Comments on: REALLY lengthy middle grade fiction http://www.dystel.com/blog/2016/03/really-lengthy-middle-grade-fiction/ Mon, 26 Jun 2017 15:15:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.15 By: Gina http://www.dystel.com/blog/2016/03/really-lengthy-middle-grade-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-47011 Wed, 22 Mar 2017 01:39:03 +0000 http://www.dystel.com/?p=12440#comment-47011 I really enjoyed this post – thanks! My general take is that word count should depend on the story – good editing cuts the fat / anything unnecessary or gratuitous, but gives broad stories with rich worlds the space to enchant readers.

When you consider the age range of middle grade and the leaps in development occurring every year during childhood, a narrow view of word count (and topic matter) sort of limits the reader. Throw in diverse reading levels, and stringent rules don’t really serve the spectrum of the audience.

I’ve been researching this a bit as I have a lengthy upper MG fantasy in its last stages of revision. Do you think most agents will turn away a robust story due to word count? It’s mentally hard to justify 80k words, even if more established authors are breaking the mold – like Tehereh Mafi’s Furthermore, Colin Meloy’s Wildwood, and Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities series.

]]> By: Lisa Godfrees http://www.dystel.com/blog/2016/03/really-lengthy-middle-grade-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-44634 Wed, 09 Mar 2016 02:55:55 +0000 http://www.dystel.com/?p=12440#comment-44634 Hi Stacey! I wasn’t sure who was the best person to query at Drexel, so I sent a query to John last week because your website said he was looking for middle grade fiction specifically. I’d love to share it with you as well, but I’m guessing simultaneous queries are a bad idea. Please let me know how to proceed, and thank you for your interest!

]]> By: Stacey http://www.dystel.com/blog/2016/03/really-lengthy-middle-grade-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-44622 Tue, 08 Mar 2016 20:33:41 +0000 http://www.dystel.com/?p=12440#comment-44622 Hi Lisa. Thanks for your note. I think that sounds like a good idea. The Potter books varied in length but the characters definitely grew with the series. Send it my way when it’s ready!

]]> By: Lisa Godfrees http://www.dystel.com/blog/2016/03/really-lengthy-middle-grade-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-44562 Sat, 05 Mar 2016 17:52:16 +0000 http://www.dystel.com/?p=12440#comment-44562 Hi Stacey,

I’ve wondered about this myself. I have a daughter who was reading Harry Potter in 2nd grade, and a daughter in 4th who loves to read but struggles. I have an MG that’s 36K that I’m starting to shop around to agents. My idea is to do something like Harry Potter where the series grows with the kids. Each book could add complexity and maturity. Other than Harry Potter, I’m not sure that’s been done. Do you think that would be a good middle ground?

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