Orion (he/him)
Anybody know what publishers generally *prefer* when it comes to novel lengths? Is there even a strong preference? I’m writing in SFF, like many of you, in case that makes a difference.
#AmWriting #Writers #WritingCommunity #Writing #Fiction #Fantasy #SF #SciFi #ScienceFiction #SFF #publishing #novels
Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢
@orionkidder I no longer remember the word count, it differs depending on the genre you're writing. SciFi usually is the highest.
If you are below the word count, they'll tell you to increase it if they like your story.
If you are over the maximum word count, they'll tell you to cut it down if they like story.
Stories which goes over the generally accepted max word count, especially in SciFi, are rarely allowed unless you already made a name for yourself or they saw a huge potential. They'll probably ask you if you already have a trilogy in mind, and encourage you.
So, basically, scifi soap opera falls into that over the word count.
Now, this is for physical books, because production + number of pages + prediction on number of sold books = cost.
With ebooks, it's a totally different situation. However, if you are looking forward to have a physical publication later for your ebook, you may want to consider the word count.
P.S. Last time I checked this information was on 2017, so things might have changed a lot since then.
Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢
@orionkidder Yep. I don't recall the exact numbers, but publishers expect Scifi to be in the 6 digits. And the space opera novels can go 250k above IIRC. Somewhere where it'll reach between 900 to 1300 pages for standard pocket book size, like the novels of Peter F. Hamilton.
50k to 80k, IIRC, that's for romance. Fantasy is 80k to 100k, again, IIRC.
It probably changed already since there are fewer people buying physical books. And with ebooks, there's no paper cost to consider.
(I visited our National Bookstore (largest bookstore chain here in the Philippines) and they don't even have the latest books. And the ones they're selling are from popular franchises (and hardbound at that). I guess bookstores are feeling the impact of ebooks.)
Orion (he/him)
@youronlyone Also, you're corroborating my sense that SFF is expected to run longer than some other genres. The 50K - 80K numbers I'm seeing in other places always felt short compared to the books I've read my whole life. We don't seem to do "short" over here in in SFF-land.
Orion (he/him)
@youronlyone This is very detailed. Thank you!
Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢
@orionkidder True. It's going to take some time to get used to. It feels different, but I think that's because I'm used to long scifi. I can read a 1000-page scifi but I'm skipping if it's a different genre. 😅
Orion (he/him)
@youronlyone That's really interesting, because we've also seen a bit of an uptick in novellas, in the SF space, like Murderbot. I wonder if this stuff is in flux?
I hope so, never the book I'm sitting on is 2/3 done by story and only 45K so far. I need some more pov characters, I fear.
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