Word Counts and Book Length - Novella vs. Novel, etc.
From Lori Copeland, an easy to follow word count listing:
Novella
20-25,000 words
80-100 pages
10-12 pages per chapter
Short Contemporary
50,000-60,000 words
200-240 pages
18-20 pages per chapter
Long Contemporary
70,000-80,000 words
280-320 pages
18-20 pages per chapter
Short Historical /Mainstream
90-100,000 words
360-400 pages
18-20 pages per chapter
Long Historical/ Mainstream
108,000-120,000
432-480 pages
18-20 pages per chapter
From another source, posting at Wikipedia:
Epic: A work of 200,000 words or more.
Novel: A work of 60,000 words or more.
Novella: A work of at least 17,500 words but under 60,000 words.
Novelette: A work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words.
Short story: A work of at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words. (1,000 words minimum by some definitions)
Flash fiction: A work of less than 2,000 words. (1,000 by some definitions)
What's the distinction?
Novellas and Novels and Novelettes are not only good names for cats, but labels for various types of books. This article at Wikipedia provides a good starting point if you're interested in studying the distinctions between them and say, the short story.... and for a list of novella examples to peruse:
Animal Farm (1945) George Orwell
Anthem (1938) Ayn Rand
The Beast in the Jungle (1903) Henry James
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) Truman Capote
Cascade Point (1983) Timothy Zahn
Casino Royale (1953) by Ian Fleming
A Clockwork Orange (1962) Anthony Burgess
The Decameron (1353) Giovanni Boccaccio -- a collection of novellas; the novellas in it are generally recognized as the first novellas
Different Seasons (1982) Stephen King -- a collection of novellas
Four Past Midnight (1990) Stephen King -- a collection of novellas
Heart of Darkness (1902) Joseph Conrad
The Metamorphosis (1915) Franz Kafka
The Old Man and the Sea (1952) Ernest Hemingway
Oroonoko (1688) Aphra Behn
The Pearl (1945) John Stein****
Shopgirl (2001) Steve Martin
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) Robert Louis Stevenson
The Turn of the Screw (1898) Henry James
The War of the Worlds (1898) H.G. Wells
Young Zaphod Plays it Safe (1986) Douglas Adams
Collecting online information on writing fiction for publication...and beginning in 2012, writing about whatever else I darn well please that deals with plot, or character, or anything else related in some vague way to writing fiction.
December 14, 2005
December 7, 2005
Remaindering - Lee Goldberg's Real-Life Explanation
Lee Goldberg writes murder mysteries and the occasional TV script (bet you've seen one) as well as a good blog - which provided this great, short explanation of remaindering:
"Harley Jane Kozak's book DATING DEAD MEN has been remaindered...meaning the publisher is going to sell their stock of unsold copies to booksellers by the pound (so the formerly $24.95 books will end up in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble for $4.98). When your books are scheduled to be remaindered, the publisher first offers you the opportunity to buy as many copies as you like for a buck or two. Harley writes:
" 'Anyhow, a few days later, when the actual Remainder Notice from Random House arrived in the mail, it turned out to be 2,740 books @ $1.43 a book. Meaning that the two thousand dollars I’d rounded it off to turned out to be . . . a tiny bit more. Okay, $3,918.20. Plus tax.
Which led to another not-so-fabulous dilemma.
Where does one put 2,740 books?'
"It's a hard offer to resist. I know, because I've fallen for it. I have hundreds and hundreds of copies of BEYOND THE BEYOND and MY GUN HAS BULLETS in my garage. Now, a decade after they were published, I have resorted to giving them away in bookbags at conventions and at signings for my new books -- using them, basically, like promotional bookmarks. Even so, I've hardly made a dent in my stockpile. My advice to Harley -- resist the urge. Buy a 100 of each and let the rest go to the remainder bins of America."
Lee Goldberg writes murder mysteries and the occasional TV script (bet you've seen one) as well as a good blog - which provided this great, short explanation of remaindering:
"Harley Jane Kozak's book DATING DEAD MEN has been remaindered...meaning the publisher is going to sell their stock of unsold copies to booksellers by the pound (so the formerly $24.95 books will end up in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble for $4.98). When your books are scheduled to be remaindered, the publisher first offers you the opportunity to buy as many copies as you like for a buck or two. Harley writes:
" 'Anyhow, a few days later, when the actual Remainder Notice from Random House arrived in the mail, it turned out to be 2,740 books @ $1.43 a book. Meaning that the two thousand dollars I’d rounded it off to turned out to be . . . a tiny bit more. Okay, $3,918.20. Plus tax.
