Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Advice, Advice, and MORE Advice

This post is thanks to all of the questions that I have been asking recently since my novel's second revision is coming closer to its end and all of the answers those questions have received.  I have found that for every question I have asked there have been at least two different answers given. Here are just a few examples I and a few others have been given to their questions:

1. Should I mention that my novel is a planned series?

A #1: Yes!
A #2: Never!

2. Should authors blog about their novels?

A #1: Authors should write about their work and progress so that potential agents will see that they a) have hype b) their progress. (Taken from a website.)

A #2: No!

3. How many words should a novel of my genre contain. (ex: YA)

A #1: 50,000 to 75,000  Over that you probably won't be accepted for a first time novel.

A #2: 50,000 isn't enough.  80,000 seems more like it.



Confusing?  YES!


Most of the questions above's answers have come from websites that anyone can look up.  What I've found is that depending on the agent and genre of the novel and if the genre is popular at the time of submission that these answers can change.  One agent wants it one way while another wants it another.

I don't blame them though!  I know that I like to sit down to a really long novel and sink my teeth into it so why wouldn't the author want to write one like that?  We do!

What I'm getting at here is that sometimes you have to follow your gut.  Ask questions and research the heck out of EVERYTHING! Once you have all of the answers available then weigh the responses out.  Try to figure out what they are saying.  Most likely over 50% will agree with one another.  Then do your best to abide by the guidelines given to make your novel/short story/fan fiction the best that it can be!

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