Learning the Ropes…Before You Cut Them
While scrolling Facebook with my daily coffee, I noticed today one post from a new, unpublished author asking whether their 200K-word novel would be read/accepted by publishers. While this novel was in a genre that often supports high word counts, even this is high for an unknown author and their first novel. The poster in question refused to listen to sound advice, of which there was plenty from several different responders.
This wasn’t a case of piling on. It was good commentary, in detail, from several experienced authors and editors in the industry. The poster was obviously proud of their work, but they would not take into account suggestions that went against what they had clearly already decided to do. That, sadly, is probably going to lead to their work not getting published and/or purchased, and I know how that hurts for an author who’s excited to see their book in print.
Then Again, Maybe They’re Right
Here’s the thing. Word count conventions (and for that matter, other agent and editor submission guidelines) exist for a reason. The professionals know what sells and at what parameters. Flouting these guidelines in your query letter will get you a rejection every time. Agents and editors get so many submissions, they’re all but looking for a reason to reject your work. They simply don’t have the time to coach you on your craft or submission process. Don’t give them a reason to reject you. Follow the guidelines closely. It’s an easy hurdle to remove from your goal.
If several unrelated people make the same unrelated comment about your work, there’s probably some truth to it. We don’t like to see our babies maligned, but as authors, we need to be a little bit mercenary when we switch from author to marketer. Ask yourself these questions about your manuscript:
1) Does it meet guidelines?
2) Is it professionally edited and technically sound (e.g., the plot makes sense with a beginning, middle, and end)?
3) Does it have a high concept and a hook?
These are the things over which you have control. Don’t throw them away and risk your manuscript getting rejected.
Can’t I Just Self-Publish?
Sure you can. Self-publishing opens up a lot of doors for out-of-the-box manuscripts, whether they are an unusual genre or concept, or you want to do all the work yourself. But remember this: Indie publishing is not a replacement for industry guidelines. Just because you can sidestep the norms doesn’t mean you should. You still need a well-edited manuscript with a great cover and sound plot, with consideration to the guidelines of most publishers. If you don’t offer the reader good editing and a good plot in return for their hard-earned money, they might not pick up your next book (or they’ll give a bad review to this one). Also, the guidelines help publishers (which is now you, indie author) place the book in appropriate categories so it can be found or shelved correctly. If an outlet can’t figure out where to place your book, it’s not likely to sell well.
Word Count
In the case of word count, you certainly could self-publish your opus, but that won’t guarantee you sales even if you advertise. The longer the print book, the higher your list price. Unless you plan to sell it at cost, you’re going to get a lot of readers turning away from your book to another, cheaper one. Consider that the current average for a 100K-word print book is $15.99. Are you going to price your print book at $31.98 and see sales? Probably not many, especially for an unknown author. Even a 200K-word ebook might be pricier because longer books and larger files might charge a delivery fee to the reader.
Fast-Food Society
We are living faster and faster in the Internet age. We have gotten used to instant gratification: click a button, order a meal. Click another button, and there’s a whole season of that new crime drama to binge. Click yet another button and get something delivered to your door. The fact that we have so much data at our fingertips means our attention is constantly divided among multiple tasks. The majority of people (and you want to sell to as many people as possible, don’t you?) don’t have time to sit down and read epic-length novels anymore. It may be sacrilege to say, but I wonder whether J.R.R. Tolkien would have had such success now with the Lord of the Rings trilogy as he had when it was originally published. Even then, the publisher broke it into the three segments we know today.
Word counts are trending shorter, in line with people’s shortening attention spans. Why let your book be lost in a sea of bite-sized entertainment when you could profit from breaking that beastie into multiple stories and have your own, ready-made series? Readers love series, and your shorter individual books will be faster reads while delivering a satisfying overall arc to the reader.
Play Nice, Get Published
In short, it’s best for new authors to do everything by the book—pun intended. The only authors who can successfully break tradition are NYT bestsellers, because they already have an audience and the clout to sell. We lesser-known authors need to know how to kick that ball to get it to the goal. Game on!
