I just don’t know which way to jump so I’m asking for your opinions. Here’s the dilemma. I have a fully-formed manuscript which has been beta-read and critiqued. I have incorporated some of the subsequent suggestions, discarded others. Other than a thorough and independent proofread it’s ready to go.
I love it, but there again don’t all writers love their own work? It is set in West Cork, Ireland and the main character is an old house which is bought by an American couple. They get more than they bargain for. I had a ball researching old Celtic legends and myths and sprinkling them into the storyline. I think it’s tight and very readable. BUT (and it’s a big but) it runs to ‘only’ 71,500 words. At the Winchester Writers’ Festival I was told that it’s 10,000-20,000 words too short to interest agents/publishers. I really wanted to give this one a chance of being picked up by a traditional publisher.
So here’s the thing. I really don’t fancy re-working the story. It’s fine. Any addition would be padding and I’m just as liable to wreck it as improve it. So do I
1. Just knuckle down and do what’s required to bring it up to 80k-90k words and start submitting to agents?
2. Submit it anyway despite what I’ve been told?
3. Forget the traditional route again and just throw it out as an ebook?
Back On The Rock 
Congratulations on your book Roy! Some of my favorite books are on the short side (and I never think of them as being “short” when I read them. Every story has its own length). You’ve had suggestions from beta readers and have done your editing so it sounds like your book is ready to be sent to publishers to get their feedback.
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Thank you Letizia. Maybe it’s a perception that the public choose thicker-looking books off the shelf to check out. Maybe I do. I get the reasoning behind what I was told. We’ll see.
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That’s interesting. A wider spine does catch the eye, it’s true; I never thought about that.
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Maybe if I had it printed in 16-point it would make it thicker 🙂
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haha! Once I accidentally borrowed a book from the library with extra large print for those with vision problems. I thought I’d try reading it anyways but it was too difficult – somewhere between normal type and a children’s book.
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I googled and spent 30 seconds looking for the answer. If your genre is chic lit, like I said about Barry, my source said 70-75K was fine. If sci-fi/fantasy, he said “100,000 – 115,000 is an excellent range”. That’s it, the definitive answer (http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/word-count-for-novels-and-childrens-books-the-definitive-post).
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Good article. I wouldn’t argue with it at all. I’ll look in the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (the definitive ‘bible in the UK) to see what it says. I acknowledge it’s at the low end. The question is what’s to be done about it?
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Hi Roy,
First of all, congratulations on the completion of another book!
Here’s what I think about your dilemma. You already know you can self-publish an e-book, which you have already done successfully. You have nothing to lose by submitting this manuscript to agents and at least trying the traditional route. If you find an agent who loves your story, he/she will certainly counsel you on the matter of word count. (The Bridges of Madison County was a novella, but that didn’t prevent it from becoming a bestseller, and a major motion picture).
You can always release it as an e-book if this doesn’t pan out, but what is the harm of trying to go the traditional route? You might find that it has some unexpected benefits, such as having a professional advocate for your work, reaching a wider audience, having professional editors on your team, not to mention an advance.
Whatever you decide, I wish you great success!
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Thank you Naomi and I hope Juneau, Alaska is proving a creative environment. That is attractive advice. Whereas I’m prepared for rejections I’m hoping it won’t be solely because of word count.
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I voted for you to rework it and bring it up to the word count that will give it the best chance only because you said you really want to give this one a whirl in the world of traditional publishing. But I hear you when you say you could as easily end up wrecking it as bolstering it. Good luck.
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Thank you Fran. I have a window of opportunity for a rework next month – a period of leave – otherwise it would be a long task. But you’re correct – I’d like to give it its best shot.
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I voted but wanted to chime in a bit more. I say to go ahead and submit the work as is. If it gets picked up and the agent thinks more needs to be added, then you can go that route. Otherwise, if so many months pass by and you decide to self-publish instead, you can do that however you want. : )
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Many thanks for that Britt. If it’s attractive enough for a second glance then I’m sure an agent would not turn it away if it could be improved to suit the market.
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I’d say start submitting now. If agents come back to you and say the same thing, then you could add to the word count. But adding extra words to a manuscript you’re happy with doesn’t sound like a good idea
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Hello Laura and nice to hear from you! Yes, if the general feeling is that it needs bolstering then I’d probably do it. Trouble is, unless there is real interest and commitment from some source then you usually only get one bite at the cherry.
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Roy, as an Other voter. I just want to clarify what I meant. I would go with both submitting as it is AND reworking to get to the ‘desired’ length.
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Hello Jean and thank you! I’m not sure about doing both. Maybe if the first xxx submissions draw a blank then I could rework and try a different xxx agents. If still no success then move on.
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Main thing is don’t rip it up and throw it in the bin. I’ve absolutely no doubt it is really good and should be got out to the public. Fingers crossed it will be grabbed as it is!
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Congratulations on the manuscript! This is a tough call, and I really don’t know what I would do if I were in your shoes. You might want to have one more independent reader review it specifically to find places that could use expansion (helpful “padding” even if it isn’t *necessary* for the story). If they don’t find any–and you trust their opinion–you could either submit “as is” or self-publish it. If your goal is to have this one traditionally published, though, you should probably try to put it in a form that is most likely to interest an agent. Good luck!
