[andy-sywak Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Hi,

I'm finishing up a draft of a sports-themed MG novel.

I have ten total chapters ranging from about 1200-2400 words (most are 1400-1700) and it's made me wonder if these might be too long by current standards. In reading other MG books, there appears to be a trend towards titles with lots of chapters of short length (not sure on word count but just a few pages long - definitely less than a 1,000 words).

I'd like to know where other MG writers fall on this.
- Are long chapters (maybe 1500 words or over) looked down upon by publishers in this genre as a rule of thumb?  Or is it immaterial as long as the story works?
- What would be considered too long for a chapter for this audience?
- Does anyone think that the "many short chapters" approach is inherently better for any specific reason?

[mrh Posts: 4,759 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

Your overall word count is quite short. If you are under 20-25k (even under 30k, maybe), you might be told this is too short unless it's a verse novel. Are you sure it isn't a chapter book?

1. I don't think 1500 is that long for a chapter, and I've not heard of this being looked down on.
2. This is totally my rule of thumb, but I don't go over 10 manuscript pages per chapter and preferably 7-8.
3. I enjoy many short chapters as a reader because I think it pulls you through the book. There's always time for "just one more chapter," and then "just one more chapter," etc.

If you're finding a ballpark range for number of chapters in similar books, I'd try to hit that range.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 7,004 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Chapters can be separated according to a variety of metrics. One key is to end each with a cliffhanger or question of some kind to keep the reader wanting to move on. Shorter chapters may encourage reluctant readers because they feel like they've accomplished something in finishing a chapter.  Decide on the purpose of each chapter and make sure every scene within it fits that purpose.

That said, I too am concerned that the book is too short for today's market. This is a great time to find beta readers if you haven't already had someone read the full.

[David Wright Posts: 1,016 Status: Offline Tell me that again.]

An agent recently said that there's a trend towards even longer MGs -- it's hard to sell anything under 35K.

What age bracket are you looking at? Upper or lower MG? Or is this actually Hi-Lo (which tend to be shorter) -- which commonly have sports themes?

Once I hit 1800 words in a chapter I do look to see if there's a natural break, or what I can cut.

Remember: a chapter should always have an arc, so shorter chapters aren't just shorter, they're tighter. You still have to something significant to the story. It still has to affect the MC/plot/subplot/etc.

And if a reader sees there's only another 5 pages to get to the next chapter ending instead of 15 maybe you can get them to keep reading

[Mindy Alyse Weiss Posts: 3,642 Status: Offline A long journey - but I'm determined to get there!]

Congrats for finishing your draft. Time to celebrate. 

You've received great advice so far! My polished MG's are on the shorter end, around 35,000 words (a couple dipped a bit under--but none are below 32,000).

The good news is you said you just finished a draft. I tend to write bloated first drafts during NaNoWriMo--and then put my manuscript on a serious diet. There's a good chance you'll find lots of areas to flesh out during revisions. Hopefully, you have an awesome critique group or critique partners.

I'm a huge fan of shorter chapters in my MGs. I think my longest chapter is 6 - 7 pages. Most are in the 3 - 5 page range. Think about what everyone said about a natural break and ending with a cliffhanger whenever possible. Also keep in mind your intended audience.

You can check word counts for books similar to yours on this site: https://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx

[Ree Posts: 371 Status: Offline No Boxes WWW]

I think it depends on the rhythm of your story and, for me, that is an important aspect.

That being said, there is a wide variety of chapter lengths. For a MG, I agree that I wouldn't go far over 1800ish. My personal preference is short chapters. It keeps the story moving and the young reader engaged.

With regards to word count, I do know the trend is for longer stories, but my debut coming out next year is 20250 words, so there are always exceptions. I think if the story is very good and the voice is there, but they think it's too short, they'll ask you to revise.

Ree

[andy-sywak Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Thanks so much to everyone for the great advice! My first draft was about 10,000 words so I feel like I've puffed everything out. I was not aware that the length of MG novels had grown so this is good to know.

That being said, I feel like I've got a "tweener" book (to borrow a commercial real estate term). My protagonist is an 11 year-old so it is geared more towards the upper echelon of the middle grade readers, and I don't immediately see where I could add another 5,000 words here. In any case, I'd like to join a peer review group and see what people think. I guess I just look on the message boards for that?

Thanks again for all of your insights.

[Ree Posts: 371 Status: Offline No Boxes WWW]

I think joining the peer review is a great idea. They can give you ideas as to how to lengthen your story. If it is upper MG, I think it will need to be on the higher end of word count. It sounds like you have a great start!!! Congrats.

Ree

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 7,004 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Eleven years old for a protagonist is really the center of middle grade, not upper or lower, but themes matter also.

But getting critiques is always a good idea. You can look for partners here: https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?board=127.0.
You can also post up to 1000 words for critique here: https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?board=121.0