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May 2, 2012 -- 11:05AM, ErinMEvans wrote:

EDITOR FACTS TIME!: The page count is an effect from the overall publishing model. Since these books are contracted then written, there's a certain degree to which WotC needs them to be predictable in terms of what's being physically produced. A "regular" publisher buys the book already completed (mostly), so they go into financial meetings and production discussions saying "The book will be XXX pages" and they know, because they've held the manuscript (or opened the document).

But work-for-hire, those meetings happen while the book is being written, and sometimes before the book is even contracted. So they have to have an estimate so that other things can get done--like the cover art. They have to know how thick the book will be in order to design the spine. There's wiggle room, and there are certainly books where the page count was increased to account for a wordy author (Sentinelspire is one that I recall having to get a bump on, which made the art director's day a little harder, since that cover wrapped around), but sometimes things slip.

Yes indeedy. These can often be hard limits. My first draft of Ghostwalker was 115,000 words, and I had to cut 15k out of it. Even at 100k, you can tell that it's a little big for its britches--the font size is small, and the letterhead posts are tiny.

I've become far better about my word counts since then.

I have been assured that Brimstone Angels: Lesser Evils will be around 400 pages. They've given up on corralling me into 90,000 words. :p  

Yay!

May 3, 2012 -- 6:58AM, Stefans_Bookshelf wrote:

This is my first time particiapting in the book club so I am looking foward to it.  I read Brimstone Angels when it was first released and loved it so I am eager to read it again.

- Stefan 

Welcome to the book club!!  Glad to have another reader.

May 2, 2012 -- 3:27PM, Gemini_Maxwell wrote:

falling off the sahuagin

*snort*
Gemini, I  think you're going to love Chapter Five. (Or potentially have an argument with me, but let's think positive!). Obviously, I'm with you--I think the way in which devils are evil opens up the possibility for them to be more relatable. LE means there's a method and an order that you can predict and potentially even identify with...and more importantly perhaps mis-predict and mis-identify, because they're still extra-planar beings with values and goals that are completely alien.  

May 3, 2012 -- 5:42AM, dadocollin wrote:

Erin, will Lesser Evils be an eBook-only release?  There seems to be a trend of them releasing sequels as eBooks lately.  I'm eBook neutral (neither love them or hate them), but this may actually be a better way to let authors stretch their wings. (Although I'm sure editors don't see it this way.  They probably cringe when they know the wordier authors are cheering for no limits!)

Gemini, let the Blood War begin!  (I hope that doesn't open up an old wound from our days with D&D minis...)

 

Lesser Evils will be available as an ebook and as a mass market paperback. The paperback should be available for pre-order soon, but the ebook is available for pre-order now (Because the two types of books have different ISBN numbers, they're being processed at different speeds, apparently). I do think it creates an opportunity to be less strict with the word counts, and to add in lots of bonus materials, which is pretty nice.


I think the additional trick is that--and, warning, long-winded writing advice--as a writer you either revise as a "putter-inner" or a "taker-outer." That is, your first draft is either going to be missing lots of descriptions or scenes, or even characters and chapters which have to be added in, or you're going to have lots of scenes and even chapters that were really you kind of working through potential options. Honestly, I feel like identifying which you trend toward is so, so helpful when it comes to editng your work and getting feedback.

If you're like me, you're a putter-inner who also writes really long. So no matter what my first draft comes in at, it's going to increase. I need to learn to write shorter stories, I suppose.

(I still remember turning in my first story, "The Resurrection Agent," which was supposed to be a maximum of 8,000 words. And it was 10,500. And as my panicky email explained, I could not find what I needed to cut. My editor came back and explained that was because I needed to add about 2,000 words to make the ending stick. Fortunately, there were enough taker-outers in that anthology who had really sharp, honed 6,000 word stories that I could borrow the difference.)


And I forgot your question about Blood War purists, dado--I haven't gotten hate mail, and I think I might have converted a couple.