Kimberly Pauley

Q&A: Word pages vs. book pages, other books, just how old am I?

Ok! I’ve had a few interesting questions posted on the Q&A page lately. Sometimes I just answer them there, but other times I’ll answer them here in the blog (and all Q&A stuff gets categorized as Q&A too, so you can get to it easy). So here’s the latest, which are kinda random (but in a good way; mostly I mean they don’t necessarily group well together):

Does one Word document page usually equal one page in a book? Like if I’m on page 38 in a Word document, would that only be page 38 if the book was published?

Nope, not exactly. Traditionally, back when everyone worked on typewriters and used essentially the same font (Courier, more or less), a page was considered to be 250 words. That number is still used as an estimate, but it’s just that. Depending on what font you use and what your margin settings are and things like that, the number of pages in your manuscript can be completely different from the actual finished book. The final edited manuscript of Sucks to Be Me was 224 pages. The books (both hardback and paperback) each had 293 page. There are 63,663 words in the manuscript. Words, in general, are a better way to count for me. Most YA novels have between 50,000 and 85,000 words in them. Still Sucks to Be Me has 80,992 words. When I’m writing, I set myself a # of words goal, not a page goal.

Will u have anymore books cominq out soon?

Well, not soon Other than Still Sucks to Be Me out in May. I am working on a joint project with a writer friend of mine that we’re just starting this month. I’m very excited about it because I think it is a cool concept. I’ve never worked on a novel with anyone before, so it will be interesting to see how it goes! I’m also in the early stages of another new book tentatively titled Cat Girl Saves The Day, but it’s still early on. I do have a goal for myself of finishing it by the end of February, but it’s hard to say with the holidays coming up. THEN comes the hard part. Polishing and having my agent submit the book around to publishers. And my editor and I have *very* briefly talked about a third book for Mina, but I don’t have anything on it yet other than a vague idea and the knowledge that it would mostly be set in Europe.

are u lik a teenaqer or sumthanq because ur books seem so into thaa younqer days lik u are livinq our lives?

LOL, no. I’m dreadfully old. Okay, maybe not *that* old (I’m *gasp* 36). But inside? I never grew up. And honestly, I don’t really ever plan on growing up. What’s the fun in that? Sure, I can play at grownup really well, but it’s no fun. And for me it’s kinda like wearing a skin that doesn’t fit real well. It’ll be too soon if I never do the corporate thing again.

To tell you the truth, that’s really how all grownups are. Some of us just get more into the role than others. My husband? He makes a pretty good grownup.