16 replies to this topic

[Righty007]

In another thread, OmarB stated that he wondered what the page count will be for PROJECT X. I averaged the page counts of the US hardcover edition of every single Jeffrey Deaver novel (except collections) and came up with a page count of 393. The last adult James Bond novel (<!-- book-start --><span class="book" id="booktag">Devil May Care</span><!-- book-end -->) was only 278 pages.

COULD 'PROJECT X' BE THE LONGEST BOND NOVEL YET?

SELECTED BOND NOVELS:

<!-- book-start --><span class="book" id="booktag">Licence Renewed</span><!-- book-end --> (1981): 285

<!-- book-start --><span class="book" id="booktag">The Man From Barbarossa</span><!-- book-end --> (1991): 303

<!-- book-start --><span class="book" id="booktag">Never Dream Of Dying</span><!-- book-end --> (2001): 291

<!-- book-start --><span class="book" id="booktag">Devil May Care</span><!-- book-end --> (2008): 278

--

AVERAGE PAGE COUNT: 289

JEFFERY DEAVER'S OEUVRE:

Standalone Works

Mistress of Justice (1992): 344

The Lesson of Her Death (1993): 418

Praying For Sleep (1994): 448

A Maiden's Grave (1995): 432

The Devil's Teardrop (1999): 400

Speaking In Tongues (2000): 336

The Blue Nowhere (2001): 432

Garden of Beasts (2004): 416

The Bodies Left Behind (2008): 368

Edge (2010): 368

Rune Trilogy

Manhattan Is My Beat (1988): 320 (UK)

Death of a Blue Movie Star (1990): 324 (UK)

Hard News (1991): 308

John Pellam Trilogy

Shallow Graves (1992): 352 (UK)

Bloody River Blues (1993): 400

Hell's Kitchen (2001): 352 (UK)

Lincoln Rhyme Series

The Bone Collector (1997): 432

The Coffin Dancer (1998): 368

The Empty Chair (2000): 416

The Stone Monkey (2002): 432

The Vanished Man (2003): 416

The Twelfth Card (2005): 416

The Cold Moon (2006): 416

The Broken Window (2008): 417

The Burning Wire (2010): 414

Kathryn Dance Series

The Sleeping Doll (2007): 448

Roadside Crosses (2009): 416

--

AVERAGE PAGE COUNT: 393

If I had to make a guess, I'd say the page count for the US hardcover edition of PROJECT X will be:

397

What do you think? Make a prediction and we'll see who wins!

I think I may have too much time on my hands...

[clinkeroo]

321

[Trident]

I think pagecount today is mostly an affair the publishers decide upon by sales figures. The average for the thriller genre would perhaps be something around 380 pages. More you can only get greenlit if you are a heavy hitter like Clancy or King (whose regular readers are used to doorstop proportions). And I have to say a larger pargecount doesn't always constitute greater quality. Some cuts actually make a novel better, but bigger names tend to ignore this only too often.

[[dark]]

I see no reason to expect anything radically different from any Bond novel that has preceded Project X - that is, something around the 300-page mark.

[DamnCoffee]

I see no reason to expect anything radically different from any Bond novel that has preceded Project X - that is, something around the 300-page mark.

[terminus]

I'm going to throw in 320.

[OmarB]

I think pagecount today is mostly an affair the publishers decide upon by sales figures. The average for the thriller genre would perhaps be something around 380 pages. More you can only get greenlit if you are a heavy hitter like Clancy or King (whose regular readers are used to doorstop proportions). And I have to say a larger pargecount doesn't always constitute greater quality. Some cuts actually make a novel better, but bigger names tend to ignore this only too often.

I don't think of it as a quality issue. it's more of a book being finished before you really settle into it. I'm not asking for Atlas Shrugged or Red Storm Rising after all.

[zencat]

I think pagecount today is mostly an affair the publishers decide upon by sales figures. The average for the thriller genre would perhaps be something around 380 pages. More you can only get greenlit if you are a heavy hitter like Clancy or King (whose regular readers are used to doorstop proportions). And I have to say a larger pargecount doesn't always constitute greater quality. Some cuts actually make a novel better, but bigger names tend to ignore this only too often.

What Trident said.

But my guess: 372.

[zencat]

According to the current Amazon listing...

Hardcover: 1 pages

So who had 1?

[whiteskwirl]

According to the current Amazon listing...

Hardcover: 1 pages

So who had 1?

That's the Price is Right guess.

[Righty007]

I see no reason to expect anything radically different from any Bond novel that has preceded Project X - that is, something around the 300-page mark.

I understand but do you think Deaver will move away from his usual trend just because it's a James Bond novel? Or does IFP dictate the page count?

[zencat]

As Trident said, I think it's more of a publisher thing. I think they budget for a book between somewhere between 300-400 pages. I think it's an issue when you go over 400. Be interested to know why exactly. Probably has to do with a jump in printing expense. Maybe also has to do with bookstore shelf space, etc.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I'll go with 352 pages.

[Righty007]

According to Amazon.com, Project X will be 448 pages. However, this is most likely tentative.

[Jeff007]

I've only read one of Deaver's novels and it had short chapters and just chapter numbers. This could be why the page count is high. Normally Bond novels have roughly 10ish and up pages per chapter and they always have a chapter title. Does Deaver do chapter titles? I've only read The Burning Wire.

[volante]

How many days to launch??

[chrisno1]

Interesting topic.
This is a marketing issue. Novels have a much longer page count in the '00s (indeed in the '80s and '90s too) due to the size of the font used. This was particularly prevalent in paperbacks, where font was generally small to keep the page count (and subsequently the price) down. Now we pay what I consider to be high prices for paperbacks (and hardbacks) where type is excessively large.
Case in point:
DMC - approx 220 words per page - 395 pages = approx 86,900 words
HTTK - approx 370 wpp - 294 pages = approx 108,780
SF - approx 290 wpp - 312 pages = approx 90,480
NDMB - approx 310 wpp - 231 pages = approx 71,610
YOLT - approx 410 wpp - 180 pages = approx 73,800
CR - approx 280 wpp - 183 pages = approx 51,240
JD's Death of a Blue Movie Star - approx 310 wpp - 324 pages = 100,440
This is the JD I'm currently reading.
Doesn't really prove anything, but it's worth pointing out page count and word count is no guarantee of quality or value for money.
Most agents and publishers don't consider an adult novel if its word count is less than 80,000, unless it's by an established author. The rumours I hear are that 100,000 is the generally accepted length which makes a hardback/ paperback financially worthwhile publishing. As zencat suggested it really is something to do with cost & size and also how a book looks. If you have to pay £7.99 for a paperback the theory is a purchase feels like a better deal if it is thicker, taller, etc. Hence DMC and now Fleming himself are published in the contemporary fiction grade.
Like more is more....???

Edited by chrisno1, 15 January 2011 - 01:35 PM.