170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?

Question

This has been a very contradictory topic for me. I've been told that publishers expect fantasy books to be that long but others would tell me that 170k is too long. So far I've been cutting things down but now I fear that I'm killing my story by doing that. I love writing with a bit of flowery prose but I have to keep myself back every time.

This has been stressing me out for weeks now and I could really, really use some advice here. Is it possible at this time to have a manuscript of this length? If not, then how can I raise my chances to get it published? I know I can't compare myself to others but there are debut stories that go over 150k words.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

You do not need to debut with the first (good) novel you complete. This shouldn't stop you from trying, but there is also nothing wrong with putting this one on the shelve for a while and publish it after you've debuted with another (possibly shorter) novel.

So if you think your story is at its best at the current length, I wouldn't compromise on that. Quality is more important than length. (But by all means consider the other answers here, like getting the opinions of beta readers, etc.)

Also keep in mind that self-publishing is always an option. Even a famous author like Brandon Sanderson self-publishes some of his (e-)books, while also publishing with traditional publishers.

Answer 2

Don't kill the one story. Expand until it is two:

Slightly contradictory, but consider if your story is too long. Does it keep focus throughout the work? Are all areas of those pages equally relevant and fleshed out?

I was in a similar situation to you, and the advice I got was "Couldn't this be a whole series?" It made me realize that the first half was actually kind of light on details and plot development. I realized that if I cleaned up the first half, and gave it the kind of quality and meaning it deserved, that my novel would be absurdly huge. So I broke it into two stories, adding the details to give the first half a resolution. I didn't need to cut - quite the opposite, I had to add scenes and content to make the first half fully functional as a standalone work.

But in the end, I was much more satisfied telling the full story I wanted in two parts than trying to cut the original down to fit a preconceived idea of what a first story should be.

• PS The fantasy/sci-fi field tolerates longer stories, but I was told that the FIRST novel by an unknown author is better short because there is less cost/risk in getting a shorter work published by an unknown author. I can't verify if that is true, but it makes sense.

Answer 3

Every single debut fantasy writer I know personally who had a long debut novel queried a shorter novel. They might have queried a 120K novel, landed an agent, and in revision with the agent, ended at 170K.

I am unaware of a single debut author who landed an agent with a 170K tome.

A good way to shorten is to fold scenes together. Find the one thing that needs to be conveyed in a three thousand word scene and put that single item in a different 3000 word scene. You have just shaved off 2700 words.

Another way to shorten is to check the opens and ends to chapters. Often, paragraphs at the front and back can go.

A third way is through beta readers. Where things drag, cut.

A fourth way is by limiting the story to a single viewpoint. My guess, based on your length, is that you have at least four.

Discipline.

Good luck.

Answer 4

If I was in your position and I felt my novel was ready, then I'd write my pitch letter and send it out to agents that rep my genre. If they think the story has potential, then they will most likely want to read some or all of your work.

Agents are typically professionals that understand their markets and which publishers would be more receptive to which stories.

Then, if the writing is good and the story is good, then they'll work with you to get the work in the best possible shape for publishers. That may mean breaking the novel into a series, that may mean cutting out something, or it may mean that they think that everything is so terrific that publishers will overlook the length of the story.

The agents might also just ignore you. Which you will have to decide how to interpret. Agents get tons of pitches and aggressively filter out the dreck. But, they rep books to publishers so they can eat and pay rent, so they have a strong incentive to look for stories they can sell.

Answer 5

A good long story will work better than a story crammed into a length too short for it. (Not that there's any guarantee for even a good story.)

Perhaps you should rope in beta readers. If other readers think your story should not be shortened, perhaps it is fine as it is. Otherwise, they may usefully suggest places where it needs shortening. Other pairs of eyes are useful.

Answer 6

Excellent question. You see, most publishers who work with new authors are reluctant to publish anything over 100,000 words, simply because they don't know if it will sell. However, there are exceptions--I have heard of 215,000, 250,000 and even 300,000 word debut novels being published and becoming an instant success.

Yes, if you can cut back some things, it would be easier to get it accepted, but if you look hard enough, you'll be bound to find someone who will publish it.