Azeroth
Dreamer
One of my writing goals is to write a series as immersive and as engrossing as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, or Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.
During my research across the internet, I came across on multiple occasions, that publishers are not interested in books that are long-winded. I.e, for any chance of a publisher to even look at your submission for more than two seconds, there has to be some action happening on the first page.
Anybody familiar with the Wheel of Time will know that it can take up to 300 pages before anything major happens!
A lot of sites also advised that in this day and age (due to everything being so frantic and fast-paced, leaving people with little time for themselves) that nobody has time to read long novels any more. (I can attest to this. I'm approximately 670 pages through the Fires of Heaven, which is 960 pages long. It has taken me close to two weeks to get this far, due to work commitments and other life-stuff).
Which brings me to the conclusion that due to modern day trends, the chances of hitting the market with a magnum opus is quite slim. The fans want something simple to read and full of action.
As a reader, I often lose interest in the "modern" format of literature. That is, the simple, James Patterson-like paragraphs and dialogue. I also find it a little tedious to open up a book that is smack bang in the middle of the action, with no time to introduce me to the characters and the setting.
Now, I know that Jordan is renowned for being a bit slow and writing too many info dumps. I personally don't mind the info dumps when it is to do with the complex lore he has created; I could do without pages of descriptions of what beige coloured dress a female char is wearing, or what anybody is wearing really (he puts a lot of time into describing what the lesser characters in the background wear as well) and I do agree that a lot of it should have been cut by the publisher (in fact I'm surprised they let him get away with it!)
Other advice I have gained in my journeys, is to write the story you want to read and forget everybody else's opinions. Perhaps I would be better off self-publishing, if market trends don't support this style any more.
During my research across the internet, I came across on multiple occasions, that publishers are not interested in books that are long-winded. I.e, for any chance of a publisher to even look at your submission for more than two seconds, there has to be some action happening on the first page.
Anybody familiar with the Wheel of Time will know that it can take up to 300 pages before anything major happens!
A lot of sites also advised that in this day and age (due to everything being so frantic and fast-paced, leaving people with little time for themselves) that nobody has time to read long novels any more. (I can attest to this. I'm approximately 670 pages through the Fires of Heaven, which is 960 pages long. It has taken me close to two weeks to get this far, due to work commitments and other life-stuff).
Which brings me to the conclusion that due to modern day trends, the chances of hitting the market with a magnum opus is quite slim. The fans want something simple to read and full of action.
As a reader, I often lose interest in the "modern" format of literature. That is, the simple, James Patterson-like paragraphs and dialogue. I also find it a little tedious to open up a book that is smack bang in the middle of the action, with no time to introduce me to the characters and the setting.
Now, I know that Jordan is renowned for being a bit slow and writing too many info dumps. I personally don't mind the info dumps when it is to do with the complex lore he has created; I could do without pages of descriptions of what beige coloured dress a female char is wearing, or what anybody is wearing really (he puts a lot of time into describing what the lesser characters in the background wear as well) and I do agree that a lot of it should have been cut by the publisher (in fact I'm surprised they let him get away with it!)
Other advice I have gained in my journeys, is to write the story you want to read and forget everybody else's opinions. Perhaps I would be better off self-publishing, if market trends don't support this style any more.