I never used to like reading, but lately writing has become a hobby for me. And lately I've been writing a book about my fursona Benny and all his friends. ...But I want some advice.
My book is meant to be 12 chapters long, but... by the end of the seventh chapter it's almost 200 pages long, which from what I noticed is pretty long for a book, especially since the book's targeted mostly at teens, young adults... well pretty much anyone can read it. I'm considering separating it into two books because it might be cheaper and it may be a wiser choice if I did.
Also, the book is about anthropomorphic monsters, and I know people who absolutely will NOT read, play or watch anything in it where the goodguy characters are anything other than human. Not to mention the negative stigma against furries. Some people also hate it when a story is just anthro for the sake of anthro and there's no point to the characters being anthro. In my book, there IS a reason, but I'm wondering if it's good enough. The ones who helped build the world were inspired by monsters of literature and media, and wanted to try different things and put them on a continent to see how they react and work together, but... I'm still not sure it's good enough. I'm wondering how I can advertise the book to appeal to a broad audience.
My book is meant to be 12 chapters long, but... by the end of the seventh chapter it's almost 200 pages long, which from what I noticed is pretty long for a book, especially since the book's targeted mostly at teens, young adults... well pretty much anyone can read it. I'm considering separating it into two books because it might be cheaper and it may be a wiser choice if I did.
Also, the book is about anthropomorphic monsters, and I know people who absolutely will NOT read, play or watch anything in it where the goodguy characters are anything other than human. Not to mention the negative stigma against furries. Some people also hate it when a story is just anthro for the sake of anthro and there's no point to the characters being anthro. In my book, there IS a reason, but I'm wondering if it's good enough. The ones who helped build the world were inspired by monsters of literature and media, and wanted to try different things and put them on a continent to see how they react and work together, but... I'm still not sure it's good enough. I'm wondering how I can advertise the book to appeal to a broad audience.
That's a tough one. In most cases, a book is targeted at a specific audience with the content inside. If your book focuses on furries (regardless of the reasons for them being so) then your target audience will be furries first and foremost. However, I think the stigma against furries that you describe is mainly an online thing directed at the furry communities themselves. Unless your story is like the typical story content found in the furry community, there's a good chance it will naturally appeal to people beyond the community and it won't be considered furry unless you label it so yourself.
Remember that many, many good stories and cartoons feature two legged and/or speaking animals as the heroes and villains. It's not uncommon and these books and cartoons are loved by many from different generations, cultures and interests.
In summary, I think that unless you wrote the book typical for a furry community, you shouldn't worry too much.
Remember that many, many good stories and cartoons feature two legged and/or speaking animals as the heroes and villains. It's not uncommon and these books and cartoons are loved by many from different generations, cultures and interests.
In summary, I think that unless you wrote the book typical for a furry community, you shouldn't worry too much.
A good way to look at popular books that have anthro' characters in them is to look at Redwall. See how they were marketed and so forth.
My book isn't entirely anthro, as there are non-animaloid species in the franchise such as Kasabakes, small plant-blased creatures who resemble umbrellas, Toruns are a species largely inspired by Totoro, but are based off no animal in particular, and there are also Oni, which are a more humanoid species in this series. There's also Sphinxes with human heads.
This may help...
for a novel the standard word count for one page is 250 and 300 words per page.
Pages for a chapter
This is Tricky for there is no rule on this to completion of an idea some say in average 5-15
best excerpt of this
"hapters are based on continuation of thoughts and passage of time, not words or pages. When I write, I start the story and let it flow with small breaks I notate by ****** when I'm changing scenes or time. I might do a mark like this instead of the perfunctory "The next morning . . ." blah blah. Then when the piece is done, you can break it up appropriately.
If you are submitting for publication "the first 3 chapters" or something like that, I think 30 pages give or take (total submission) is the approximate standard,"
Average novel
length 400
again this is all variying writer to writer
personally
I dont read anything below 450 pages but I like big long books in a series. but I read 100 pages an hour too. but I thought this might help braking it up. but really it is your story write as you feel it needs to be written and if you wish to publish it you can refine it then
for a novel the standard word count for one page is 250 and 300 words per page.
