The Notebook - 38,000 words

HH Johnson · Feb 13, 2009

The Notebook by Sparks is only 38,000 words long. It was also
the author's first published novel.

Isn't it unusual for such a first novel to have such a (short) word-count?
Reference books always seem to say that the length of a first novel
should be 50,000 to 75,000 words or so.

Gillhoughly · Feb 13, 2009

If you mean Nicholas Sparks, then this novella is by a well-known NYT bestselling writer, not a first timer.

Is this a reprint of his first effort? I don't read him, so I don't keep up with his stuff. If it's his first, then he was danged lucky they took him on.

Short works sell, but usually not from first novelists unless they've got one hell of an agent and cover blurbs from bestselling writers in the field. Or they better be one hell of a writer!

Janet Evanovich has a series of "between the numbers" short mysteries that run at about 45-50K words. They're just too short (to me) to justify charging a hardcover price, but they sell all the same.

They retail at a 6.99 paperback price, which is only a buck less than some full length works. They look "big" because the publisher messes with the font size and line spacing so it has the same page count as a larger book.

I'd rather have a thinner book for 5.00 than a fake fatty.

They sell because she's a good writer. I love her stuff myself, but generally borrow from the library.

And reference books don't allow for publishing house preferences.

Some will look at works of any length, but others, especially for genre fiction like romance and S.F. & mystery, have a minimum/maximum length that varies.

Category romance lines are especially strict. If they want 58K words and no more, then don't give them 60K or it will get trimmed.

HH Johnson · Feb 13, 2009

The Notebook was Nicholas Sparks FIRST sale.

He was NOT a bestselling novelist when he sold The Notebook.

Is that too hard for you to understand?

nevada · Feb 13, 2009

Wow, rude much?

the notebook is not a novel. it is a novella. sometimes a writer is lucky that a novella is his first sale.

A novella usually runs between 30,000 and 40,000 words. Novels start at 40,000 but it is rare that a 40,000 novel is published. Mostly first time novelists are expected to write a novel between 80,000 and 100,000. unless you're nicholas sparks and write a *novella* that an editor figures could make millions of dollars.

is that too hard for *you* to understand.

selkn.asrai · Feb 13, 2009

HH Johnson said:
The Notebook was Nicholas Sparks FIRST sale.

He was NOT a bestselling novelist when he sold The Notebook.

Is that too hard for you to understand?

Whoever has their facts correct, your answer was unwarranted and rude.

You've some audacity to join a forum, post a question, and condescend the first person who offers you an answer. Especially to someone who is quite knowledgeable and was nothing but polite to you.

HH Johnson · Feb 13, 2009

Nevada wastes no time to protect Gillhoughly from Meanie Me . . .

Nevada and Gillhoughly sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

Stacia Kane · Feb 13, 2009

HH Johnson said:
Nevada wastes no time to protect Gillhoughly from Meanie Me . . .

Nevada and Gillhoughly sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

Whatever it is you think you're accomplishing by starting a thread here and behaving like a rude five-year-old brat, all you are actually doing is wasting our time.

I feel sorry for you.

selkn.asrai · Feb 13, 2009

HH Johnson said:
Nevada wastes no time to protect Gillhoughly from Meanie Me . . .

Nevada and Gillhoughly sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

And the impudence continues. Methinks we need a MOD...

scarletpeaches · Feb 13, 2009

DecemberQuinn said:
You're a dick, and I'm reporting you.

I love you. :ROFL:

selkn.asrai · Feb 13, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
I love you.

I'd be wary saying that around here. You'll get lashed with a first-grade chant and taunted on the playground.

scarletpeaches · Feb 13, 2009

HH Johnson said:
Nevada wastes no time to protect Gillhoughly from Meanie Me . . .

Probably because Gillhoughly is well respected around here and...

HH Johnson said:
Nevada and Gillhoughly sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g

...this is why you are not.

Tifferbugz · Feb 13, 2009

Sparks received something like a $1 million advance for his first novel as well. The situation was unusual all around for a first sale.

Also does acting like an immature jerk on an Internet forum make you feel like a tough guy or something? You sound like you're about 12 years old so hopefully you'll grow up in a few years.

