Question for both editors and readers

[Max ODrive]

Here's my dilemma. I'm in the process of writing a story and it isn't short. It's at 60.000 words right now and probably has at least another 140k to come.
Yes it's turning into a #@$#@ book. I have other stories in process, one is at around 60k and another is at 40k, but the current one is the one that's writing itself and quicky. I'm hitting 10k words/day at the moment. So..I have questions.

Ok... Editors.
When I finally decide to draft someone to edit this, because I know for a fact there are " " and ' ' issues and I am the world's worst for using a word or phrase too often. I know there are only so many descriptive for a penis, vagina and an orgasm, but it's more of using a similar wording phrasing too often. "He said", "She said" etc.. and how to continue a spoken conversation.

At any rate.. what is a good length to send to you? Would you want the entire book? Would you want me to try to break it into parts? What is your preference as an editor? As an FYI, I won't send anything until it is completed and I read over it at least once to see if I catch any continuity errors. And yes, it has some natural break points so creating different sections wouldn't be hard, but I hate to mess up a flow.

And for the Readers.
How much is too much to sit down and read at once? "Win Some" which was my first real work, comes out at 25,000 words and I posted the entire story at once. Now I doubt anyone would seriously want to read a 200,000 word book at once, since it's hard to read any book in one sitting. I had a few people tell me they hesitated to start something that long, even though one guy who sent me an email said he didn't mow the yard one day because he got involved in the story.
Fortunately, except for the haters of certain lifestyle choices, "Win Some" comments were very positive. But I know most people don't want to spend a lot of time on Lit, even when a story is compelling and well written.

Well? How do you want it? Long and hard or short and sweet?

ANY and all responses are definitely appreciated!
Thank in advance!
Max

 

[SoCalAshley]

Although I am also a writer, I will respond as a long-time reader. For me, there is no ideal length for a story. Sometimes I enjoy a quick read , and other times, when I am looking to edge to a story, 15,000 to 20,000 words can be very satisfying. Anything over 25,000 words, for me, is too long for one sitting. With those amounts of words, I would much rather read chapters. One of my favorite series was by BusyBadger. Although he no longer writes his series, "A New Way of Seeing Things" was very erotic. Most chapters were 7,000 words, and his series had 85 chapters. I know that there are several other writers who have at least that many chapters.

I hope that helps.

 

[Dreamthiev]

In regards to length, it definitely depends on the story. Personally, I don't like anything too short. Those 500/750 word challenge stories do nothing for me. At this point, if it says it's a 750 word (or less) story I won't click on it.

On the flip side, while I don't think any specific length is automatically "too long," the longer a story is the stronger the hook has to be. If I start reading and I'm not yet really interested and I get to the bottom of the first page and see that there's like 15+ pages? I'm probably going to close the tab, because I'm not wading into that long of a story that hasn't even managed to capture my interest yet. Or an author's note saying that things 'start slow' but really pick up around part 4? I'm not likely to wait around and see. But long stories/series that do capture and hold my interest tend to be my favorites.

 

[shecret]

I enjoy good stories as a reader. Very short stories are hard to write so the reader is satisfied with the plot and the debth of the story. I don't mind long stories if they let you know the characters well, and perhaps you can identify yourself with them - like you are emotionally involved in the story. I have read some 30-chapter stories where I felt sad when there weren't any chapters left. It all depends of the story and a skilled/gifted author.

As a writer, I go for chapters. My series so far is chapters of 10k-22k words, and I let the main character tell her story day by day, at least in the beginning. I release it chapter by chapter of several reasons: It takes me a month per chapter at least; lack of time, and the fact that English is my second language, so there is a lot of tinkering after I am satisfied with the plot and the descriptions. And I cannot see an end of the story yet: I feel that there are so many things I want my character to experience. At least 10-15 chapters more are planned.

I can't edit; it is hard enough for me to go through my own writings - I couldn't find an editor to assist me. But if I was to edit something in my own language, I would prefer to read the whole story before I begin the work. I have been proofreading things in Danish, and that's why I have an opinion.

 

[Max ODrive]

Thanks folks! I appreciate the responses!
So far, it seems to match what I think when it comes to reading something. 15-20K per submission makes sense, I just hope my stories will break down into some cohesive units so it won't kill the flow of a section.

Thanks again and I hope more folks will add responses.

Especially editors!