Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums - View Single Post - Book length

Teresa Edgerton · 31st March 2008, 08:14 PM

Thank you, Andrew.

Actually, it's not a new trend but has been the case for quite a while now. In the US there is a very slim chance of a new writer selling a fantasy novel that is under 100,000 words, if it's in the right sub-genre (something urban with vampires or a touch of sado-masochism, or both, for instance), but according to John Jarrold virtually no chance in the UK. The vast majority of readers want big books, and that's what publishers give them -- unless the author has already an established following, or fits into some convenient niche that is doing well at the moment.

For science fiction, length is not quite such an issue, but SF itself is something of a depressed market at the moment, and 60,000 words would be considered short even there.

At the moment, readers like stories that spread out, that have scope. A 60,000 word novel that has a tight, contained plot and is very well written might be a wonderful book, but it would lack the sweep that most readers are looking for. You just can't fit that particular quality into 60,000 words without some parts becoming much too thin.

31st March 2008, 08:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Teresa Edgerton Ink-stained Wretch Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,656 Blog Entries: 2	Re: Book length - Is this a worrying new trend Thank you, Andrew. Actually, it's not a new trend but has been the case for quite a while now. In the US there is a very slim chance of a new writer selling a fantasy novel that is under 100,000 words, if it's in the right sub-genre (something urban with vampires or a touch of sado-masochism, or both, for instance), but according to John Jarrold virtually no chance in the UK. The vast majority of readers want big books, and that's what publishers give them -- unless the author has already an established following, or fits into some convenient niche that is doing well at the moment. For science fiction, length is not quite such an issue, but SF itself is something of a depressed market at the moment, and 60,000 words would be considered short even there. At the moment, readers like stories that spread out, that have scope. A 60,000 word novel that has a tight, contained plot and is very well written might be a wonderful book, but it would lack the sweep that most readers are looking for. You just can't fit that particular quality into 60,000 words without some parts becoming much too thin.