Word Count by Genre, and other rules I learned the hard way

I’ve often heard when querying agents, you should always send exactly what they want, exactly the way they want to receive it.

Query Letter – Limit length, include page count, genre, quick storyline, etc.

Sample Pages – If they ask for 10 pages, don’t send the whole thing. Send 10 pages.

Bio – Don’t talk about yourself more than you talk about the book.

Synopsis – Some ask for a paragraph or two. Others want 1-3 pages. Every agent is different. Some don’t like synopses at all. They just want to read your sample pages.

Above all, get their name right. And ensure that the agent you’re querying wants to receive the type of work you’re writing. Don’t send literary fiction to an agent that specializes in science fiction unless it’s also included on the agent’s wish list. (Read each agent’s online site for submission requirements).

One thing I missed was the importance of page count by genre.

If I’m sending out a contemporary fantasy that’s 73,000-words long, I’m asking for rejection before they finish reading the first paragraph of my query letter, (spoiler here, I did that). It seems fantasy word-counts typically start around 85,000-90,000 words, depending on which site you research.  If the story is much shorter than that, fantasy readers are left unsatisfied.

I’d told my story and it was 73,000 words. What do I do? Add another story line, stuff it back on the shelf? Pretend it’s a romance?

I cursed and worried about it for a reasonable amount of time before I remembered hearing a particular phrase that might help. “Unpack.”

Mary Robinette Kowal mentioned the term in an episode of the Writing Excuses podcast.

The way I understand unpacking, is to look at your story for places you may have run past that could use more explanation, more action, or more try-fail cycles (more on that in a later blog). Turns out I had lots of those. I discovered that I would often run through a scene too quickly. Key giveaways were phrases like “several minutes later,” or “she repeated the process.” As I fleshed out the scenes, most chapters grew. Some shrunk as I cleaned out unnecessary or repetitive sentences. Overall, I’m halfway through unpacking and am up to 78,500. I will certainly reach 80,000. I’m hoping for 85,000.

What I’m getting in the meantime, is a better book.