I ask because I have a completed novel that totals 145,000. Is this a big warning sign to publishers and agents that I don't condense information? In my case, I'm working on shaving it down, but honestly, so much is happening that if I split the story into two novels, it would lose all of its meaning.
How many words is too many?
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What's your genre? A meaty 145K might work for fantasy if it's beautifully detailed. But for cozy mystery? Not so much.
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It's possible. If you can trim 20K or so off of it, it probably won't scare people off as much in a query. 20K is actually really easy to do. Start with dialogue and look for the word "that". You'll probably carve out a thousand or more just with that one word.
Why?
Well, when people speak, they usually leave out the word. Such as:
"I think that we should go to the store."
versus
"I think we should go to the store."
The first is proper English, but the second sounds smoother when reading. Then start making contractions of "do not" "can not" and other like that. Anything you can contract in dialogue will sound less stilted. Poof! Another thousand down in a full sized novel. Afterward, you can start to actually cut out some meat. But this will help.
Why?
Well, when people speak, they usually leave out the word. Such as:
"I think that we should go to the store."
versus
"I think we should go to the store."
The first is proper English, but the second sounds smoother when reading. Then start making contractions of "do not" "can not" and other like that. Anything you can contract in dialogue will sound less stilted. Poof! Another thousand down in a full sized novel. Afterward, you can start to actually cut out some meat. But this will help.
Thanks for this. I needed a laugh today!ETA: elimccl, it's not YA or anything, is it? If so, then you'll probably want to stick to under 100K. Otherwise, listen to Cathy. She is wise and all knowing.
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http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.html
An agent's guide to word count for various genres
An agent's guide to word count for various genres
Cathy C's advice is spot on. 145k is an uphill battle and is a very, very tough sell for a new author.
And yes, agents do reject queries based solely on word count being too high/too low, so don't give yourself another strike from the outset.
And yes, agents do reject queries based solely on word count being too high/too low, so don't give yourself another strike from the outset.
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145 is not overly long for fantasy. Certainly not so that it will be rejected automatically. It isn't unusual at all for a new writer to sell a 145 fantasy novel.