Naomi Davis

But your first book NEEDS TO END, and it needs to end in a totally-satisfying way, even if the story carries on afterward. It needs to appear "All could be well!" even if all will not be well. It can hint that there is a greater danger on horizon, but 1st plot must conclude.

If something feels like you paused story to tell a side quest, cut it or connect it into main plot somehow. Make your MC learn something critical here. Make them meet a character who helps them see conflict in a new light. Make it so there was no other way for MC to move forward.

- Foreshadowing greater conflict
- Other characters who hint at deep backstories
- World building elements the MC does not yet understand but will in future books
NO PART OF YOUR BOOK SHOULD FEEL LIKE A SIDE QUEST. It should all tie into THIS 1ST PLOT, & hint at over-arch plot.

...you actually take away from the reader's experience by never allowing them to fully sink into a character&digest the world&story. Cut your outline down to a skeleton of the first conflict, and THEN go back in, & through character interactions add all the toppings:

Ultimately, you need to worldbuild in each book of your series anyway. So sketch out how you could tell the first major plot in the simplest possible way, ignoring the rest of the world. Sketch it out from ONE POV. Then, add another if you need to. But if you add too many...

Which part of the world really needs to be built NOW,&which can wait until next book? Consider your overarching conflict, but also which specific conflict is going to feature in this 1st book&how it will conclude in a satisfying way. Consider which locations matter now&can wait.

So your job is to figure out WHICH PART of the story needs to be told in the first book of your series. How do you do that? Well, consider the experience of the characters. Through whose lens will this story be experienced in a way that lets your reader learn it all seamlessly?

..for the conflict to spring off the page, description of races/creatures/castes/magical systems,&character relationships that interact powerfully with all these elements. Often, multi POV. It's a lot! But is a publisher going to take on a 400k first book of this epic debut? No.

Your goal, as the author, is not only to tell the whole story. It is also to tell the story in THE MOST DYNAMIC ORDER for the reader to absorb&experience. You absolutely need all these big elements: thorough worldbuilding, unique&intricate characters, enough political backstory..

I was asked about long, expansive epic fantasy &want to expand in detail. Epic F often have a LOT going on - huge casts&worlds, complex magic&politics. This often=high wordcount. How can you fit this into cohesive novel that appeals to pubs? Thread. #amwriting #askagent #querytip

I think anything under 70k would be cutting it close in order to have thorough world building. It wouldn't be a good idea to add words just to reach a target word count - concise storytelling matters way more than length. #askagent

The worst thing in an opening, for me, is "Character is so bored with his life that an exciting plot started happening to him." I need to see direction, motivation, personality, etc - even if the plot itself drastically alters those elements. #askagent

If it's really a problem and the book needs to be split in two or something, I'll recommend that. But I will never reject solely based on word count.
That said, it's pretty easy for me to tell on pg1 if those words are all used wisely. Make it sharp. #askagent #querytip

A note about queries:
I am NOT picky about word count.
Write what the story needs. As long as you're not over 200,000 or unusually short for your genre, I'm not going to reject a perfectly good book for something like word count being outside my expectations. #querytip #askagent

It really just needs as many words as the story needs. In general, I find the most balanced YA sci fi or fantasy to be between 75,000-100,000 words, but it could be successful lower or higher, too. I would just write what it needs and not worry!
#askagent

It wouldn't prevent me from reading, but I do question whether the world building would need beefing up with that word count. Is everything as original and thoroughly explored as it can be? Would be my question. #askagent

To this story and my thoughts about ways to play with the genres of SFF and what I would find really unique and exciting in a submission. I hope this helps, or inspires someone to stretch the boundaries of their creativity! #writetip #askagent #amwriting #amediting

The first question every potential client asks me is about my communication style.
So here's an example of an actual email I sent to a client last night (shared with permission). #askagent

Depends on the setting, likely! Is it a sci fi with magical elements or a fantasy with sci fi elements? #askagent

Yes, Especially if part of the series is published already. #askagent