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Thank you AMB and that’s an interesting call. I’ll give that serious consideration.
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Roy, from the stories I hear about traditional publishing, agents and editors are always will to make exceptions for work that they think is outstanding. So I say if you truly believe your story is strong as it is, you should submit it and see what happens.
BUT, if in the back of your mind you have any nagging doubts about it at all – if you do secretly believe a rewrite would make it better but the thought of all that work is deterring you – I think you know what you need to do. Time to be truly honest with yourself on this one.
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Nooo Janna, I’ve delegated the decision to you guys because I don’t know! Don’t make me be honest 🙂 I’ll make a decision in a few days after considering all this great advice. Thanks so much for your insightful and valuable input.
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All the advice tells us to cut the stuff that doesn’t carry the story forward – so to add things in just to make it longer seems like the wrong way to go to me. I agree with Naomi and Britt.
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How very true. It would feel counter-intuitive to go down that road. Perhaps if I’d planned for, and written, 100k in the first place and chopped it back then I wouldn’t have this dilemma. Many thanks Andrea.
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I voted to rework your manuscript. If you’d really like to go the traditional route, which it sounds like you do, it’s worth the additional sweat. I have faith in you, Roy.
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Thanks so much Jill. It’s a serious consideration.
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Is it a book for adults? What would the specific genre be? A house as a character is very compelling! Sounds spoooooky 🙂 Anyway, I ask just to make sure that 80-90k is indeed the target word count range you should be aiming for. Every genre has different expectations, and certain sub genres probably have more flexibility than others. ~70k might be more acceptable than you think. For one thing there are always exceptions– that is, books published above or below the usual word count for the kind of story they are; for another, if an agent really loves the story and your writing, he or she may be willing to work with you, whether it’s to submit as is or to flesh out the story another 2k or 10k words. I say if you have no intention of changing it otherwise, there’s no harm in submitting it to agents as it is now! And if that doesn’t go as you please, you can always go the epub route 🙂
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Hey Julie, thanks for that. I just had someone else in the industry say that the tendency is to slightly shorter novels and that 70k isn’t necessarily uncommercial. I suppose the target audience is adult (not that there’s adult content) and I’ve an eye on the Irish and Irish-American audience that might like a bit of Celtic mystery. Thank you for your thoughtful input.
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I wanted to hit the button for TWO choices on your ballot. Submit to agents while also preparing it for an e-book. That way you’ll start getting your own readership and make some royalties for your terrific book, and then the agent will want to represent you even more.
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Thank you for your support Pam. I’ll make a decision shortly based largely on the great responses I’ve received here.
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yes, congratz and I will look forward to a read no matter how you proceed. Such a pain all these rules!
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Thanks for your support Cybele!
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Roy it sounds wonderful and if it was me (I’m no expert, just editing my very first crappy draft of a novel) I would keep it how it is. Congratulations, you have nothing to lose.
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Many thanks for your input and support Kath. As for your own novel I wonder just how much revision a first draft requires. I read that first drafts are ALWAYS bad but I’ve never made wholesale structural changes to mine. Sure they always need a good tidy-up and a critical eye but, unless there are obvious plot holes, omissions or errors, or unless instructed by an editor, I think you can maybe kill the spontaneity with which you wrote it.
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Yikes, Roy! My longest book The Everything Theory is only about 70k. I’m one of those readers that will not get into a large book (to read or write). I believe in succinct, just get to the point kind of stories. No editor or publisher has ever told me to lengthen a story (they’ve told me to shorten some of them!) Some of the best books I’ve read have been under the 80k mark. Having said that, I believe you should go with your heart. Only add information if you believe it’s missing and the story needs it. My latest story (on my broken laptop that I still can’t access) is about 45k and that’s long enough for me. I’ve always been a believer in not taking notice of advice for writers – if people read your story and they like it that’s the icing on the cake.
I voted to start submitting ‘as is’ – if you find an agent who thinks the book should be longer just go with it 😀
PS – I have a new laptop! YAY 😀
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Hi Dianne, thank you for your valued input. Of course you’re correct about your own books but you may be in a better and more established position to call the shots? But yes, logic would dictate that readers in these modern times would rather have ‘short and snappy’ rather than epic. I know I’m more daunted these days than previously if faced with a 120,000 page book.
I like that you take no notice of advice for writers 🙂 That takes me back to my Barry days which I dashed off before I had any idea that there was any writing technique expected 😮 Now it can be a bit bewildering, though I really value everyone’s honest opinions on this post.
Delighted you found your laptop so you needn’t resort to pen and paper.
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I think you should start submitting it. Let an agent or publisher tell you outright if they think it’s too short. I have heard people in publishing talk about typical page ranges, but say there are always exceptions. If the story is fully told in the pages, there’s no need to add fluff. Likewise when a novel is longer than the norm. There are no hard and fast rules.
Keep us posted on what happens! 🙂
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Thank you Julie for your input Julie. I think I’ve made my mind up, all to be revealed! *Blogging world holds breath in anticipation*
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