Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Bestselling books have been getting shorter

wordsrated.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 118 posts

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#61

Post by torben-friis »

mtillman wrote: post #36
boppo1 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep! Count of Monte Cristo is known as a long read but it was originally serialized. You can kinda tell too, the plot meanders a couple times. Nonetheless extremely entertaining, I'd highly recommend.

Same for Count of Monte Cristo and some of his other works. Also Don Quixote if I recall correctly. I actually read them one to two chapters a week to stay on a similar to original schedule.

Don Quixote was never a serial, it was published in full in a 4-parts volume (there is a second part that was written a decade later though).

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#62

Post by rqtwteye »

klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

That's something I have noticed with a lot of programming books. They are super long and are just pages of unfocused blablabla and screenshots. I miss books like K&R that are well written and concise.

Problem is that padding most non-fiction books is really easy while padding a fiction book is hard. So expect non-fiction to get longer and fiction to get shorter.

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#63

Post by klodolph »

rqtwteye wrote: post #62
klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

That's something I have noticed with a lot of programming books. They are super long and are just pages of unfocused blablabla and screenshots. I miss books like K&R that are well written and concise. Problem is that padding most non-fiction books is really easy while padding a fiction book is hard. So expect non-fiction to get longer and fiction to get shorter.

I've heard that if you write a technical book on programming and work with a publisher, they'll encourage you to stick code listings in your book.

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#64

Post by WalterBright »

klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

Many books are padded by:

1. using thicker paper

2. using a larger font

4. more spaces between lines

5. larger margins

6. a bunch of blank and/or pointless pages at the beginning

7. ad pages at the end

I see it all the time. A book's contents can vary 2:1 in length compared to another one of the same physical size.

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#65

Post by LordDragonfang »

elmomle wrote: post #16
yojo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was my first thought. Maybe it’s not “books are getting shorter,” but “publishers are getting cheaper.” Decreasing margins, decreasing font size, etc could all explain a diminishing page count to save on printing costs. That said, from looking into publishing, it seems like consensus is anything over 100k words (approx 400 pages) is basically unsellable unless you’re Stephen King or something. It’s not clear to…

Many of the longer novels in classic literature were originally serialized, and only later compiled into the lengthy tomes we know today.

Slightly related, but I'm a fan of web serialized fiction (fanfics, but also original works like Worm, Worth the Candle, Mother of Learning, Unsong, etc), and when I occasionally order paper copies I'm always astounded at just how physically large they are, in a way that doesn't come across in a purely digital format.

I should note that this rebuts the idea that long-form fiction is disappearing, it's just not getting physically published, because the internet remains the best way to distribute information (and often make a living, since patreon can often end up paying more than a publisher).

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#66

Post by Eddy_Viscosity2 »

klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

Indeed, many non-fiction books seem to be really solid long form essays that were inflated with needless filler content to 100 pages. (Note I'm saying 'many' not 'all').

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#68

Post by grogenaut »

WalterBright wrote: post #64
klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

Many books are padded by: 1. using thicker paper 2. using a larger font 4. more spaces between lines 5. larger margins 6. a bunch of blank and/or pointless pages at the beginning 7. ad pages at the end I see it all the time. A book's contents can vary 2:1 in length compared to another one of the same physical size.

Which is longer: a game of thrones #1 or Harry Potter #6... I think they're similar page lengths but got is probably at least 2x the words. Kindle sections or word count really do make more sense for pure length. But thickness and heft are real as well as is paper cost :).

I have the above analogy from teaching my kids not to be afraid of long books. It actually works both ways. "Look you finished hp6 when you were 12, got is like the same size don't be afraid."

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#69

Post by pessimizer »

elmomle wrote: post #16
yojo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was my first thought. Maybe it’s not “books are getting shorter,” but “publishers are getting cheaper.” Decreasing margins, decreasing font size, etc could all explain a diminishing page count to save on printing costs. That said, from looking into publishing, it seems like consensus is anything over 100k words (approx 400 pages) is basically unsellable unless you’re Stephen King or something. It’s not clear to…

Many of the longer novels in classic literature were originally serialized, and only later compiled into the lengthy tomes we know today.

Pretty much all of Dickens and Zola.

Re: Bestselling books have been getting shorter

#70

Post by jyriand »

klodolph wrote: post #57

IMO most popular non-fiction books don't have enough content to justify their length. I'm not saying that the content is bad, or you shouldn't buy the book. The book is just padded out so you feel better about buying it. Who would buy a 40-page book for $15? The book gets padded out to 200 pages by repeating itself, adding filler sections, anecdotes, graphic design choices, etc. I am happy to see books get shorter if…

One thing to keep in mind is that for traditional publishers your book's spine needs to be thick enough to be visible on the shelf and not get lost between other books.
Post reply on HN