From time to time, when I think of something that doesn’t fit neatly into a full-blown blog, I’ll just create a separate, brief writing tip. Today’s writing tip has to do with word count.
YOU AIN’T ABOVE A WORD COUNT LIMIT
Once you get to the point of seeking out a traditional publisher, or self-publishing, the importance of word count will promptly surface. Why? A simple equation: Word count/words per page = number of pages in your book. Number of pages, in turn, drive cost. Cost, obviously, underlies profitability. In short, the greater the word count, the harder it is for your book to be profitable. The harder it is for your book to be profitable, well, you get the picture.
But many authors don’t! I was just talking to someone who is starting a new fiction novel, his first. I asked him what type of a novel it was going to be. That matters because different genres have different word count ranges. He told me, and I suggested that he at least pay attention to how many words he writes. Nothing to kill that “inner muse” referenced in my full blog post, but it’s certainly something to be cognizant of.
Again, why? Well, say you get your first draft done, and lo and behold, you are 15,000 words over the top end of the range for your type of book. You know how hard it is to cut 15,000 words from a story? If you don’t, I’ll tell ya–HARD! You know what’s even harder? Selling a book to a traditional publisher that is way too long. If you wave this off as not meaning anything (i.e. the old, “My book is so good, those rules don’t apply”) then think again! Remember, more words means more pages means more cost. More cost, lower profitability.
So, don’t let this get in the way of putting that story to paper, but remember that the rules apply to you too!
derekblass 