Since Atlas Shrugged is 645,000 words in length, and has never been split into two volumes, why does the publishing industry refuse to even look at manuscripts this length anymore?

Question: Since Atlas Shrugged is 645,000 words in length, and has never been split into two volumes, why does the publishing industry refuse to even look at manuscripts this length anymore?

Let’s see:

They need editing - Atlas Shrugged could EASILY lose 250–300 PAGES and still be as mediocre as it is with them. A publisher would look at a manuscript submitted to them with that many words and simply tell the literary agent to have their client winnow it down. A LOT. If the writer refused, they would simply take a pass on it.

Nobody wants to read something that long - It’s not Tolstoy, nor Victor Hugo. If someone brings in a novel of that length, it’s too much exposition, too many things being repeated, and almost certainly dull. The publisher know from their sales that readers want 250–300 pages, that they will tolerate 350–700 pages, and that anything over 700 pages would need to be a classic to sell. Most writers aren’t submitting classics.

It wouldn’t be appealing to other forms of media - Many publishers want novels that can be sold to Hollywood. An Atlas Shrugged length book would need to find someone with money to read it (or have someone whose judgment they trust to do so) and from see a method to distill it down to a 90–120 minute film. It’s possible that they could see a miniseries or streaming series from it; however that would still require that someone see merit in doing that.

Ayn Rand came along at a time when reading was still popular, she was able to sell her overly screed to publishers, and she was lucky enough that right wing teenagers and poorly socialized male adults would find it to be inspirational. If she tried to proffer such a lengthy tome in today’s market, her feelings would get hurt.

A LOT.