— Mark Paxson
Last year, I started going to craft fairs to sell my books and photography. I also did one book fair. So far, I’ve done three events with plans for more this year. All told, I’ve probably sold around 25 books via those three events.
But they have exposed me to a brand new question. I offer six books. A couple of novels, two novellas, and two short story collections. The question is … which one is your favorite?
I’m about to write a blog post for my personal blog where I attempt to answer that question in detail. (I won’t do so here because when we started this blog, one of my conditions was that this is not a place for any of us to promote our own works. We may mention them at times when discussing various aspects of our writing life, but I feel like a post where I talk about why I like or don’t like my books would cross the line.)
It’s like being asked which of your children is your favorite. The honest answer is that none of your children are. That you love each of them and likely for different reasons for each child. And, if you’re really honest, there are also times when you can’t stand each of your children, likely also for different reasons for each.
I’m curious though, for those of you with multiple books or stories published, if any of you deal with this question and how you answer it.
Writers Supporting Writers 
Ooh-my blog on WordPress is actually the only place where I promote my books. It’s also the only place to read them. Punk publishing forever!
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Right now my favorite story is Under My Wheels (Paperhouse) because it’s the one I just finished. https://tedsdeskof1000voices.com/2024/01/03/under-my-wheels-part-1/
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I tend to be of the “whatever I just wrote” persuasion for the favorite.
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Part of it for me is that I tend to try different things frequently. Different voices, different POVs, different genres, different ways to tell a story. So, all of those differences lead to different reasons I like each one.
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That makes sense.
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I consider my series The Labors of Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head to be the best thing I ever wrote, because it’s so original in its concept. Giant intelligent termites reliving Earth myths? Terrific idea! They keep their insectoid identity and culture and yet are completely relatable to humanity. (People weep over them – see some of the reviews) But frankly I like all my books – who could not empathize with the very human yet ultimately heroic Capt. Robbin Nikalishin in The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars series?
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I’ve greatly enjoyed both of those series, Lorinda!
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Thanks, Audrey!
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I honestly don’t have a favourite among my books. I have a soft spot for the first one because it’s the first and writing it was a thrill. I like (and dislike) different things about the others. I think I did a better job of writing on the most recent ones, but don’t feel as emotionally attached to them as to the earlier ones.
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I really don’t think I have a favorite either. Which I’ll explore when I get around to writing that post. 😉
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I’m looking forward to it. Maybe I should do a similar post on my blog…
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One of the things I’m interested in is whether writers publish something they then decide they hate. Maybe I should ask that question!!
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Hmm. That’s a good one. Worth throwing out there.
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I have some sentimental favorites that recall the initial romance of being a writer. I have some with favorite characters who seem to have a life of their own. Some with settings that I love. I have several that amaze me, since I know I could never write them today. Pick a criteria and I could, maybe, pick a favorite, but otherwise it’s comparing apples to oranges.
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I agree with you .. it’s apples and oranges and that’s why I struggle with an answer to that question.
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I have two books I consider favorites. One is a favorite because of all the work that I put into it. I spent years thinking about it, tinkering with ideas, ruminating about things. And then I finally wrote a draft, got comments, reworked it, got more feedback… until finally I had something that I’d poured years into, and I don’t mind saying I’m proud of it. And that’s why it’s my favorite, because I put so much work into it.
Except…
My other favorite is the exact opposite. The idea for it came to me in a flash one night, and I had it written and published in a little over a month. Writing it didn’t feel like work; every minute spent on it was pure joy, and I think that comes across on the page, or at least I hope so.
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You know, there are reasons I don’t like my first novel, but … I also love it because I put more than two years of work into writing it. A first draft took a year. A second draft, a complete rewrite, took another year. And, in some respects, it is my most traditional book. And for all those reasons, I love the thing. But … there is more description, more back story, more history provided than in anything else I’ve written.
And the interesting thing is that the lighthouse story I’m working on may be a return to some of that — particularly the back story and the history, because I feel it’s necessary to the story. We’ll see if that works.
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I usually say (and I believe) that I cannot choose a favourite among my brainchildren, I love them all. But if someone really insists, I would say that the one the readers might like less is my favourite, just the way a mother protects/ defends more the bullied child.
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Yeah. If they insist, the one I would say is the one most people would not put high on their list — too literary, too sad, until the very end.
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Mine is less loved because it is long (2 volumes, not independent) and, while dealing with YA subjects, it is also about a young bullfighter, and this is controversed in our times. (well, published in 2018, but still).
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We live in an era of delicate feelings and easy outrage.
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This is easy for me. My favorite is always the most recent book. That is how I operate. Admittedly, I move on quickly and my latest WIP absorbs all my attention. I am the same with my artworks.
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Favorite? I don’t like any of them.
(And I’m convinced no one else will either.)
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