How long should a manuscript be?
Reader question: I am working on a novel and I was wondering if there's an optimum size for publication. How long should a manuscript be?
Gary and Caroline Smailes of literary consultancy BubbleCow say:
The length of a novel is a thorny issue and produces a vast amount of debate. There is no perfect size for a novel, though it is best to aim for a minimum of 75,000 words in the case of general fiction. Each genre has its own rules, but as a general rule, smaller novels bring marketing problems, since they can be viewed as novellas. Very large novels can also potentially mean additional costs for any translations and may make foreign language rights difficult to sell. If a novel is overly long, writers should to either split it into two or three books, or edit down to a suitable size for a single large novel.