Susan Gable · Feb 13, 2009

Gillhoughly said:
Janet Evanovich has a series of "between the numbers" short mysteries that run at about 45-50K words. They're just too short (to me) to justify charging a hardcover price, but they sell all the same.

They retail at a 6.99 paperback price, which is only a buck less than some full length works. They look "big" because the publisher messes with the font size and line spacing so it has the same page count as a larger book.

I'd rather have a thinner book for 5.00 than a fake fatty.

.

Gil, I am SOOO with you on the Evanovich novellas. In fact, I stopped buying her books and borrowing them from the library because I bought the first one, the Christmas book, and I was FURIOUS when I finished it. I'm not mad a Janet, mind you, but the publisher for ripping me off, making me pay that much money for, as you call it, a fake fatty. They put extra blank pages between the chapters, and the whole first chapter of One For the Money was in the back of the thing. And they charged me the cost of a novel.

Yeah, that ticked me off royally. I figure I don't hurt her by borrowing the book from the library. (Or buying it off the clearance hardcover racks. <G>)

I think that was rude of the publisher, and blatently taking advatage of her fanbase.

Susan G. - who always has an opinion, and is happy to share it. And is attempting to retake this thread from the very rude OP.

Cathy C · Feb 13, 2009

I've requested that the OP clean up his act or find another room to play in. I'll be away this weekend, so please do notify a Super if you feel any other posts are unnecessarily rude.

Gillhoughly · Feb 13, 2009

Is that too hard for you to understand?

By the reaction from the others, I think you can take it as read that rude replies are not the done thing in this forum.

The people here are thinking adults looking to improve their craft. Many of us are professionals in the publishing industry and are willing to help others.

No one is interested in wasting time on flame wars, trolls, rudeness or baiting. If you need such an outlet, there are other places for it, but it's not Absolute Write.

Kasey Mackenzie · Feb 13, 2009

Wow, this thread inspired me to give my first negative reppie...I've been tempted before but never did...

brainstorm77 · Feb 13, 2009

Gillhoughly said:
By the reaction from the others, I think you can take it as read that rude replies are not the done thing in this forum.

The people here are thinking adults looking to improve their craft. Many of us are professionals in the publishing industry and are willing to help others.

No one is interested in wasting time on flame wars, trolls, rudeness or baiting. If you need such an outlet, there are other places for it, but it's not Absolute Write.

agreed!

Siddow · Feb 13, 2009

LOL, this thread inspired me to Google, and turned up a Wikipedia page which claims that before writing The Notebook, Sparks wrote two other novels, one of them titled The Passing of Wind.

ROFL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notebook

Gillhoughly · Feb 13, 2009

Susan Gable said:
I think that was rude of the publisher, and blatantly taking advantage of her fanbase.

Indeed! I love her books, but these days I have to save the shekels for other things.

The library turned up trumps for me this week as I found "Plum Lucky," the hardcover version. No sample chapters in view.

The shorter works are fun, but alert readers who aren't hopelessly addicted to her characters will think twice about spending that much for empty pages.

Stacia Kane · Feb 13, 2009

Laurell K Hamilton did this with the "Micah" novella as well; 30k words, with big fonts, extra blank pages, etc. Fans were not amused, if memory serves.

scarletpeaches · Feb 13, 2009

I thought that was a graphic novel?

I'm sure she was talking of bringing out something comic-y, if that's even a word.

Stacia Kane · Feb 13, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
I thought that was a graphic novel?

I'm sure she was talking of bringing out something comic-y, if that's even a word.

No, "Micah" was a novella, published in regular mmpb and sold for, if memory serves, regular mmpb price (I could be wrong on that, but I don't think so).

She already has done comics; Marvel is doing the series--they've been coming out for a year or so--and I believe she wrote a new story specifically for a collected graphic novel which came out last year at some point.

nevada · Feb 13, 2009

personally, i can't stand authors who milk a series for all it's worth, way beyond the expiry date. I read two of the plum novels and that was way more than enough for me. A friend of mine who LOVES them says she hsould have stopped around 10 or so. And i've been hearing a lot of people complain about Hamilton too. and on top of that, expecting people to fork over regular prices for novellas? no thanks. I love andy mcnab and he wrote a novella, it was for a series called "quick reads" by the publisher and they wanted regular price. umm yeah no thanks. i love andy mcnab but im not paying ten bucks for 100 pages.

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