Which led to another not-so-fabulous dilemma.
Where does one put 2,740 books?'
"It's a hard offer to resist. I know, because I've fallen for it. I have hundreds and hundreds of copies of BEYOND THE BEYOND and MY GUN HAS BULLETS in my garage. Now, a decade after they were published, I have resorted to giving them away in bookbags at conventions and at signings for my new books -- using them, basically, like promotional bookmarks. Even so, I've hardly made a dent in my stockpile. My advice to Harley -- resist the urge. Buy a 100 of each and let the rest go to the remainder bins of America."
December 5, 2005
Marketing Plan Needs to Accompany Book Proposal
According to Terry Whalin, you need a marketing plan for your book -regardless of whether or not your work is fiction or non-fiction. Why? It's a business, and a part of accepting your work involves a risk analysis dealing with, yes, money.
He explains:
"Here’s the financial information that I didn’t understand (since I’ve never self-published): for every book (fiction or nonfiction), a publisher is going to spend $50,000 to $100,000 (real dollars) to take your manuscript and turn it into a finished book. These numbers are with a modest advance to the author (say $5,000) and zero marketing dollars. These costs are production, cover design, editorial work, etc. on your book. Publishers receive thousands of submissions from would-be authors. I’m the part-time Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Howard Publishing. I’m looking for six to eight full-length novels a year—and I’ve received over 250 submissions from individuals and literary agents. I’ve rejected some quality fiction because of the volume and limited spots. And that is just my story so imagine these numbers multiplied on other editor’s desks. And if you read Book Proposals That Sell, you will see that editors do a lot more than read manuscripts.
"Let’s pretend for a minute that you are the editor and have to wade through these volumes of material to find the books for your list. You have two manuscripts. BotIh manuscripts are excellent, fascinating stories. One manuscript has a marketing plan and the other doesn’t. As the editor, you will be held accountable for your choices (within the publishing house). It’s a business to sell books. Which manuscript will you choose to champion to the other editors, the publishing executives (sales, marketing, etc.)? Editors risk for their authors. Your challenge is to prove to be worthy (actually more than worthy) of this risk."
For his complete article on this topic, go here. To download a free audio version of Pyromarketing - a book by Greg Steilstra which Mr. Whalin enthusiastically recommends -- go here.
Remember, this is a free download for listening - you have to spend money for the visual. Part of Steilstra's own campaign - he's betting that the audio isn't a sufficient competitor to the visual that it will take away customers, and may even attract purchases of the hard copy.
According to Terry Whalin, you need a marketing plan for your book -regardless of whether or not your work is fiction or non-fiction. Why? It's a business, and a part of accepting your work involves a risk analysis dealing with, yes, money.
He explains:
"Here’s the financial information that I didn’t understand (since I’ve never self-published): for every book (fiction or nonfiction), a publisher is going to spend $50,000 to $100,000 (real dollars) to take your manuscript and turn it into a finished book. These numbers are with a modest advance to the author (say $5,000) and zero marketing dollars. These costs are production, cover design, editorial work, etc. on your book. Publishers receive thousands of submissions from would-be authors. I’m the part-time Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Howard Publishing. I’m looking for six to eight full-length novels a year—and I’ve received over 250 submissions from individuals and literary agents. I’ve rejected some quality fiction because of the volume and limited spots. And that is just my story so imagine these numbers multiplied on other editor’s desks. And if you read Book Proposals That Sell, you will see that editors do a lot more than read manuscripts.
"Let’s pretend for a minute that you are the editor and have to wade through these volumes of material to find the books for your list. You have two manuscripts. BotIh manuscripts are excellent, fascinating stories. One manuscript has a marketing plan and the other doesn’t. As the editor, you will be held accountable for your choices (within the publishing house). It’s a business to sell books. Which manuscript will you choose to champion to the other editors, the publishing executives (sales, marketing, etc.)? Editors risk for their authors. Your challenge is to prove to be worthy (actually more than worthy) of this risk."