Pages for a chapter
This is Tricky for there is no rule on this to completion of an idea some say in average 5-15
best excerpt of this
"hapters are based on continuation of thoughts and passage of time, not words or pages. When I write, I start the story and let it flow with small breaks I notate by ****** when I'm changing scenes or time. I might do a mark like this instead of the perfunctory "The next morning . . ." blah blah. Then when the piece is done, you can break it up appropriately.
If you are submitting for publication "the first 3 chapters" or something like that, I think 30 pages give or take (total submission) is the approximate standard,"
Average novel
length 400
again this is all variying writer to writer
personally
I dont read anything below 450 pages but I like big long books in a series. but I read 100 pages an hour too. but I thought this might help braking it up. but really it is your story write as you feel it needs to be written and if you wish to publish it you can refine it then
SarietheFae wrote:
This may help...
for a novel the standard word count for one page is 250 and 300 words per page.
Pages for a chapter
This is Tricky for there is no rule on this to completion of an idea some say in average 5-15
best excerpt of this
"hapters are based on continuation of thoughts and passage of time, not words or pages. When I write, I start the story and let it flow with small breaks I notate by ****** when I'm changing scenes or time. I might do a mark like this instead of the perfunctory "The next morning . . ." blah blah. Then when the piece is done, you can break it up appropriately.
If you are submitting for publication "the first 3 chapters" or something like that, I think 30 pages give or take (total submission) is the approximate standard,"
Average novel
length 400
again this is all variying writer to writer
personally
I dont read anything below 450 pages but I like big long books in a series. but I read 100 pages an hour too. but I thought this might help braking it up. but really it is your story write as you feel it needs to be written and if you wish to publish it you can refine it then
for a novel the standard word count for one page is 250 and 300 words per page.
Pages for a chapter
This is Tricky for there is no rule on this to completion of an idea some say in average 5-15
best excerpt of this
"hapters are based on continuation of thoughts and passage of time, not words or pages. When I write, I start the story and let it flow with small breaks I notate by ****** when I'm changing scenes or time. I might do a mark like this instead of the perfunctory "The next morning . . ." blah blah. Then when the piece is done, you can break it up appropriately.
If you are submitting for publication "the first 3 chapters" or something like that, I think 30 pages give or take (total submission) is the approximate standard,"
Average novel
length 400
again this is all variying writer to writer
personally
I dont read anything below 450 pages but I like big long books in a series. but I read 100 pages an hour too. but I thought this might help braking it up. but really it is your story write as you feel it needs to be written and if you wish to publish it you can refine it then
1: I don't really pay attention to how many words are in a chapter, so I might have to look into that.
2: My chapters are roughly 20-25 pages long. Is that too long?
3: Sounds like I'm doing that right. All of my chapters are one story in themselves, but they all connect with each other.
4: 30 pages PER chapter, or 30 for all three? Cause it's too short for the former, but too long for the later right now.
5: The book I'm writing has 12 chapters, so it should come to not much over 300 pages when I'm done.
it was 10 pages a chapter but that is for submisstion
You may want to consider publishing through an online source, generally; there's more acceptance and it's easier to earn money through these publishers rather than going to an old-school publisher. I've been working on some serious book projects for a while, my own procrastination kills it every time, but that's some solid advice I've heard.
Also, don't force rules and restrictions on yourself - yes, there is a standard 'average' to how many pages in a chapter, and how many chapters make up different types of books (novels, children's, teen, etc.) but the important thing is that YOU believe in what you're writing. We are our own worst critics, but also have to be open to reader's feedback - that's a tough thing to do! You're already considering your audience's reception, and if you're thinking appealing through the monster-fads, I'd suggest analyzing what works in books and movies. Are you considering going big like Godzilla, for drama/suspense/action like the monsters in Mazerunner and some other movies I can't recall the name of? Thinking about your angle of approach to the audience is just as important as their reception and feedback. Sounds like you're off to a good start at a difficult challenge.
Also, don't force rules and restrictions on yourself - yes, there is a standard 'average' to how many pages in a chapter, and how many chapters make up different types of books (novels, children's, teen, etc.) but the important thing is that YOU believe in what you're writing. We are our own worst critics, but also have to be open to reader's feedback - that's a tough thing to do! You're already considering your audience's reception, and if you're thinking appealing through the monster-fads, I'd suggest analyzing what works in books and movies. Are you considering going big like Godzilla, for drama/suspense/action like the monsters in Mazerunner and some other movies I can't recall the name of? Thinking about your angle of approach to the audience is just as important as their reception and feedback. Sounds like you're off to a good start at a difficult challenge.
