My book is 500+ paperback pages long (180,000 words). Sharing just a chapter doesn't give much of a bite on the book for any commentator / editor. What should I do? I feel that I should share at least 10-15 % of the book for a meaningful feedback and comment on the book.. That would make it almost 50-75 paperback pages.
What would be the right extent to share?
Ravi Krish
Author
An Other Tale of Two Cities
Firstly, well done on writing your novel. It's a huge achievement for anyone, and to have written something that long and ambitious must have taken a huge amount of effort.
On a slightly more negative note, assuming (as some of your other posts suggest) that you want to get this conventionally published, I'm worried it's just too long. I've seen so many pieces of advice from agents and publishers that strongly suggest they never take anything longer than about 100 000 words (or 120 000 at absolute most) from new authors and prefer manuscripts of around 80 or 90 000 words.
First thought: is there any way your book could be split into two volumes? Is there a natural break point?
Secondly, putting aside worries of publication for a moment, do you really need all of those words? I'm someone who always tends to write a lot for my early drafts, and in my experience, manuscripts nearly always benefit from being trimmed. It might be some overly-descriptive language, it might be a scene that doesn't go anywhere, it might be a character who doesn't add much. I'd really recommend going through and seeing what you can cut and tighten, whether that's a few hundred words or tens of thousands.
Over and above all that, I'd echo what everyone else has said: you've got to make your first few thousand words sufficiently compelling that people want to read on and sufficiently well-written that it gives readers confidence in your abilities.
Good luck.
If you were approaching a publisher or agent, they'd want the first three chapters (up to 3000 words), and a synopsis. That's the only way you can sell it, Ravi. Therefore use this site to hone your skills - give 3000 words (and though you could take them from any part of the novel, the opening chapters are the ones that would hook or lose a reader), and a synopsis in the comments that should be no more than what you can fit on one sheet of paper.
If you can't sell it on that basis, you're never going to be able to interest an agent. No-one has time to read reams - especially not an agent!
Lorraine
On this site you may share 3000 words. But you could add more in COMMENTS to the original "shared work". However, if you can't interest anybody enough within the first 3000 words, nobody's going to continue reading. Remember that we're all busy with our own books. You've got to grab our attention SOON if you want us to read more.