''We're sorry but your manuscript is too long for a 32-page picture book.''

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JoeEkaitis

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CALLAWAY

Lotsa de Casha
by Madonna
ages 4-8
48 pages

The English Roses
by Madonna
ages 4-8
48 pages



DUTTON

Dave's Haircut
by Damon Burnard
ages 4-8
48 pages

You Bad Dog!
by Leslie Baker
ages 4-8
40 pages

May Belle and the Ogre
by Bethany Roberts
ages 4-8
48 pages


ARTHUR A. LEVINE BOOKS

Plum
by Tony Mitton
ages 4-8
64 pages

Book! Book! Book!
by Deborah Bruss
ages 4-8
40 pages

The No-Nothings and Their Baby
by Anne Mazer
ages 4-8
40 pages


SIMON & SCHUSTER

Clorinda
by Robert Kinerk
ages 4-8
40 pages

Eloise
by Kay Thompson
ages 4-8
80 pages

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase
by Carolyn Bracken
ages 4-8
40 pages



::sigh::
 

dragonjax

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Sorry, Joe. File the rejection under "Boy, This Was A Waste of My Paper and Postage" and move on to the next publisher. Good luck with the next submission!
 

Maryn

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Was this rejection from an agent or a publisher? If it was an agent, obviously they don't know the market and you're better off without them. Whew, huh?

If it was a publishing house, was there a hint anywhere in the guidelines that they mainly or only publish 32-page picture books? If you found no mention of the 32-page limit in their guidelines or recent sales, then it's their own fault.

Maryn, who hates that sort of rejection, too
 

JoeEkaitis

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Maryn:

I submitted the story to all but one of the above as well as the most likely prospects on WritersMarket.com and they all said the same thing. The "32-page" limit seems to be a catch-all reason for rejection which can be conveniently overridden when the editor's in the mood.
 
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Birol

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That's a good question right now.
Did they say that a 32-page picture book was too long?

or

Did they say your manuscript was too long for a 32-page picture book?
 

JoeEkaitis

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Birol:

32 pages is considered the ideal picture book because each book is made from 4 8-page sheets. An entire press run can be done without loading a new roll of paper. Note that the page counts in the original post are all multiples of 4, which would require a new roll of paper (and the labor to mount it on the press) in the middle of a run.

The person who can explain why the limit is sometimes exceeded is the same person who will find the cure for AIDS, end hunger and bring everlasting peace to the world.
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
The reason the limit is sometimes exceeded is no mystery: there are exceptions to every rule. The first two examples you cited are books "by" a very famous individual whose name would justify the extra expense since they would undoubtedly sell very well regardless of the length.

Since the main reason you are getting rejected is the length of the manuscript, have you considered revising your manuscript so it is shorter and resubmitting?
 

JoeEkaitis

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It's now short enough to fill 32 pages as an illustrated storybook, where a page of text faces a full page illustration with one or two 2-page spreads, but they still send it back as "too long."

In many cases, publishers have asked to see the manuscript after I had queried them with the word count and proposed format up front.
 
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Jamesaritchie

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JoeEkaitis said:
It's now short enough to fill 32 pages as an illustrated storybook, where a page of text faces a full page illustration with one or two 2-page spreads, but they still send it back as "too long."

In many cases, publishers have asked to see the manuscript after I had queried them with the word count and proposed format up front.

The best way to determine length is usually by actual word count. Each publisher has a word count they want for a 32 page illustrated book, and if you exceed it by more than a very few words, you'd better be incredibly good, or reasonably famous.

At any rate, it's usually best to pick up several such books from a publisher, throw out the high and the low count, and average the others.
 
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