| Author |
Message |
    
Michael Ball
Awareness Member
Post Number:
20
Registered: 05-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 12:58 pm: |   |
I received this from the Motown Writers Group who got it from a Writers Digest article I think. It is a good set of rule of thumb guidlines I think.
Here is the reprint.
WHAT FICTION ARE YOU WRITING?
Since it helps to know what you're offering before you
actually approach markets here's a quick list of lengths
for the various types of fiction. If you aren't sure what
kind of fiction you've been writing, here are the word
count guidelines to help you figure it out.
* Up to 1,000 words--short-short, flash fiction or vignette
* 1,000-6,000 words--short story
* 6,000-15,000 words--long story or novelette
* 15,000-45,000 words--novella
* 45,000-120,000 words--novel (though most commonly 50,000-
80,000 words)
Anything more than 120,000 will probably need to be broken
up into a series of books or condensed.
Novels tend to be published by book publishers originally,
though excerpts can be sold to magazines. Short-shorts,
flash fiction, vignettes, and short stories are usually
sold first in magazines--with the possibility of releasing a
collection in book form after several have been published.
Long stories, novelettes, and novellas can be tougher to
place, but the norm is for them to originally appear in
magazines or collections of short fiction. |
Scott F. Falkner
Hunger Member
Post Number:
98
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 03:47 am: | |
BUT,
if it's a good book, it doesn't matter HOW long it is! 
Scott F. Falkner
http://www.scottfalkner.com
http://thedailycave.blogspot.com |
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2877
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 05:33 am: | |
However, if an editor is looking for a book of around 70K words, it's not going to matter how good a book it is...
Mindsight Moderator
Check out Who Needs a Hero?
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Harry Simenon
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
789
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 08:05 am: | |
I have deflated a short story from 5000 to about 2500 words. Actually seems to work better now.
Most magazines here seem to ask for stories no longer than 3000 words.
My novel is about 135000, and might need some serious slimming to make it better, but rewriting is quite a work out. |
Scott F. Falkner
Hunger Member
Post Number:
99
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 11:46 pm: | |
But,
if it's a good book, you don't have to limit yourself to editors/publishers that impose a minimum word count.
Scott F. Falkner
http://www.scottfalkner.com
http://thedailycave.blogspot.com |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1617
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 09:21 am: | |
The submission guidelines from Poisoned Pen Press, a respected mystery publisher suggest a length of 80,000 to 100,000 words. Of course they're only interested in crime fiction and I'm sure that other genre have other criteria.
On a side note I gave a short presentation to the Port Austin friends of the public library Tuesday evening. My attendance was totally unpublicized due to the short notice. I was truly suprised to see in this community with a population of only 815 that 13 people showed up. They seemed pleased that an author had moved into their neighborhood and was interested in becoming involved in their promotional projects. They're hoping to be able to schedule something for me in the spring when all the snowbirds return from Florida and Arizona. |
Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1276
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 01:10 pm: | |
Considering it's being held at the library, I don't suppose charging admission is an option. Don't laugh. It's becoming the norm for authors in Southern California. I went to a book fair where the late Stephen Ambrose gave a 20 minute speech to a sold out audience in a nearby building for $10 each. Fortunately, when he came outside afterwards, he spoke to the overflow crowd (mostly veterans) for free for almost an hour. He left in a limousine with a bodyguard. I must confess I was duly impressed.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2900
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 03:10 pm: | |
I bet the folks who'd paid $10 weren't... ;-P
Mindsight Moderator
Check out Who Needs a Hero?
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Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1283
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 03:42 pm: | |
Thus, the bodyguard . . . .
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1619
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 06:18 am: | |
In Flint, Michigan the Friends of the Library rented the banquet hall at a nearby country club and had Michael Z. Lewin, a prolific mystery author give his presentation to a packed house. They charged $15.00 a head and threw in a sit down spaghetti dinner. It was a sellout and there were only three men in the audience. (Wonder why I try to make my protaganist lovable with a tender side?) |
Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
1284
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 12:25 pm: | |
That does it, I'm charging $20 a head. Maybe I'll do like Southwest Airlines and throw in a bag of peanuts. That is, of course, if anybody comes.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
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Work-in-progress guest
Posted From: 212-88-183-187.rev.ycn.com
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 03:25 pm: | |
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