Did you have an idea of what the book would be when you were contracted for it? How much were the agent and editor involved in deciding the premise before you even started to write?
When I sold the first book, I had given my agent a vague paragraph each about two possible, unrelated novels I wanted to write, and she passed these on to potential editors. When my publisher offered a two-book deal, they specified LIVVIE and "unnamed book two," to be determined at a later date. It's not a series, but it was specified that the second book would be either MG or YA.
Later on, after the contracts were signed and we'd focused on LIVVIE for a while, they asked me how things were coming with the other two novels I'd mentioned. I told them one had fizzled out for now, but I was 10,000 or so words into the other. They asked for a synopsis (about two pages) and I sent that. Didn't hear anything for a while.
Eventually, I finished the book, polished the book (although clearly not enough!), and sent it to my agent. She had me revise a bit and then she sent it to my editor, who told me up front it was going to need a lot of work. But she was also very enthusiastic about it, and this is when she officially let me know that this would be book two on the contract.
When the two-book deal was initially offered, of course I was thrilled, but I was also really scared. What if I couldn't write another book that was as good as the first one? What if they hated the second one? Well, the second one was harder to write, and it's going to be much harder to revise, but I think it's going to be an even better book than the first.
Are they in the same series, or totally different? If the second, that's such a scary thing but I know you'll do it. If you can write one good book, you can write another.
I'm in a similar situation but all four books of my deal are in the same series. Getting started on the second one (which I haven't done yet...eek!) will just be extending the canon.
Good luck with the revisions!
Ivan
I love your jacket cover, Sary! Congrats on your second book. Is it a series or a stand-alone?
Thanks! And Ivan, that's awesome! Congrats on the four-book deal! Mine's not a series. If I can't even remember somebody's hair color from the beginning of a 45,000-word novel to the end, how could I ever write a series?