tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post7839593808396175419..comments2024-03-09T11:10:46.978-05:00Comments on Brooklyn Arden: FAQ #4: How long can the chapters be in a chapter submission?Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05972029478350879112noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-61714158786421225612007-10-19T12:40:00.000-04:002007-10-19T12:40:00.000-04:00Did you once write about editors only have one cha...Did you once write about editors only have one chance to read a book as a reader for the first time? Does that mean a synopsis should not tell too much, like endings etc. so the editor reads as a reader would? Also, how long of a synopsis would you prefer with a submission for a manuscript for a novel?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-83487148172276191152006-10-14T00:34:00.000-04:002006-10-14T00:34:00.000-04:00Look for my buddy Kara at Rutger's. She's really ...Look for my buddy Kara at Rutger's. She's really looking forward to it but understandably nervous. I can't remember who she got paired up with, though. <br /><br />Is Julius Lester still out at Rutger's? Do look him up if you can. He's a hell of a scholar. Also lived in KCK for a while, which is also cool.Melinda R. Cordellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02924404257237523106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-88849538477944493482006-10-13T13:03:00.000-04:002006-10-13T13:03:00.000-04:00Cheryl,
You were my mentor at Rutgers last year. ...Cheryl,<br />You were my mentor at Rutgers last year. Your comments and insights were INVALUABLE. Wish I could go again this year!<br /><br />Have fun.Jean Reaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12998698767386943642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-64036813118745222622006-10-13T11:55:00.000-04:002006-10-13T11:55:00.000-04:00Thanks, Cheryl. Page numbers work; they convert t...Thanks, Cheryl. Page numbers work; they convert to word counts. <br /><br />I always hated it when teachers said about an essay assignment, "Make it as long as it takes to cover the subject," then assigned a topic like World War II. Well, that could take a paragraph or it could take a multi-volume set of books to 'cover the subject.' It's an unfair presumption to put on the writer, I would argue. Length requirements give a writer a sense of the scope expected--they then work their craft within that. Picture books that are 15-25 typed double-spaced pages long would be difficult to place with publishers, and I think it's only fair to let writers know things like that so they don't go off the deep end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-55624137756226804902006-10-13T10:05:00.000-04:002006-10-13T10:05:00.000-04:00Hi Cheryl-- We met at the SCBWI/Poconos conference...Hi Cheryl-- We met at the SCBWI/Poconos conference last April. Glad to hear you'll be One on One-ing with us next week (and I hope D. Hess is well).<br /><br />-PamelaPAMELA ROSShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05120188351056978799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-7561077436883236422006-10-13T09:48:00.000-04:002006-10-13T09:48:00.000-04:00I haven't the faintest idea.
I'm sorry to be diff...I haven't the faintest idea.<br /><br />I'm sorry to be difficult, Anonymous, but it's true: I really don't know what the average word counts are, nor do I care. I know a little bit about page counts: Picture books tend to run three to five pages (and I raise an eyebrow at more than six); middle-grades tend to run between 75 and 300 pages, depending upon where in the middle-grade audience they fall and subject matter; YAs between 150 and 400, again depending on subject matter. <br /><br />But why obsess over "typical" and "recommended"? Focus on your craft and making the story GOOD -- as long as it needs to be and no longer; and don't waste energy worrying about numbers. We editors all hated math anyway.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05972029478350879112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074861.post-17308182447600448472006-10-13T09:33:00.000-04:002006-10-13T09:33:00.000-04:00Cheryl,
Writers see recommended word counts for t...Cheryl,<br /><br />Writers see recommended word counts for the age groups in children's lit. all the time, but I wonder if you would grace us with what YOU see as "typical" lengths (knowing that 'typical' numbers can be broken by something extraordinary, on occasion). For example, what would you say are the average lengths for picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels. <br /><br />It would be so helpful if you could give us a real editor's perspective on it.<br /><br />THANKS!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com