AMOL - How big is this book going to be?

[Nigel Fallon]

I'm new to this forum but a big fan of the books and I can't help but wonder with the length of time it is taking to complete the final book is there any information out there anywhere suggesting how many pages it is going to take to complete.

[Kadere]

Sanderson says it'll probably be about the same word length as TGS and ToM which were both just over 300,000 words. So AMoL will probably be about the same page length as those two.

[Rcurran]

I always kid myself when reading it that the story goes right to the end of the pages. Then it ends and all you're left with is the glossary.

 

I think that all Tor will allow for is a TGS sized book. Brandon, like any fan, no doubt wants it to go those extra pages. Let's hope we get the longest book yet.

 

Edit: I not can words put right order the in.

[Nigel Fallon]

Sanderson says it'll probably be about the same word length as TGS and ToM which were both just over 300,000 words. So AMoL will probably be about the same page length as those two.

 

Thanks

[Nigel Fallon]

I always kid myself when reading it that the story goes right to the end of the pages. Then it ends and all you're left with is the glossary.

 

I think that all Tor will allow for is a TGS sized book. Brandon, like any fan, no doubt wants it to go those extra pages. Let's hope we get the longest book yet.

 

Edit: I not can words put right order the in.

 

Totally have to agree with you. I hope it's the longest book yet, I can't wait to find how the story finishes but I don't want it to end.

[Random Man]

I always kid myself when reading it that the story goes right to the end of the pages. Then it ends and all you're left with is the glossary.

 

I think that all Tor will allow for is a TGS sized book. Brandon, like any fan, no doubt wants it to go those extra pages. Let's hope we get the longest book yet.

 

Edit: I not can words put right order the in.

 

Totally have to agree with you. I hope it's the longest book yet, I can't wait to find how the story finishes but I don't want it to end.

I can't possibly fathom it being under 350,000 words, which ToM was approx. Partly because I'm having a hard time with Brandon saying it's 80 percent done right now with the 300,000 word mark. Just don't buy that.

Also I'm pretty sure Tor will publish anything that's bindable within reason. This is AMoL. They're going to get their $$ out of it.

[yoniy0]

Consider that Brandon's going on tour Nov 8, so I trust his current assessments. It's not so far away that he wouldn't know how long it would be.

[Random Man]

Consider that Brandon's going on tour Nov 8, so I trust his current assessments. It's not so far away that he wouldn't know how long it would be.

I suppose there could be less that has to happen in terms of wordcount than one might think. But consider that ToM was nearly 360,000 words before Brandon reined it in a bit. Published, it was still a tome that belonged in a class of potentially lethal blunt weaponry. Plus, his estimates have always been just that, estimates, and he's been honest with the fact they can be fluid. Also there's the fact that the ending was written by RJ and Brandon doesn't tend to include RJ's writings into the wordcount until they are introduced into the storyline. The "completed ending" could be 50k words by itself easily. So that's my estimate: 350,000 words.

[yoniy0]

Estimates, yes. But look at how things have been moving along. Brandon Twitted that he's set a goal of 30k words for a period of two weeks on Oct 17 (and you could tell that it's not going to be easy). On Oct 22 he let us know that he's nearly on mark last week, so let's use that number as a marker nonetheless. He was 80% done on Oct 22. This leaves two and a half weeks until Nov 8, roughly 12.5% on his scale. This means that he'd be 22.5k words short of his mark of 300k. Those could easily be the parts RJ wrote and he just didn't get to yet, but I find it hard to believe the first draft could become 350k words unless he doesn't finish it before his tour.

 

Also, consider that the book will get trimmed in revisions (I can't recall what he once said about the fraction that usually gets trimmed, but I distinctly remember that a book does shrink in that process). All in all, it wouldn't surprise me if this time we'll be closer to 300k.

[shadowofomioc]

Also remember that these last 3 books were suppposed to be a complete final novel.

 

But as Sanderson states in his explanation, could you imagine a 3,000 page final book sitting on your shelf? Taking half the thing up? lol.

 

So yeah. 1,000 pages per final book. Just about right.

[efmrem2005]

I just set 3 books on top of each other and giggled. That would be the final book size had it not been broken up

[Nigel Fallon]

Thanks for the posts everyone, bearing in mind how long TGS and ToM were (just over 300,000 words each), and how much of the story still has to be tied up I would be very surprised if the book was anything less than 350,000 words.

I'm not posting this as a complaint. The longer the book is the happier I'll be, as I said above I cannot wait to find out how the story finishes but I don't want it to end.

[Bob T Dwarf]

Thanks for the posts everyone, bearing in mind how long TGS and ToM were (just over 300,000 words each), and how much of the story still has to be tied up I would be very surprised if the book was anything less than 350,000 words.

I'm not posting this as a complaint. The longer the book is the happier I'll be, as I said above I cannot wait to find out how the story finishes but I don't want it to end.

 

It is sufficiently long that Sanderson's progress bar hasn't moved off 80% in 10 days and Amazon does not yet have it available for pre-order.

 

It appears the threads are not weaving together altogether seamlessly.

[Razor]

It is now at 90%

[Random Man]

Also remember that these last 3 books were suppposed to be a complete final novel.

 

But as Sanderson states in his explanation, could you imagine a 3,000 page final book sitting on your shelf? Taking half the thing up? lol.

 

So yeah. 1,000 pages per final book. Just about right.

 

A wheelbarrow to carry it away and a magnifying glass to read it, yeah that's about what RJ said. I'm getting a visual of reading the last book as RJ claimed it would be, hunched over this massive tome squinting at the text by candlelight like a monk studying some ancient manscript. In a way it would have been kinda cool.