How long is too long?

Sandra Scoppettone, mystery author and writer of a terrific blog about writing, shares the realization that her current book is going to end up too short:

Did you know one is now told in their contract how many words you have to have? In this first draft I’m going to come up short so that I’ll have to make it up in the rewrite. This disturbs me because I never want to put in filler. I’ve spent my whole career learning how to write lean and mean. And I think I’ve accomplished that now. But if I have to get to the right word count by adding unnecessary words it will make me unhappy. This trend to get writers to make their books bigger is terrible, I think. [emphasis added]

I agree with her completely.

It's strange that the publisher would pressure a writer to make her book longer. I would rather have a book be too short than too long. Too long is death for a mystery or thriller, in particular.

When I'm deciding what book to read next for possible review, I'm much more likely to choose a shorter book than a longer one, all else being equal. Time is nearly always a factor, and I'm frequently reading on deadline, so a shorter book has that much more to recommend it.

I will almost never read a book that is substantially longer than 400 pages, unless I'm already familiar with the author or have some other particular reason to give it a try. Nearly always, the book is padded out and drags.

I wish that more publishers would realize that a shorter book that is taut and suspenseful will often read much better than the same story bloated out by 100 pages.

If all else fails, they can always go with the wide margins and thick paper that Putnam uses to make Robert Parker's books appear longer.