Word Count and Marketing
Asked by Hadassah Waugh on November 17, 2020
Hi, Mr. Jenkins!
I’m worried because I’m not sure how to market my book, especially to publishers. How would you market what I’m about to say?
It’s fantasy populated by humans, no mythical creatures save a dragon mentioned in a lay; medieval type setting, no magic, but in world clearly not our own, with its own cultures etc.
There is no swearing in it. No explicit adult content; occasionally something mildly implied. Some violence, but not as much as most YA books would have.
However, even when it’s fully tightened, I can already tell it’ll be in the 150-160 thousand word range. And that’s just the first book in what could be a six book series, depending, with a huge overarching story. My problem is, I sense this is too long to be marketed as a kids book, but my target audience would be 10-12, I think? As my main characters are 17.
But how do I sell that?! I’m afraid agents won’t look at it cause it’s too long… but I like to have decent character development, not rushed arcs.
Jerry's Answer
A book with a 17-year-old protagonist would be a Young Adult title, and yes, 150k words is too long, unless you're JK Rowling. She earned the right to produce books even longer than that for the YA market, because the earlier ones crossed over and sold more than any others in history.
Resist the urge to tell publishers what your book does not have (magic, swearing, etc.). Tell them what it does have, and use these tips to start getting the word to them: https://jerrysguild.com/perfect-pitch-how-to-write-winning-queries-and-proposals/