Each time someone reads my manuscript for The Awakened, it’s in a slightly different configuration—scenes moved around, old scenes deleted, new scenes added.  This is because I’m constantly revising based on feedback from people whose opinions I respect.  But to clear up some of the confusion about the biggest question—is it one book, or two?—I thought it would be a good idea to fill you in on how that decision was made.

I originally wrote The Awakened as one book.  Last September, I signed with a literary agent who recommended splitting the book into two, or even three books, to make it more appealing to major publishers.

I had read previously on a well-known agent’s blog that the typical length for a fictional novel is 80,000 to 100,000 words, but for Science-Fiction and Fantasy, 120,000 to 150,000 is expected.  Weighing-in at 240,000 words, my 800-page manuscript was twice the typical length for its genre.

If you are a famous author with a large fan base, you have much more freedom to do what you want.  But publishers have certain requirements like word-count for manuscripts from new authors.  As the word-count goes up, so does the printing cost, leaving only two options for the publisher.  Either 1) increase the sales price of the book, thereby making it less attractive to the consumer, or 2) maintain a competitive sales price and accept a lower profit margin.  Neither option is good if you are trying to make money.

Knowing this, I decided my agent’s advice was sound.  I split The Awakened into two books, moved some scenes around to provide a more exciting conclusion to the first book, and wrote a new prologue and epilogue for transition between the two books.

Almost a year later, I decided to pursue self-publishing and sought help from friends for additional copy-editing and proof-reading.  The most interesting bit of feedback I received was at the conclusion of the first book, significant questions were left unanswered.

A good storyline has an arc.  It builds in such a way that when the conclusion is reached, it is satisfying.  It should resolve the majority of the plot and subplots, leaving only a few unresolved if the intention is to carry on with a series.  Splitting my book into two negatively affected the arc of the story and left the reader unsatisfied after only the first book.  If done properly, this could be an effective marketing and sales strategy.  But as a newbie author, I thought it was too great a risk to hope that a reader would be willing to purchase a second book to get the answers to those questions.

So, after much deliberation, I decided that the most important thing for my story was to present it to readers in its most satisfying form, regardless of cost.