YA novel length

[Sage]

So, seriously, what is the absolute maximum length you would recommend for a YA novel (sci-fi/fantasy)?

'Cuz mine's getting a bit long... & I'm not done yet.

[Spidercat]

Personally I think sf/fantasy novels (or practically any novel for that matter) can be as long as the writer needs them to be -- just look at Harry Potter! On the other hand, there might be a few factors that might affect your chances of being published if you're a first-time author. Publishers need to invest money in all of their authors and if the production cost of your book becomes too high simply because of your word count, that might affect their decision to take you on or not since you haven't proven that your work can sell well yet (By contrast J.K. Rowling, being a proven commodity, is probably encouraged to write long mss to up the price, but that's just speculation on my part). I've heard conflicting arguments, but in general I believe 40,000-60,000 is the average word count for Middle Grade books while 50,000-90,000 is average for YA.

Another thing to consider is that your long book might be able to be split into smaller volumes and be marketed as a trilogy or multivolume series. I believe J.R. Tolkein originally intended Lord of the Rings to be one book but was persuaded by his writer to make it a trilogy. Again, that decision is something that depends on the editor (and you)

[Sage]

Yeah, I've thought about whether it'd be viable to split the book, & I think I'll have to wait 'til I'm done to really consider that matter. The problem with that is that there is a lot of background characterization for my two main characters before they start the quest that drives the rest of the story. I've looked at it again & again, & there's maybe a few parts that I can cut out, but almost all of it seems necessary to me to establish the background for why they are the way they are, and it works much better told chronologically than as flashbacks. But if I were to split the book, I might be cheating the reader a bit by promising them a quest & then giving them my characters growing up for half the book before putting them on the quest, only to have it be "to be continued."

I guess then I'd have the dilemma of wanting to add to the quest section of the book so that it was longer before splitting the book. But if I'm not splitting it, I'd definitely have to figure out what I can cut, 'cuz it's definitely not going to make a 90,000 word cut off. So I guess the thing to do now is to finish it & see what will work best.

[Susan Pevensie]

I'd say 90k was the maximum but then if it's not finished, that means it's not edited! I always lose quite a lot of padding with the editing!

S

[Grey Malkin]

I heard an agent say that at one time she would have got very edgy if someone had said their proposed novel was over 90,000 words, but now she doesn't bat an eyelid when submissions come in claiming the full text to be 130,000 words. Times change.

You can always rework it as a trilogy. :)

[Spidercat]

One reason for the increased length of manuscripts is the creation of the word processor and other helpful computer software tools -- they make writing longer stories easier vs punching them out on the typewriter not to mention printing multiple copies with ease. I went to a writer's conference a few months ago and the agents and editors there said they expected longer mss now.

[Sage]

Well, it's a relief to hear that I have a little wiggle room here. Of course, I'm still not done, but then again, it also hasn't been edited. :Hammer: