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How Do I Market a Book?

Book Marketing | How Do I Market a Book?

This is one of the most common questions I see in Christian author groups.

Unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest to answer.

Why? Because the question is too vague.

It’s like asking “what should I buy?” If I’m hungry, I should buy food. If I’m cold, I should buy clothes. if I’m bored, I should buy a book. No one can give a helpful answer without more information.

Top Tip: It’s best to ask specific questions, especially in Facebook groups.

The other issue is that the question is usually asked by someone who has already published their book. Most marketing happens before the book is published. Yes, you can advertise a book after it’s been published, but the success of post-publication advertising will largely depend on how well the early big-picture steps were completed.

Here are my suggested steps to marketing a book:

1. Write an excellent book.

Your book needs to be of the same standard as a book released by a traditional publisher, because this is the standard readers expect. Your book should also be written in an accepted genre, because that shows there is a group of readers who want to buy books like yours.

Click here to read about understanding genre.

2. Build your author website.

All authors need a website, an online home base that they can use to attract potential readers and even to sell books from. Recent events have shown (yet again) how easy it is to lose followers from a third-party website or social media network. Instead, build your website on a self-hosted WordPress site to limit the risk of losing your site.

Click here to read more about author websites.

3. Set up social media accounts on relevant networks.

While it’s unwise to build an entire platform on social media, it is worthwhile claiming your author name on the main social media networks (i.e. the networks your target readers use) and pointing followers towards your website.

Click here to read more about social media.

4. Work with an editor and proofreader.

Revise and self-edit your book until it is the best you can make it. Then use at least one paid editor to provide professional external feedback.

Click here to read why self-editing is important.

  • A developmental editor will help clarify your overall story, and help you fix plot, character, or structure problems.
  • A line editor will help polish your work.
  • A copyeditor will ensure the writing is consistent with the relevant style guide.
  • A proofreader provides on final check to ensure the manuscript is ready to publish.

Click here to read more about the cost of editing.

5. Set up an email list and offer a reader magnet.

An email list is your direct line to your fans. These are the people who will preorder your books and buy your new releases. The bigger and more engaged your list, the less “hard sell” you have to do.

Click here to read more about email lists.

6. Consider your path to publishing

Click here to read more about the paths to publishing.

Do you want to publish with a major traditional publisher? If so, your next step is to find a literary agent who sells manuscripts to your preferred publisher.

Do you want to work with a small press? Now is the time to submit.

Do you plan to self-publish? Make sure you’re self-publishing, not working with a vanity publisher (who won’t market your book, and probably won’t even edit it).

Click here to find out how to find a literary agent.

7. Create an ARC team.

An ARC is an Advance Reader Copy or Advance Review Copy. Create a team of people who will receive the pre-proofed version of your book, read it before publication, and review it on release date (or soon after). Reviews provide social proof for new-to-you readers and encourages them to try your book.

8. Hire an excellent cover designer.

If there’s one thing that’s more important than excellent writing and editing, it’s cover design. The cover is the first thing a new reader sees, so it needs to fit the genre, and attract your target readers.

9. Write a compelling book description.

When a potential customer sees your book, the first thing they see is the cover. If the cover looks appealing, the next thing they will do is read the book description. Your book description should introduce your main characters and the central conflict, hooking potential customers so they want to find out more.

10. Ask Book Bloggers to Feature Your Book

The internet is filled with book bloggers and bookstagrammers (booklovers on Instagram) who are always looking for the next great novel to read and promote on their blog.

Once you have a great cover and a compelling book description, you can approach bloggers in your genre and ask if they are interested in featuring you or your book. Offer them a free ebook for review (but remember they are under no obligation to review, even if you give them a free book).

Click here for information on how to ask book bloggers for reviews.

Top Tip: If none of the bloggers you approach are interested in you or your book, you’re either approaching bloggers in the wrong genre, or your book cover, book description, or actual book are to blame. If you can’t give your book away to an avid reader aka book blogger, your chances of selling it to a less avid reader are slim.

11. Publish your book.

Yes, we have finally got to the publishing stage (and I’ve missed several steps). If you are working with a traditional publisher, they will edit, design the cover, format, write the book description, print your book, and upload the book to all the major sales platforms. If you are self-publishing, these tasks are your responsibility.

12. Promote your new release.

Tell your email list and social media followers about your new release. If you have been featured on book blogs, comment on the post and respond to readers who comment. Share the blog posts, and retweet mentions. Release week is the one time followers will forgive you for self-promotion, so take advantage of that.

13. Write the next book.

If you’re aiming for traditional publication, write the next book. Publishers rarely offer new authors a one-book deal, as they want to spread their marketing dollar over two or three books.

If you’re self-publishing, write the next book in the series. Readers love series, and books in a series cross-promote each other.

14. Advertise

Once you have three to five books in a series, it’s worthwhile considering paid advertising e.g. Facebook and Amazon. You can offer books at sale prices (or even a free book) and make money as readers read through the series.

15. Apply for a BookBub Featured Deal

BookBub Featured Deals aren’t cheap, but they are the advertising prize. Apply as often as you can and expect to be rejected many times before you are accepted. In the meantime, work on getting more Amazon and Goodreads reviews.

 Top Tip: if you only have one book published, don’t apply for a free deal on BookBub.

The way free deals make money for the author is via sell-through i.e. the reader downloading Book #1 free, reading it, then going on to but Book #2 and Book #3 and so on. This works best if you have at least three books in the same series.

Simple, right? (Not.)

As you can see, most of the marketing happens before the book is published.

If you have a published book that isn’t selling as well as you’d like, it’s possible the book isn’t meeting reader expectations. If that happens, my best advice is to write the next book, and ensure it meets reader expectations in terms of genre and the standard of writing, editing, and cover design.

Do you have any specific questions about how to market a book? Let me know in the comments.

When does contemporary fiction become historical fiction?

Historical vs Contemporary Fiction (An #AuthorToolboxBlogHop Post)

This post is part of the monthly Author ToolBox Blog Hop, organised by Raimey Gallant.

We now have over 40 blogs participating. To find more Blog Hop posts:

When does historical fiction become contemporary fiction (or vice versa)?

This question came up in a Facebook group recently. How do we classify historical vs contemporary fiction? Is a novel set in 1979 historical fiction? Or contemporary fiction? That got me thinking … and searching.

When do you think a contemporary novel becomes historical fiction (or vice versa)? Who decides? #WritersLife #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop Share on X

Who gets to decide whether a novel is historical or contemporary fiction? It could be:

  • Libraries (if they classify by genre)
  • Bookstores (who usually classify by genre)
  • Writing organisations (especially those with genre-based contests)
  • Authors (especially when they’re self-publishing)
  • Readers

Most libraries I’ve visited organise fiction by author surname, not by genre, so that’s no help.

Bookstores often classify by genre.

But each store has different classifications, and it’s not always easy to tell what’s what. It doesn’t help that bigger stores usually classify a Christian historical romance as Religious rather than Historical (and if a book featured an African-American character or was written by an African-American author, it might be classified as African-American fiction, not Religious or Historical).

I checked Amazon, but couldn’t find any definition of historical.

That’s not to say it doesn’t exist. I just says I couldn’t find it. If you know where Amazon has a definition of contemporary vs. historical, please add it in the comments!

Amazon use the BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes, and I couldn’t find any definition of historical on their site either.

Amazon also isn’t helpful in that publishers self-classify—which is how we find novels in the nonfiction categories, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz in the Australia and Oceania category. (I can only assume someone mixed up Austria and Australia …)

How do writing organisations classify historical vs contemporary fiction?

American Christian Fiction Writers have Contemporary and Historical categories in their Genesis and Carol Awards. They define Historical as “up to and including the Vietnam era”. The Vietnam war ended in 1975, so I guess that’s ACFW’s current definition of “historical”.

In contrast, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award and Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award both classify “historical” as set before 1950. If you’d asked me, I think this is what I would have said—but I’m equally happy with a 1975 or even 1980 date.

With more recent historical fiction, I expect the time setting to be deliberate. For example, Pamela Binnings Ewen has written several legal thrillers set in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She’s writing about things like women’s rights and women in the workplace, so the time setting is important. They would be different stories if they were set in the 1990s or 2010s—no matter whether the stories were labelled “historical” or “contemporary”.

In general, I expect contemporary stories to be set today—this year (or last year).

I expect characters in contemporary novels to have smartphones and Facebook and GPS and the Uber app (unless they’re philosophically opposed to smartphones and Facebook and GPS and Uber … which could make for a fascinating story).

If the novel is “contemporary” and doesn’t have these things, then I need to be clued in pretty quickly that the novel isn’t set today.

When does historical fiction become contemporary fiction? Is there a fixed date? Or is it up to the publisher (or reader)? #HistoricalFiction #ContemporaryFiction Share on X

I’ve recently reviewed West of Famous by Joni M Fisher, which was set in 2010. That worked for the story, but also worked because the opening made it clear the story was set in 2010. (And yes, there were a couple of plot points that wouldn’t have worked as well in 2019). In that respect, the story was actually historical … even though 2010 is hardly a long time ago.

But what about a story written and published in 2010 that I’m only reading today? Personally, I say that’s a contemporary story. Why? Because it was contemporary when it was written and published.

Using that same logic, Jane Austen was a contemporary novelist, because she was writing about the issues of her day. So were Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie.

So I consider a contemporary story as one that is written and published in the time in which it is set (whether that’s today or two hundred years ago). And a historical story is any story where the author is consciously looking back in time by at least a couple of decades.

What about you? When do you think historical fiction becomes contemporary fiction (Or vice versa)?

 

When does contemporary fiction become historical fiction?
Understanding Genre

How to Write a Novel: Understanding Genre

As a reviewer and editor, I read a lot of fiction, mostly Christian fiction. I see a lot of the same mistakes over and over, especially from first-time authors. One of those issues is genre.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter to learn what mistakes I see most often—and how to fix them.

What's the most important aspect of writing a novel? Understanding genre. Here's what you need to know. #ChristianFiction #WritersLife Share on X

I’ve written an entire series of posts on genre, plus additional posts attempting to define Christian fiction (attempting, because there is no industry-agreed definition). This post brings all my information on genre into one place.

First, why is genre important?

Genre underpins the publishing world:

  • Publishers publish by genre.
  • Agents acquire by genre.
  • Bookstores organise by genre.
  • Readers purchase by genre.

And readers review by genre. If a book doesn’t meet the expectations of the genre, you can expect low-star reviews with comments about not meeting expectations. Angela Hunt, author of over 100 books, says:

Before you begin writing your novel, you should know what genre you are writing in. The number one mistake of beginning writers in this area is to not consider genre at all.

Understanding your genre will:

  • Inform some of your writing decisions, including the most appropriate point of view, the number of viewpoint characters, tense, voice, style and word count.
  • Help ensure you don’t stray off-topic as you write.
  • Inform the length of your story.
  • Influence your cover design.
  • Guide your marketing efforts.

So what do you need to know?

Here are my six steps to meeting the expectations of genre readers:

  1. Know the age group your book is targeting.
  2. Know whether you’re targeting the Christian or general market.
  3. Understand the genre and subgenre you’re writing.
  4. Understand historical vs. contemporary.
  5. Get your word count right.
  6. Write in a series.
What genre do you write? Six questions to help you understand your genre and target market #Genre #ChristianFiction Share on X

Step One: Know the age group your book is targeting.

The standard industry age categorisations are:

  • Picture Books: Under 5 years old.
  • Early Reader: 5–7 years old.
  • Middle Grade: 8-12 years old.
  • Young Adult: 13-18 years old.
  • New Adult: 18–25 years old.
  • Adult: Over 18 years.

Are you clear which age group your book is targeting?

Click here to find out more.

Step Two: Know whether you’re targeting the Christian or general market

General market booksellers in the US are typically members of the American Booksellers Association (ABA). Christian booksellers were typically members of what was the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA), which has now been supplanted by the Christian Retailers Association (CRA). Click here to find out more.

CBA and CRA booksellers sell Christian books, but how do we define a Christian book? That’s relatively easy when it comes to nonfiction:

  • Bible studies and devotional books are clearly Christian in nature.
  • Memoirs or biographies of Christians are clearly Christian.
  • There are also a huge number of Christians writing in the self-help genre, ranging from obviously Christian topics such as improving your prayer life, to less obvious subjects such as diet.

The common thread is that Christian nonfiction uses the Bible as a reference or influence.

It’s less easy when it comes to Christian fiction. People often attempt to define Christian fiction by the author or publisher or some other criteria, but those don’t always fit. Click here to find out more.

So what is Christian fiction? Various authors have tried to define it. Francine Rivers says:

If you pull out the Christian thread from the plot and the plot unravels, it’s Christian fiction.

Ann Tatlock says:

Anything a Christian writes must reflect the truth of God’s account. If as a Christian we don’t write from a biblical worldview, we’re not portraying reality as it is.

Penelope J Stokes defines Christian fiction as fiction that tells the truth.

Terry Burns and Linda Yezak divide Christian fiction into four categories:

  • Fiction written for believers
  • Fiction written for unbelievers
  • Fiction written for backsliders
  • Fiction written for seekers

Chawna Schroeder believes Christian fiction follows the guidelines of Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Other authors have different views. Click here to check them out.

Are you targeting the Christian market, the general market, or seeking to sell a crossover title?

Click here to find out more.

Step Three: Understand what genre and subgenre you’re writing

Amazon has hundreds of book categories for fiction. They fall into three broad market categories:

Romance: developing a romantic relationship between two people, with a happy-ever-after ending. Click here to find out more. 

Action: mystery, suspense or thrillers, where the primary focus is on the action, not the character relationships. Click here to find out more. 

Worldbuilder: genres such as science fiction, fantasy, dystopian and paranormal, set in another world. Click here to find out more. 

What is your broad genre?

There are dozens—perhaps hundreds—of subgenres. Over the last three years, many of these have been discussed at Australasian Christian Writers. Click here for a roundup of the genre posts.

Each genre has its own structure and tropes, and you’ll need to know the tropes (and know how to twist them). Click here to check out a definition of trope, and ten common romance tropes, and click here to check out twelve more romance tropes (note: these lists are by no means exhaustive).

What tropes are you using?

It can be difficult to work out what genre you’re writing if you write the book first, then try and fit it to a genre. This is why experts recommend starting with a genre, and writing to the expectations of that genre. (And the best way to learn the genre expectations is to read widely, starting with some of the top-selling books in your chosen genre).

Step Four: When Is Your Novel Set?

Novels can be set in the past, present, or future (although that’s mostly Worldbuilding novels). Note that what we now consider historical classics (e.g. Jane Austen or Charles Dickens) were contemporary novels when they were published.

Historical fiction presents a particular challenge, as historical fiction requires research. Getting your facts right is important. There will always be a reader who has read everything about this period and who will point out all the inaccuracies and anachronisms in their review. Click here to read more.

One peculiarity of genre is that novels set in the recent past may be classified as contemporary fiction rather than historical. Click here to find out when historical fiction becomes contemporary.

When is your novel set?

Step Five: How Long is Your Novel?

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America classifies Nebula Award submissions into four categories based on word count:

  • Short story: under 7,500
  • Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
  • Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
  • Novel: over 40,000

But there are long novels and short novels: American Christian Fiction Writers classify a novella as between 15,000 and 45,000 words, and a short novel as 45,000 to 70,000 words.

The desired word count for novels varies depending on genre. Click here to find out more.

Word count also depends on the target age: picture books tend to be 500 words. Middle Grade books average 35,000 words, but can be higher or lower depending on whether you’re targeting older or younger Middle Grade readers.

I’ve also been asked how many chapters a novel should have. That’s less important than the overall word count, and ensuring each scene and chapter moves the story forward. Click here to find out more.

How long is your novel, and is that consistent with reader expectations in your genre?

Step Six: Is Your Novel Part of a Series?

My personal opinion is that, where possible, authors should plan to write a series of books. This has advantages in both the writing and the marketing. Click here to find out more.

Is your novel part of a series?

If you have any questions about genre, let me know in the comments.

Understanding Genre
Is my novel good enough to be published?

Dear Editor | Is My Novel Good Enough to Publish?

I recently completed a manuscript assessment for a new client. After I’d given her my feedback (a lot of feedback), she emailed back with a number of questions. One stood out:

Is My Manuscript Good Enough to Publish?

Easy answer: yes.

The advent of ebooks and print on demand (POD) technology means everything is publishable. But, to misquote 1 Corinthians, you might have the ability to self-publish, but that doesn’t make it a good idea.

It’s especially not a good idea to self-publish through some “service” aka a vanity press—apart from the quality issues, it’s not good Christian stewardship to spend thousands on something you could organise yourself for a fraction of the cost.

So is My Manuscript Good Enough to Publish?

Hard answer: not yet.

Why not?

Anyone can publish anything at any time. But just because we can doesn’t mean we should. And when people say “publish”, they usually mean published by a reputable publisher. Is your novel good enough for your dream publisher?

It depends.

It depends on who you want to publish your novel: a major US publisher, a smaller US publisher, or a local (e.g. Australian) publisher. Attracting your dream publisher will depend on your book scoring well in these areas:

  • Representation
  • Setting
  • Writing Craft
Is your novel good enough for your dream publisher? That depends on representation, setting, and writing craft. #WriteTip #PublishingTip Share on X

Representation

You’ll need to be represented by a literary agent to have a shot at any of the big-name US CBA publishers like Bethany House or Thomas Nelson. You don’t want just any agent—you want an agent with a track record of selling to the major CBA publishers. (Check out my post on how to find a Christian literary agent.)

In order to get signed by an agent, you’ll need to have credibility as a writer. One way to build credibility is to enter and final in major writing contests.

And you’ll probably need to attend a major US Christian writers’ conference such as the American Christian Fiction Writers conference, as major conferences give you the opportunity to meet agents and publishers in person.

Setting

Your novel will need have to have sales potential. Big sales potential.

Major US Publishers

Major US CBA publishers prefer books set in the US, because that’s what they sell best. They will sometimes diversify and read a historical novel set in England or Scotland, but for the most part, they prefer their fiction to be set in the good old U S of A. Or, at the very least, with an American lead character. For example:

  • Close to You, Kara Isaac’s debut novel, capitalised on the US love for all things Lord of the Rings by having an American hero and a Kiwi Lord of the Rings tour guide heroine.
  • Mail Order Bride, Lucy Thompson’s debut historical romance, is set in Colorado and utilises the much-loved mail-order bride trope. There may even have been a cowboy.
  • The Elusive Miss Ellison, Carolyn Miller’s upcoming debut, is a Regency romance set in England.

Australia

Australian publishers love books by Australian authors with Australian characters and settings. They tend to accept submissions direct from authors (so no literary agent required), and it’s easier to get to meet them in person (the best opportunity for Christian writers is at the Omega Writers’ Conference in October). Personal connections help.

The downside is the Australian market is smaller, which means fewer potential buyers (a fact many Australian authors have lamented on). It also means our small publishers can’t publish every manuscript they see, much as they might like to.

Smaller US Publishers

There are a myriad of smaller Christian publishers, mostly in the US, who may be open to submissions.

If you want a free list of over 100 publishers who publish Christian fiction, click here to sign up to my mailing list. This list does not constitute an endorsement, and I don’t recommend any specific publishers … although there are a few I recommend people steer clear of (like the publisher which offered me a publishing contract without actually seeing my manuscript. Or the publisher sued for deceptive practices. Or the publisher convicted of extortion).

Writing Craft

There is also the aspect of writing craft: is your manuscript good enough?

The bigger the publisher, the better your manuscript has to be. There are so many authors fighting for an ever-decreasing number of publishing slots that anything less than excellent isn’t good enough to get the attention of a major publisher. Publishers get so many excellent submissions that they don’t have time for could-be-excellent submissions or almost-excellent submissions or submissions they can’t see a market for.

Genre

The most saleable manuscripts are those which fit clearly into a popular genre. With novels aimed at the Christian market, this includes meeting the expectations of CBA readers, and being careful regarding ‘edgy’ content—topics so expansive I could write a book about them.

The closer your manuscript aligns with a popular and established genre, the easier it’s going to be to sell to a publisher. But what if you don’t fit a popular genre (e.g. Christian Science Fiction, or New Adult)?

This is when you might consider self-publishing.

But if you pursue self-publishing, pursue excellence as well. Don’t self-publish as a shortcut, to fulfil your publishing dream. Instead, write something good enough to win a major contest or be published by your dream publisher, and choose to self-publish because that’s what you believe God has set out as your path.

Because there are several paths to publishing, and—surprise!—I’ve written some blog posts about them:

To go back to the original question.

Is my novel good enough to be published? That depends on how you want to publish it. Is your novel good enough for your dream publisher? Share on X

Your challenge is to work out how you want it to be published, and do the work necessary to achieve that. Start by checking out 9 Keys to Writing Your First Novel. And pursue excellence.

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Editor - How long should my novel be? Word Count in fiction

Dear Editor | How Long Should my Novel Be?

How long should a novel be? This is a common question from first-time authors. Unfortunately, the answer is often vague: it depends.

First, let’s discuss the way we measure the length of a novel.

It was too difficult to count words in the days before word processors with an automatic word count feature, so manuscript length was measured in pages. One page, typed double-spaced and with a ½ inch (1.27cm) indent at the beginning of each paragraph was counted as 250 words. A writer aiming to write 1,000 words a day would therefore write around four pages, and a novel was somewhere between 300 and 400 pages.

The same holds true today: the novels you see in the bookstore or library are usually somewhere between 300 and 400 pages, which is approximately 75,000 to 100,000 words.

What If my Word Count is Shorter?

Sure, some novels are shorter than 75,000 words, depending on genre and the target age of the reader. But if we’re talking about a novel written for adults, then a shorter manuscript might not be classified as a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America classifies Nebula Award submissions into four categories based on word count:

  • Short story: under 7,500
  • Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
  • Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
  • Novel: over 40,000

American Christian Fiction Writers classify a novella as between 15,000 and 45,000 words, and a short novel as 45,000 to 70,000 words. Short novels are often category romance (see below). Publishers rarely publish a novella as a stand-alone story, but they may be published as part of a collection, or as the introduction to a new series.

Stories can go shorter: flash fiction (the kind often included in magazines) is between 100 and 1,000 words. And a story that is exactly 100 words long is a drabble.

What If my Word Count is Longer?

Manuscripts can go longer. Novels over 110,000 words are generally classed as epics or sagas, and are usually from well-known authors such as George RR Martin or JK Rowling. Publishers are more likely to take a risk on a long novel from an author with a track history of solid sales. Having a novel that is part of a series may help, as the publisher knows they will get some sell-through sales.

But consider: does the novel need to be this long?

A high word count may mean the author needs to do more editing. Or it may be a factor of genre. Or it may be that the author didn’t realize publishers (and readers) do have expectations around word count.

If you have a longer novel, make sure you are telling more story, not just adding more words. Many of the 450-page novels I read could have told the story more effectively using fewer words. Their stories could have benefited from stronger editing.

Word Count Depends on Genre

Certain genres require more words. Science fiction and fantasy novels often require a large amount of worldbuilding—introducing the reader to the world the author has created, introducing the people which inhabit the world and their cultures and customs, and (sometimes) explaining the science and technology. This information must be shown, not told, and showing almost always takes more words than telling.

Historical fiction also requires a degree of worldbuilding to bring the reader into the setting—and the further removed that time and place is from our own, the more information the author is going to have to give the reader in order to immerse the reader in the setting. Again, this information must be shown, not told.

In contrast, a contemporary romance or mystery novel requires less in the way of explaining the setting. Readers live in the modern world, and we don’t need to be shown what an iPhone is or does. Equally, familiar historical settings (e.g. Regency England or Civil War America) need little introduction. Readers often know these settings as well as or better than the authors.

Typical word counts for common genres are:

  • Category romance (e.g. Love Inspired): 55,000 to 60,000 words)
  • Cozy mystery: 65,000 to 90,000 words
  • Crime: 70,000 to 90,000 words
  • Fantasy: 90,000 to 120,000 words
  • Historical fiction: 80,000 to 110,000 words
  • Mystery: 70,000 to 90,000 words
  • Romance: 70,000 to 90,000 words
  • Rom-com: 70,000 to 90,000 words
  • Science Fiction: 90,000 to 110,000 words
  • Suspense: 70,000 to 90,000 words
  • Thriller: 80,000 to 100,000 words
  • Women’s fiction: 80,000 to 100,000 words

For more information, check out:

Word Count Depends on Target Age

Young Adult novels tend to be shorter than adult novels, so between 45,000 and 70,000 words, but the word count is flexible (especially in science fiction or fantasy).

Middle Grade can be anything from 20,000 to 50,000 words or more, but average around 35,000 words. For lower middle grade readers (ages 7 to 10), aim for the lower end of this range. You can go higher for upper middle grade.

Picture books for children are almost always 32 pages and around 500 words.

What Do I Do if my Book is Too Long?

Edit.

In On Writing, Stephen King advises that authors should cut around 10% of their word count in their second revision, as this will make the writing tighter and improve pace. I find I have no trouble cutting 10% of the word count in many novels I edit. If this thought scares you, here are some books which might help:

But this assumes the basic structure of your novel is sound. Reedsy says:

Most of the time, an overly long word count is a symptom of major plot or pacing problems in a novel — issues that need to be solved during the revision process.

A manuscript assessment is a great way to identify major plot or pacing problems. Or work with a critique partner or beta reader. They can help you identify plot or pacing issues that could reduce the word count.

Publishing

If you’re planning to submit to a traditional publisher, then it’s in your best interest to ensure your word count is consistent with publisher (and reader) expectations, which means abiding by the word counts above.

If you are planning to self-publish, then your word count could be shorter or longer than these guidelines. Yes, there are exceptions. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is 305,000 words. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is 240,000 words.

However, don’t plan on being the exception. As Chuck Sambuchino says at Writers Digest:

Aiming to be the exception is setting yourself up for disappointment.

A lot of self-published authors write short fiction—it’s quicker to write, which enables them to publish more books. Many authors self-publish longer books, because they can.

Whether you’re writing short, on target, or long, make sure your writing is top-notch. Be ruthless. Tighten your sentences. Cut anything that doesn’t advance the story or deepen characterization.

Don’t self-publish a bloated 150,000-word saga just because you can.

How long is your work-in-progress? Does your word count fit within these guidelines?

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 11

Step Six: What is your target word count?

The ‘sweet spot’ for a modern novel seems to be 90,000 words (which equates to around 300 pages), but there is variation by genre:

  • Category romance (e.g. Love Inspired): 55,000 to 60,000 words, but can be up to 75,000 words depending on the imprint (e.g. Love Inspired Historical);
  • Romance: 85,000 to 100,000 words;
  • Cozy mystery: 65,000 to 90,000 words;
  • Science Fiction: 90,000 to 110,000 words;
  • Fantasy: 90,000 to 120,000 words;
  • Chick lit: 80,000 to 100,000 words
  • Mystery: 80,000 to 100,000 words
  • Thriller: 90,000 to 100,000 words
  • Crime: 90,000 to 100,000 words
  • Suspense: 90,000 to 100,000 words

These figures are taken from posts from publishing industry experts such as Rachelle Gardner, Chuck Sambuchino, Colleen Lindsay and Book Ends literary agents. However, a recent post by literary agent Chip MacGregor suggests many contemporary stand-alone novels are in the 70,000 to 80,000 word range, with some going up to 90,000 depending on the project and the publisher.

Historical novels tend to be a bit longer than contemporaries, as they are more likely to be epics or sagas (which are over 110,000 words). Young Adult novels tend to be shorter than adult novels, so between 45,000 and 80,000 words, although they can go up to 100,000 words. Middle Grade can be anything from 20,000 to 50,000 words or more, but average around 35,000 words.

There are always going to be exceptions. Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel, The Historian, is 240,000 words. George RR Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice books are a similar length, but he had already published several standard-length novels, so had a track record of sales to build on. And if you are going for a longer novel, make sure you are telling more story, not just adding more words. The last two 450-page novels I read could have told the story more effectively using fewer words (and has turned one of those authors from a must-buy to a don’t-bother for me).

As a first-time author, the advice is always going to be to take as many words as you need to tell the story, but count on being the rule, not the exception, and keep within the general word count limits for your genre and target market.

Paper costs money, so the longer your book, the less likely a publisher will pick it up (or, should you choose to self-publish, the less likely you will be able to sell paperbacks profitably). Equally, don’t go too short. Readers get annoyed paying what they consider to be full price for an ebook only to find out it’s little longer than a short story.

For reference, anything shorter than 40,000 words isn’t a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula awards dictate that novellas are around 17,500 to 40,000 words, between 7,500 and 17,500 words is a novelette, and below 7,500 words is a short story. Between 100 and 1,000 words is flash fiction (the kind often included in magazines), and a story that is exactly 100 words long is a drabble. Really.

Calculating Word Count

In the distant past, before the invention of the word processor with the automatic word count, there used to be great debate about how to calculate word count. After all, no one actually wanted to count each and every word, so it was agreed that the average double-spaced typewritten page was 250 words (25 lines at an average of 10 words per line).

That formula worked on a typewriter or when using Courier font in a word processor, but now we have multiple fonts to annoy people with, all of which take up different amounts of space on the page. But it doesn’t matter. We have Microsoft Word and the automatic word count feature.

Older versions of Microsoft Word would calculate word count differently depending on the font: Word 2010 is more sophisticated and gives the same word count regardless of font. Is the word count correct? I don’t know, and I don’t much care. It’s not as though I (or anyone else) is actually going to count the individual words. The word count from Word is good enough unless your agent or publisher wants you to use a different method (in which case, listen to them).

A couple of hints: in Word 2010, an American ellipsis ( . . . ) is three words, while an Australian ellipsis (… using three full stops or … using Alt-0133) is only one word. And * * * in your scene breaks adds three words with each new scene. If your word count is getting too high, cut the pretty scene break markers.

How long is your book? What do you think of these guidelines?

This concludes my series on defining your market and genre. Next week we will starting a new series looking at point of view.

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 10

Step Five: Is your novel a stand-alone or part of a series?

My personal opinion is that, where possible, authors should plan to write a series of books. This has advantages in both the writing and the marketing:

Research

You can utilise your research into time and place for more than one book, reducing average research time per book.

Characters

You can utilise characters in more than one book, which means you have a more complete characterisation for minor characters (as they will be major characters in another book in the series). This gives your reader a better sense that she knows your characters and can relate to them.

Publishers

Publishers like a series, because a successful first book provides a ready-made audience for subsequent books. Publishers often take advantage of this to include teasers for the next book in the series, whetting the appetite of the reader.

First Book Free

Many publishers (and self-publishers) will make the ebook edition of the first book in a series free or very cheap (say, 99 cents) to encourage readers to try an new author and hopefully purchase additional books in the series, or some of the author’s back list titles.

Additional Editions

A series also gives publishers (or self-publishers) the option of increasing the overall sales by producing a reduced-price series-in-1 volume after the publication of the final book in a trilogy.

The current trend in a romance series is for each book to focus on one couple, who get their Happy Ever After at the end of the book. Subsequent books will feature a different couple as the hero or heroine, but will include some scenes with the characters from previous books. A series may follow:

  • Siblings or family members (e.g. Kaye Dacus’s Brides of Bonneterre trilogy);
  • Close friends or work colleagues (e.g. Irene Hannon’s Heroes of Quantico trilogy);
  • A specific location (e.g. Gayle Roper’s Seaside series or Susan May Warren’s Deep Haven series);
    A common theme (e.g. DiAnn Mills’s Call of Duty series). This can be less popular with readers, as we don’t get to see any of the characters we have come to know in the earlier books;
  • A family through time (e.g. Gilbert Morris’s Wakefield Dynasty, Jack Cavanagh’s American Family Portrait, or Roseanna M White’s new Culper Ring series). Each successive book follows one member of the next generation through their defining moment. These are usually romances, in that the family member meets their future spouse, and one of the advantages is the ability to refer back to previous characters (generations) to give a sense of continuity. One of the disadvantages (from the point of view of the author) is that these series require a lot of research, as each book is set in a different time period.

The trilogy that takes three or more books to tell one story has fallen out of popularity, although authors such as Jamie Carie are still using this format. Personally, I don’t favour it as I don’t like cliffhanger endings, but it can be successful.

Not all series fall in the romance genre (although most do). Mysteries are often written in a series, with the focus of each novel on solving the mystery. Authors such as Mindy Starns Clark or Julianna Deering will include a romantic subplot that sees some movement in each story with a full resolution only at the end of the series.

How many books in a series?

Trilogies are the most popular, although some series will have four or more books. Other authors will set more than one series in the same character universe, which allows them to keep up with previous characters while focusing on a new set. Susan May Warren is currently trying this with her Christiansen series (set in the same location as her Deep Haven series), and Karen Kingsbury took it to a ridiculous extreme with the Baxter family: a total of twenty-three related books across the Redemption, Firstborn, Sunshine, Above the Line and Bailey Flannigan series.

Read in order or stand alone?

It can be very annoying for the reader to pick up the second or third book in a series and find it difficult because they don’t understand the backstory that was covered in previous novels. Equally, the reader who has faithfully followed the series doesn’t want to be drowned in repetitive backstory (see the Amazon reviews for Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury).

So does the reader have to read the books in order to get the full story, or can each novel function as a stand-alone story? Ideally, both. And this is the trick in writing a successful series: to include enough information about the previous novels to ensure the story is a well-rounded stand-alone novel, but still satisfy those series readers who want to know what has happened to their favourite characters.

Are you writing a stand-alone or a series? What advantages do you see in writing a stand-alone novel?

Next week we will discuss how understanding your genre will help you determine the ideal word count for your novel.

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 8

Worldbuilding Genres

Many bookshops have a section called ‘Sci-fi/Fantasy’ or similar, which annoys writers because they see the genres as being quite separate—and they are. What these novels do have in common is the requirement for world-building: the ability of the author to create a credible imaginary world in which the story takes place. This includes developing the physical characteristics of the world (e.g. geography and ecology) as well as the history, culture and religion of the different people groups in the story.

AnomalyAfloatSneakFire ProphetSoul's GateThe 13: FallDigital WinterH2O the NovelSwipeSpirit FighterIllusion
 
The world might be a long time ago on a faraway planet (Star Wars), it might be a futuristic version of Earth (Star Trek), it might be post-apocalyptic Earth (The Hunger Games) or it might be contemporary Earth but featuring a sub-culture hidden from the rest of us (Harry Potter or Twilight). Each of these require a different type and level of worldbuilding.

This genre isn’t heavily represented in Christian fiction, although publishers like Marcher Lord Press and Splashdown Books specialise in what is generally referred to as speculative or visionary fiction. In Christian fiction, speculative or visionary fiction includes some aspect of the supernatural, and this may or may not be biblically accurate (which can cause problems). While speculative fiction might have a romantic sub-plot, the main plot is almost always an action plot.

 

Science Fiction

Usually set either on another planet or system (Star Wars), or featuring star-travelling humans in the distant future (Star Trek). Science fiction novels usually feature an adventure plot rather than a romance plot, although there are some exceptions. There is usually a heavy reliance on technology, but the key to a successful sci-fi novel is the same as for any other novel: plot, character and conflict.

There’s not a lot of Sci-fi the Christian market—Kathy Tyers is the only author I know who specialises in this genre, although Christian authors such as CS Lewis and Lynne Stringer write general market sci-fi from a Christian world view.

Fantasy

Fantasy usually has an Earth-likes etting. Where a science fiction novel depends on science and technology, a fantasy world often incorporates magical elements (e.g. Lord of the Rings), or mythical creatures (e.g. dwarves, elves and dragons). Technological advancement is often similar to medieval Europe. There are a lot of authors writing Christian fantasy, many of which feature an allegorical romance representing Christ’s love for the church.

Paranormal

Stories featuring vampires, werewolves and other shapeshifters, mermaids, zombies, witches, wizards, or humans with psychic abilities. Paranormal novels tend to be contemporary, and paranormal romance is especially popular. The author needs to define the ‘rules’ of their paranormal society and ensure that characters obey these rules (or face the consequences). There’s probably a little less world-building in a paranormal novel than other genres discussed here, because there are a number of long-standing genre conventions (e.g. Stephenie Meyer faced a lot of criticsm for her sparkly vampires).

Paranormal romance (PNR) has been rising in popularity in the general market over the last decade, but predominantly in the general market. It doesn’t usually fit with a Christian worldview. The only examples of PNR I’ve seen in the Christian market are novels like The Widow of Saunders Creek by Tracey Bateman (traditionally-published speculative fiction with a romantic element) or Barbara Ellen Brink’s self-published Amish Vampire series (which I haven’t read, so can’t really comment on their Christian element).

Dystopian

Stories set on some alternate version of a future Earth. Classic examples include The War of the Worlds, The Day of the Triffids, the Tripods trilogy by John Christopher, and The Running Man by Richard Bachmann (better known as Stephen King). They tend to have an adventure plot, often centred on a chase or survival, and are particularly popular in Young Adult fiction (e.g. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins). Christian authors writing for this market include Jerel Law (Son of Angels) and Krista McGee (Anomaly).

Time Travel

Features the hero, heroine or both travelling back or forward in time, having to adjust to a new way of living. Time travel romance was popularised in the general market by novels such as Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, and Christian authors to have used this plot device include Tamara Leigh and Meredith Resce.

Do you write fiction that requires some level of worldbuilding? How do you describe what you write? What do you feel are the essential ingredients in a novel of this type?

Next week we will discuss the next step in defining your genre: time period.

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 5

What genre are you writing?

In this post we are addressing the traditional understanding of genre, as opposed to the market segment (described in the previous posts). Christian fiction is a market segment, like Young Adult. There are different genres within the Christian fiction segment, just as there are different genres in the general market.

It is important that you are well-read in your chosen genre. Don’t just read books by established authors (which get published because of the author’s track history, not necessarily because of their quality). Read books by debut authors, because you need to understand what publishers are choosing to publish now, and what readers buy.

It’s also important to be widely-read: Nicholas Sparks reads 100 books a year. Some authors don’t like to read while they are writing, as they are afraid they will subconsciously ‘borrow’ (plagiarise) from the books they are reading. If this is a problem for you, then read outside your genre while you are writing, then go back to reading in your genre when editing.

Read Amazon review for books in your genre, because you also need to understand what readers do and don’t like. Read the glowing five-star reviews, the critical one-star reviews and the middle-of-the-road three-star reviews. Think about the themes that come through in the reviews. What do the readers like? What don’t they like? What makes them stop reading? While reviews are for readers (to help them make a decision as to whether or not this a book they will enjoy), they can serve a useful purpose for authors as well, by telling them what not to do.

Some authors want to blend genres , either because they believe it makes for a more satisfying plot or (more commonly) because they don’t understand genre and want to appeal to everyone. If you fall in that second group, I suggest you read the first post in this series again. By seeking to appeal to everyone, it is likely you will end up appealing to no one .

Fiction is generally divided into literary and genre fiction. Literary fiction has been defined as “complex, literate, multi-layered novels that wrestle with universal dilemmas” . some is challenging; I often find it is so focused on the writing and ideas that it fails to convey the story. One good place to look for literary fiction is the Man Booker Prize long list. Don’t expect to find any in your local Christian bookshop, as Christian fiction is most definitely genre fiction.

Genre (or category) fiction is something literary authors look down on as inferior writing, because it is literary fiction that wins major awards. Be that as it may: genre fiction sells books. Literary fiction may win awards, but rank and file consumers only buy it when it wins a big award (and then can’t always finish reading it).

At the highest level, there are three main genres:

Romance: developing a romantic relationship between two people, with a happy-ever-after ending;
Action: mystery, suspense or thrillers, where the primary focus is on the action, not the character relationships;
Worldbuilder: genres such as science fiction, fantasy, dystopian and paranormal, set in another world.

Note that many genres have a range of sub-genres , and I will be discussing the major genres in future posts, starting next week with romance. But first I’m going to cover one major and one minor genre that don’t fit easily into the three main genres above:

Women’s Fiction

Women make up approximately 85% of the market for Christian fiction (and are still a majority of general market fiction). The novels are focused on women (although they are not necessarily written by women, e.g. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks), and they explore the nature of character, human nature and relationships without the requirement for a romance or a happy-ever-after ending. Characters are searching for meaning, for an answer to a problem of the mind. They may cover more than one generation, and the ending may be bittersweet. While women’s fiction might be difficult to define, it’s had a place in the bookshop for years and will continue to do so.

Men’s Fiction

You’ve never heard of the term? That’s not a surprise. I made it up. Only 13% of members of American Christian Fiction Writers are men , and that’s reflected in the books that are published. So Men’s fiction isn’t so much a genre as a possible gap in the market. The problem is that, as a woman, I have no idea what men like to read. Of the men I know well enough to know what they read (all three), all of them read the same kinds of books as their wives (if they read at all). Is this because they like the genres their wives read, or is it because they don’t read, therefore don’t buy books, so are stuck reading whatever their wife brings home?

The other issue, especially in Christian fiction, is that the major publishing houses don’t know how to sell to men, as discussed by Mike Duran regarding mystery writer J Mark Bertrand.

So, men. What do you like to read? If there really was a men’s fiction genre, what would it be?

How to Write a Christian Novel: Defining Your Genre 4

Are you targeting the Christian market or the general market?

My previous post attempted to define traditional Christian fiction, and looked briefly at some of the issues people (Christians and non-Christians) have with the conservative evangelical approach of most Christian fiction. This week we look at the alternatives:

  • Inspirational fiction
  • Crossover fiction
  • General market fiction

Christian Fiction (Inspirational)

Just as there is no clear definition of Christian fiction, there is no clear definition of inspirational fiction. I waver between liking and disliking the idea of ‘inspirational’ fiction. Some people find Christian fiction too preachy, full of too-perfect characters treating each other with sickly-sweet holiness, never doing anything wrong.

These people might even be Christians, but non-Christians are certainly not interested in this kind of fiction. They might be interested if there was a little less focus on preaching and a little more focus on reflecting real-life situations. Many non-Christians won’t knowingly read a Christian novel and will complain if they accidentally download a Christian novel as a Kindle freebie, accusing authors and publishers of being unchristian by not properly categorising their novel.

This is where Inspirational fiction can play a part.

I like the idea that fiction can reflect a Christian world view and inspire thought without descending into sermons, but without gratuitous sex and violence. I like the idea that writers can explore some of the more gritty issues of life, like drug or alcohol abuse or the consequences of lust.

But I dislike the term ‘inspirational’. It doesn’t necessarily restrict itself to Christian. Many self-help books are inspirational, but could in no way be described as Christian.

And I haven’t liked some of the Inspirational Christian novels I’ve read, because in getting rid of the praying and preaching, some authors have removed everything overtly Christian, leaving a story that could be published by anyone except for the fact there is no sex, violence or swearing. I like this in general market fiction, but if I’m buying from a Christian publishing house, I expect the book to be, well, Christian.

Yet there have been other inspirational novels I have enjoyed, although these are more likely to be thrillers than romance: perhaps because I can believe God not being front-and-centre of a murder investigation, but I can’t imagine leaving Him out of a romantic relationship.

Crossover Fiction

Crossover fiction is a relatively new term used to refer to novels written from a Christian world view (and often published by an ECPA-member publisher), but one that doesn’t specifically refer to Christianity. The characters may or may not be Christians, they won’t quote Bible verses and they won’t go to church. It’s not that they don’t ever, just that they don’t within the timeframe of the novel (or if they do, it’s a minor plot point). This may be another way of describing Inspirational fiction, or it may be a way for Christian publishers to market books they hope will appeal to a wider readership.

General Market Fiction

In On Moral Fiction, John Gardner rejects God who is the basis of our worldview and values, yet argues that good fiction is underpinned by some form of morality. Gardner then goes on to complain that “our serious novelists, like our painters and composers, are short on significant belief”, that “their works lack conviction”.

As a Christian, I see this as a contradiction in terms: you can’t throw God out of fiction then complain fiction has no significant belief, no conviction and no true morality. After all, “spiritual growth and the search for truth are also integral issues in human life, issues that are sometimes ignored altogether in general-market fiction” (Penelope J Stokes).

There are many Christian authors publishing in the general market whose “books reflect the reality of God and the depth of their own spiritual experience” (Penelope J Stokes). Examples include John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark and Maeve Binchy.

And if we remember that as Christians we can only ever write with a Christian worldview, then maybe we will find a way into the general market, which might actually give us the opportunity to share the good news, (to paraphrase St Francis of Assisi) by preaching the gospel at all times, using words where necessary.

What do you think? What do you read? What market does your novel target?

Next week we will discuss the next step in defining your target audience: genre.