word count

Post by **mccutcheon** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 5:30 pm

Anyone know where to find the word counts of novels. I've read and researched that the word count of first novels should be 80,000. I want to find out the word counts of The Sun Also Rises and The Catcher in the Rye, because I'm hoping my Burnt Roof Of Mouth with be a loosely based combination and modern adoption of sorts of these two fine novels. And I'm thinking these novels are less than 80,000 words and that I might be close to finishing the fucker. I want to move into the disastrous world of smashing illusions and harsh realities that is the publishing business.

Post by **Sloth** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 6:24 pm

Are you sure you graduated from college?

I don't want to sound like a geek again... but to get a rough estimate of the numer of words in a book...

1. count the words in one line
2. count the lines on one page
3. multiply these 2 numbers together and then multiply that number by the number of pages in the book.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 6:52 pm

This is not what I want. I want offical, so go be a good geek and find me a website dedicated to the word counts of books. Maybe you should start with publishing...I'm waiting.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 6:55 pm

something like this.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/sun/facts.html

Post by **Sloth** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 8:16 pm

Hey that site sucks it crashed my browser the first time and then never finished loading the second time...

I think the average novel is about 100,000 plus words. I can't see why you are so interested... it seems pointless when your work is good enough to print anyway no matter the length.

If you're worried about length, why not put together your favorite short stories like I am doing and then you will easily have enough for a book. A lot of writers put out books of short stories before they publish thier novels.

The big question remains where to send your book when its finished. I think they just throw the stuff away unless you have an agent or something. The Pizza Guy could sell a million copies.

martino · Post by **martino** » Fri Jun 28, 2002 10:26 pm

which is why i would like to purchase the foreign-language rights. don't sell them to anybody else before i see you in august, please. i come from a publishing family and know the tiniest little bit about what i am talking. i mean it, by the way.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Sat Jun 29, 2002 1:42 am

Thanks for the complement. But I think to be honest with myself, it would be naive of me to think I'm just good enough and will get published on the basis of that. I have worked too hard. Sloth you have been there from the beginning and saw my papers for school and you more than anyone might be able to judge how far I have come. So I think that I've put too much of my life, basically invested my whole life, so I have to play their game, at least for a few books and if they sell, then I might be able to write novels of any length. These things are very important. And sometimes when I'm a little big headed on the site it's just to cover up the insecurity I feel about the writing career never happening. I take it very to heart. It's the only thing I care about. And if I get to be a famous writer I might even meet Natalie Portman!!!

Post by **Sloth** » Sat Jun 29, 2002 1:48 pm

Yeah meeting Natalie Portman would be realy cool.

Anyway, I had the strangest dream last night that you, me, and Martino were in a Paris cafe drinking strawberry milkshakes in the hot sun.

What does that symbolize? A successful publishing career I hope?

Also good luck tomorrow in the world cup to my European brothers as represented by Deutschland.

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Fri Jul 05, 2002 6:06 pm

so we never got a word count, huh?

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Sat Jul 06, 2002 6:28 am

Uhhh...I never said that...but good luck anyway,
(had to try to see how the little icon things work...)