Wow. Your remarks are very insightful, Teresa. Some a bit harder to swallow than others, but immensely useful nonetheless. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me.
I am already at work on another revision based on your comments. However, I would question one thing.....
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But the biggest problem, as I see it, is that no agent is going to consider a single book of 250,000 words by a first time author. You are going to have to divide this before a publisher would buy it.
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Is it really that unlikely for an agent to consider a book of this length by an unpublished author? Would they see the word count and immediately reject it? Wouldn't it be better to give the prospective agent the whole plot upfront and then if they like it let them make the decision as to whether or not to cut the book in half before going to a publisher with it?
It's not that I mind making the changes--it's an idea I actually toyed with a while back and wouldn't take that long to do. But if
SF novelist Hannu Rajaniemi can get a three book deal from just twenty four double spaced pages of an unfinished manuscript, then why couldn't a first time author get a 'lengthy' novel published, especially considering that word count is a standard for the genre? Granted, Hannu's example is the exception to the rule, but I think you get my point.
Or maybe the agent would prefer to make some cuts to bring it down to a smaller, single volume....
Let me know your thoughts.