year I thought my first book was complete. The feedback persuades me I have not completed one book but half each of two. One will be a travel book composed only of edited trek journals. The other will be a more comprehensive work on the geography, history and cultures of Nepal and its neighbors. They will have different audiences.
The good news is I already have enough journals for the first book. The other good news is what's left to do for the second book is well-focused, events since WW2. I'll complete the first one first because that should take less time. I will restrain myself from predicting when either book will be published. Give me your contact information and I'll let you know.
Starting dates for each phase of the project so far are:
- 2004 - Field research (first treks), book and 'net research, partial draft of version 1
- 2005 - Additional research, narrow the focus, draft version 2
- 2006 - Expand research, restructure, rewrite and add to previous version
- 2007 - Drastic cuts chapter by chapter (fell trees so forests can be seen),
- 2008 - Restructure again, more research, add missing topics
- 2009 - Complete copy-edit, tune for spontaneity, get feedback
- 2011 - Restructure into two books