In the digital age of Kindle and POD is a book ever finished?
About five years ago I self-published a novella "The Spoils of War". In the middle there's a section where the MC is packed of to Pakistan because the family don't want to face the embarrassment of her actions in the UK. The story focussed on other characters until the MC returns.
After publishing I spent a year - troubled. What the character did in Pakistan added very little in to the story but, regardless, it bugged me.
18 months after publication I added two chapters of her experiences in Lahore.
Another three years passed. In the original ending, whilst you (the reader) was wondering if she'd ever forgive the boy . . . she ran off with the girl! Maybe smarter readers could have seen that coming in the subtext but I felt mainstream readers may be put off by an extended focus on 'gay sex'.
The world changed very rapidly. I felt the need to add two new scenes. Two previously straight girls (one of which who is pregnant) reach the logical conclusion - they should be together. However, I thought it would interesting to detail the girl's trial runs before committing to a life without the 'dumb stick' and how their first attempted at intimacy required several bottles of Vodka.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/28192. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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My opinion is that once you've published, even on Kindle, it's done. Other than typos or a gross mistake like using the wrong character name by accident, you don't make changes.
Your story is your story. If you keep altering it, there's never a final edition. Your readers will never know if they have the "right" version. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was printed with many errors, which Tolkien kept trying to fix in each subsequent edition and printing and publisher, and new mistakes would creep in. It was a nightmare trying to reconcile everything, and even now I'm not sure if the latest version is "right."
And look at George Lucas's constant meddling with the original Star Wars trilogy. Adding in whole scenes? Jabba wandering around on his own? Han shooting first? Hayden Christensen at the end of ROTJ? Most people complained, and now you have to specify which version of the trilogy you want. The original theatrical release? The Special Edition? The fan-cut Despecialized Editions, which have better effects but removed the heresies like Hayden? It's an absolute mess.
Many authors regret some of their choices in hindsight. Learn from it and move on. Make the next book better.
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