Most self-publishing authors are naturally either overwriters or underwriters by nature. Knowing where a self-publishing author falls on that spectrum can help them improve their craft and enhance the reader experience.

Overwriting can happen for many reasons. It can be excitement at explaining details of a story or, often, fear that the reader won’t understand what the writer is trying to do without a detailed explanation. While explaining to the reader the intricacies of the world or story plot can be important, overwriters tend to take things beyond what is necessary for understanding.

While one of the benefits of self-publishing is that the author can lean into their style, overwriting has some significant drawbacks. An overwritten book takes longer than necessary, which increases the costs of publishing a book. Additionally, a book that is too large may discourage some readers from picking it up and create an unpleasant reading experience for those who take a chance on it.

Here are 5 signs that a self-publishing author is an overwriter:

1. Book Length Outside the Genre Norms

Different genres have typical lengths that readers expect. This may vary somewhat based on the needs of a particular story, but if a book is far longer than usual in the genre, there is a good chance the author might be an overwriter.

If the self-publishing author has multiple books that all far exceed the genre norms, then they are almost certainly an overwriter.

2. Unnecessary Scenes

If a self-publishing author gets feedback from beta readers and editors that scenes in their book don’t seem to have a point, they may be an overwriter.

Overwriting authors tend to add scenes to a book that they find interesting but don’t explore the setting, develop the characters, or move the plot forward. These scenes are unnecessary to the story and often can slow the pacing down, which tends to bore readers.

Every scene in a book should have a purpose. Additionally, any given scene should add something new to the story and not just reinforce what has already happened in past scenes.

3. Too Large a Cast

If a self-publishing author is given feedback by their beta readers or editor that their book has too many characters or points of view, there is a good chance the author is an overwriter.

A book should have enough viewpoints and characters to tell the story, but overwriters tend to have too many characters who don’t play vital roles in the story. They may create a side character to explore something they think is interesting in their world, but that isn’t vital to the plot. While those explorations might be helpful to the author at times, they shouldn’t make it into a final manuscript because they aren’t useful to a reader.

4. Slow Pacing

If a self-publishing author is frequently given feedback from beta readers and editors that their pacing is too slow, there is a good chance they are an overwriter. A well-paced book moves forward smoothly, while a book with too slow pacing often drags. This can be caused by excessive descriptions, too many side-plots, or a general lack of forward movement in a story. Good pacing is a huge factor in reader enjoyment, and a book with slow pacing can easily become a slog to read.

5. Too Many Subplots

Subplots can enrich a world, flesh out characters, create conflict, and make a story more interesting for the reader. However, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. If a self-publishing author is frequently told they have too many subplots, too much happening, or a convoluted plot, they may be an overwriter.

It is easy for a self-publishing author to get excited about their world and all the stories in that world, but sometimes, that results in too many detours from the main plot. Even if the subplots are interesting, they can detract from the overall story arc. Overwriters tend to want to share side stories irrelevant to the main plot, and too many of these can frustrate readers.

Self-publishing authors must embrace their natural writing style while creating a great reader experience. Being aware of how a writer naturally writes is an essential first step in improving their skills.

InstantPublisher cares about self-publishing authors. We provide affordable, high-quality book publishing services. Visit our website today to learn more about how InstantPublishier can help you along your self-publishing journey.