Okkomuri wrote:
You may want to consider publishing through an online source, generally; there's more acceptance and it's easier to earn money through these publishers rather than going to an old-school publisher. I've been working on some serious book projects for a while, my own procrastination kills it every time, but that's some solid advice I've heard.
Also, don't force rules and restrictions on yourself - yes, there is a standard 'average' to how many pages in a chapter, and how many chapters make up different types of books (novels, children's, teen, etc.) but the important thing is that YOU believe in what you're writing. We are our own worst critics, but also have to be open to reader's feedback - that's a tough thing to do! You're already considering your audience's reception, and if you're thinking appealing through the monster-fads, I'd suggest analyzing what works in books and movies. Are you considering going big like Godzilla, for drama/suspense/action like the monsters in Mazerunner and some other movies I can't recall the name of? Thinking about your angle of approach to the audience is just as important as their reception and feedback. Sounds like you're off to a good start at a difficult challenge.
Also, don't force rules and restrictions on yourself - yes, there is a standard 'average' to how many pages in a chapter, and how many chapters make up different types of books (novels, children's, teen, etc.) but the important thing is that YOU believe in what you're writing. We are our own worst critics, but also have to be open to reader's feedback - that's a tough thing to do! You're already considering your audience's reception, and if you're thinking appealing through the monster-fads, I'd suggest analyzing what works in books and movies. Are you considering going big like Godzilla, for drama/suspense/action like the monsters in Mazerunner and some other movies I can't recall the name of? Thinking about your angle of approach to the audience is just as important as their reception and feedback. Sounds like you're off to a good start at a difficult challenge.
Well actually, the monsters live more or less very similarly to humans. There are things that differentiate them from us, such as the use of magic, as well the monsters have different foods in their worlds, and many things we humans use are absent from their world, such as cars and guns.
One thing I do worry about is that this book takes place millenniums after the present time on a planet similar to ours, except with different creatures and animals. Humans DO exist, but in very small numbers. Near the end of the book it will explain connections between humans and monsters, but I'm still fleshing out the idea of connecting the two. I don't want it to be TOO childish, but I want it to be easy to understand.
...But anyway, what I DO worry about is that at the very start of my book, it predicts a future where we as a species have pretty much destroyed ourselves and our planet. I'm worried if that may scare away readers, especially since it's mentioned in the first few paragraphs. I'm trying not to make it sound outright misanthropic (cause it's not meant to be) but it still seems like a concern.
Have you considered getting some unbiased proofreaders to give you opinions? I see an awful lot of worrying but I don't understand where that worry comes from. Why would it scare readers off? It's a common theme in futuristic stories and quite liked. I get a feeling you're taking small portions of opinions from the internet and apply it to an entirely different potential audience, which makes you question things unnecessarily.
Perhaps having people with varied genre interests reading the chapters as you go along and giving you feedback is better. It's really hard to give you solid advice on little more than 'what if's and general descriptions/summaries that don't really show us what you're worried about.
Perhaps having people with varied genre interests reading the chapters as you go along and giving you feedback is better. It's really hard to give you solid advice on little more than 'what if's and general descriptions/summaries that don't really show us what you're worried about.
I have chosen to delete the original post that was found here.
I actually do write the book based on how I want to write it, but I still have concerns. After all, if I was fully writing it based off of wanting to write a book to please people and not about what I want to write about, the book would not be about anthro-monsters.
It would be nice to get someone to proof read, but I'm worried about it because if I get people to proof read the book, what would the point be in buying it if it gets published? I know only allow two or three people to read, but still. There's also the worry that if I show it to someone, they could also leak it out to the public and, again, there would be no point to buy the book.
It would be nice to get someone to proof read, but I'm worried about it because if I get people to proof read the book, what would the point be in buying it if it gets published? I know only allow two or three people to read, but still. There's also the worry that if I show it to someone, they could also leak it out to the public and, again, there would be no point to buy the book.
Well, good luck then with whatever you decide to do.
No, I'm not saying I won't do that. I do think that could be a good idea to have someone look at it, but I don't know if there is anyone in particular I can trust to review it. I've got about three chapters left to go in the book, so when I'm done with the book I'll try to find those places mentioned and show the book to a few people.
Just for the record, I am not trying to avoid advice given to me. I am actually trying to take the advice given, and I'll admit there is some good advice in this topic. It's just that... well, I don't know what to say. I feel like part of it comes with being an aspie, but I don't want to use that as a crutch. I think my main problem is that I have no idea how to react to the advice given, even though I fully accept it. Really, though, that does kind of come with being an aspie is that my social skills aren't as adept as other peoples.
I'm sorry if I came off as turning people's advice down. I just want to put people's mind at ease and tell them that this is not the intended case.
I'm sorry if I came off as turning people's advice down. I just want to put people's mind at ease and tell them that this is not the intended case.
Even though this article focuses on drawing, the concept is applicable to pretty much any area in life. I suppose knowing how to accept and use advice and criticism is the first step to improving whatever trade you're mastering. Feel free to give this a shot - just imagine the article explains writing instead of drawing.
http://artists.pixelovely.com/benefiting-from-critique/
It can be frustrating for people to put time and effort into trying to help you when you admit you don't know how to apply the given information to your situation, so perhaps this is another step forward.
http://artists.pixelovely.com/benefiting-from-critique/
It can be frustrating for people to put time and effort into trying to help you when you admit you don't know how to apply the given information to your situation, so perhaps this is another step forward.
As the person who wrote the above article and who has watched literally thousands of people go through the difficult process of learning how to benefit from critique, rest assured that this is something everyone struggles with, and all people have to put some conscious effort into learning it, aspergers or no. 
I've found that "pages" isn't a very good way of measuring novel-in-progress length, given that people work with different margin sizes, font sizes, line spacing, etc. How many WORDS is your novel so far? I personally aim for about 5000 words per chapter, but I've gone higher or lower as the thought flow demands.
As for topic... people like stories with magic. Not EVERYONE, but you won't be able to please everyone anyway, no matter what you write. Write what feels right! Also, I've found that rough drafts are a LOT more wordy than final drafts. So right now you can spill out as many words as you need to get your ideas down, then when the draft is finished you can go back and start snipping out areas that don't need to be there. I don't think anything remains of my novel's original draft, but writing it was still crucial in getting down my thoughts!
Also, Camp NaNoWriMo is starting TOMORROW! https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in It's a bit more flexible than regular NaNoWriMo, and you might find it fun.
Also also, Scrivener is an amazing tool for writers of all kinds (not just novelists). It is NOT freeware, but it's one of the best purchases I've made. (I also had a discount from winning NaNoWriMo last November!) https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
Good luck! I'm on this crazy journey too so I know how you feel!
As for topic... people like stories with magic. Not EVERYONE, but you won't be able to please everyone anyway, no matter what you write. Write what feels right! Also, I've found that rough drafts are a LOT more wordy than final drafts. So right now you can spill out as many words as you need to get your ideas down, then when the draft is finished you can go back and start snipping out areas that don't need to be there. I don't think anything remains of my novel's original draft, but writing it was still crucial in getting down my thoughts!
Also, Camp NaNoWriMo is starting TOMORROW! https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in It's a bit more flexible than regular NaNoWriMo, and you might find it fun.
Also also, Scrivener is an amazing tool for writers of all kinds (not just novelists). It is NOT freeware, but it's one of the best purchases I've made. (I also had a discount from winning NaNoWriMo last November!) https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
Good luck! I'm on this crazy journey too so I know how you feel!
I'm going to try out Camp NaNoWriMo. It seems like a tall order to finish my entire novel by the end of April (my goal was to finish it by my Birthday), but with only three chapters left to write, that sounds like a goal I might want to push towards. It's something I can definitely do, because I worked on a Fanfiction a while ago, and I made it a goal to have a chapter done every week, a goal which I more or less completed.
I know this is a pretty big bump, but a while ago I finished my book, and one of the websites suggested to me did quite help. Now I'm trying to look for some BETA readers and I already got one interested, but I wouldn't mind having two more BETA read my book: preferably one furry and one non-furry to get a complete overall opinion, but it doesn't matter too much. I'd rather not get two furries to BETA read the book though. Kind of trying to avoid having the book known only as a "furry related" book.
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