Better Slim Than None

Would I Want Any of My Fiction Titles Converted to a RD Condensed Book?

By Jeff Salter

My short answer to this week’s topic?

You betcha.

I’d rather people read a slimmed down version of my stories than not read my stories at all. But that doesn’t mean I think the abridged version will be BETTER. In fact, I’m sure it would pain me to learn what those condensers decided to cut out!

But I’ve been through edits where the editor had me cut something like 22,000 words from a manuscript. After all that blood-letting – and after I’d had time to grieve – I had to admit the story flowed quite well without those 22k words.

Were there some good scenes among the many that were excised? Certainly, in my opinion. But the editor believed they slowed the flow of the story… or otherwise shifted the focus of the story. Maybe so, maybe not. But when I re-read the published version years later, I can’t even remember what was omitted… and therefore I don’t miss it.

My Rationale

Here’s why I don’t think I’d mind having some of my novels condensed:

• When I was a school kid, lots of us (including me, occasionally) – when in a time crunch or due to a severe lack of interest in the material – chose to read the Monarch Notes or Cliff Notes… rather than suffer through the entire text (of whichever classic literature was being dumped upon us). If it were MY book being studied, I’d far prefer that the student read a condensed version than to rely upon the summaries in Monarch / Cliff.
• When I was a high school freshman, we were required to read Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. Folks, that book was every bit of 600 pages! At age 14, I didn’t care about London, orphans, or Copperfield. And, at that point I thought Dickens has probably written such a long book because he knew one day the high school freshmen would have to wade through it. Fortunately, one of the publishers – Signet, as I recall – had the foresight to ABRIDGE that title… so I had a choice! And a decision. My big brother had been in that same class with that same teacher three years earlier. He told me I really should read the LONGER version, because the teacher took some of her exam questions from text that did not appear in the abridged version [one of these was a minor character who wasn’t even mentioned in the shortened version]. Well, long story short, I bought the abridged version, which was roughly half the length of the other one. And even that was a struggle to wade through. Nevertheless, I got through the book, passed that exam, passed the course, and went on to become an English major in college. LOL.
• Many years ago, when I was going through a spiritual struggle, I realized I needed (and wanted) to read the Christian Bible. But it seemed a formidable task: all those 66 books, all those 1000 pages of thin paper and teeny print! I dithered and I procrastinated. Finally, I had an idea! I found the children’s illustrated Bible that someone had given our son. Yeah, I knew it was “cheating” but I wanted to read the Bible and had to start somewhere. So I read it, cover to cover… and I was hooked. Though I’d been in Sunday School and church for much of my life, I discovered things in that illustrated Bible that I didn’t recall ever knowing before. And that let me to read a more complete, but still abridged, Bible aimed at kids, but without the illustrations. In that version I learned even more… and was hungry for still more. Finally, I took the plunge and started reading the full text, NIV Bible. I started reading at least a complete chapter every morning in my office before work. Along the way, I was in a weekly Bible study for 10 years with 3 friends (later one dropped out). When it’s all said and done, I’ve gone through the complete Bible at least three times and, of course, been over some of the Books many additional times. Would I have done that, had I not first wet my feet with that juvenile illustrated version? I wonder.

Conclusion

Suffice it to say, I’ve got nothing against people reading condensed versions of my stories. I’d PREFER them to read the full-length story, as I wrote it, revised it, edited it, etc. But I’d rather they read my work in SOME form… than not read my work at all. My thought is: if they like what they read in condensed form, perhaps they’ll tackle the next title in its full length.

If I had the ability and money, I’d even commission a GRAPHIC NOVEL version of some of my stories… just to hook those readers who tend to avoid lengthy texts that have no visuals.

Question: What about YOU? Do you enjoy condensed / abridged books? Why or why not? Would you want one of YOUR titles to be condensed?

[JLS # 528]