[mesquite]

As it stands, I have a "decent" number of books in my personal eBook library. All authors are different of course but the main question is this: Do you prefer short and sweet chapters where total chapter length can be James Patterson-esque in numbering (in excess of 100 chapters for a 400+ page book) Richard North Patterson does this as well (must be a Patterson thing) or do you prefer long lengthy chapters say 40-50 chapters in said book? I don't have specific preference since any author worth reading can do what they want.

[zackddog]

I think that the short of it to me is that Patterson et al got into that format to "stretch" a 150 page novella into a 400 page (half of them dead space) novel.

I'd like to know the word count on some of them, and how many of them are just there as a filler.

Then again, why am I complaining? I haven't bought a James Paterson book in 7 or 8 years. And I used to buy them as soon as they came out. Until a novel became a novella written -very poorly I'll add- by a co-writer.

[mesquite]

I looked at the Richard North Patterson book Eyes of a Child it has 752 pages and probably in excess of 110 chapters. To me, that is just too damn much as far as chapters go. I can understand if he has 75 but to make a chapter after every 5 paragraphs which TYPICALLY run 5 pages and is what you would probably write on an entry level college English paper is outrageous.

Having 30 - 40 chapters in a 400+ page book is okay. Maybe there should be an industry standard like they expect on college essays. For every 10 to 25 pages is a chapter would be my opinion.

[jaysee]

I think that the short of it to me is that Patterson et al got into that format to "stretch" a 150 page novella into a 400 page (half of them dead space) novel.

This.

I've only ever read one Patterson book (in hard copy) and I stuck with it so I wouldn't have wasted my time but I absolutely hated the 3 pages=a chapter ethos he has. Awful. If you can't write novel-length just write a compendium of short stories.

[mesquite]

I think that the short of it to me is that Patterson et al got into that format to "stretch" a 150 page novella into a 400 page (half of them dead space) novel.

This.

I've only ever read one Patterson book (in hard copy) and I stuck with it so I wouldn't have wasted my time but I absolutely hated the 3 pages=a chapter ethos he has. Awful. If you can't write novel-length just write a compendium of short stories.

The good authors now a days can keep me interested in mixing in the action within the chapter. Patterson has to have a chapter for each piece of action.