A rock and a hard place

When I started looking for an editor, I talked with many people. Editors, proofreaders, advisors, agents and more.

All said the same. My novel was too long and not suitable for marketing. Their unanimous advice:

A novel should be no longer than 100 000 words.

I did not like listening to them. My argument:

What’s with all those great novels that are longer than mine and are just amazing?

However, regardless of how much I tried to defend my work, I had to admit, those authors were well-known, well-established and well-liked.

I’m a newbie.

Has anyone ever been caught on the horns of a dilemma – facing a choice which seems equally unpleasant?

If so, I would be interested in how you manage to make a choice.

My dilemma:

A)     Splitting my novel and forcing my audience to buy three books, risking their disinterest or even the alienation of readers.

B)     Having to sell my novel at the high end of the price range to cover printing costs & co. and risking that no one buys it.

I didn’t like either choice. The dilemma caused plenty of sleepless nights.

I went back to my novel and checked if there was anything I could remove. Any scenes which weren’t needed for the plot to make sense. I deleted a few. But it wasn’t enough to even scratch the surface.

Then, finally, with a heavy heart and after plenty of weeks deliberating with myself, I made a decision. Three parts it would be.

However, that brought me instantly to my next dilemma. How could I ensure people would be willing to pay for three books to read one novel?

I needed a solution! And an idea started to blossom in my mind.

I already had my website and a clear vision of which platforms I wanted to use to bring my novel into the world.

Here I should say, I’m not expecting to get rich by writing one novel.

I write because I love it. Because it helps me to express myself. Because it gives me stability and happiness.

I want to share that with you, and I hope that you’ll enjoy reading my novel as much as I enjoyed writing it.

So, my idea:

It came along when my husband bought something online. He had conversed with the seller about a 3D printer problem, and the seller had offered him to use a different product, giving him a discount code to encourage him to buy it. It worked. My husband bought the item.

I was super excited. Why shouldn’t I do the same and give readers who read Book One of my novel a discount for the other two?

Amazon dampened my excitement. They removed the discount code option for books some time ago. But the idea was born, and I checked with the other platform.

Regardless of the rules in place, nothing stopped me from offering Parts Two and Three at a lower price. Moreover, one platform provided the option to sell my novel directly from my own website. This would allow me to apply further discounts to readers who had purchased Part One.

I’m still working on the fine details. Obviously, I don’t want to sell my novel and start paying on top because my own costs outmatch the sales income. But I’m positive I’ll find a solution.

Regardless of how tough things can be, there is always at least one way forward.

Brainstorming is a great way to find solutions, and so is talking to people.

Therefore, if you have a suggestion, shoot.

Diana

PS: My lovely husband made a comment about eBooks. He is a software engineer...So no surprise there. Anyway, obviously, I'll offer the eBook option as one whole novel. Happy husband?