Finalizing the Manuscript

70 Days Until Publish

“Your book is too long…”

This was the first real feedback I had received on my manuscript. Ouch. However, the feedback came from a published author who had many successful kid’s books under her belt, so I knew it was coming from a place of experience.

She actually started the feedback by telling me she loved the story. She thought it was unique and one that kids would like. Praise Hands! The only real problem was the length. She also shared that this was the same feedback she often received from her publishers as well.

When I sat down to get my book on paper for the first time, I was basically just trying to remember what I had told my son the night I made it up. I wasn’t thinking about a particular audience or who would actually be reading it. The result was a manuscript that contained close to 1,800 words. That’s the version this author reviewed.

She told me that for kids age 4-8, which is my target range, I needed to keep it on the lower end of 800-1000 words. Oh crap. So, instead of trimming off a few paragraphs, I basically needed to go back and remove 60% of my book. Ouch again.

Taking a cleaver to my manuscript notwithstanding, the entire call was actually really enjoyable. But I have to say that the best piece of advice she gave me was a wonderful little thought exercise. She told me to imagine a parent sitting down to read a book to their child. It had been a long day and the last thing standing between them and their child going to sleep is one last book. What type of book do they choose more often than not? Write that type of book. 

Make it short. Make it sweet. Make it memorable.

Absolute gold right there.

So with that in mind I started on version 2! After taking another pass I was able to get it down to 1,250. Still not short enough. Version 3 got me down to 1,026. Close but not there yet.

So, with 70 days left I am going to make one more pass to see how close I can get to 800. Not sure if I will get there but I am enjoying the challenge of telling this story well with as few words as possible!

Next Up: Version 4 will be off to the copy editor.

Next Post: Storyboard and Illustration Exploration

Thanks, Kacy