Hello,
I have a story that I have been working on that is much too long, given current PB trends.
The story is about a child with selective mutism (though it is not specifically named in the story). Selective mutism is when a child speaks in one environment (such as home) but not in others (such as school).
I am a speech-language pathologist. I don't work with children with selective mutism, but I actually had selective mutism when I was in preschool. I wanted to write something fun and light that isn't necessarily focused on whether the main character speaks. However, the main character gradually becomes more communicative as the story progresses.
My problem is that, even after several rounds of cutting, I am at around 1200 words. I am sure I can cut more, but, realistically, I don't think I can tell this particular story in less than 1000 words.
I wrote this story as part of a children's book writing course where I was able to get critique from fellow students and the instructor. The instructor was very enthusiastic about the story (I think it was around 2000 words at that point), but suggested I might want to consider it as a chapter book.
From everything I have read and researched, this book is too long for a PB. However, in my heart of hearts, I want it to be a PB. I feel it would work best as a book that could be read to a child by a trusted adult, rather than one that the child reads independently. (By the way, a peacock features heavily in the story, so I do think there is great potential for illustration.) Am I on a fool's errand to try to pursue this as a PB? Is there any place for a PB like this?
Thank you so much for reading, and for any thoughts you may have.