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Pletcha
(new)
Mar 29, 2012 12:20PM
My first book has a word count of 137 thousand. I have heard that e-book readers prefer 50 to 60 thousand words. Is this true? Just curious, how many words does your e-book have?
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Most eBook readers prefer a good story. Beyond that, I don't think the length matters. If there is 60 thousand pages of description (because you couldn't resist throwing in all of your research), they might be a little miffed...
It might be a genre thing. Fantasy, which I write in, routinely comes in at over 100,000 words (oftentimes a lot more). Some other genres might be less on average.I would concentrate on quality over quantity and just tell a good story that doesn't get bogged down with background info or descriptions.
Pletcha, I've seen other figures: a Smashwords user did a figuring-gathering from sales and found that the audience favoured novels of 100,000 and over. Don't let the figures bother you, I'd say. As for me, I'm 210,000 and 240,000 and proud.
A.G. wrote: "Most eBook readers prefer a good story. Beyond that, I don't think the length matters. If there is 60 thousand pages of description (because you couldn't resist throwing in all of your research), t..."Hi A.G., Thank you for the info.
Best Wishes,
Pletcha
Scott wrote: "It might be a genre thing. Fantasy, which I write in, routinely comes in at over 100,000 words (oftentimes a lot more). Some other genres might be less on average.I would concentrate on quality o..."
Hi Scott, Very much appreciate the info., as I also write fantasy. You just hear so many different things, it can make your head spin, so it's great to hear what fellow authors think.
Best Wishes,
Pletcha
Bryn wrote: "Pletcha, I've seen other figures: a Smashwords user did a figuring-gathering from sales and found that the audience favoured novels of 100,000 and over. Don't let the figures bother you, I'd say..."
Hi Bryn, Wow! That's great to know. I was concerned that my book might be too long. How long have you been writing? How many books? You sound like a seasoned writer. I feel like a baby duck out of water.
Best Wishes,
Pletcha
I don't have a fiction book title 80,000, but that's just me. :-) I don't enjoy tons of detail or descriptions in the books I read, either.
Pletcha wrote: "Scott wrote: "It might be a genre thing. Fantasy, which I write in, routinely comes in at over 100,000 words (oftentimes a lot more). Some other genres might be less on average.I would concentrat..."
Hi again Scott, I just visited your web-site. Your book "The Five Elements" has gotten such great reviews. Congrats! By the way, it's the next book I'm going to read.
Pletcha wrote: "Hi Bryn, Wow! That's great to know. I was concerned that my book might be too long...."Great to meet you, Pletcha. I'm very very new to publishing, if not to writing. I keep my eye out on word count just because I'm conscious of my size, and I've seen numbers of ebooks - fantasy, yes, historical, other - at your size.
As other people say here, every word has to count. But I don't think expectations are so different (or ought to be) to paperbacks in a shop. Think a four hundred page novel, that's you.
I think ebooks are great because size doesn't matter. Either end - at the short end too.
Bryn wrote: "Pletcha wrote: "Hi Bryn, Wow! That's great to know. I was concerned that my book might be too long...."Great to meet you, Pletcha. I'm very very new to publishing, if not to writing. I keep my ey..."
Hi Bryn, Great to meet you also. I see that you've been writing Amgalant for 8 1/2 years with 5 to go. How wonderful that you've been able to spend so long with it. I certainly understand why it will be so hard to give it up. My book took almost 3 years to write. I'm nearly finished with it's sequel and then, for the most part, I have to say good-bye to my main charector. It is hard, you become so very attached.
Mary wrote: "I don't have a fiction book title 80,000, but that's just me. :-) I don't enjoy tons of detail or descriptions in the books I read, either."Hi Mary, I know what you mean. A lot of people don't like Stephen Kings work for that reason.
Best Wishes,
Pletcha
Pletcha wrote: "I have to say good-bye to my main charector. It is hard, you become so very attached."Oh dear. I haven't had to do this or even face this - obviously, from the statistics you quote - and I'd honestly be afraid to. Let us know whether you go through a grief stage, or cure yourself with attachment to the next, or...
Mary wrote: "I don't have a fiction book title 80,000, but that's just me. :-) I don't enjoy tons of detail or descriptions in the books I read, either."I'm with you. I just want the punchline. I could care less what the room looks like or what color everyone's socks are. That's why I can't make it through anymore Anne Rice books.
I have to really make an effort to add more description when I'm writing than I actually prefer when I'm reading.
I skip a lot of description, and have often felt vaguely guilty about that. In particular landscapes... unless they're telling me about the human mood. So I don't write them, either.
It really sucks when I skim and then realize I must have missed something important and I have to go back. :(
Yup, that catches you out, and then I think, 'serves you right, Bryn, you shouldn't skip'
