Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Books by the pound

From: Patrick King ( abrasax93@yahoo.com)
Date: 15 Oct 2007


--- Dick Lochte < dlochte@gmail.com> wrote:

> My point, not that I always have one, is that I
> can't think of a case where
> an editor told a writer: I love the manuscript, but
> make it longer. Usually,
> it's the writer, too much in love with his (or her)
> words to edit or, worse
> yet, to accept anyone else's edit, who is
> responsible for the fat book.

It's happened to me, personally. 3 agents and 1 publisher told me, this is a good idea but it's 42,000 words. Rewrite it for 80,000 and we may be able to sell it. I of course, being me, said 'The great old books didn't have to be 80,000 words.' The one agent who was still kind enough to respond to that stupid e-mail of mine, said short books do not work in todays market.

I'm working on a good story now and it will be 80,000 words before I let it go. Maybe then I'll rewrite the other, but frankly, it feels finished to me. I could, of course, be wrong!

Patrick King

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