How Long Should a Book Be?

Is my book too long or too short?

Following is are the standard book lengths for different books

Short Stories: 1000 - 8000 words

Novella: 10,000 - 30,000 words

Commercial Fiction: 95,000 - 120,000 words

Romance: 55,000 - 85,000 words

Children Books:
     Picture Books: 750 - 1000 words
     Chapter Books: 10,000 words
     Middle grade: 35,000 - 45,000 words
     Young adult: 70,000 -90,000 words

Here something else for you.

Are you writing a Sifi or fantasy script?

These scripts have a structure to follow. Following is an online webinar that can help you.

Winning Sci-Fi/Fantasy Story Structures

Sci-Fi and Fantasy scripts can either captivate an audience or turn  them off completely. It all starts with a great script. A script with a  strong structure has a better chance of attracting producers and  an audience. What do great Sci-Fi and Fantasy scripts have in common? What  turns the audience away from these movies in spite of high  expectations? This webinar will look more closely at how winning  movies were structured through comparing box office hits with  box office duds. And give an overview of their structures. No Question Goes Unanswered! This course is open to anyone interested in writing Sci/Fi and Fantasty.  Nancy Ellen Dodd will be available to answer all of your questions.  No question goes unanswered! See syllabus here » What you'll learn: • How to identify structure that works • How to develop Sci-Fi/Fantasy ideas into a strong structure • How Sci-Fi/Fantasy structures differ from other genres • How character development is integral in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy structure • Winning Sci-Fi/Fantasy scripts and what they have in common • Losing Sci-Fi/Fantasy scripts and where they failed

Develop a Stronger Script - Register Now

"Show.  Don't tell."

This is advice that I always give to writers. I follow it myself. It hopes make one's writing compelling. Following is info about a webinar that focuses on the "show don't tell rule". I suggest signing up for it and listen to the reasoning from an actual agent.

Read the following letter I got from Writer's Digest Tutorial:

**********

SUE JOHNSON eMedia ProductionCoordinator Writer's Digest Tutorials

Hi everyone!

Writers are advised again and again to show and not tell. But there's more to showing and telling in fiction than a blanket prohibition. Sometimes the suggestion to show rather than tell simply doesn't go far enough. Of what value is such advice when neither showing nor telling are explained? when the differences between showing and telling aren't spelled out? when no effort is made to point out that both showing and telling are necessary in fiction and that knowing when each is particularly useful can help writers create compelling and dynamic stories?

This tutorial will help fill the gaps of the show, don't tell advice. Examples of both showing and telling will help you decide which should be used in a variety of situations and to create particular effects.

This tutorial is presented by freelance fiction editor Beth Hill, whose popular Editor's Blog offers advice on issues of craft and grammar, and encourages writers toward excellence in fiction.

In this 36-minute tutorial video, you'll learn:

• What is meant by the terms showing and telling
• Ways to both show and tell
• When to use telling and when to use showing to enhance a scene or paragraph
• Why dramatic or conflict-raising scenes should be shown
• Why telling should be used for summary
• Which types of telling should be limited in fiction
• Why showing when you should tell or telling when you should show creates problems

Watch to discover the particulars of both showing and telling in fiction.

Preview: Show, Don't Tell: The Story Behind the Advice >

Writer's Digest Tutorials Members enjoy full access to all tutorials featured in this newsletter, as well as every tutorial on the tutorials site. Did you know that for only $199 you gain access to all Writer's Digest's writing tutorials for an entire year? That means you have access to all 175+ current tutorials and all the new tutorials created throughout the year. With the addition of at least one new tutorial every week you have access to a minimum of another 52 educational tutorials. Watch every video whenever you like, as often as you would like . . . and be the first to watch the new tutorial we post each week! 

Haven't taken advantage of the wisdom bestowed through the WD tutorials yet? Why not try it out today and see all that our WD tutorials have to offer! You can try WD Tutorials for only $25/month! You will enjoy instant access to 175+ tutorials, including at least one new tutorial added weekly. Also, there are many new tutorials still in development. Feel free to preview the many tutorials immediately available to you through the WD Tutorials site.

Wishing you a fun-filled summer!

~ Sue Johnson~

P.S. If you missed the last newsletter (or two), be sure to watch these new and featured tutorials:

How to Get Published: Land a Book Deal in 2014

How to Select the Best Point of View for Your Novel

The Three Essential Building Blocks of Your Novel: Who, What, and Where

Writing the Irresistible Novel

YA Trends: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market

Why Here? Creating a Sense of Place

For quick and easy access to all WD Tutorials available to you, use this link:

View All WD Tutorials >

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