When Words Aren’t Enough
Manuscript Too Short? Why Word Count Can Cost You a Deal
(Words That Get You Into Trouble, Part 2)
(Gaius Konstantine /Editorial)
Last week I covered what happens when a manuscript runs longer than industry expectations. Today, the other side of that coin: the problems that come with writing shorter than expected, and the particular obstacles facing authors who prefer short stories, novelettes, and novellas.
If you don’t intend to write full novels, here’s what you’re up against.
Traditional houses rarely acquire debut novellas outside specific speculative-fiction imprints, and even then they usually prefer established or midlist authors. A debut or unknown writer has almost no realistic path to a traditional contract for a novella, much less a novelette. If that’s the length you want to write, you’re better off treating indie as the default, not the fallback.
Short-story writers face a different constraint. A single story rarely goes anywhere unless you’re content with magazine publication, often unpaid. The practical route is to collect enough stories for an anthology. Genre word-count expectations still apply, but you have one advantage: it’s easier to hit the target by adding or cutting a story than by rewriting a novel.
Read: Words That Get You Into Trouble (Part1)
Short form also demands tighter craft. The less space you have, the less room for plot and character to develop. Loose writing shows immediately.
The sharper problem, though, is what happens when a novel falls below the requested length and you still want a traditional deal. At first it can look harmless. They asked for 80,000 words and you sent 70,000. Shouldn’t that make the editor’s job easier?
It doesn’t.
Publishers set those numbers from experience. They often expect as much as 20 percent of a manuscript—especially from a debut or unknown author—to disappear in editing. They look at the numbers before they look at the pages. Ask for 80,000 and receive 70,000, and many will assume the book will land at 55,000–60,000 after cuts. That’s not enough book for most of their buyers. The usual result is a rejection before the manuscript is read.
Judging a book by its word count can feel unfair. It may be. Publishers also have more submissions than they can use, so they filter early. Supply exceeds demand, and they know it.
A novel can still be excellent on the short end of the recommended range. It simply makes an already narrow traditional path narrower.
Write what you want, at whatever length you want. Just know that ignoring industry expectations trades one set of problems for another.
Being an author is hard enough. There’s no need to make it harder.
Gaius Konstantine is the author of Fading Away: Dark Bay and a literary critic known for honest, no-nonsense takes on literature. He writes. He critiques. He calls it as he sees it.
Connect with him on X at @GaiusKonstantin.