For his complete article on this topic, go here. To download a free audio version of Pyromarketing - a book by Greg Steilstra which Mr. Whalin enthusiastically recommends -- go here.
Remember, this is a free download for listening - you have to spend money for the visual. Part of Steilstra's own campaign - he's betting that the audio isn't a sufficient competitor to the visual that it will take away customers, and may even attract purchases of the hard copy.
Mystery Writer Joe Konrath Talks Money
Joe Konrath is the author of the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels murder mystery series. He has a great website, and a great blog -- and he offers lots of great information on both.
For instance, recently in a blog posting describing his marketing to libraries campaign, he noted:
I earn 55 cents for each paperback sold, $3.44 for each hardcover, and between $5 and $8 for each audiobook.
Joe Konrath is the author of the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels murder mystery series. He has a great website, and a great blog -- and he offers lots of great information on both.
For instance, recently in a blog posting describing his marketing to libraries campaign, he noted:
I earn 55 cents for each paperback sold, $3.44 for each hardcover, and between $5 and $8 for each audiobook.
How Librarians Choose the Books They Buy
According to writer Joe Konrath, "libraries do their ordering from catalogues supplied by the publisher, by catalogues supplied by the distributors (Ingram and Baker & Taylor,) and through reading reviews in Library Journal, Kirkus, PW, and Boolist, plus others. Patron requests and word-of-mouth also are a factor."
Konrath provides a detailed description of his marketing campaign targeting these librarians at his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, in his November 21, 2005, post. It's worth the read.
According to writer Joe Konrath, "libraries do their ordering from catalogues supplied by the publisher, by catalogues supplied by the distributors (Ingram and Baker & Taylor,) and through reading reviews in Library Journal, Kirkus, PW, and Boolist, plus others. Patron requests and word-of-mouth also are a factor."
Konrath provides a detailed description of his marketing campaign targeting these librarians at his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, in his November 21, 2005, post. It's worth the read.
December 3, 2005
Inspirational Romance - Growing Readership Per Publishers' Weekly
Robin Lee Hatcher provides the following information about writing inspirational romance (read that to be Christian romance):
"According to Publishers Weekly (11/21/05), Romance novels have a 39.3% market share, General Fiction 12.9%, Mystery/Thriller 29.6%, Science Fiction 6.4%, and Other Fiction 11.8%. (In paperback mass market, romance has about a 55% share of the market.)
"CBA/Christian fiction falls, I believe, into that "Other Fiction" category.According to SIMBA Information (a Bowker company that is "widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence and forecasts in the media industry"), the Romance category was estimated at $1.7 billion in sales in 2004. IPSOS (another marketing research firm) reports that Inspirational Romance had $54.5 million in sales in 2004. While it represents only 3.2% of the total market, Inspirational Romance has grown 26% in the last five years compared to only 5.3% for the whole Romance category."
Robin Hatcher should know. She's an accomplished writer of over 56 books in both the Christian and secular arenas. As Robin explains,
"I cut my writing teeth in the historical romance market, publishing 27 general market historicals and three contemporary "category" romances before I followed my heart to write novels with Christian faith as an integral part of the story. As of this date, I've had 17 CBA releases with two more to follow in early 2006. Of those 19 CBA books, twelve would be categorized as romances (historical and contemporary). The other seven, more issues-related women's fiction, still have dashes of romance in them."
What is inspirational romance? A librarian at the Durham County library made a reading list of 24 novels she felt exemplified this sub-genre in November 2000. However, recent guidelines provided by publishers Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing are more informative.
Accordingly, I've posted their inspiration lines below, with the publishers' descriptions of the various lines and jumps to the guidelines.
Steeple Hill Cafe - "This new sub-brand within the Steeple Hill Women's Fiction program will be dedicated to publishing inspirational fiction for the hip, modern woman of faith. This distinctively smart and spirited new line of books will depict the unique and varied situations women encounter as they learn important lessons about life, love and the power of faith. "
Steeple Hill Love Inspired - "The Love Inspired line is a series of contemporary, inspirational romances that feature Christian characters facing the many challenges of life and love in today's world. Each story should have an emotional, satisfying and mature romance; however, the characters should not make love unless they are married. These are "sweet" romances. Any physical interactions (i.e. kissing, hugging) should emphasize emotional tenderness rather than sexual desire."
