Too low:

What pieces am I missing? Is my book made up of layers? Are my characters and their relationships complex and compelling? Do I have any subplots? Is my world building fleshed our enough? Is it too easy for my MC to achieve their goals?

If you find yourself outside of those ranges, don’t panic! I promise it’s workable.

It might be an easy fix, or it might take a lot of maneuvering and reworking, but it IS doable to both add and reduce word count.

So here are some questions to ask yourself:

As far as what’s generally acceptable in a broad sense, this is a good article:

thewritelife.com/how-many-words…

And on the craft level—low word counts make agents wonder what’s left out, what isn’t there to make your story well-rounded and complex.

High word counts, what excess is there, what’s been added in or extrapolated too far.

But please remember—you might think 20-30k outside the range isn’t THAT bad, but it’s a LOT of words to have to figure out. Especially for an agent that just signed you, doesn’t know how well you can edit, and doesn’t know 100% how well you’ll receive critiques

And of course, there’s a LITTLE wiggle room—if you’re a few thousand words within the standard, you’re generally okay (but should still try to consider ways to get it IN that range if you haven’t already)

When you have a large fan base that editors believe will buy your book simply bc your name is on it, they’re FAR more likely to take a risk on word counts way outside the normal range.

But if you don’t have a fan base yet? An editor isn’t going to take the risk on that 400k book

And I want to clarify—I’m talking DEBUT authors (and authors still establishing themselves) here.

Yes, your favorite famous author has a 400k book that sold really well—but that’s because they already had an established fan base.

These counts aren’t arbitrary—they’re based on what’s sold the best in the past. There’s a REASON they’re set where they are—because books too far outside of them tend not to sell as well for debut authors

First—WORD COUNT DOES MATTER.

I promise you, agents don’t harp on it because we’re trying to torture authors.

It’s because there’s a range (dependent on age category and genre) that editors will generally consider acceptable.

Too high or low and you run the risk of auto reject

I’ve noticed a lot of word counts WILDLY outside the acceptable range lately SO

Let’s talk about word count for a hot sec—why it matters, what’s generally acceptable, and what to ask yourself if you’re outside that range!

#querytip #amwriting #amquerying #writers

How, When & Why to Write Synopses youtu.be/2x_LyCPpBm8 via @YouTube #WriteTip #QueryTip

How to Research Literary Agents #QueryTip #PubTip youtube.com/watch?v=8PxmWY… bookendsliterary.com/2020/01/22/how…

Also I've added a few new questions to my FAQ page, so be sure to read that if you're thinking of querying me or are waiting on a response. #querytip literallycait.tumblr.com/FAQ

The point is that dialogue can of course be an effective tool to engage a reader but it has to be something worthwhile. If not it might be best to ground the reader first in the scene and give them a reason to care about what's going on.

#querytip

"I think we should break-up."

Now this might get someone's attention. There's implied drama that's most likely about to happen. A possible train wreck you just can't look away from.

#querytip

"Hey, what's going on?"

Starting with the mundane isn't grabbing either. It's also why you rarely see people say hello or goodbye in TV shows or movies. It's not important.

#querytip

"The Arugulaian forces must defeat the great beyond of Fantainian or all will be lost for the King of Exidian."

Starting with dialogue in fantasy can be especially challenging since we don't know the world or the characters. We don't yet know why we should care.

#querytip

Starting with dialogue - #querytip
Ask yourself if it passes the "coffee shop" test - meaning, if this is something someone said in a crowded coffee shop would it make you stop and listen?
If it doesn't, don't start with it.
Examples below...

Writers, when you inform an agent you have an offer of rep/publication it's really helpful if you reply over your original query. That way, everything is in one place. #querytip