Length of a historical YA book?
- Thread starter DivaNicoletta
- Start date
I certainly don't know, but if no one else knows then you can always look up similar books on Amazon and see how long they are. I imagine it wouldn't be much different from the acceptable lengths of non-historical YA books.
When I came to AW, the first question I asked was how long could a YA novel be. I was told in general 50-90K. But then others suggested that longer might be okay nowadays. Of mine, one is right in that range, & one is going to be way too long... at least 'til editing.
Check Children's Writers' Market Place, or whatever the annual book is called. Or look up publishers' websites. Depending on the age range, genre, the word count will vary. Sorry that doesn't answer your question directly, but it is the process which will give you the straight-from-the-horse's mouth accuracy, and not just my opinion.
Check out similar books to yours in your local bookstore. See how long they are, and see who published them.
My next book is historical/fiction, and I've been capped by my publisher at 30,000 words. My last book (not historical) was 56,000 words, and I was asked to make it's prequel shorter.
There are YA books at 30,000 words and there are YA books much, much longer. I wouldn't worry about length so much as just getting it written. You can always edit out what isn't working, and go from there.
Best of luck to you! (If actors say "Break a leg," should writers say "Break your pen?")
Canada James
My next book is historical/fiction, and I've been capped by my publisher at 30,000 words. My last book (not historical) was 56,000 words, and I was asked to make it's prequel shorter.
There are YA books at 30,000 words and there are YA books much, much longer. I wouldn't worry about length so much as just getting it written. You can always edit out what isn't working, and go from there.
Best of luck to you! (If actors say "Break a leg," should writers say "Break your pen?")
Canada James