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense - " This new sub-brand within the Love Inspired line is a series of edge-of-the-seat, contemporary romantic suspense tales of intrigue and romance featuring Christian characters facing challenges to their faith…and to their lives.
Each story should have a compelling mystery or a suspenseful situation threatening the hero and the heroine combined with an emotional, satisfying and mature romance; however, the characters should not make love unless they are married."
Steeple Hill Women's Fiction - "This new Steeple Hill program will be dedicated to publishing inspirational Christian women's fiction that depicts the struggles the characters encounter as they learn important lessons about trust and the power of faith. We are looking for compelling and thoughtfully developed stories that promote strong family values and high moral standards. These complex stories are character driven. They should provide readers with an uplifting and satisfying ending, and they can be written in the first- or third-person narrative and can be single or multiple point of view."
Robin Lee Hatcher provides the following information about writing inspirational romance (read that to be Christian romance):
"According to Publishers Weekly (11/21/05), Romance novels have a 39.3% market share, General Fiction 12.9%, Mystery/Thriller 29.6%, Science Fiction 6.4%, and Other Fiction 11.8%. (In paperback mass market, romance has about a 55% share of the market.)
"CBA/Christian fiction falls, I believe, into that "Other Fiction" category.According to SIMBA Information (a Bowker company that is "widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence and forecasts in the media industry"), the Romance category was estimated at $1.7 billion in sales in 2004. IPSOS (another marketing research firm) reports that Inspirational Romance had $54.5 million in sales in 2004. While it represents only 3.2% of the total market, Inspirational Romance has grown 26% in the last five years compared to only 5.3% for the whole Romance category."
Robin Hatcher should know. She's an accomplished writer of over 56 books in both the Christian and secular arenas. As Robin explains,
"I cut my writing teeth in the historical romance market, publishing 27 general market historicals and three contemporary "category" romances before I followed my heart to write novels with Christian faith as an integral part of the story. As of this date, I've had 17 CBA releases with two more to follow in early 2006. Of those 19 CBA books, twelve would be categorized as romances (historical and contemporary). The other seven, more issues-related women's fiction, still have dashes of romance in them."
What is inspirational romance? A librarian at the Durham County library made a reading list of 24 novels she felt exemplified this sub-genre in November 2000. However, recent guidelines provided by publishers Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing are more informative.
Accordingly, I've posted their inspiration lines below, with the publishers' descriptions of the various lines and jumps to the guidelines.
Steeple Hill Cafe - "This new sub-brand within the Steeple Hill Women's Fiction program will be dedicated to publishing inspirational fiction for the hip, modern woman of faith. This distinctively smart and spirited new line of books will depict the unique and varied situations women encounter as they learn important lessons about life, love and the power of faith. "
Steeple Hill Love Inspired - "The Love Inspired line is a series of contemporary, inspirational romances that feature Christian characters facing the many challenges of life and love in today's world. Each story should have an emotional, satisfying and mature romance; however, the characters should not make love unless they are married. These are "sweet" romances. Any physical interactions (i.e. kissing, hugging) should emphasize emotional tenderness rather than sexual desire."
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense - " This new sub-brand within the Love Inspired line is a series of edge-of-the-seat, contemporary romantic suspense tales of intrigue and romance featuring Christian characters facing challenges to their faith…and to their lives.
Each story should have a compelling mystery or a suspenseful situation threatening the hero and the heroine combined with an emotional, satisfying and mature romance; however, the characters should not make love unless they are married."
Steeple Hill Women's Fiction - "This new Steeple Hill program will be dedicated to publishing inspirational Christian women's fiction that depicts the struggles the characters encounter as they learn important lessons about trust and the power of faith. We are looking for compelling and thoughtfully developed stories that promote strong family values and high moral standards. These complex stories are character driven. They should provide readers with an uplifting and satisfying ending, and they can be written in the first- or third-person narrative and can be single or multiple point of view."
Heartsongs Presents -- "The main element of a Heartsongs Presents inspirational romance is the sweet love story. A very close second is the inspirational theme and content. All manuscripts in the Heartsongs Presents inspirational line should present a conservative, evangelical Christian worldview. "
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