Tuesday, June 7, 2016

FYI: Word Count Guidelines for Different Genres.


There were some comments raised that my manuscript may be too long, since it comes in at about 96k words and may be ONE reason my queries are rejected. IT MADE ME THINK!  I had spoken with some agents prior regarding word count, and from several sources I had heard at least 75k words. So I did a little more digging, and I post this just for your information.

Keep in mind, THEY ARE JUST GUIDELINES!! There are exceptions to the rules, but if you keep getting rejected, it may be one of the reasons.

This is taken from litreactor.com in a Q&A session with a literary agent.
Adult Fiction:
Anything above 70k but less than 115k (science fiction and fantasy tend to run up around 100k-115k words). The sweet spot for adult is about 90k. 
Middle Grade:
With fun, lighthearted, simple middle grade you’ll want to stay around the 20k-30k word count range. The average middle grade is 30k-40k. Upper middle grade can hit in the 50k word count range (possibly longer, if it's something really special).
Young Adult:
Young adult fiction allows for a lot of flexibility in word count. And as you’ve probably guessed… it is sitting pretty right in between middle grade and adult. YA manuscripts can have a word count anywhere from 55k to 90k.  
Picture Books:
Picture books are generally less than 1000 words. About 500-700 words is perfect. 
Also remember (because there are a bunch of new novel imprints opening their doors), a novella is 40k or less.
Pro tip: Try not to completely tether yourself to word counts. Let your writing take you where you need to go. But use good intuition and follow some of the rules.

I hope that clears up some questions! For me personally, since I am coming in at 96k for YA, I may be pushing the range a bit, so I'll see if there's something else I can take out to put it closer to 90k.  
Let me know if you've heard differently! Thanks!

UPDATED! A New Hope, A New Query Letter...



After posting my query letter, I received some comments that it may be pushing it in terms of length and amount of paragraphs, probably a borderline synopsis if anything. Thank you for the feedback!!!

With that, I decided to put my thinking cap on and consolidate things a little more. Overall I think we have a pretty good outcome - not too long, not too short, just "Goldilocks" sweet!

Please let me know what you think! I appreciated the comments last time.

Dear AGENT XXXXX:

  First of all, I wanted to thank you in advance for your hard work and the time you put in for aspiring authors, despite having an incredibly busy schedule.  On your bio, you have said you are seeking XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and for those reasons I feel my manuscript would be a terrific fit for your representation!  I am Unbroken is a YA fiction, most relevant to the paranormal fantasy genre. It currently totals 96,000 words. Those readers enjoying such titles as Alice in Zombieland or The Vampire Diaries will readily identify with its style of writing. 

    Sixteen-year-old Gavin Ashmore had always suspected his family was different, maybe even insane to the point of hearing voices and seeing “ghosts.”  But lifelong loner Gavin doesn’t believe, won’t believe any of it. All of that begins to change after the plane crash however. Gavin begins to see and hear things, just like his family he thought was so crazy.  Because of that ability, he learns that an ancient spirit named Cain has been searching for Gavin, and now that he turned sixteen, Gavin becomes vulnerable to Cain. Gavin learns he is one of many in a long line of Ashmore's that has received the title of Unbroken, the curse bearers. This curse is what keeps Cain stuck between the living and dead worlds, thus imprisoning him in a nearly impenetrable cell.  As with anything, there is still one provision to break Cain free, and that lies within the very heart of Gavin Ashmore.

   To survive, Gavin must learn to fight Cain. He can only do it with the help of his own guardian angel, Alina, a beautiful dark-haired Italian teen who lived centuries ago. As he trains however, Gavin learns he has his own unique ability to manipulate spirits, a talent only one other in history has possessed - Cain. Gavin himself must decide if he will destroy Cain or take his place as one of the most powerful beings on the planet. 

    In trade, I am a dentist, but my heart has always been in writing. I have published several articles in various dental journals, and have even won scholarships by writing essays. I also maintain a blog called “Christian Quits His Day Job,” which describes my process as a writer. However, I am seeking to do more with my passion of writing, and so I turn to you for your help to make this dream come true.

   Thank you so much for your time, which I know is precious. While I have included a sample of the first 5 pages, a partial or full manuscript is ready at your request.

Monday, June 6, 2016

More Rejections = More Query Letter Revisions!



So following a string of about 20 rejections with no requests at all, I figured it was time to go through and revamp things a little more. Since I posted my last query letter, I've since defined what makes my story unique. I also realized that most agents receive thousands of queries, hence the delay in getting back to you.

The hardest part of being a writer is not getting feedback I think.

If not, you go on in your merry way, thinking you've written the best thing on the planet, and it's the agents' problems they aren't taking your manuscript and sending it to every publisher in the world. I decided though if after twenty query rejections, I would go back and revise.

Again, I had to find what was unique about my YA paranormal fantasy when it's a tough sell. Thanks to some already established authors, they helped me to see that my conflict and world building is what makes my book unique.

So I focused on that (It took lots of thinking and deleting) but I really enjoy the final product. I post it here not necessarily for your criticism (though it's always welcome) but more so for your feedback and progress..

Here it is:

Dear AGENT XXXXX:

   First of all, I wanted to thank you in advance for your hard work and the time you put in for aspiring authors, despite having an incredibly busy schedule.  On your bio, you have said you are seeking XXXXXXXXXXXX, and for those reasons I feel my manuscript would be a terrific fit for your representation!

   I am Unbroken is a YA fiction, most relevant to the paranormal fantasy genre. It currently totals 97,000 words. Those readers enjoying such titles as Alice in Zombieland or The Vampire Diaries will readily identify with its style of writing. 

    Sixteen-year-old Gavin Ashmore had always suspected his family was different, maybe even insane to the point of hearing voices and seeing “ghosts.”  His own father had even walked out on the family in a fit of paranoia when Gavin was younger, insisting that someone was after him, putting their whole family in danger.

    But lifelong loner Gavin doesn’t believe, won’t believe any of it. He has other mundane teenage drama to deal with – his politician step-father, the class bullies, and rolling his eyes as the cheerleaders “LOL” with each other.  That’s why he takes it upon himself to wish for a different life on his sixteenth birthday.

    But Gavin wasn’t prepared for how different his life was about to become after the plane crash.

    Following the accident, Gavin begins to see and hear things, just like his family he thought was so crazy.  Because of that ability, he learns that an ancient spirit named Cain has been searching for Gavin, and now that he turned sixteen, Gavin becomes vulnerable to Cain. Gavin learns he is one of many in a long line of Ashmore's that has received the title of Unbroken, the curse bearers. This curse acts as collateral to keep Cain stuck between the living and dead worlds, thus imprisoning him in a nearly impenetrable cell.  As with anything, there is still one provision to break Cain free, and that lies within the very heart of Gavin Ashmore.

   To survive, Gavin must learn to fight Cain. He can only do it with the help of his own guardian angel, Alina, a beautiful dark-haired Italian teen who lived centuries ago. As he trains however, Gavin learns he has his own unique ability to manipulate spirits, a talent only one other in history has possessed - Cain. Gavin himself must decide if he will destroy Cain or take his place as one of the most powerful beings on the planet. 

    In trade, I am a dentist, but my heart has always been in writing. I have published several articles in various dental journals, and have even won scholarships by writing essays. I also maintain a blog called “Christian Quits His Day Job,” which describes my process as a writer. However, I am seeking to do more with my passion of writing, and so I turn to you for your help to make this dream come true.

   Thank you so much for your time, which I know is precious. While I have included a sample of the first 5 pages, a partial or full manuscript is ready at your request.