Comments on Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency: It's Really Not Personal Redux

There are so many factors that impact why and how ...

2009-05-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

There are so many factors that impact why and how soon a query is rejected that this question would be very difficult to answer without more information. For example, if I had a name I could possibly reread your query and have a more definitive answer for you.

Did you send a manuscript or a query? You said query in your comment.

I love that people post comments here, however, a question like this could be more easily answered by addressing this question directly to me via email at the same address you used to query me.

Hi - In regards to a recent rejection letter I r...

2009-05-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hi -

In regards to a recent rejection letter I received from your company...
I fully understand and accept that rejection is a part of the publishing business. However I can't help but wonder that I received the rejection not three hours after I sent in the query. Do you normally do this? If so, what factors typically make you write off a manuscript so quickly? I'm not being bitter, merely inquiring.

Thank you for the clarification. MS Word it is!

2009-05-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the clarification. MS Word it is!

Anonymous #1, Again, using MS Word is the correct...

2009-05-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Anonymous #1,

Again, using MS Word is the correct way to determine word count in a raw manuscript. If the MS Word says your manuscript is 229,000 words in length, that's the word count to use.

Don't be confused by the 250 per page calculation posted here and elsewhere. This is to be used on standard PUBLISHED hardcover or trade paperback books only.

The 250 word check was only mentioned as a way to check other authors word counts at the library or in bookstores. THIS WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE USED AS ANOTHER WAY TO DETERMINE WORD COUNT ON A RAW MANUSCRIPT. ALWAYS USE YOUR WORD PROCESSOR FOR THAT PURPOSE

Dear Anonymous, Use the word count option that MS...

2009-05-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Anonymous,

Use the word count option that MS Word provides to get your word count for a raw manuscript. The 250 approximation talked about in this blog is only used if you don't have a word count. For instance, you're trying to figure out how many words there are in the published novel you're reading or one in a bookstore and all you have is a page count. Publishers try to stay as close as possible to the 250 word per page, so this can be used, but again only in published hard-cover or trade paperback books using a standard font size. This won't work with large print and most mass market books as they use a different size font. Hope this helps eliminate the confusion.

Okay, I'm embarrassed. Strike my last, about the ...

2009-05-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm embarrassed. Strike my last, about the 250 word per page method as opposed to MS Word. I just realized that my novels are stored in single space (the way I write them, but not for submission). Using your method, my story now comes out to 155,000 words.

Damn!

I have a (hopefully quick) question: I have been ...

2009-05-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have a (hopefully quick) question: I have been using the word count feature of MS Word and thought my novel might be too long for submission. MS Word says the novel runs 136,000 words. However, using your 250 words per page formula (at Arial 12-point font), it only comes out to 77,500 words.

That's a huge discrepancy. Suddenly my longest novel (which MS Word counts at 229,000 words, comes out to 130,500. Is there some happy medium here? And would you even consider a novel of 77,500 words?

Thanks.

I fully agree, Robert. I was agreeing with my com...

2009-04-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

I fully agree, Robert. I was agreeing with my comment to your last blog post. I guess I need to be more blatant in my humor. I read the comments to your last blog post and then your last reply to the comments there and thought to myself, "Now some idiot will point out that the authors listed are famous authors and not newbies and thus not valid in this discussion." I then chuckled and thought I'd post such a moronic reply as a joke. I thought my last sentence in that comment and how I spaced it several lines below the rest of the comment made it clear that I was just joking around. I'll do better next time. :-)