Sorry I missed posting this yesterday folks!
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to book lengths lately, both as a potential writer as well as an avid reader. I love the epic tome, really, I do. You could argue that doorstoppers are aptly named, but there is a visceral joy in being able to have the freedom to dive so far into a book that you lose yourself for a while. And who doesn’t feel that sense of pride and accomplishment when they hit page 500 and know that they’ve reached the halfway mark in the book? And then to add to that the knowledge that this is only book six of eleven, that you could potentially spend the rest of your year in Midkemia or Tanelorn or what have you, never once lacking in words to read or pages to turn?
I’ve read in interviews that publishers encourage authors, especially in the fantasy genre, to look to doing series over the stand alone novel. And while PaPa Hemingway may have encouraged a brevity of words, longer books tend to dominate the market, at least visually (ie, looking over the best sellers). Maybe this isn’t all the work of publishers, its just as likely to be a confluence of the needs of a publisher (selling a series means repeat buyers returning for the next volume, which means profits), and writers simply being more prolific.
But how do readers feel about it? I would argue that while we like the occasional hefty volume, there are hints we miss the shorter, more accessible novel of yesteryear. I’d even be willing to argue that this is why so many adults are reading “YA” fiction these days – the stories are shorter, more accessible than a multivolume, million page storyline.
I think its time for the return of the shorter, stand alone novel. What are the advantages? Well,
- No long, grueling wait for a sequel that might not happen. Between publishers dropping authors mid-series, authors getting distracted with other projects (say what?!?), and the likely threat that someday they might pass away before they finish (many fear this with the Game of Thrones series (SORRY GRRM!!), justified by the passing of Jordan before he finished The Wheel of Time books*). What you hold in your hands is the complete tale.
- It frees the reader to enjoy more. Petty and selfish, but shorter books means we can read more of them. That means that we buy more books, sure, but it also means we give more authors an opportunity to share their ideas and worlds with us.
- Hemingway was no fool – less word sprawl makes for a tighter story. Now, this one is purely subjective. Whether an author spends a paragraph or a hundred pages world building is entirely their prerogative, and it is often up to the skills of the author on whether they can keep interest and paint a deep enough picture in that space.
Am I biased? You bet. Aren’t we all? I’m biased as a reader/reviewer, who just can’t read 20 mammoth books a year. I’m biased as an aspiring writer, who can’t produce a novel with >100k words. I just don’t have that many words in me. And while I am drawn to the idea of a series, my stories tend to be self contained entities.
But what do you all think? Am I the only one who misses books that told a whole story from beginning to end without being only partial reveals in a longer series?
* I realize Brandon Sanderson has completed the series, with the blessing of Jordan’s widow and using Jordan’s notes.
