Hi guys,
I've been doing another redraft of my novel and its nearly ready for submission. I've had reports from editors and beta readers and they are all so positive I could cry with happiness. However, there seems to be one hurdle I always hit and I'm starting to feel like its impossible.
My book is a slow burner and comes to 500 pages. Which isn't crazy, but its odd for my genre, but put that in a cover letter and publishers and agents seem to think its too long. But I love long books, so why is it such a hindrance? One of my favourite authors is Kate Morton who's books are always around the 500 page mark.
I'm not sure how much more I could cut.
Are literary agents and publishers just not going to go for a book that's that long (but a new writer) ? Or is it just a case of waiting and perseverance to find the right people?
Thank you for any responses
My ready-reckoner makes that about 150k words.
I guess it depends on genre. If it's historical fiction, it's not too far out of the 80-120k range you see recommended for that, or fantasy, and I've had a 113k HF published. But it's a fair bit more than for others, so I could see the problem.
You might find someone who would take it if it were split, or another who might suggest more drastic scene-cutting. But then it would be up to you - if you believe in it as is, I think I'd be inclined to hold out.