How short is too short

Lillith1991

The Hobbit-Vulcan hybrid
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Messages
5,313
Reaction score
569
Location
MA
Website
eclecticlittledork.wordpress.com
If I were an agent (I'm not), I'd probably wonder if the author had done enough worldbuilding in a 60,000 word novel. Or, alternately, if the 60,000 words were ALL worldbuilding, and no plot. A contemporary romance can probably be done in 60,000 words. We don't need to be told what an "office" is or about this strange "TV" thing the MC watches at night. But fantasy readers tend to expect to be transported to a new world, and I think the concern would be that 60,000 or less wouldn't be enough words to do that AND deliver satisfying characters and a plot.

If you haven't had beta readers go over it already, I may start there... see if they can let you know whether or not it FEELS too short, and if they think it is, what areas could be fleshed out?

To adress this. There are certain age groupings where even for secondary world fantasy, it isn't expect that the proper ammount of worldbuilding turn things into this massive monster. One of my favorite YA Fantasy books is Victoria Hanley's The Light of the Oracle, and it is only 67,223 words long. Great worldbuilding infusing every bit of the story, no fluff at all.

Fantasy in general in YA isn't required to be as long as in adult work, though they can be. Another great book I love is UF, has a great amount of worldbuilding in only 63,568 words. The plot doesn't suffer in either of my examples at all, nor worldbuilding suffer for the sake of the plot. Granted they're above the 60,000 words thing, but neither are that far above so I feel comfortable say that it is possible to write a book that length in which NOTHING feels shortchanged. It just means everything has to deal with more than one part of the load, preferablly all three parts. Character, plot, and worldbuilding.

But this is kinda moot as you mention in a post further down since the story is both adult and not fantasy. There are few adult genres where something so short is acceptable.
 
Last edited: