New Novel Lengths
Do you want to be indulged or to be published? Too often the queries I receive about editing a novel include the sad information that "it will be an easy job, because it's only 72,000 words long." I feel ethically-bound to refuse the work or, at the very least, alert the writer that the manuscript needs bulking up. Even more frequently clients tell me, "I know it's a little long at 140,000 words, but I already edited it down from 210,000, and I just can't take any more out!"
That is a more hopeful situation because copyediting will reduce even a fairly well-written story by at least 10 percent. Any good editor can find subplots or scenes to cut, "tightening up" the writing. Overwriting is a common problem for writers with less experience. That's one reason why I encourage new writers to blog and why I'm excited (to a lesser degree) about the feature of Twitter that forces brevity. (Unfortunately, Twitter-talk also induces a habit of dropping articles (a, the) and other niceties of good writing.)
I looked for recent information from an authoritative source concerning novel lengths. Literary agent Michelle Brower included a point on it in the Wendy Sherman Associates blog. The post earlier this month contains query tips from her experience on a panel at the Backspace Conference:
"But, but ... Stephen King!" I hear some of you sputtering. Yes. And King already has an agent, a publisher and a long track record. When you're a rich and famous novelist, you, too, may write long, rambling masterpieces. For now, do you want to indulge yourself, or do you want to get published?
That is a more hopeful situation because copyediting will reduce even a fairly well-written story by at least 10 percent. Any good editor can find subplots or scenes to cut, "tightening up" the writing. Overwriting is a common problem for writers with less experience. That's one reason why I encourage new writers to blog and why I'm excited (to a lesser degree) about the feature of Twitter that forces brevity. (Unfortunately, Twitter-talk also induces a habit of dropping articles (a, the) and other niceties of good writing.)
I looked for recent information from an authoritative source concerning novel lengths. Literary agent Michelle Brower included a point on it in the Wendy Sherman Associates blog. The post earlier this month contains query tips from her experience on a panel at the Backspace Conference:
Nearly all of the queries I looked at in the workshop were clocking in at or above 120,000 words. That is almost always too long, and makes me think you haven't edited enough. I think an appropriate length for most adult commercial fiction is between 75,000 and 100,000, and YA is between 60,00 and 80,000. Literary fiction usually is harder to pin down; it just has to be super special.I see a creeping concision taking place in acceptable lengths for novels. I'll have to retool my mouth to stop parroting, "80 to 120 thousand words for a first novel".
"But, but ... Stephen King!" I hear some of you sputtering. Yes. And King already has an agent, a publisher and a long track record. When you're a rich and famous novelist, you, too, may write long, rambling masterpieces. For now, do you want to indulge yourself, or do you want to get published?
Labels: books, editing, writing
posted by Georganna Hancock M.S. | 8:10 AM
2 Comments:
Get Published! If I want to indulge myself, I'll eat chocolate!
Yes, it seems the old 120k is the new 100k. My first novel is at the former length, and there was an excellent but gloomy post by Moonrat (Editorial Ass) a couple of weeks ago on this very subject.
But I am very happy to hear copyediting will yank that baby down 10%. Yay!
Peace, Linda
Hi Linda! Thanks for dropping in and commenting. I think of you every once in a while and wonder how that novel is coming along; also, how the mentoring went?
You need to have that baby edited BEFORE trying to interest a publisher or agent ... or do you have an agent already?
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