Getting Published

InkNut

Hi there,

I'm just wondering if anyone with a bit more knowledge than me on the publishing industry could shed a bit of light on something for me please...

Is it possible to get a story of around 18-20,000 words published? I understand that word count is longer than the usual short story and way below the word count for a novel. It was written as a novella, although I realise it may fall under the novella word count also.

Are there any instances when stories of this length actually get considered for publishing? An option would be to take the time to expand it to a full length novel size, although I think it may work better in the form it's in at the moment. Also, I know it's unbelievably tough to get anything published but I'm just looking for some insight from people that are a bit more in the know.

Thanks in advance:)

Philip

pickarooney

Sounds like a perfect length for the modern market to me.

EileenG

What sort of story is it? I know there are some new e-publishers of romances who are actively looking for good stories of around 15k.

InkNut

EileenG wrote: »

What sort of story is it? I know there are some new e-publishers of romances who are actively looking for good stories of around 15k.

Well love is definitely a theme in the story, although not the main theme at all. It's mainly about an artist struggling with issues and demons from the past, and being exposed to that environment again through relocating for a project. Are there many publishers looking for stories of that length?

Thanks for the reply.

InkNut

pickarooney wrote: »

Sounds like a perfect length for the modern market to me.

Really? That's great to hear. Are these electronic publishers? Irish based or abroad? I've looked at some Irish publishers online. I guess I'm just looking for someone to tell me where to start with the process.

Thanks for the reply.

EileenG

InkNut wrote: »

Well love is definitely a theme in the story, although not the main theme at all. It's mainly about an artist struggling with issues and demons from the past, and being exposed to that environment again through relocating for a project. Are there many publishers looking for stories of that length?

Thanks for the reply.

No, they are looking for pure romance, where the love story is central to the plot. They're open to historic, fantasy, SF, etc, but it has to be a full-on romance.

pickarooney

InkNut wrote: »

Really? That's great to hear. Are these electronic publishers? Irish based or abroad? I've looked at some Irish publishers online. I guess I'm just looking for someone to tell me where to start with the process.

Thanks for the reply.

Non-traditional, definitely. I'm thinking from a consumer point of view 20k words is a very attractive size for a novella (I know I'm reducing art to figures, but it has to be done). The trick is exploiting that gap in the market with the right product marketed in the right way.

InkNut

EileenG wrote: »

No, they are looking for pure romance, where the love story is central to the plot. They're open to historic, fantasy, SF, etc, but it has to be a full-on romance.

Hmm, I shall keep that in mind for any future romance writing. Thank you:)

Toasterspark

EileenG wrote: »

No, they are looking for pure romance, where the love story is central to the plot. They're open to historic, fantasy, SF, etc, but it has to be a full-on romance.

Do you mean "50 shades" style novellas? I'd love to know more about what they're actively searching for. Where would I find good info on this?

InkNut

pickarooney wrote: »

Non-traditional, definitely. I'm thinking from a consumer point of view 20k words is a very attractive size for a novella (I know I'm reducing art to figures, but it has to be done). The trick is exploiting that gap in the market with the right product marketed in the right way.

And how does one market the product effectively from a non-traditional perspective? A lot of online promoting I guess? Are there any e-publishers I should be getting in touch with?

EileenG

Toasterspark wrote: »

Do you mean "50 shades" style novellas? I'd love to know more about what they're actively searching for. Where would I find good info on this?

Not 50 Shades as such, more romantic. And shorter obviously. They have different heat levels, sweet, sensual, spicy, and different guidelines for what they want in each level.

Contact Vanessa O'Loughlin at Writing.ie for more details.

EileenG

InkNut wrote: »

And how does one market the product effectively from a non-traditional perspective? A lot of online promoting I guess? Are there any e-publishers I should be getting in touch with?

It depends on what you have written. Go out and look to see who had written something like your story, then see who published it and how it's selling.

pickarooney

InkNut wrote: »

And how does one market the product effectively from a non-traditional perspective? A lot of online promoting I guess? Are there any e-publishers I should be getting in touch with?

The 508356 dollar question. If you crack it, Pm me :-)